Today's Word for Friday November 12, 2010
ACCEPTANCE
DEFINITION
Capable or worthy of being accepted; pleasing to the receiver; agreeable; welcome.
SCRIPTURE
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" I Timothy 2:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
When Jesus was here on this earth the Jewish people literally despised the Samaritans and did not accept them. They did all they could do in order not to meet or talk with a Samaritan. We read in John 4 that Jesus met a Samaritan woman at the well and began to talk with her. When Jesus asked for a drink she was surprised and wanted to know why He was talking to her as no Jewish man would ever talk to a Samaritan woman. But Jesus continued to talk with her and she believed in Him and accepted His gift of "living water."
She went back to her village and led many Samaritans to become believers in Jesus. The good news that we can learn from this, is that Jesus came to this earth for all of us. And He accepts all who come to Him in faith believing for forgiveness of their sins.
In Romans 15:7 we are told to accept one another just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God. As Christians we are to accept and encourage other Christians. Also we must be willing to accept others, who do not know the Lord that we meet even if we do not condone what they do, so we can introduce them to Christ.
Jesus knew that the Samaritan woman was an immoral woman. He did not shun her for her race, social position or her sins. He accepted her as someone who needed His saving grace.
People today are hungry for acceptance. Children in school do every thing they can, including lowering their standards, to be accepted by their peers. Adults are much the same. They want to be included in "THE GROUP" just as children do.
Paul tells us in Romans 14:1 "Do not refuse to accept someone who is weak in faith. And do not argue with him about opinions."
We, as Christians, need to make people feel important and needed. This way they will feel accepted and will more than likely be open to hear about Jesus. If we see a fellow Christian weak in their faith, we should not argue about things in their life we disagree with, but lovingly accept them and encourage them to help them grow in their faith.
Back when we attended school at Wheaton College in Illinois, I (Ken) remember being in an ethics class where we had a discussion about a small group of students who were not living up to the standards set by the college and they were not being accepted by many of our peers. As a class we began praying for this group and about a week later one of the students in the class told us that she had approached one of the people in the group.
The one thing I remember her saying was that they did not feel accepted at the school so why should they change their life style? This small group had all come from home situations where living a much looser life was acceptable. We believe that because of our prayers and the fact everyone began to let them know they were being accepted, soon the group came around and everyone could see their lives being changed. Fellow students approached them with love and not with criticism with the result that soon they all felt accepted.
This is an example that should remind each of us to do all we can to make people we touch shoulders with feel accepted.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Help me to find people today who need to feel accepted. May these people see Christ through my words and my deeds. Help my children to stand up for what they believe and not to be swayed by the crowd. Help me to do what is good and acceptable in Your sight so that I may know beyond any doubt the good and acceptable and perfect will of God for my life.
November 14, 2010
Blameless: November 11, 2010
Today's Word for Thursday November 11, 2010
BLAMELESS
DEFINITION
Without error or fault; innocent; without guilt.
SCRIPTURE
"He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous."
Psalm 15:2
"Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 1:8
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Believers in Jesus need to work daily on the goal of being blameless before our Lord when we meet Him in eternity. What do we need to do to be blameless before our Lord in the evil world we live in today? David wrote in Psalms 15:2 that we must do what is righteous. It becomes a daily challenge for us to live a Christ-like life through each and every situation that we face always doing what is right.
Moses was talking to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 18: 9-13) telling them when they entered the Promise Land, which the Lord has given them, they were not to live lives like their neighbors. The neighbors they would be living among were pagans and the Israelites would face many temptations to join in their evil ways. Moses challenged the Children of Israel to be blameless before the Lord their God.
Today we as Christians also live in a wicked godless society. God expects us to be blameless before the Lord also. We all need to take a look back on our last 48 hours. Have we lived a life that could be considered blameless by God? Where have we missed it or broken down. Was it an action, a word or a deed?
The apostle Paul was praying for the people in the Church at Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 3:13) when he prayed, "So that He (Jesus) may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." Again God wants us to be blameless when He returns to this earth. He made it possible for us to be blameless through His death on the cross to cleanse us from all our sins.
