Today's Word for Tuesday October 26, 2010
IDOLATRY
DEFINITION
The worship of idols; a person or thing adored or revered.
SCRIPTURE
You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. I Thessalonians 1:9b
"And this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
It is important for us to understand that when we talk about the word idols we understand what it means. Most people think of idols as a statue or figurine representing a god or the worshipping of an unknown god. But it goes much farther than that. The "things and people" in your life can become idols when they are more important to you than your relationship with the living God. The great concern that we have is that the majority of the people in this world have their idols that come before God.
If you were to ask people if they believed in God, the majority would probably answer "Yes." If you were to ask what they considered most important in their life, their answer, would not be God but, most likely, money, fame, power or pleasure.
Many people create their own god. A report in the magazine NEWSWEEK said that a youth pastor asked teenagers "who they think God is?" One said that "He was like a grandfather. He is there but I never see Him". Another said, "He is an evil being who wants to punish me all the time." The report went on to say that most people form their own gods in life. What consumes one's time becomes one's god.
In the two verses we have printed above, Paul and John remind us that as believers we have turned to God from the idols of life when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. They also remind us that the only true God, Jesus Christ our Savior, is the one that provides us eternal life in heaven.
Creating one's own deity today is common place but the god's we create have no lasting value. It is extremely dangerous because it robs a person of knowing who their heavenly Father really is. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, holy, just and unchangeable and He is waiting for us to establish a relationship with Him and make Him the one and only God in our life.
Idol worship has been prevalent down through the centuries and throughout the world. During Moses time there was a Pharaoh (AKHENATEN) who pointed to the rising and setting sun as the great deity who gave life to earth. The religious symbol for him was a single disc of light with sunrays coming from the sun. This was his god and Moses warned the Israelites to only worship the one and only God and not the god of Pharaoh.
When Paul came to Athens he saw all their objects of worship. The Athenians built beautiful temples to their gods. The remains of those temples can still be seen today. We have been there and have seen them. Paul was grieved by the idolatry in that city. He used the people's imperfect understanding of God to point them to the God of scripture.
In Acts 17:24 Paul wrote, "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." He wanted them to see that the one true God is greater than all their worthless idols.
The people around us may worship a god that they have invented for their life. It is our responsibility that first we make sure that we have a daily relationship with the one and only true God and His Son Jesus. Then we should reach out to those who have their own idols to worship and through our words and deeds show them that there is only one God, the living and eternal God who is the God of all creation and the God of salvation.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Keep me from allowing anything to become more important in my life than You. May my life today glorify Your name in all that I do. Keep me away from the "things and people" that would hinder my relationship with You. Keep me steadfast in my faith and give me the desire to serve You.
October 31, 2010
Grief: October 29, 2010
Today's Word for Friday October 29, 2010
GRIEF
DEFINITION
The cause of sorrow; disaster or failure.
SCRIPTURE
Who comforts us in all our tribulation (grief), that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Corinthians 1:4.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. Ecclesiastes 7:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
One of the most difficult experiences that one faces in life is the death of a family member, a friend or acquaintance. We have experienced this several times in our immediate family losing dearly loved family members including our parents, a daughter-in-law and a nephew. The cause of the sorrow that comes with death is grief. We have experienced that the grief for a person who has died knowing Jesus is entirely different than when the person did not know Jesus.
As a minister we have witnessed, first hand, both situations. When a Christian is grieving for a person who never knew Jesus, the grief includes personal feelings as to whether you did all you could to see that that person knew the Lord and therefore will spend an eternity separated from God. When a believer dies, we as believers have the blessed hope of spending an eternity in heaven with them.
Job tells us in Job 42:5 that out of grief he saw Jesus as never before, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You." Jesus, the perfect man, is described as "a man of sorrows," intimately acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
In first reading the verse above from Ecclesiastes it is hard to understand how the writer could say, "Sorrow is better than laughter." There is a lot for us to learn that sometimes we only learn through grief. The writer of Ecclesiastes teaches us that sorrow does a work in one's heart that will make one a better person in the Lord.
We have traveled to many areas of our world and have seen suffering and grief that has moved us to tears but what we have learned through these many experiences is that God used sorrow and grief to soften our hearts so that we would be more sensitive to the needs of the suffering. It taught us to pray for those living in sorrow and made us aware of a hurting world that Jesus died for. God wants each of us to remember that in times of grief and sorrow He is in control and our comforter and He wants us to be available to comfort others in their time of need as Paul wrote in the above verse from II Corinthians 1:4.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me today to be an encouragement to anyone that is facing grief and sorrow. Give me an opportunity to remind them that when all seems to be lost that they have not lost You. Help me to remember that I can learn more from sorrow than from laughter.
GRIEF
DEFINITION
The cause of sorrow; disaster or failure.
