TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2011
RESPECT
DEFINITION:
Esteem; admiration; proper acceptance of courtesy; the condition of being esteemed or honored.
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 facing young people today is knowing what “respect” means. Most young people do not respect their parents, their siblings, their peers, their teachers or even their friends. The root problem is that many children and their parents have no respect for 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 and leads to disrespect in all areas of life.
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. The lack of respect is part of the breakdown of the family unit for our children today.
When our children were teenagers, we can remember several incidents when we as parents had set standards and expected respect from our child in regards to adhering to those standards. When one of our children broke the standard that we had set, we first of all clarified to 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 saw that the penalty terms were honored with respect. The penalty was always increased when our child would respond with a lack of respect.
At the time, our child's response was often negative but because we were clear, consistent and fair it rarely would happen again. 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 and to the standards that they have set. This is very rewarding to us to see that our children have learned the value of respect and that they are now teaching their children respect and even though they live in a TOUGHER WORLD today their children (our grandchildren) all show great respect to God, their parents, their grandparents, their siblings, their cousins and their friends.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
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 to honor all the people we meet, loving the unlovely that need our love, and then honoring the Lord in all we do and say.
February 6, 2011
Anger: February 3, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2011.
ANGER
DEFINITION:
A strong feeling of displeasure aroused by a real or supposed wrong; wrath; a sudden violent displeasure accompanied by an impulse to retaliate; insults that provoke a burst of anger.
SCRIPTURE:
The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." Psalm 103:8
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you." Ephesians 4:31
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
It takes an unusual temperament for a person not to show ANGER at some point in his or her life. One of the concepts we attempted to teach our children, using verses from the Bible, was that when one was angry he or she never came out a winner. Families constantly face moments that can bring on anger. Parents get upset at children over an issue. Children get upset with parents over set boundaries. Children get upset at their siblings over "things". And husbands and wives get upset at each other over small and large concerns.
The scripture gives us clear guidelines as to how we should handle those "ANGRY MOMENTS." In Proverbs 17:27 it reads: "He who has knowledge spares his word". This means that we need to keep to ourselves opinions that we know could ignite anger in others. Certain personalities have trouble with this concept because just by their nature they want to stir up conflict. It is human nature to want to "have the last word." We must learn to think before we speak and remember God's admonition from Proverbs [above] to SPARE OUR WORDS.
In Proverbs 17:27 the Lord gives us another concept. "A man of understanding is of a calm spirit". This verse gives us counsel concerning the emotional side of anger. A mature person, one that lives by God's Word, always exhibits understanding by keeping cool in a time of conflict. Problem solving is always enhanced by an even-tempered approach. The key to controlling anger is to STOP when a conflict begins and ask God for a calm spirit and a clear mind. The best time to stop an argument is before it starts. Remember "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" Proverbs 15:1.
Families need to work today on controlling anger in their personal lives and in their homes. Anger is maybe the single problem that arises that begins the breakup of the family unit. When individuals are angry, normally pride takes over and no one wants to apologize, thus the breakup begins. Look to God’s Word and eliminate anger in your personal life and in your home.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You, dear Lord, for giving to me this day self-control, eliminating any anger in all of my words and deeds. Help me to rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life today and may others see in me the fruits of the Spirit controlling my life. Help me to honor God, my family, my neighbors and my friends today in all that I do and say.
ANGER
DEFINITION:
A strong feeling of displeasure aroused by a real or supposed wrong; wrath; a sudden violent displeasure accompanied by an impulse to retaliate; insults that provoke a burst of anger.
SCRIPTURE:
The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." Psalm 103:8
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you." Ephesians 4:31
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
It takes an unusual temperament for a person not to show ANGER at some point in his or her life. One of the concepts we attempted to teach our children, using verses from the Bible, was that when one was angry he or she never came out a winner. Families constantly face moments that can bring on anger. Parents get upset at children over an issue. Children get upset with parents over set boundaries. Children get upset at their siblings over "things". And husbands and wives get upset at each other over small and large concerns.