Peter tells us in II Peter 2:14, referring to the coming again of Christ that we should be steadfast and strong in our commitment and beliefs. And we are to "look forward and be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."
This is our prayer for you today that you will be strong in the Lord, steadfast in what you believe and be blameless waiting for the soon coming of Jesus. And let us assure you, He is coming soon!
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Help me and my family today to be like Job of old when You said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on this earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil." May I work toward this goal in my life today.
BLAMELESS
DEFINITION
Without error or fault; innocent; without guilt.
SCRIPTURE
"He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous."
Psalm 15:2
"Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 1:8
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Believers in Jesus need to work daily on the goal of being blameless before our Lord when we meet Him in eternity. What do we need to do to be blameless before our Lord in the evil world we live in today? David wrote in Psalms 15:2 that we must do what is righteous. It becomes a daily challenge for us to live a Christ-like life through each and every situation that we face always doing what is right.
Moses was talking to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 18: 9-13) telling them when they entered the Promise Land, which the Lord has given them, they were not to live lives like their neighbors. The neighbors they would be living among were pagans and the Israelites would face many temptations to join in their evil ways. Moses challenged the Children of Israel to be blameless before the Lord their God.
Today we as Christians also live in a wicked godless society. God expects us to be blameless before the Lord also. We all need to take a look back on our last 48 hours. Have we lived a life that could be considered blameless by God? Where have we missed it or broken down. Was it an action, a word or a deed?
The apostle Paul was praying for the people in the Church at Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 3:13) when he prayed, "So that He (Jesus) may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." Again God wants us to be blameless when He returns to this earth. He made it possible for us to be blameless through His death on the cross to cleanse us from all our sins.
Peter tells us in II Peter 2:14, referring to the coming again of Christ that we should be steadfast and strong in our commitment and beliefs. And we are to "look forward and be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."
This is our prayer for you today that you will be strong in the Lord, steadfast in what you believe and be blameless waiting for the soon coming of Jesus. And let us assure you, He is coming soon!
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Help me and my family today to be like Job of old when You said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on this earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil." May I work toward this goal in my life today.
Service: November 10, 2010
Today's Word for Wednesday November 10, 2010
SERVICE
DEFINITION
An act of helpful activity; the providing of a provider or accommodation; the serving of God by obedience.
SCRIPTURE
"Make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:5
"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
"- doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." Ephesians 6:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
God has given us the responsibility of reaching the lost with the saving message of grace and forgiveness and build the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12.) And in Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices in serving the Lord. Paul says it is our "reasonable service." Offering ourselves sacrificially in service to the Lord should come naturally from our gratitude for all He has done for us.
God has given each of us natural abilities that He expects us to use for His Glory. He also has given believer's spiritual gifts for the purpose of doing His work here on earth. God does not use the unwilling. He will not force us to serve Him but His desire is for us to be totally committed to do His will. He will equip us (Ephesians 4:11-13) and will empower and prepare us for service. Our part is to be faithful and available. God gives us opportunities everyday to serve. How easy it is to avoid serving the Lord using that wonderful excuse: "I am so busy." Look for opportunities that come your way and then act on them.
Be faithful in your desire to serve God and leave the results to Him. The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve ourselves. God uses ordinary people like us to do extra ordinary work. When you think of serving God, start with something you can do. When God gives you the opportunity to do something you feel is too hard, do not refuse because you think you cannot do it. Take your concerns to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to enable you to accomplish the task He has given you. God will then take over.
We are witnessing this truth with these FREE FAMILY DEVOTIONALS that we send out each week day by E mail. Just recently a new friend who found our devotionals while searching the Web, asked if he could link these devotionals to his ministry link, specifically all the new converts that had accepted Jesus as their Savior in his evangelistic crusades. And now many hundreds and even thousands of new Christians who can read English are reading these devotionals in far away places where we cannot go. We started with something we could do and then God took over and did what we could not do.