SCRIPTURE
Who comforts us in all our tribulation (grief), that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Corinthians 1:4.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. Ecclesiastes 7:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
One of the most difficult experiences that one faces in life is the death of a family member, a friend or acquaintance. We have experienced this several times in our immediate family losing dearly loved family members including our parents, a daughter-in-law and a nephew. The cause of the sorrow that comes with death is grief. We have experienced that the grief for a person who has died knowing Jesus is entirely different than when the person did not know Jesus.
As a minister we have witnessed, first hand, both situations. When a Christian is grieving for a person who never knew Jesus, the grief includes personal feelings as to whether you did all you could to see that that person knew the Lord and therefore will spend an eternity separated from God. When a believer dies, we as believers have the blessed hope of spending an eternity in heaven with them.
Job tells us in Job 42:5 that out of grief he saw Jesus as never before, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You." Jesus, the perfect man, is described as "a man of sorrows," intimately acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
In first reading the verse above from Ecclesiastes it is hard to understand how the writer could say, "Sorrow is better than laughter." There is a lot for us to learn that sometimes we only learn through grief. The writer of Ecclesiastes teaches us that sorrow does a work in one's heart that will make one a better person in the Lord.
We have traveled to many areas of our world and have seen suffering and grief that has moved us to tears but what we have learned through these many experiences is that God used sorrow and grief to soften our hearts so that we would be more sensitive to the needs of the suffering. It taught us to pray for those living in sorrow and made us aware of a hurting world that Jesus died for. God wants each of us to remember that in times of grief and sorrow He is in control and our comforter and He wants us to be available to comfort others in their time of need as Paul wrote in the above verse from II Corinthians 1:4.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me today to be an encouragement to anyone that is facing grief and sorrow. Give me an opportunity to remind them that when all seems to be lost that they have not lost You. Help me to remember that I can learn more from sorrow than from laughter.
Leadership: October 28, 2010
Today's Word for Thursday October 28, 2010
LEADERSHIP
DEFINITION
The act of leading; one who guides, directs or controls; go first.
SCRIPTURE
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
In Hebrews 12 the author likens living the Christian life to running a race. He is challenging us as believers to step out with confidence and run our Christian race with determination and endurance doing all we can to further the good news of the gospel. He says we have a great crowd of witnesses to lead us and encourage us. He lists, one by one, the great heroes of faith from centuries past in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.
He talks about the great faith of people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel. They lived by faith and were led by their faith in God. Their great faith gives us reason to follow their leadership.
People like these patriarchs of old, who followed God, serve to lead us today in our race of faith to keep us going in the right direction. God expects us to follow their example of faith. We will have to struggle against sin and endure hardship just as they did. All these leaders were commended for their faith. If we are faithful in our Christian race of life, we too will be commended by God for our faith.
God also expects us to honor our leaders. Our constant study of God's Word is a way that we honor the patriarchs of the scripture as we develop our knowledge of the Bible and grow in our faith. Have you noticed the respect that young men and women who are serving in the armed services have today when they are in the public? They have learned to respect those who lead them in defending our country. Those in leadership deserve our respect unless they are leading us to go against God's leadership.
Leadership for running the race of life must begin in the home. It is only by faith that parents can be successful leaders in their home. Parents are to be the encouragers of faith in their children's lives. This requires spending time daily with your children, not once a week but daily.
We will tell you again, our family had dinner together every night. There was no television or radio on, no telephone calls or other distractions. It was a time to communicate. The two of us still do this every day even since our children are gone and on their own.
Spiritual leadership is lacking today in every area of life. We lack leadership that honors God at the government level, our schools, our workplace, our families and even our churches. Without leadership that honors God our society and families will fail -- and they are failing today.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me to learn daily from the experiences the patriarchs left for me in Your Word. Give the leadership that we need to our family. Help us to communicate to others we meet that they need You in their hearts so that they can spend an eternity with You in heaven.
LEADERSHIP
DEFINITION
The act of leading; one who guides, directs or controls; go first.
SCRIPTURE
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
In Hebrews 12 the author likens living the Christian life to running a race. He is challenging us as believers to step out with confidence and run our Christian race with determination and endurance doing all we can to further the good news of the gospel. He says we have a great crowd of witnesses to lead us and encourage us. He lists, one by one, the great heroes of faith from centuries past in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.
He talks about the great faith of people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel. They lived by faith and were led by their faith in God. Their great faith gives us reason to follow their leadership.
People like these patriarchs of old, who followed God, serve to lead us today in our race of faith to keep us going in the right direction. God expects us to follow their example of faith. We will have to struggle against sin and endure hardship just as they did. All these leaders were commended for their faith. If we are faithful in our Christian race of life, we too will be commended by God for our faith.
