TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2011
COURAGE
DEFINITION:
Lack of fear; bravery; valor.
SCRIPTURE:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In today’s society we have noticed that we hear of fewer illustrations of people showing courage. There are exceptions. We know people and have read about many others that have been diagnosed with illnesses, sicknesses and/or diseases who have shown unbelievable courage in their fight for survival. We also must mention the men and women that serve in our armed forces because they really show courage. They are trained to be courageous and they respond so bravely to their call to duty. They are truly amazing men and women and we salute them.
But our concern is for the people we see in our neighborhoods, work places and even in our churches. Courage as we saw it years ago has diminished. Throughout history we have read about many people who have shown unbelievable courage in so many areas of our lives. This includes our founding fathers, government leaders, generals and many just average people from all walks of life that you might meet on the street.
God has given us many illustrations in His Word about people that showed courage and how God stood with them and blessed them from beginning to the end of the task that they were trying to accomplish.
This verse in Joshua 1:9, that we have written above, contains the final words to Joshua in God’s commission to him as he takes over the leadership of the Children of Israel. There is no doubt that Joshua was overwhelmed and even fearful of his new responsibility. We need to take a look at what God said to Joshua and apply these things to our lives.
Three times God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9) But along with the command God gave Joshua the promise: “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This same command God gives us as believers to remember as we serve Him today. We are to be strong and have courage and not to be afraid as we face every task in our everyday life because He also has given us the same promise He gave Joshua. God will never leave us. Jesus said, “I am with you always even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)
Take a look with us at four illustrations where God deals with having courage in the lives of four people. They are Joshua as the leader of the Children of Israel, Daniel who is known as the visionary, the twelve disciples of Jesus and finally the Apostle Paul.
Here is what we can learn from them. They all loved God first and foremost. They all needed to have courage in their day to day decision making and leadership situations. They all obeyed the Lord even though in some cases it required real bravery. And each one needed the spiritual strength that could only come from God in order for them to face the crises they had without retreating.
We can learn so much from Joshua. He was appointed by God to lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. Just think how he must have felt. Two of his responses were, “Who am I to follow in Moses footsteps?” “What if the people won’t support my leadership?”
Joshua accepted the challenge that God gave him and proceeded and built his courage on two promises. First, he knew that God would be beside him. God had made this promise to Joshua. God makes the same promise to us in Hebrews 13:5 where He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God has kept this promise by sending His Holy Spirit to live with us so we have no excuse not to respond to what God leads us to do.
The second promise that Joshua built his courage on was that God would always go before him. He promised Joshua that He would take care of the enemies they must face going to the Promised Land. They would still have to battle but God would give them victory. God has given us the same promise. He will go before us and take care of all the enemies we might face.
The key for Joshua and the Children of Israel was that they were to have complete faith in God and obey His every command. We as believers must do the same. We must daily have complete faith in our Lord and obey His every command. Jesus has gone before us to heaven having won all Spiritual battles on this earth before He left. He did this for us as believers.
Our redemption has been secured, our place in God’s family established and our heavenly inheritance has been guaranteed. We can assure you that earthly trials will continue for all of us but they are only temporary. What kind of courage do you have today? If you have fears or doubts, look to the life of Joshua and how he responded to God’s call. If you still have some doubt take the time to read about Daniel and Paul in the scriptures.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the illustrations You have given us in Your Word as to how we can develop courage in our lives. Reassure me today that you will not only walk right beside me but that You will go before me and open all the doors for me.
April 10, 2011
Submission: April 7, 2011
APRIL 7. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 7, 2011.
SUBMISSION
DEFINITION:
The act or effect of submitting; yielding; obedient.
SCRIPTURE:
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.” I Peter 2:13.
“Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh to them.” Colossians 3:18-19
“You younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another.” I Peter 5:5.