We encourage you to find a place to serve Jesus. You have so many choices but it is not acceptable to say that you do not have the time. All of us make the time for the things we want to do. We all set our priorities. Go to your church or Pastor and ask to assist in a Sunday school class. Go to a food bank and ask if you can volunteer. Visit the offices of a mission and ask if they can use a volunteer. When you decide to want to serve Jesus, He will open just the right door for you. Begin by praying and asking God to open the right door for you to make the most impact for Him.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Give us a heart, dear Lord, that will be committed to serve You every moment of this day. Help us to be willing to serve our God, our family, our neighbors and our friends. Draw us close today to people that need You and then may our words and actions glorify Your name.
SERVICE
DEFINITION
An act of helpful activity; the providing of a provider or accommodation; the serving of God by obedience.
SCRIPTURE
"Make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:5
"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
"- doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." Ephesians 6:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
God has given us the responsibility of reaching the lost with the saving message of grace and forgiveness and build the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12.) And in Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices in serving the Lord. Paul says it is our "reasonable service." Offering ourselves sacrificially in service to the Lord should come naturally from our gratitude for all He has done for us.
God has given each of us natural abilities that He expects us to use for His Glory. He also has given believer's spiritual gifts for the purpose of doing His work here on earth. God does not use the unwilling. He will not force us to serve Him but His desire is for us to be totally committed to do His will. He will equip us (Ephesians 4:11-13) and will empower and prepare us for service. Our part is to be faithful and available. God gives us opportunities everyday to serve. How easy it is to avoid serving the Lord using that wonderful excuse: "I am so busy." Look for opportunities that come your way and then act on them.
Be faithful in your desire to serve God and leave the results to Him. The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve ourselves. God uses ordinary people like us to do extra ordinary work. When you think of serving God, start with something you can do. When God gives you the opportunity to do something you feel is too hard, do not refuse because you think you cannot do it. Take your concerns to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to enable you to accomplish the task He has given you. God will then take over.
We are witnessing this truth with these FREE FAMILY DEVOTIONALS that we send out each week day by E mail. Just recently a new friend who found our devotionals while searching the Web, asked if he could link these devotionals to his ministry link, specifically all the new converts that had accepted Jesus as their Savior in his evangelistic crusades. And now many hundreds and even thousands of new Christians who can read English are reading these devotionals in far away places where we cannot go. We started with something we could do and then God took over and did what we could not do.
We encourage you to find a place to serve Jesus. You have so many choices but it is not acceptable to say that you do not have the time. All of us make the time for the things we want to do. We all set our priorities. Go to your church or Pastor and ask to assist in a Sunday school class. Go to a food bank and ask if you can volunteer. Visit the offices of a mission and ask if they can use a volunteer. When you decide to want to serve Jesus, He will open just the right door for you. Begin by praying and asking God to open the right door for you to make the most impact for Him.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Give us a heart, dear Lord, that will be committed to serve You every moment of this day. Help us to be willing to serve our God, our family, our neighbors and our friends. Draw us close today to people that need You and then may our words and actions glorify Your name.
Accountability: November 9, 2010
Today's Word for Tuesday November 9, 2010
Accountability
DEFINITION
Subject to the obligation to report or justify something; to hold responsible; answerable.
SCRIPTURE
"Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing evil in his eyes?" You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. Thus says the Lord: Behold I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel." II Samuel 12: 9, 11, 12.
So that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Romans 3:19.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Today, more than any other time in history, we believe people do all they can to avoid responsibility. It began in the garden of Eden where we read in Genesis 3:12 that Adam chose to blame his wife Eve for eating the fruit instead of being accountable for his sin and Eve blamed Satan.
In II Samuel (above) David tried to get away with the sin of killing Uriah by doing it in a secret way. David was challenged by Nathan to be accountable to God for taking Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah.
These are two examples as to how easy and natural it is to want to avoid taking the responsibility for our own actions by finding a way to place the blame on someone else. Unfortunately it often works and then an innocent person gets the blame. However there is someone we cannot fool and who does hold us accountable. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account."
Both of us remember when we were in school having conversations with our peers about what we called "fessing up" to a situation. "Fessing up" is humbling. No one likes to admit that they were wrong, especially if there are consequences, which is usually the case. Human nature makes us eager to accept accountability when the issue is favorable, right or positive. But since we all are of a sinful nature when a situation is negative or breaking a rule we are quick to want to pass the blame.