God also expects us to honor our leaders. Our constant study of God's Word is a way that we honor the patriarchs of the scripture as we develop our knowledge of the Bible and grow in our faith. Have you noticed the respect that young men and women who are serving in the armed services have today when they are in the public? They have learned to respect those who lead them in defending our country. Those in leadership deserve our respect unless they are leading us to go against God's leadership.
Leadership for running the race of life must begin in the home. It is only by faith that parents can be successful leaders in their home. Parents are to be the encouragers of faith in their children's lives. This requires spending time daily with your children, not once a week but daily.
We will tell you again, our family had dinner together every night. There was no television or radio on, no telephone calls or other distractions. It was a time to communicate. The two of us still do this every day even since our children are gone and on their own.
Spiritual leadership is lacking today in every area of life. We lack leadership that honors God at the government level, our schools, our workplace, our families and even our churches. Without leadership that honors God our society and families will fail -- and they are failing today.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me to learn daily from the experiences the patriarchs left for me in Your Word. Give the leadership that we need to our family. Help us to communicate to others we meet that they need You in their hearts so that they can spend an eternity with You in heaven.
Neutral: October 27, 2010
Today's Word for Wednesday October 27, 2010
NEUTRAL
DEFINITION
Not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy.
SCRIPTURE
"He who is not with Me is against Me." Matthew 12:30
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
In a conversation with a group of friends the topic of religion came up. Some of us were believers and some were not. One of them said she believed there was some good in all religions; that way one had all the bases covered.
Anyone that believes that there is some good in all religions may be sincere in their belief but they are sincerely wrong. By accepting all religions as having some merit, people may feel they are remaining neutral. They consider themselves open-minded. We need only to read God's Word, the Bible, to see this is not so.
When it comes to Jesus Christ and God's plan of salvation, God has not given us the option of being neutral. No matter how much good one might see in any one religion, Jesus said that there is only one way to heaven.
In the fourteenth chapter of John we find Jesus, just before His arrest, preparing his disciples for His death. He tried to comfort them by telling them that He would be going to His Father's house and that He would be preparing a place for them there. Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me."
Jesus said that He is "the way and the only way to God, the Father." He did not say He was one of many ways. Those who think they can opt not to make a decision by remaining neutral must realize that by choosing not to accept Jesus they have chosen to reject Him. There is no middle ground with God. Not to act is to act. In the words of Jesus, "He who is not with Me is against Me."
There is no middle of the road, no neutral ground. Everyone is on one side or the other. We either stand with those who have accepted Christ or with those who have rejected Him.
Consider where you stand. Are you standing on God's side or on Satan's side?
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
May my life be a testimony that I am standing on the Lord's side. Help me to be firm with those that I meet and talk to letting them know there is no neutral ground concerning where they will spend eternity.
NEUTRAL
DEFINITION
Not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy.
SCRIPTURE
"He who is not with Me is against Me." Matthew 12:30
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
In a conversation with a group of friends the topic of religion came up. Some of us were believers and some were not. One of them said she believed there was some good in all religions; that way one had all the bases covered.
Anyone that believes that there is some good in all religions may be sincere in their belief but they are sincerely wrong. By accepting all religions as having some merit, people may feel they are remaining neutral. They consider themselves open-minded. We need only to read God's Word, the Bible, to see this is not so.
When it comes to Jesus Christ and God's plan of salvation, God has not given us the option of being neutral. No matter how much good one might see in any one religion, Jesus said that there is only one way to heaven.
In the fourteenth chapter of John we find Jesus, just before His arrest, preparing his disciples for His death. He tried to comfort them by telling them that He would be going to His Father's house and that He would be preparing a place for them there. Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me."
Jesus said that He is "the way and the only way to God, the Father." He did not say He was one of many ways. Those who think they can opt not to make a decision by remaining neutral must realize that by choosing not to accept Jesus they have chosen to reject Him. There is no middle ground with God. Not to act is to act. In the words of Jesus, "He who is not with Me is against Me."
There is no middle of the road, no neutral ground. Everyone is on one side or the other. We either stand with those who have accepted Christ or with those who have rejected Him.
Consider where you stand. Are you standing on God's side or on Satan's side?
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
May my life be a testimony that I am standing on the Lord's side. Help me to be firm with those that I meet and talk to letting them know there is no neutral ground concerning where they will spend eternity.
Grumbling: October 25, 2010
Today's Word for Monday October 25, 2010
GRUMBLING
DEFINITION
A discontented mutter; a growl; complain.
SCRIPTURE
Do all things without complaining and disputing. Philippians 2:14
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to get advantage. Jude 16
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Children often grumble. We experienced it often when we gave our children a job to do that they were not happy about. They would often reply with words like, "but why me?" As they reluctantly went on their way to do as they were told (we did not give them an option) they would grumble under their breath saying that they didn't understand why they had to do everything and none of their siblings had to do it. Of course, none of the siblings would agree as they had their equal share of jobs to do. In fact, they were also equally guilty of grumbling.
