TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 7, 2011
LOVE
(FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR)
DEFINITION:
Affection for one another; any strong liking or affection.
SCRIPTURE:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we begin 2011 we have been talking about LOVE. The Bible tells us much about how and why we should LOVE our neighbor. Our neighbor as referred to in the scripture is just not the person that lives next door to us but those we associate with each day of our lives. This includes the rich and famous and the loneliest of all who may be living on the street.
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 22:38-39 that the first and greatest commandment is for us to love the Lord our God. And Jesus gave us a second commandment for us to love our neighbor as ourselves so that we could put into perspective in our minds the first commandment of loving God. If you truly love God, you will do things for God. Love is more then words it is an active experience. Love acts by showing and demonstrating itself. Any person who loves will freely do things for the one loved.
God does not need anything from us. He has all that He needs. There is only one thing we can do to show our love for God. In John 14:21, Jesus tells us that, “those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.”
In order to keep God’s commandments, loving our neighbor is a requirement and not an option. When we do not love our neighbor we are guilty of breaking the law of God. Paul explains this in Romans 13:9-10: “For the commandments say, ‘you must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, and you must not covet.’ These and other such commandments are summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”
Loving our neighbor not only fulfills the law, it is a debt we owe. In Romans 13:8, Paul calls it the “continuing debt to Christ because of His great love for us and the sacrifice He made for us.” One way we can repay this debt is to love our neighbors.
To love our neighbor arouses a question: “Who is our neighbor?” Christ answers that question by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. Every man is to be esteemed ever so highly and helped no matter who he is. Therefore our neighbor is everyone we come into contact with. I Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the Christian love that must be demonstrated in loving our neighbors. Love is patient; love is kind; love envies not; love is not puffed up; love does not vaunt itself; love is not easily provoked; love thinks no evil; love bears all things; love believes all things; love hopes all things and love endures all things.
We have taught our children and now they are teaching their children to reach out to those around them to help in their time of need. Our experience is that when we help others we get greater joy and a greater thrill then the one we helped. A man truly loves God only if he truly loves his neighbor.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Give me today a new burden for my neighbors. Help me to honor God and love Him with all my heart so my neighbors will see Christ through me. Open my eyes so that I may see people who need me and open my heart so that I may be tender toward their needs.
January 9, 2011
Love (For Children): January 6, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 6, 2011
LOVE
(FOR YOUR CHILDREN)
DEFINITION:
Affection and liking of one another.
SCRIPTURE:
“Children obey your parents -- honor your father and mother -- fathers do not provoke your children.” Excerpts from Ephesians 6:1-4.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of LOVE, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” Ephesians 5:1-2.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
This week we are talking about LOVE. Yesterday we shared our thoughts from the scriptures and real life experiences about LOVE between spouses. Today we will share some thoughts about LOVE between parents and children.
As we said yesterday we have been married for over 53 years. And in addition we raised six children and now have twenty grandchildren plus a grandson-in-law. This has given us a wealth of experience and God is now allowing us to share with you some things we have learned in raising our children.
We must begin by telling you that God has blessed us with six wonderful children, all serving the Lord and all raising their families in a Christian atmosphere.
We are aware that it is much more difficult to raise a family today then when we raised our family. But we know of numerous parents (our six included) and children that have followed the principles that we are outlining in this devotional and today they have Christ honoring Christian families. So we know it can be done and it is not just theory. BUT PLEASE REMEMBER: To raise a family today takes time, dedication, standing firm in your beliefs and lots of love.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 1 that we are dearly loved children of God and that we are to live a life of LOVE just as Christ loved us. As parents we are to love our children with sacrificial love just as He loved us and sacrificed himself for us. Many parents either do not understand this or just forget about this.
Even though for most families today, parenting has become a lost art, the Bible gives us guidelines on parent/children relationships that must be taken seriously and acted upon. There are guidelines for parents and for children and the following scriptures make it clear as to the responsibilities of parents.
• TRAIN: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
• CORRECT: “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes he will give delight to your soul.” Proverbs 29:17.