It begins early in a child's life. Many times we could just look into the eyes of one of our children and see guilt. Then often we could watch our child do all he or she could to make someone else accountable for what he or she had done. How often when children are caught having a fight have we heard: "but he [or she] started it." Then the other one responds by saying: "did not."
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:19 that God holds all of us accountable for what we do and none of our excuses or arguments are acceptable.
God wants us to be accountable for our actions. As one gets older you realize that accepting accountability is what demonstrates that you are a person of integrity. Once a person loses their integrity in the eyes of others it is very hard to gain it back. Integrity equips you to be a vessel that God can use. Being accountable allows God to bless you in everyday situations.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Dear God, just as You faced Adam in the garden and David through Nathan many years ago, we ask You today to keep us accountable to what You have taught us from Your Word. May we take total responsibility for all of the issues that involve us, both positive and negative, that we may face.
Accountability
DEFINITION
Subject to the obligation to report or justify something; to hold responsible; answerable.
SCRIPTURE
"Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing evil in his eyes?" You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. Thus says the Lord: Behold I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel." II Samuel 12: 9, 11, 12.
So that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Romans 3:19.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Today, more than any other time in history, we believe people do all they can to avoid responsibility. It began in the garden of Eden where we read in Genesis 3:12 that Adam chose to blame his wife Eve for eating the fruit instead of being accountable for his sin and Eve blamed Satan.
In II Samuel (above) David tried to get away with the sin of killing Uriah by doing it in a secret way. David was challenged by Nathan to be accountable to God for taking Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah.
These are two examples as to how easy and natural it is to want to avoid taking the responsibility for our own actions by finding a way to place the blame on someone else. Unfortunately it often works and then an innocent person gets the blame. However there is someone we cannot fool and who does hold us accountable. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account."
Both of us remember when we were in school having conversations with our peers about what we called "fessing up" to a situation. "Fessing up" is humbling. No one likes to admit that they were wrong, especially if there are consequences, which is usually the case. Human nature makes us eager to accept accountability when the issue is favorable, right or positive. But since we all are of a sinful nature when a situation is negative or breaking a rule we are quick to want to pass the blame.
It begins early in a child's life. Many times we could just look into the eyes of one of our children and see guilt. Then often we could watch our child do all he or she could to make someone else accountable for what he or she had done. How often when children are caught having a fight have we heard: "but he [or she] started it." Then the other one responds by saying: "did not."
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:19 that God holds all of us accountable for what we do and none of our excuses or arguments are acceptable.
God wants us to be accountable for our actions. As one gets older you realize that accepting accountability is what demonstrates that you are a person of integrity. Once a person loses their integrity in the eyes of others it is very hard to gain it back. Integrity equips you to be a vessel that God can use. Being accountable allows God to bless you in everyday situations.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Dear God, just as You faced Adam in the garden and David through Nathan many years ago, we ask You today to keep us accountable to what You have taught us from Your Word. May we take total responsibility for all of the issues that involve us, both positive and negative, that we may face.
Respect: November 6, 2010
Today's Word for Monday November 8, 2010
RESPECT
DEFINITION
Esteem; admiration; to give honor to; to show high regard for
SCRIPTURE
"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect." Hebrews 12:9.
"Show proper respect to everyone. Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King" I Peter 2:`17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Without question one of the most serious problems we see in young people and even adults today is their lack of respect. Most young people do not respect their parents, their siblings, their peers, their teachers or even their friends. Adults show very little respect toward their family members, fellow workers or even their friends. The root of the problem is that children and parents who do not show respect to others do not even respect God Himself.
How many times a day do we hear God's name and the name of Jesus used in a disrespectful way? For example parents and children are heard saying: "Oh my God, it was awful." This is the ultimate of disrespect and misuse of God's Holy Name. When even God is not respected it is not surprising that people show little respect to anyone else.