“One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.” I Timothy 3:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We are living in a day and age when one uses the word “submission” they will get in return a strange look or even a sneering remark. Many are saying that we are living in “the ME generation.” This is when a person lives for “me” only and for no one else. To these people the word or thought of submission is not in their vocabulary. As you can see in the four verses we have listed above, the Bible has a lot to say about God’s requirement for us concerning being submissive.
We all have a mind of our own and a desire to do things our way and in our own timing. Our natural tendency is not to want to be submissive. This is nothing new. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. First Eve, then Adam, rebelled against submitting to God’s command not to eat the forbidden fruit. That was when trouble began.
As new parents we were amazed at how soon our sweet little bundle of joy developed a mind of his or her own and had no desire to submit to our will. You just get to sleep and your child is wide awake demanding attention and just wants to play. You know whose will wins out. That is only the beginning. They only get more demanding as they grow up so it is soon quite evident they have a lot to learn about submission. Parents need to start training their children at a very early age the meaning of submission and what God requires of us as believers concerning being submissive.
Submission to God is necessary to prevent discord and chaos. The Bible teaches that we are to be submissive, first of all to God, and obey His commandments. The tragic actions of Adam and Eve and the consequences that resulted from them are evidence of the importance of being submissive to God. Jesus set the example for us by submitting to the will of the Father and was “obedient to death, even death on the cross.” (Philippians 2:9). How can we do any less then to submit ourselves to God, the Father our Lord and creator.
The Bible teaches that we are to be submissive in our marriage. Colossians 3:18 instructs us that wives should submit to their husbands as to the Lord. In this day of “women’s lib” this is not a popular concept. Nevertheless it is what God says. It is not popular because it has been misinterpreted and misused as giving the husband unlimited authority. They forget that the Lord commands husbands how to love and treat their wives.
The Bible’s teaching on marriage relationships requires the man to be the spiritual leader of the family and the wife is to acknowledge his leadership role. A loving and caring husband will not take advantage of his leadership role and be a demanding tyrant. Likewise, a wife who loves and cares for her husband will not undermine her husband’s leadership. There must be a mutual submission between husband and wife, with each striving to be a true help-mate. Submission is what brings harmony and unity in a marriage. There has to be a lot of give and take in a marriage.
In Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us that children should obey their parents. This is being submissive to their parents and parents need to teach their children to be submissive in both their words and their actions. In I Timothy 3:4, Paul also reminds us that God requires us as parents to be overseerers of our children, “One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.”
Peter tells us in I Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people submit to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
The Bible also tells us that we must be submissive to those in authority over us. Peter tells us to submit to those who have a legitimate authority over us for the Lord’s sake. It honors the Lord when we are law abiding and obedient to those in authority over us. The only exception is that if obedience to an authority would cause us to be disobedient to God.
As parents, we must teach our children to be submissive not only to us as parents, but to their teachers and others who have authority over them.
In today’s society we have rebelled against being submissive to anyone except “me.” It is time that we as believers begin anew to be submissive first to God, then to our spouses, children, parents, family, leaders and the result will be that God will bless us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me to control my desire to have things my way and give me a willingness to be submissive. Help me to be submissive, first of all, to You and secondly to my spouse. Guide us as we teach our children to be submissive. May others see Christ in us as they see our submission to our Lord.
SUBMISSION
DEFINITION:
The act or effect of submitting; yielding; obedient.
SCRIPTURE:
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.” I Peter 2:13.
“Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh to them.” Colossians 3:18-19
“You younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another.” I Peter 5:5.
“One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.” I Timothy 3:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We are living in a day and age when one uses the word “submission” they will get in return a strange look or even a sneering remark. Many are saying that we are living in “the ME generation.” This is when a person lives for “me” only and for no one else. To these people the word or thought of submission is not in their vocabulary. As you can see in the four verses we have listed above, the Bible has a lot to say about God’s requirement for us concerning being submissive.
We all have a mind of our own and a desire to do things our way and in our own timing. Our natural tendency is not to want to be submissive. This is nothing new. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. First Eve, then Adam, rebelled against submitting to God’s command not to eat the forbidden fruit. That was when trouble began.