The scripture gives us clear guidelines as to how we should handle those "ANGRY MOMENTS." In Proverbs 17:27 it reads: "He who has knowledge spares his word". This means that we need to keep to ourselves opinions that we know could ignite anger in others. Certain personalities have trouble with this concept because just by their nature they want to stir up conflict. It is human nature to want to "have the last word." We must learn to think before we speak and remember God's admonition from Proverbs [above] to SPARE OUR WORDS.
In Proverbs 17:27 the Lord gives us another concept. "A man of understanding is of a calm spirit". This verse gives us counsel concerning the emotional side of anger. A mature person, one that lives by God's Word, always exhibits understanding by keeping cool in a time of conflict. Problem solving is always enhanced by an even-tempered approach. The key to controlling anger is to STOP when a conflict begins and ask God for a calm spirit and a clear mind. The best time to stop an argument is before it starts. Remember "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" Proverbs 15:1.
Families need to work today on controlling anger in their personal lives and in their homes. Anger is maybe the single problem that arises that begins the breakup of the family unit. When individuals are angry, normally pride takes over and no one wants to apologize, thus the breakup begins. Look to God’s Word and eliminate anger in your personal life and in your home.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You, dear Lord, for giving to me this day self-control, eliminating any anger in all of my words and deeds. Help me to rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life today and may others see in me the fruits of the Spirit controlling my life. Help me to honor God, my family, my neighbors and my friends today in all that I do and say.
Trust: February 2, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2011
TRUST
DEFINITION:
Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; hope; one upon which a person relies; God is my trust.
SCRIPTURE:
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart, do not try to figure everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He is the one that will keep you on track. Do not assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” Proverbs 3: 5-6 [Message Translation]
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We must learn, as families, to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children in today's culture because we are living in a "ME" generation. Children, youth and adults today are being pressured by their peers to live a self-reliant life driven by the idea that we should make our life decisions based on what "I" feel best to do.
For most families today there is no thought of relying on God and what God teaches in His word. They put their trust in what they hear from others, what they see on television and what they read on the internet. It is no wonder that our society is in the mess that it is in.
When a family relies on God in all they do, He will direct their paths each day. God is trustworthy and He is true to His Word! Each individual family member must grasp this concept and learn to trust God.
We have learned that one of the key ingredients in keeping a family together is trust. Our children are teaching their children today what we taught them some years ago. We are blessed to see our grandchildren living solid Christian lives and trusting God daily for direction and strength. God is trustworthy and we must prove ourselves trustworthy. Parents must trust their children and children must trust their parents and siblings. Remember, this works only if a family learns to first trust God to lead them in their lives.
When trust in God is preeminent in the day to day activities of a family and when a family is guided by the standards outlined in the Bible, that family will avoid some of the difficulties that cause dissension. Trusting in God is the glue that holds a family together for a lifetime.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Give us strength, dear Lord to live this day by trusting You in all that we do. May our trust in You keep us on track and may the joy of the Lord radiate through our lives to all we meet today. Help us to trust You for integrity, strength and assurance in whatever circumstances we encounter in our life this day, and help us to show ourselves trustworthy to others by our words and actions.
TRUST
DEFINITION:
Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; hope; one upon which a person relies; God is my trust.
SCRIPTURE:
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart, do not try to figure everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He is the one that will keep you on track. Do not assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” Proverbs 3: 5-6 [Message Translation]
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We must learn, as families, to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children in today's culture because we are living in a "ME" generation. Children, youth and adults today are being pressured by their peers to live a self-reliant life driven by the idea that we should make our life decisions based on what "I" feel best to do.
For most families today there is no thought of relying on God and what God teaches in His word. They put their trust in what they hear from others, what they see on television and what they read on the internet. It is no wonder that our society is in the mess that it is in.