It is hard not to observe that grumbling is contagious. When one person starts grumbling or complaining it can stir up a whole group.
I (Ken) can remember in high school a teacher telling our class that he would not tolerate griping in his class room because grumbling and complaining cause's dissension and can undermine the spiritual and emotional health of an entire group. This teacher knew this and did not want discord in his classroom which would be disruptive to the learning environment.
Grumbling of course is not limited to children. We all grumble at times and grumbling is nothing new. Moses heard grumbling and griping among God's people just three days after he led them from slavery into freedom. The people complained against Moses saying, "What shall we drink." Exodus 15:24. As a result of their grumbling they forgot the joy of their new God given freedom from slavery and they lost their trust in God to provide for them.
Centuries later, Samuel felt the weight of grumbling people as he sought to represent God to his generation. The elders came to Samuel ( I Samuel 8:4-9) telling him he was old and his sons did not walk in His ways honoring God so they wanted a King appointed so they could be like all the other nations. Their grumbling led them to reject God's plan for them. God gave them their way and the result was the eventual destruction of Israel.
In the verse from Jude (above) written by Jude the brother of James, who were both the brothers of Jesus, Jude describes the apostate members of the body of believers in the early church. He tells us that they were grumblers and complainers and had the ability to express themselves in "great swelling words' to impress and deceive people. In verse 9, Jude says, "These are the men who divide you ..." There can be no doubt that grumbling is divisive and harmful. This is why Paul admonished us to, "Do all things without complaining and disputing." In addition to being grumblers they desired to follow their own evil ways. Believers who grumble are not a positive testimony for the Lord.
We need to avoid a grumbling and complaining spirit because we belong to God and we are serving Christ. Instead, we are to rejoice and thank God for all that He has done for us. When you feel like grumbling or griping start counting your blessings and see what God has done for you and what He can do through you.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me to face today with an attitude that praises Your name. When I face the evils of life or events that just do not go my way, help me not to grumble. May my positive spirit shine out loud and clear to those that do not know You as Savior.
GRUMBLING
DEFINITION
A discontented mutter; a growl; complain.
SCRIPTURE
Do all things without complaining and disputing. Philippians 2:14
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to get advantage. Jude 16
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Children often grumble. We experienced it often when we gave our children a job to do that they were not happy about. They would often reply with words like, "but why me?" As they reluctantly went on their way to do as they were told (we did not give them an option) they would grumble under their breath saying that they didn't understand why they had to do everything and none of their siblings had to do it. Of course, none of the siblings would agree as they had their equal share of jobs to do. In fact, they were also equally guilty of grumbling.
It is hard not to observe that grumbling is contagious. When one person starts grumbling or complaining it can stir up a whole group.
I (Ken) can remember in high school a teacher telling our class that he would not tolerate griping in his class room because grumbling and complaining cause's dissension and can undermine the spiritual and emotional health of an entire group. This teacher knew this and did not want discord in his classroom which would be disruptive to the learning environment.
Grumbling of course is not limited to children. We all grumble at times and grumbling is nothing new. Moses heard grumbling and griping among God's people just three days after he led them from slavery into freedom. The people complained against Moses saying, "What shall we drink." Exodus 15:24. As a result of their grumbling they forgot the joy of their new God given freedom from slavery and they lost their trust in God to provide for them.
Centuries later, Samuel felt the weight of grumbling people as he sought to represent God to his generation. The elders came to Samuel ( I Samuel 8:4-9) telling him he was old and his sons did not walk in His ways honoring God so they wanted a King appointed so they could be like all the other nations. Their grumbling led them to reject God's plan for them. God gave them their way and the result was the eventual destruction of Israel.
In the verse from Jude (above) written by Jude the brother of James, who were both the brothers of Jesus, Jude describes the apostate members of the body of believers in the early church. He tells us that they were grumblers and complainers and had the ability to express themselves in "great swelling words' to impress and deceive people. In verse 9, Jude says, "These are the men who divide you ..." There can be no doubt that grumbling is divisive and harmful. This is why Paul admonished us to, "Do all things without complaining and disputing." In addition to being grumblers they desired to follow their own evil ways. Believers who grumble are not a positive testimony for the Lord.
We need to avoid a grumbling and complaining spirit because we belong to God and we are serving Christ. Instead, we are to rejoice and thank God for all that He has done for us. When you feel like grumbling or griping start counting your blessings and see what God has done for you and what He can do through you.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
PRAYER
Help me to face today with an attitude that praises Your name. When I face the evils of life or events that just do not go my way, help me not to grumble. May my positive spirit shine out loud and clear to those that do not know You as Savior.
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