• DISCIPLINE: “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Proverbs 29:15
• INSTRUCT: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.” Proverbs 1:8.
• WARN: “My son if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Proverbs 1:10.
• ADVISE: “My son, do not walk in the way of them, keep your foot from the path; for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood.” Proverbs 1:15-16.
• DO NOT PROVOKE: “And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4.
Look carefully at what these scriptures say. They have the specifics --- train, correct, discipline, instruct, warn, advise and do not provoke --- to help you raise your family. This is not an easy assignment because of the pressures of today’s society. You will not be aided by your child’s peers, their school or school teachers and probably not much in your church. It is a parent’s responsibility and you must take it seriously on a daily basis from your child’s very early age.
Now the children also have their responsibilities and parents must teach each child as well:
• OBEY: “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1.
• HONOR: “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise; that it may be well with you and you may live long on this earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3.
• LOVE YOUR PEERS: “Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathon (Paul’s son) was knit to the soul of David (his peer and cousin). And Jonathon and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.” I Samuel 18:1-3.
A child needs to be taught that he has boundaries. These boundaries are compared by some as to be “Gates” and “Walls.” Ancient cities had them to protect them from the enemy and parents must set boundaries to protect their child from today’s enemies. Parents must be firm and consistent in enforcing the set boundaries. Raising your voice does not help, in fact it hinders the response needed. Parents cannot be afraid to say “NO.” When you say “NO” it is advisable to give a reasonable explanation. However children must be taught that when a parent says “NO,” it means “NO.”
As you begin 2011 do not forget to include daily in your life, a LOVE for God, a LOVE for your spouse and a LOVE for your child and/or parent.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Give us the wisdom, patience and love needed today to be a God fearing parent dedicated to use the guidelines outlined in Your word. Help us to love our children as our Heavenly Father loves us with a sacrificial love. Help us to teach our children to respect us as we respect them and to be obedient to us and to You. Give our children compliant hearts. Bring our children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
LOVE
(FOR YOUR CHILDREN)
DEFINITION:
Affection and liking of one another.
SCRIPTURE:
“Children obey your parents -- honor your father and mother -- fathers do not provoke your children.” Excerpts from Ephesians 6:1-4.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of LOVE, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” Ephesians 5:1-2.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
This week we are talking about LOVE. Yesterday we shared our thoughts from the scriptures and real life experiences about LOVE between spouses. Today we will share some thoughts about LOVE between parents and children.
As we said yesterday we have been married for over 53 years. And in addition we raised six children and now have twenty grandchildren plus a grandson-in-law. This has given us a wealth of experience and God is now allowing us to share with you some things we have learned in raising our children.
We must begin by telling you that God has blessed us with six wonderful children, all serving the Lord and all raising their families in a Christian atmosphere.
We are aware that it is much more difficult to raise a family today then when we raised our family. But we know of numerous parents (our six included) and children that have followed the principles that we are outlining in this devotional and today they have Christ honoring Christian families. So we know it can be done and it is not just theory. BUT PLEASE REMEMBER: To raise a family today takes time, dedication, standing firm in your beliefs and lots of love.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 1 that we are dearly loved children of God and that we are to live a life of LOVE just as Christ loved us. As parents we are to love our children with sacrificial love just as He loved us and sacrificed himself for us. Many parents either do not understand this or just forget about this.
Even though for most families today, parenting has become a lost art, the Bible gives us guidelines on parent/children relationships that must be taken seriously and acted upon. There are guidelines for parents and for children and the following scriptures make it clear as to the responsibilities of parents.
• TRAIN: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
• CORRECT: “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes he will give delight to your soul.” Proverbs 29:17.
• DISCIPLINE: “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Proverbs 29:15
• INSTRUCT: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.” Proverbs 1:8.
• WARN: “My son if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Proverbs 1:10.
• ADVISE: “My son, do not walk in the way of them, keep your foot from the path; for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood.” Proverbs 1:15-16.
• DO NOT PROVOKE: “And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4.