As new parents we were amazed at how soon our sweet little bundle of joy developed a mind of his or her own and had no desire to submit to our will. You just get to sleep and your child is wide awake demanding attention and just wants to play. You know whose will wins out. That is only the beginning. They only get more demanding as they grow up so it is soon quite evident they have a lot to learn about submission. Parents need to start training their children at a very early age the meaning of submission and what God requires of us as believers concerning being submissive.
Submission to God is necessary to prevent discord and chaos. The Bible teaches that we are to be submissive, first of all to God, and obey His commandments. The tragic actions of Adam and Eve and the consequences that resulted from them are evidence of the importance of being submissive to God. Jesus set the example for us by submitting to the will of the Father and was “obedient to death, even death on the cross.” (Philippians 2:9). How can we do any less then to submit ourselves to God, the Father our Lord and creator.
The Bible teaches that we are to be submissive in our marriage. Colossians 3:18 instructs us that wives should submit to their husbands as to the Lord. In this day of “women’s lib” this is not a popular concept. Nevertheless it is what God says. It is not popular because it has been misinterpreted and misused as giving the husband unlimited authority. They forget that the Lord commands husbands how to love and treat their wives.
The Bible’s teaching on marriage relationships requires the man to be the spiritual leader of the family and the wife is to acknowledge his leadership role. A loving and caring husband will not take advantage of his leadership role and be a demanding tyrant. Likewise, a wife who loves and cares for her husband will not undermine her husband’s leadership. There must be a mutual submission between husband and wife, with each striving to be a true help-mate. Submission is what brings harmony and unity in a marriage. There has to be a lot of give and take in a marriage.
In Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us that children should obey their parents. This is being submissive to their parents and parents need to teach their children to be submissive in both their words and their actions. In I Timothy 3:4, Paul also reminds us that God requires us as parents to be overseerers of our children, “One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.”
Peter tells us in I Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people submit to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
The Bible also tells us that we must be submissive to those in authority over us. Peter tells us to submit to those who have a legitimate authority over us for the Lord’s sake. It honors the Lord when we are law abiding and obedient to those in authority over us. The only exception is that if obedience to an authority would cause us to be disobedient to God.
As parents, we must teach our children to be submissive not only to us as parents, but to their teachers and others who have authority over them.
In today’s society we have rebelled against being submissive to anyone except “me.” It is time that we as believers begin anew to be submissive first to God, then to our spouses, children, parents, family, leaders and the result will be that God will bless us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me to control my desire to have things my way and give me a willingness to be submissive. Help me to be submissive, first of all, to You and secondly to my spouse. Guide us as we teach our children to be submissive. May others see Christ in us as they see our submission to our Lord.
Tongue: April 6, 2011
APRIL 6. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011.
TONGUE
DEFINITION:
A moveable organ in the mouth; the principle organ of taste; speech or talk; a language or dialect.
SCRIPTURE:
“No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men.” James 3:8-9.
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.” Proverbs 15:4.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalm 34:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Today is a very special day for especially Ken. My father would have been 100 years old today. God chose to take him home in the prime of his life at the young age of 46. But he accomplished so much for the Lord in the years God allowed him to serve Him on this earth.
As we think of our parents today and especially as they relate to the word we have chosen for today --- “tongue”--- we both can remember as children that when we said something “bad” our parents would remark strongly to us that if we repeated that comment or word that they would wash out our mouth with soap.
Now if you have ever had your mouth washed out with soap you will think twice about using your “tongue” that way again. The point that our parents made to us and the point we made to our children in the same situation is that we always need to be careful about choosing the words we use in our conversations. We need to think before we talk. We need to be sensitive to the feelings of those we talk to at all times.
The tongue is a very small part of our body, but a most important one, as without it we could neither be able to taste or be able to speak. While the tongue is small it is mighty. James tells us that no man can tame the tongue and that it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
The tongue has the power to do great damage. Once words come out of the mouth they cannot be taken back. In James 3:6 we are told that the damage the tongue can do is compared to a raging fire. Like a fire you cannot control the damage words can do nor can you reverse the damage. In a matter of minutes a few words spoken in anger or with the intent to be hurtful can destroy the strongest of relationships.