When a family relies on God in all they do, He will direct their paths each day. God is trustworthy and He is true to His Word! Each individual family member must grasp this concept and learn to trust God.
We have learned that one of the key ingredients in keeping a family together is trust. Our children are teaching their children today what we taught them some years ago. We are blessed to see our grandchildren living solid Christian lives and trusting God daily for direction and strength. God is trustworthy and we must prove ourselves trustworthy. Parents must trust their children and children must trust their parents and siblings. Remember, this works only if a family learns to first trust God to lead them in their lives.
When trust in God is preeminent in the day to day activities of a family and when a family is guided by the standards outlined in the Bible, that family will avoid some of the difficulties that cause dissension. Trusting in God is the glue that holds a family together for a lifetime.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Give us strength, dear Lord to live this day by trusting You in all that we do. May our trust in You keep us on track and may the joy of the Lord radiate through our lives to all we meet today. Help us to trust You for integrity, strength and assurance in whatever circumstances we encounter in our life this day, and help us to show ourselves trustworthy to others by our words and actions.
Promises: February 1, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2011
PROMISES
DEFINITION:
One’s pledge to another that one will or will not do something; ground for hope; commit to do or give; give one’s word to.
SCRIPTURE:
“And this is the promise that He has promised us --- eternal life.” 1 John 2:25.
“May the Lord God of your father’s make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you.” Deuteronomy 1:11
“The Lord is faithful to all His promises.” Psalm 145:13.
“He keeps every promise forever.” Psalm 146:6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has given us hundreds of promises in His Word and none of them have been broken. In II Peter, he describes promises as “exceeding great and precious promises.” When we become a believer in Jesus these promises are ours but we must claim them and act on them. In order to claim them we must be spiritually right with the Lord. We cannot be pursuing sinful ways and disobeying God’s will and expect to receive these promises. God’s promises also usually require action on our part.
When Joshua was old and he knew his life was about over, he gave a farewell speech to the children of Israel. He said in part: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled: not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)
The passages from Psalms we have listed above, affirm that God keeps His promises and keeps them forever.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven He assured the disciples that they were not going to be left alone. Jesus promised them that He would send them a Counselor (John 14:16). In Luke 24:49 and in Acts 1:4, Jesus tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of His father that He had told them about. The promise of the father that Jesus was talking about was for the disciples to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the second chapter of Acts we read of the fulfillment of this promise when the Holy Spirit descended on them at Pentecost.
As parents we make promises every day but unfortunately many of these promises are not kept. It is important as parents that as we raise our children that we make sure before a promise is made that it can be honored. Many parents do not realize the positive impact that is made on a child’s mind when promises are made and kept. And when promises are made and not kept the negative impact is severe over the long term. When children see that promises are made and not honored, their minds are structured so as not to take promises seriously. When they become adults their promises will be made to be broken.
The same can be said about spouses making promises to one another and adults making promises to friends and associates. When you keep promises you are considered reliable and trustworthy. When you do not keep your promises you are considered unreliable and many would call you a “flake.” It is important to remember that keeping one’s promises affects the attitude of the one you make a promise to. For the most part, when you make a promise, you really know if you are going to keep it or break it.
Are you the kind of person that keeps your promises? Those that love the Lord should at all times strive to keep promises. We can remember a promise that we made to each other and to our children. We promised that we would always have dinner together as a family. We made this promise for two very important reasons. First, it gave us a regular time to read God’s Word and to pray together as a family. Secondly, it gave us a daily time to communicate with one another. As parents we regarded this as a time to listen. Our children would share their events of the day, their concerns and their blessings. There were many times that this promise was hard to keep but even at a cost to us we did all we could to always keep this promise.
Our Lord kept His promises and in so doing He set a standard for us to live by daily. We must strive to keep our promises to God and by doing this we honor and glorify our Lord.