Look carefully at what these scriptures say. They have the specifics --- train, correct, discipline, instruct, warn, advise and do not provoke --- to help you raise your family. This is not an easy assignment because of the pressures of today’s society. You will not be aided by your child’s peers, their school or school teachers and probably not much in your church. It is a parent’s responsibility and you must take it seriously on a daily basis from your child’s very early age.
Now the children also have their responsibilities and parents must teach each child as well:
• OBEY: “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1.
• HONOR: “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise; that it may be well with you and you may live long on this earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3.
• LOVE YOUR PEERS: “Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathon (Paul’s son) was knit to the soul of David (his peer and cousin). And Jonathon and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.” I Samuel 18:1-3.
A child needs to be taught that he has boundaries. These boundaries are compared by some as to be “Gates” and “Walls.” Ancient cities had them to protect them from the enemy and parents must set boundaries to protect their child from today’s enemies. Parents must be firm and consistent in enforcing the set boundaries. Raising your voice does not help, in fact it hinders the response needed. Parents cannot be afraid to say “NO.” When you say “NO” it is advisable to give a reasonable explanation. However children must be taught that when a parent says “NO,” it means “NO.”
As you begin 2011 do not forget to include daily in your life, a LOVE for God, a LOVE for your spouse and a LOVE for your child and/or parent.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Give us the wisdom, patience and love needed today to be a God fearing parent dedicated to use the guidelines outlined in Your word. Help us to love our children as our Heavenly Father loves us with a sacrificial love. Help us to teach our children to respect us as we respect them and to be obedient to us and to You. Give our children compliant hearts. Bring our children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Love (For Spouse): January 5, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 5, 2011
LOVE
(FOR YOUR SPOUSE)
DEFINITION:
Affection for one another.
SCRIPTURE:
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” Mark 10:7-9.
“Marriage is honorable among all --- but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?” II Corinthians 6:14.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We have been married for over 53 years and through out these years we have both learned a lot about marriage and relationships between spouses. These are lessons that we have learned during these years of marriage and we would like to share them with you.
To begin with two people that are in love need to face several crucial issues. We strongly feel that the first and foremost question you must face is that as future spouses that you share the same spiritual values. In the verse above from II Corinthians it clearly states that you are not to be unequally yoked together. Down through the years we can honestly say that being unequally yoked together is the leading cause for marriage breakups. If your future spouse does not know the Lord and live a Christ honoring life, DO NOT PROCEED. Do not get into marriage thinking you can change your future spouse once you are married. It just does not work!
We also believe that there are three keys to a successful marriage. First, there must be a COMMITMENT by both parties. A lifetime commitment to one another and the honoring of the vows you take at your ceremony are critical in making a marriage successful. Problems will come. It is a fact of life. Together you will have mountains to climb and valleys to struggle through. Newlyweds think that love will conquer all. In tough times it takes not just love but a firm lifelong commitment to one another and to the Lord.
Secondly, there must be daily COMMUNICATION between spouses. This includes listening to one another, talking often and sharing all things, both good and bad, with one another. When either of the two spouses withholds things from the other, the marriage begins to collapse. Marriage is a two way street between husband and wife. There must be a mutual submission and a willingness to put aside selfish personal desires that are harmful to the marriage relationship.
Thirdly, partners in a marriage must be CHRIST-LIKE. Most spouses have no idea what we mean when we say CHRIST-LIKE. Simply said --- Jesus had a servant’s heart and attitude. He was kind, willing to forgive, tender hearted, always thinking about others, and was compassionate every day He spent on earth. In a marriage both parties must strive to be kind, forgiving and compassionate along with wanting what is best for your spouse.
In order to be Christ-like one must submit oneself to Christ as his or her Lord of their life. If your marriage is on the rocks, first look at your own life. Have you submitted yourself completely to Christ and allowed Him to become Lord of your life? If you want healing in your marriage, start with yourself and your relationship with God. You will then be able to deal with your spouse with a Christ-like attitude.