In order to control our tongue we must think before we speak and consider whether our words have merit and are pleasing to God or whether the words we use are hurtful and destructive to the person we are speaking to.
Our society has changed so much even over the last few years that the words we hear today in the work place, on the street, in the movies, on the television and even among the mouths of teenagers and children are appalling. Words that we hear today were never used in public even ten years ago.
We ask the question: “Why do we see this happening?” Think about the changes we have seen in our society here in America in such things as the forbidding of prayers being said in our schools, not allowing the posting of the Ten Commandments in our schools and in our public buildings, and the proliferation of pornography under the guise of free speech. We have taken God out of our society. The media also has shown no restraints in the language used in movies and television. Unfortunately the same is happening in every country of the world no matter what the culture or beliefs are.
James tells us what comes out of our mouth shows what motivates us and our words reveal what and who we are. Without God’s help it is impossible to control the tongue. If we claim to be Christians and have faith in Jesus we must submit our tongue to His control.
When we allow God to have control of our life and we let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with God’s love then our tongue can be used for God’s glory. As James says in James 3:8-9, it is with the tongue that we praise and bless God.
Standards may have changed but God’s standards have not changed. What the Bible teaches about the tongue is still applicable today. James tells us that no man can contain the tongue and that it is an unruly evil and full of deadly poison. We cannot control our tongue in own strength. We must seek God’s help and through His Holy Spirit working in us, we will be able to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me today to control my tongue. May my words today honor You in all that I do.
TONGUE
DEFINITION:
A moveable organ in the mouth; the principle organ of taste; speech or talk; a language or dialect.
SCRIPTURE:
“No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men.” James 3:8-9.
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.” Proverbs 15:4.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalm 34:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Today is a very special day for especially Ken. My father would have been 100 years old today. God chose to take him home in the prime of his life at the young age of 46. But he accomplished so much for the Lord in the years God allowed him to serve Him on this earth.
As we think of our parents today and especially as they relate to the word we have chosen for today --- “tongue”--- we both can remember as children that when we said something “bad” our parents would remark strongly to us that if we repeated that comment or word that they would wash out our mouth with soap.
Now if you have ever had your mouth washed out with soap you will think twice about using your “tongue” that way again. The point that our parents made to us and the point we made to our children in the same situation is that we always need to be careful about choosing the words we use in our conversations. We need to think before we talk. We need to be sensitive to the feelings of those we talk to at all times.
The tongue is a very small part of our body, but a most important one, as without it we could neither be able to taste or be able to speak. While the tongue is small it is mighty. James tells us that no man can tame the tongue and that it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
The tongue has the power to do great damage. Once words come out of the mouth they cannot be taken back. In James 3:6 we are told that the damage the tongue can do is compared to a raging fire. Like a fire you cannot control the damage words can do nor can you reverse the damage. In a matter of minutes a few words spoken in anger or with the intent to be hurtful can destroy the strongest of relationships.
In order to control our tongue we must think before we speak and consider whether our words have merit and are pleasing to God or whether the words we use are hurtful and destructive to the person we are speaking to.
Our society has changed so much even over the last few years that the words we hear today in the work place, on the street, in the movies, on the television and even among the mouths of teenagers and children are appalling. Words that we hear today were never used in public even ten years ago.
We ask the question: “Why do we see this happening?” Think about the changes we have seen in our society here in America in such things as the forbidding of prayers being said in our schools, not allowing the posting of the Ten Commandments in our schools and in our public buildings, and the proliferation of pornography under the guise of free speech. We have taken God out of our society. The media also has shown no restraints in the language used in movies and television. Unfortunately the same is happening in every country of the world no matter what the culture or beliefs are.