In Exodus 20:7 we are warned that the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name. When children hear their parents misusing God's name they think it is OK for them to do the same. Respect must begin in the home.
The issue of respect is nothing new. It is an age old problem. God holds those who believe in Him to a higher standard than the non-believers. When God gathered the Hebrews out of Egypt to become His chosen nation, He instructed Moses to teach the Israelites God's standards for living a life pleasing to God and for living in harmony with one another.
In Leviticus 19:3, God instructed, "Each of you must respect his mother and father." In verse 32 God said to, "Show respect for the elderly." In Ephesians 5:32 we are instructed that husbands and wives are to respect one another. In addition to showing respect in the home, Peter tells us to show proper respect to everyone.
From an early age we taught our children to honor God and respect us and others. We did not allow disrespect to go unpunished. We set standards of behavior for our children based on Biblical principles. When one of our children broke the standard that we had set, we first of all spent the time to remind them and clarify for them the reason for the standard and then issued the penalty. We always tried to be fair and consistent in our response and then we insisted that the penalty terms were honored with respect. The penalty was always increased when our child would respond with a lack of respect.
Now that our children are parents, they fully understand the necessity of setting standards for their families and they expect their children to be respectful to them. This is very rewarding to us because our children learned respect and they are now teaching their children respect and even though they live in a TOUGHER WORLD today their children all show great respect to God, their parents, their grandparents, their siblings, their cousins, their friends and those in authority over them.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, help us to honor and respect You in all that we do. Help us to respect those that we meet with today, including our parents and friends, and let our love for You shine through our lives to them. Help us have a goal to honor all the people we meet, love the unlovely that need our love, and then honor the Lord in all we do and say.
RESPECT
DEFINITION
Esteem; admiration; to give honor to; to show high regard for
SCRIPTURE
"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect." Hebrews 12:9.
"Show proper respect to everyone. Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King" I Peter 2:`17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Without question one of the most serious problems we see in young people and even adults today is their lack of respect. Most young people do not respect their parents, their siblings, their peers, their teachers or even their friends. Adults show very little respect toward their family members, fellow workers or even their friends. The root of the problem is that children and parents who do not show respect to others do not even respect God Himself.
How many times a day do we hear God's name and the name of Jesus used in a disrespectful way? For example parents and children are heard saying: "Oh my God, it was awful." This is the ultimate of disrespect and misuse of God's Holy Name. When even God is not respected it is not surprising that people show little respect to anyone else.
In Exodus 20:7 we are warned that the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name. When children hear their parents misusing God's name they think it is OK for them to do the same. Respect must begin in the home.
The issue of respect is nothing new. It is an age old problem. God holds those who believe in Him to a higher standard than the non-believers. When God gathered the Hebrews out of Egypt to become His chosen nation, He instructed Moses to teach the Israelites God's standards for living a life pleasing to God and for living in harmony with one another.
In Leviticus 19:3, God instructed, "Each of you must respect his mother and father." In verse 32 God said to, "Show respect for the elderly." In Ephesians 5:32 we are instructed that husbands and wives are to respect one another. In addition to showing respect in the home, Peter tells us to show proper respect to everyone.
From an early age we taught our children to honor God and respect us and others. We did not allow disrespect to go unpunished. We set standards of behavior for our children based on Biblical principles. When one of our children broke the standard that we had set, we first of all spent the time to remind them and clarify for them the reason for the standard and then issued the penalty. We always tried to be fair and consistent in our response and then we insisted that the penalty terms were honored with respect. The penalty was always increased when our child would respond with a lack of respect.
Now that our children are parents, they fully understand the necessity of setting standards for their families and they expect their children to be respectful to them. This is very rewarding to us because our children learned respect and they are now teaching their children respect and even though they live in a TOUGHER WORLD today their children all show great respect to God, their parents, their grandparents, their siblings, their cousins, their friends and those in authority over them.
LEARNING
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24.
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, help us to honor and respect You in all that we do. Help us to respect those that we meet with today, including our parents and friends, and let our love for You shine through our lives to them. Help us have a goal to honor all the people we meet, love the unlovely that need our love, and then honor the Lord in all we do and say.
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