Just as we are told in the scriptures to love God, we are also told to love our spouse. In Colossians 3:18-20 it reads: “wives submit to your own husbands, as it is fitting unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh to them.” If these two verses are a basis for your marriage, God will bless it. A Christian marriage is an equal partnership and requires mutual submission. One can’t have it their way all the time. There must be give and take.
As you begin 2011 make sure your relationship with your spouse or spouse to be is based on Biblical commandments as we have outlined above. If you do you will see God do wonderful things in your lives in 2011, and your love relationship with your spouse will grow stronger.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Help us this day to improve our marriage by strengthening our commitment to one another and to You. Help us to communicate clearly to one another and learn to listen to what each other is saying. Then help us be Christ-like in all we do. May our marriage be an example to others.
LOVE
(FOR YOUR SPOUSE)
DEFINITION:
Affection for one another.
SCRIPTURE:
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” Mark 10:7-9.
“Marriage is honorable among all --- but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?” II Corinthians 6:14.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We have been married for over 53 years and through out these years we have both learned a lot about marriage and relationships between spouses. These are lessons that we have learned during these years of marriage and we would like to share them with you.
To begin with two people that are in love need to face several crucial issues. We strongly feel that the first and foremost question you must face is that as future spouses that you share the same spiritual values. In the verse above from II Corinthians it clearly states that you are not to be unequally yoked together. Down through the years we can honestly say that being unequally yoked together is the leading cause for marriage breakups. If your future spouse does not know the Lord and live a Christ honoring life, DO NOT PROCEED. Do not get into marriage thinking you can change your future spouse once you are married. It just does not work!
We also believe that there are three keys to a successful marriage. First, there must be a COMMITMENT by both parties. A lifetime commitment to one another and the honoring of the vows you take at your ceremony are critical in making a marriage successful. Problems will come. It is a fact of life. Together you will have mountains to climb and valleys to struggle through. Newlyweds think that love will conquer all. In tough times it takes not just love but a firm lifelong commitment to one another and to the Lord.
Secondly, there must be daily COMMUNICATION between spouses. This includes listening to one another, talking often and sharing all things, both good and bad, with one another. When either of the two spouses withholds things from the other, the marriage begins to collapse. Marriage is a two way street between husband and wife. There must be a mutual submission and a willingness to put aside selfish personal desires that are harmful to the marriage relationship.
Thirdly, partners in a marriage must be CHRIST-LIKE. Most spouses have no idea what we mean when we say CHRIST-LIKE. Simply said --- Jesus had a servant’s heart and attitude. He was kind, willing to forgive, tender hearted, always thinking about others, and was compassionate every day He spent on earth. In a marriage both parties must strive to be kind, forgiving and compassionate along with wanting what is best for your spouse.
In order to be Christ-like one must submit oneself to Christ as his or her Lord of their life. If your marriage is on the rocks, first look at your own life. Have you submitted yourself completely to Christ and allowed Him to become Lord of your life? If you want healing in your marriage, start with yourself and your relationship with God. You will then be able to deal with your spouse with a Christ-like attitude.
Just as we are told in the scriptures to love God, we are also told to love our spouse. In Colossians 3:18-20 it reads: “wives submit to your own husbands, as it is fitting unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh to them.” If these two verses are a basis for your marriage, God will bless it. A Christian marriage is an equal partnership and requires mutual submission. One can’t have it their way all the time. There must be give and take.
As you begin 2011 make sure your relationship with your spouse or spouse to be is based on Biblical commandments as we have outlined above. If you do you will see God do wonderful things in your lives in 2011, and your love relationship with your spouse will grow stronger.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Help us this day to improve our marriage by strengthening our commitment to one another and to You. Help us to communicate clearly to one another and learn to listen to what each other is saying. Then help us be Christ-like in all we do. May our marriage be an example to others.
Love (For God): January 4, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 4, 2011
LOVE
(FOR GOD)
DEFINITION:
Affection for one another; devotion; an object of affection; any strong liking or affection.