James tells us what comes out of our mouth shows what motivates us and our words reveal what and who we are. Without God’s help it is impossible to control the tongue. If we claim to be Christians and have faith in Jesus we must submit our tongue to His control.
When we allow God to have control of our life and we let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with God’s love then our tongue can be used for God’s glory. As James says in James 3:8-9, it is with the tongue that we praise and bless God.
Standards may have changed but God’s standards have not changed. What the Bible teaches about the tongue is still applicable today. James tells us that no man can contain the tongue and that it is an unruly evil and full of deadly poison. We cannot control our tongue in own strength. We must seek God’s help and through His Holy Spirit working in us, we will be able to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help me today to control my tongue. May my words today honor You in all that I do.
Works: April 5, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2011
WORKS
DEFINITION:
Effort put forth; labor; toil; be employed; perform labor.
SCRIPTURE:
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14
“For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
“As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We were taught as children and we taught our children as well that the most important decision that they would make in life is whether to accept or reject Jesus as their Savior. We taught them, as we were taught and as the scripture says (above in Ephesians) that we were saved by grace through faith. After we accepted Jesus as our Savior then we were commanded by our Lord to “work” for Him.
Many people we talk to really believe that their “GOOD WORKS” will get them into heaven where they can spend an eternity with God. Most of these people are good people and live a clean life. They are the kind of “neighbors” you would love to have living next door to you. They are also the hardest to talk about their need for a Savior. They truly believe that their good works, clean living and being kind to everyone will get them into heaven.
We remember several conversations we had with a friend who was very generous with his time and talent with our ministry. When we talked to him about his relationship with Jesus he always talked about his good works and told us not to be concerned about him because he would see us in heaven. We continued to talk to him about why we accepted Jesus but he always reminded us that because of his clean living he would see us in heaven. This is where praying for that person is so vital.
Some people find the two verses that we have listed above from Ephesians and James contradictory. They ask: Is salvation simply by grace through faith alone or do we have to work for it? Paul wants us to understand that there is nothing we can do to merit or earn our salvation. Keeping all the laws in the Bible will not earn us salvation, it is only by the grace of God through faith that we can be saved.
Paul in Ephesians talks about salvation through faith. James in James 2:14 says faith without deeds (WORKS) is dead. They do not contradict each other, actually they supplement one another. James would never argue against Paul’s assertion that salvation is by faith but James presupposes that we understand these doctrines that are so clearly stated in Paul’s letters. James goes a step further by saying that a commitment to Christ is expressed through our actions.
WORKS IS AN EVIDENCE OF YOUR FAITH!
Martin Luther puts it this way: A man is justified (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Genuine faith will produce good deeds, but only faith in Christ saves.
God is expecting us as believers to work hard until His return. Some have asked us the big question: When are you going to retire? Our answer is very clear and simple --- NEVER.
God has put each one of us on this earth for a purpose. When we consider the great price God and His Son Jesus paid for our salvation, we cannot sit back and retire. We are committed for a life time to work for Him. We firmly believe that God will take us to be with Him when we have completed “the good works” that God has for us on this earth. Our prayer today is that you will join us by doing the “good works” that God has for you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help us as a family to share our faith with those we touch daily so they can know You as their Savior. Help us to also “WORK” daily to do Your will, so that our actions will show others the evidence of our faith in You.
WORKS
DEFINITION:
Effort put forth; labor; toil; be employed; perform labor.
SCRIPTURE:
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14
“For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
“As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We were taught as children and we taught our children as well that the most important decision that they would make in life is whether to accept or reject Jesus as their Savior. We taught them, as we were taught and as the scripture says (above in Ephesians) that we were saved by grace through faith. After we accepted Jesus as our Savior then we were commanded by our Lord to “work” for Him.
Many people we talk to really believe that their “GOOD WORKS” will get them into heaven where they can spend an eternity with God. Most of these people are good people and live a clean life. They are the kind of “neighbors” you would love to have living next door to you. They are also the hardest to talk about their need for a Savior. They truly believe that their good works, clean living and being kind to everyone will get them into heaven.