The greatest promise God has given us is the promise that He would send His Son to be our Savior and that through Him we would receive forgiveness for all of our sins and the gift of eternal life. God has fulfilled that promise. We have accepted it, have you?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You for sending Your Son to this earth to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You for now preparing a place for me to spend eternity with You. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to be my comforter in all that I do. May my family do all we can to make promises to honor You and then to keep promises so that others will see our word is trustworthy.
PROMISES
DEFINITION:
One’s pledge to another that one will or will not do something; ground for hope; commit to do or give; give one’s word to.
SCRIPTURE:
“And this is the promise that He has promised us --- eternal life.” 1 John 2:25.
“May the Lord God of your father’s make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you.” Deuteronomy 1:11
“The Lord is faithful to all His promises.” Psalm 145:13.
“He keeps every promise forever.” Psalm 146:6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has given us hundreds of promises in His Word and none of them have been broken. In II Peter, he describes promises as “exceeding great and precious promises.” When we become a believer in Jesus these promises are ours but we must claim them and act on them. In order to claim them we must be spiritually right with the Lord. We cannot be pursuing sinful ways and disobeying God’s will and expect to receive these promises. God’s promises also usually require action on our part.
When Joshua was old and he knew his life was about over, he gave a farewell speech to the children of Israel. He said in part: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled: not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)
The passages from Psalms we have listed above, affirm that God keeps His promises and keeps them forever.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven He assured the disciples that they were not going to be left alone. Jesus promised them that He would send them a Counselor (John 14:16). In Luke 24:49 and in Acts 1:4, Jesus tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of His father that He had told them about. The promise of the father that Jesus was talking about was for the disciples to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the second chapter of Acts we read of the fulfillment of this promise when the Holy Spirit descended on them at Pentecost.
As parents we make promises every day but unfortunately many of these promises are not kept. It is important as parents that as we raise our children that we make sure before a promise is made that it can be honored. Many parents do not realize the positive impact that is made on a child’s mind when promises are made and kept. And when promises are made and not kept the negative impact is severe over the long term. When children see that promises are made and not honored, their minds are structured so as not to take promises seriously. When they become adults their promises will be made to be broken.
The same can be said about spouses making promises to one another and adults making promises to friends and associates. When you keep promises you are considered reliable and trustworthy. When you do not keep your promises you are considered unreliable and many would call you a “flake.” It is important to remember that keeping one’s promises affects the attitude of the one you make a promise to. For the most part, when you make a promise, you really know if you are going to keep it or break it.
Are you the kind of person that keeps your promises? Those that love the Lord should at all times strive to keep promises. We can remember a promise that we made to each other and to our children. We promised that we would always have dinner together as a family. We made this promise for two very important reasons. First, it gave us a regular time to read God’s Word and to pray together as a family. Secondly, it gave us a daily time to communicate with one another. As parents we regarded this as a time to listen. Our children would share their events of the day, their concerns and their blessings. There were many times that this promise was hard to keep but even at a cost to us we did all we could to always keep this promise.
Our Lord kept His promises and in so doing He set a standard for us to live by daily. We must strive to keep our promises to God and by doing this we honor and glorify our Lord.
The greatest promise God has given us is the promise that He would send His Son to be our Savior and that through Him we would receive forgiveness for all of our sins and the gift of eternal life. God has fulfilled that promise. We have accepted it, have you?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You for sending Your Son to this earth to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You for now preparing a place for me to spend eternity with You. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to be my comforter in all that I do. May my family do all we can to make promises to honor You and then to keep promises so that others will see our word is trustworthy.
Value: January 31, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 31, 2011
VALUE
DEFINITION:
Relative worth or importance; monetary or material worth; the worth of something.
SCRIPTURE:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What is of value in God’s sight? God is all knowing and all powerful and has every thing He needs. But He puts great value on our soul even though in comparison to God we are nothing. Sometimes we feel worthless and wonder how could we be of any value to God? God wants us to understand value from an eternal perspective.