SCRIPTURE:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 22:37.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we begin a New Year, 2011, we want to encourage you to build your personal life and your family life around the Biblical concept of LOVE. So this week we will do a four day series on LOVE!
Today we will talk about loving God. And then the next three days we will talk about love among spouses, parents and children all from a Biblical perspective.
The “great commandment” that God has given to us is to love God. When we talk about loving God it demands that we have a relationship with Him. You cannot love someone without having a relationship with him or her.
Some people say they believe in God but they show no indication of having a relationship with God. There is a difference between being religious and saying you believe in God and having a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. Some people call Christianity a religion, but Christianity is a LOVE relationship that one has with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Parents need to make their personal commitment to God and then teach their children how they can have their own personal relationship with God. Families that waver in their faith and love for God are the families that are struggling for existence today.
The religions of the world require a devotion and adherence to a set of beliefs, practices and rituals such as doing good deeds and penance in order to earn one’s way to heaven. The Bible is very clear in saying that there is absolutely nothing one can do to earn their way to heaven. It is not what we do that provides our way to heaven and an eternity with our Lord, but what God has done for us.
God sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay our penalty for our sins. This is how He showed His LOVE to us. What we must do is to accept Jesus Christ into our life to be our Lord and Savior and then begin a relationship with God that is built on true LOVE!
There is no greater LOVE than the LOVE that God has for us. God paid the highest price He could to provide us a way to eternal life with Him. He sacrificed His only Son to show His LOVE to us and to provide a way that we can have a relationship with Him. God took the initiative. He loved us before we ever entered this world. He created us because He desired to have fellowship with us. We can’t have fellowship with God until we seek a relationship with Him that is based on love. God does not force us to love Him because that would not be love. We get to choose to love God. That is what true Love is all about -- loving God because He loves us!
We love Him because He first loved us. (I John 4:19) God has revealed His love to us through the greatest “love letter” of all time -- THE BIBLE! God gave in love His Holy Word so that we had a guide book on how to live a Christ honoring life. What we believe is based on a LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, not a religion.
So we urge you as individuals, parents and children to begin 2011 by making sure that you have a personal LOVE relationship with God. When you have this relationship you can look forward to a wonderful and exciting year.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear Lord for the love that You have shown to me. Help me to learn more about You today and to build my relationship with You. May my friends and family see in me the love that I have for You and may it encourage them to want to love Jesus so that they may also know what it means to have a relationship with You.
LOVE
(FOR GOD)
DEFINITION:
Affection for one another; devotion; an object of affection; any strong liking or affection.
SCRIPTURE:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 22:37.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we begin a New Year, 2011, we want to encourage you to build your personal life and your family life around the Biblical concept of LOVE. So this week we will do a four day series on LOVE!
Today we will talk about loving God. And then the next three days we will talk about love among spouses, parents and children all from a Biblical perspective.
The “great commandment” that God has given to us is to love God. When we talk about loving God it demands that we have a relationship with Him. You cannot love someone without having a relationship with him or her.
Some people say they believe in God but they show no indication of having a relationship with God. There is a difference between being religious and saying you believe in God and having a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. Some people call Christianity a religion, but Christianity is a LOVE relationship that one has with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Parents need to make their personal commitment to God and then teach their children how they can have their own personal relationship with God. Families that waver in their faith and love for God are the families that are struggling for existence today.
The religions of the world require a devotion and adherence to a set of beliefs, practices and rituals such as doing good deeds and penance in order to earn one’s way to heaven. The Bible is very clear in saying that there is absolutely nothing one can do to earn their way to heaven. It is not what we do that provides our way to heaven and an eternity with our Lord, but what God has done for us.
God sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay our penalty for our sins. This is how He showed His LOVE to us. What we must do is to accept Jesus Christ into our life to be our Lord and Savior and then begin a relationship with God that is built on true LOVE!