We remember several conversations we had with a friend who was very generous with his time and talent with our ministry. When we talked to him about his relationship with Jesus he always talked about his good works and told us not to be concerned about him because he would see us in heaven. We continued to talk to him about why we accepted Jesus but he always reminded us that because of his clean living he would see us in heaven. This is where praying for that person is so vital.
Some people find the two verses that we have listed above from Ephesians and James contradictory. They ask: Is salvation simply by grace through faith alone or do we have to work for it? Paul wants us to understand that there is nothing we can do to merit or earn our salvation. Keeping all the laws in the Bible will not earn us salvation, it is only by the grace of God through faith that we can be saved.
Paul in Ephesians talks about salvation through faith. James in James 2:14 says faith without deeds (WORKS) is dead. They do not contradict each other, actually they supplement one another. James would never argue against Paul’s assertion that salvation is by faith but James presupposes that we understand these doctrines that are so clearly stated in Paul’s letters. James goes a step further by saying that a commitment to Christ is expressed through our actions.
WORKS IS AN EVIDENCE OF YOUR FAITH!
Martin Luther puts it this way: A man is justified (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Genuine faith will produce good deeds, but only faith in Christ saves.
God is expecting us as believers to work hard until His return. Some have asked us the big question: When are you going to retire? Our answer is very clear and simple --- NEVER.
God has put each one of us on this earth for a purpose. When we consider the great price God and His Son Jesus paid for our salvation, we cannot sit back and retire. We are committed for a life time to work for Him. We firmly believe that God will take us to be with Him when we have completed “the good works” that God has for us on this earth. Our prayer today is that you will join us by doing the “good works” that God has for you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Help us as a family to share our faith with those we touch daily so they can know You as their Savior. Help us to also “WORK” daily to do Your will, so that our actions will show others the evidence of our faith in You.
Memorization: April 4, 2011
APRIL 4. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 4, 2011
MEMORIZATION
DEFINITION:
The mental capacity of retaining and reviving impressions; remembrance; recollection.
SCRIPTURE:
“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We both remember well the importance our parents told us why we should memorize verses from the Bible. We memorized verses in our homes and when we were in Sunday school each week. We also both remember memorizing Bible verses when we went to daily vacation Bible school each summer. As a teenager Ken memorized hundreds of verses in order to participate in the Youth for Christ Bible quiz program. One thing we can say with certainty is that we never regretted the time we spent memorizing scripture.
When our children were living at home, as we have told you before several times, we made it a practice for all of us to have dinner together every night as a family. We had very few exceptions over the more then 30 years. We felt as parents that this was an important need for several reasons. First, it gave us time together every day with the family. By the way --- there was no TV on or text messages coming in. It was a family time without outside distractions.
Secondly, this time at dinner kept the communication line open between our children and us giving each of us the chance to talk about how our day went. Thirdly, each child had an opportunity to share their concerns and blessings with us. Fourthly, it gave us as parents a chance to listen so we could be sensitive to each child’s needs and concerns and respond to them before they became major problems.
Probably the most important reason for this practice was that it gave us time every night to read the Bible together and to pray together as a family. We could share prayer needs and hear about people that needed our prayers. Each one of us had our own circle of friends with some overlapping, but hearing prayer requests from each family member broadened our world of concern. We also each week had one verse from the Bible that together as a family we would memorize. It almost became a contest at times between our children as to who could learn a specific verse the fastest. These verses have stayed with us all down through the years. Memorizing God’s Word has been so important to the spiritual growth of our children and to us as well.
In the two verses we have listed above we can see the importance of memorizing God’s Word. The Psalmist reminds us to hide God’s Word in our heart so that we may not sin. Thus it helps us grow spiritually each day that we live. When we hide God’s Word in our heart, the scriptures memorized will be a constant reminder for us to walk as Jesus wants us to walk and His Word will guide us in that walk. You will be surprised as to how some of these verses come back to you at a time when you have a special need.