Jesus often taught using parables. He taught the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 12:12-14. He said that if a shepherd owns a hundred sheep and one gets lost he will leave the ninety-nine to look for the one that is lost. Jesus said that the shepherd is happier about the one sheep when found than the ninety-nine others. This is the way that God feels about us. He places the same value on each of us and like the shepherd; He does not want to lose a single one of us.
Jesus has offered us an eternal inheritance that is ours for the asking. When we recognize the value of what God did for us by sending His son to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins and then to give us eternal life, how can we reject so valuable a gift?
There are many things that are considered of value in life. God talks about the value of His people, the value of life, the value of being rich or poor, the value of a lost sheep, the eternal value of a soul, the value of a widow’s mite, the value of an eternal inheritance and the value of our faith, just to name a few.
Most of us realize the value of a healthy life. If you need to be reminded as to how valuable a healthy life is then go to your local children’s hospital and look at a few sick children. God will do something special to you like break your heart with concern for these that are hurting and you will thank God for your good health.
Most of us understand the difference between being rich or comfortable financially versus poor. If you do not then go and talk to a family living in the slums of the inner city or a homeless man sleeping on the street. God will again move your heart to compassion to help the hurting and you will thank God for the blessings He has given you.
Finally, when we think of the widow’s mite, we realize how valuable it is to our Lord when one person gives whatever he has to further His work. We cannot out give God. It has been our experience that God blesses us when we give with blessings that far and away outweigh the value of what we have given.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the value You have placed on my life. I take time today just to praise You. I praise You for being God, for being all powerful, all knowing and sovereign. I praise You for sending Your ONLY Son to this earth to die in order to pay the penalty for my sins. I praise You for being with me every moment of every day and leading me in the path that You desire for me.
VALUE
DEFINITION:
Relative worth or importance; monetary or material worth; the worth of something.
SCRIPTURE:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What is of value in God’s sight? God is all knowing and all powerful and has every thing He needs. But He puts great value on our soul even though in comparison to God we are nothing. Sometimes we feel worthless and wonder how could we be of any value to God? God wants us to understand value from an eternal perspective.
Jesus often taught using parables. He taught the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 12:12-14. He said that if a shepherd owns a hundred sheep and one gets lost he will leave the ninety-nine to look for the one that is lost. Jesus said that the shepherd is happier about the one sheep when found than the ninety-nine others. This is the way that God feels about us. He places the same value on each of us and like the shepherd; He does not want to lose a single one of us.
Jesus has offered us an eternal inheritance that is ours for the asking. When we recognize the value of what God did for us by sending His son to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins and then to give us eternal life, how can we reject so valuable a gift?
There are many things that are considered of value in life. God talks about the value of His people, the value of life, the value of being rich or poor, the value of a lost sheep, the eternal value of a soul, the value of a widow’s mite, the value of an eternal inheritance and the value of our faith, just to name a few.
Most of us realize the value of a healthy life. If you need to be reminded as to how valuable a healthy life is then go to your local children’s hospital and look at a few sick children. God will do something special to you like break your heart with concern for these that are hurting and you will thank God for your good health.
Most of us understand the difference between being rich or comfortable financially versus poor. If you do not then go and talk to a family living in the slums of the inner city or a homeless man sleeping on the street. God will again move your heart to compassion to help the hurting and you will thank God for the blessings He has given you.
Finally, when we think of the widow’s mite, we realize how valuable it is to our Lord when one person gives whatever he has to further His work. We cannot out give God. It has been our experience that God blesses us when we give with blessings that far and away outweigh the value of what we have given.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the value You have placed on my life. I take time today just to praise You. I praise You for being God, for being all powerful, all knowing and sovereign. I praise You for sending Your ONLY Son to this earth to die in order to pay the penalty for my sins. I praise You for being with me every moment of every day and leading me in the path that You desire for me.
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