There is no greater LOVE than the LOVE that God has for us. God paid the highest price He could to provide us a way to eternal life with Him. He sacrificed His only Son to show His LOVE to us and to provide a way that we can have a relationship with Him. God took the initiative. He loved us before we ever entered this world. He created us because He desired to have fellowship with us. We can’t have fellowship with God until we seek a relationship with Him that is based on love. God does not force us to love Him because that would not be love. We get to choose to love God. That is what true Love is all about -- loving God because He loves us!
We love Him because He first loved us. (I John 4:19) God has revealed His love to us through the greatest “love letter” of all time -- THE BIBLE! God gave in love His Holy Word so that we had a guide book on how to live a Christ honoring life. What we believe is based on a LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, not a religion.
So we urge you as individuals, parents and children to begin 2011 by making sure that you have a personal LOVE relationship with God. When you have this relationship you can look forward to a wonderful and exciting year.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear Lord for the love that You have shown to me. Help me to learn more about You today and to build my relationship with You. May my friends and family see in me the love that I have for You and may it encourage them to want to love Jesus so that they may also know what it means to have a relationship with You.
Resolution: January 3, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 3, 2011
RESOLUTION
DEFINITION:
A formal statement of intention and determination upon a course of action.
SCRIPTURE:
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him. Psalm 37:5
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is past and we have a whole new year before us, we tend to reflect back on what we did or didn’t accomplish in the past year. People begin talking about their New Year’s resolutions.
We all desire to improve ourselves in whatever way we can. The most common resolution made is to lose weight. We all know how quickly that resolution is usually broken. Only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are ever fulfilled. It would seem that most resolutions are made to be broken.
An unknown author wrote, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the next.” People do usually end up making the same resolutions year after year. Resolutions made by most people are made in order to improve how they appear to others.
There are two problems with resolutions. One is that most people do not realize that it is not the outward appearance that counts. “The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7
The second problem with resolutions is that most people do not understand that resolutions cannot change us. Only God can change us. God not only looks at our heart, but He can change the desires of our heart.
As you remember in our last devotional last Friday, we challenged you to set a goal to seek a closer relationship with the Lord in 2011. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) If you are reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer then He can work in you to change you. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13.
The Psalmist tells us to “commit your way to the Lord and to trust in Him.” In order to commit our way to the Lord we must submit all that we have, our life, our family, our possessions, our career, all to God’s control and direction. God can do what we can’t do. We can trust Him to work out what is best for us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
As the new year begins, Lord, I want to commit to seeking a closer relationship with You by putting all that I have in Your hands. I want Your direction in my life and the life of each of my family. Help me to be faithful to pray and to study Your Word.
RESOLUTION
DEFINITION:
A formal statement of intention and determination upon a course of action.
SCRIPTURE:
Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him. Psalm 37:5
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is past and we have a whole new year before us, we tend to reflect back on what we did or didn’t accomplish in the past year. People begin talking about their New Year’s resolutions.
We all desire to improve ourselves in whatever way we can. The most common resolution made is to lose weight. We all know how quickly that resolution is usually broken. Only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are ever fulfilled. It would seem that most resolutions are made to be broken.
An unknown author wrote, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the next.” People do usually end up making the same resolutions year after year. Resolutions made by most people are made in order to improve how they appear to others.
There are two problems with resolutions. One is that most people do not realize that it is not the outward appearance that counts. “The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7
The second problem with resolutions is that most people do not understand that resolutions cannot change us. Only God can change us. God not only looks at our heart, but He can change the desires of our heart.
As you remember in our last devotional last Friday, we challenged you to set a goal to seek a closer relationship with the Lord in 2011. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) If you are reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer then He can work in you to change you. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13.
The Psalmist tells us to “commit your way to the Lord and to trust in Him.” In order to commit our way to the Lord we must submit all that we have, our life, our family, our possessions, our career, all to God’s control and direction. God can do what we can’t do. We can trust Him to work out what is best for us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 1:7.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
PRAYER:
As the new year begins, Lord, I want to commit to seeking a closer relationship with You by putting all that I have in Your hands. I want Your direction in my life and the life of each of my family. Help me to be faithful to pray and to study Your Word.
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