We have been in parts of the world where families did not have their own Bible so they shared one Bible with another family. There also are people in certain areas of our world that have asked for just one Bible for a whole village. When they received their Bible, they tore out a page for each family. They would keep that page for a set time and then trade with another person or family. While they had their one page they would memorize these pages so that they would always have hidden in their hearts the Word of God.
Every place in our world where there are believers, memorizing verses from the Bible has become a priority. One of the reasons for this is that many believers in our world realize that at some point their Bibles could be taken away from them.
Having had this experience with our family, and seeing illustrations of what we have shared above is the reason we felt it important to add one verse from the Bible each week to these devotionals for us all to memorize together. These verses each week will be simple, short but meaningful. We hope you will join us each week in memorizing the verse we suggest under LEARNING.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Give our family a desire to memorize Your word. Help us to realize how blessed we are to have Your written Word so we can hide it in our hearts. Thank You for the assurance You give that by doing this it will help us not sin against You. As we, as a family, memorize Your Word allow it to make a difference in the way we live and the way we serve You.
MEMORIZATION
DEFINITION:
The mental capacity of retaining and reviving impressions; remembrance; recollection.
SCRIPTURE:
“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We both remember well the importance our parents told us why we should memorize verses from the Bible. We memorized verses in our homes and when we were in Sunday school each week. We also both remember memorizing Bible verses when we went to daily vacation Bible school each summer. As a teenager Ken memorized hundreds of verses in order to participate in the Youth for Christ Bible quiz program. One thing we can say with certainty is that we never regretted the time we spent memorizing scripture.
When our children were living at home, as we have told you before several times, we made it a practice for all of us to have dinner together every night as a family. We had very few exceptions over the more then 30 years. We felt as parents that this was an important need for several reasons. First, it gave us time together every day with the family. By the way --- there was no TV on or text messages coming in. It was a family time without outside distractions.
Secondly, this time at dinner kept the communication line open between our children and us giving each of us the chance to talk about how our day went. Thirdly, each child had an opportunity to share their concerns and blessings with us. Fourthly, it gave us as parents a chance to listen so we could be sensitive to each child’s needs and concerns and respond to them before they became major problems.
Probably the most important reason for this practice was that it gave us time every night to read the Bible together and to pray together as a family. We could share prayer needs and hear about people that needed our prayers. Each one of us had our own circle of friends with some overlapping, but hearing prayer requests from each family member broadened our world of concern. We also each week had one verse from the Bible that together as a family we would memorize. It almost became a contest at times between our children as to who could learn a specific verse the fastest. These verses have stayed with us all down through the years. Memorizing God’s Word has been so important to the spiritual growth of our children and to us as well.
In the two verses we have listed above we can see the importance of memorizing God’s Word. The Psalmist reminds us to hide God’s Word in our heart so that we may not sin. Thus it helps us grow spiritually each day that we live. When we hide God’s Word in our heart, the scriptures memorized will be a constant reminder for us to walk as Jesus wants us to walk and His Word will guide us in that walk. You will be surprised as to how some of these verses come back to you at a time when you have a special need.
We have been in parts of the world where families did not have their own Bible so they shared one Bible with another family. There also are people in certain areas of our world that have asked for just one Bible for a whole village. When they received their Bible, they tore out a page for each family. They would keep that page for a set time and then trade with another person or family. While they had their one page they would memorize these pages so that they would always have hidden in their hearts the Word of God.
Every place in our world where there are believers, memorizing verses from the Bible has become a priority. One of the reasons for this is that many believers in our world realize that at some point their Bibles could be taken away from them.
Having had this experience with our family, and seeing illustrations of what we have shared above is the reason we felt it important to add one verse from the Bible each week to these devotionals for us all to memorize together. These verses each week will be simple, short but meaningful. We hope you will join us each week in memorizing the verse we suggest under LEARNING.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
PRAYER:
Give our family a desire to memorize Your word. Help us to realize how blessed we are to have Your written Word so we can hide it in our hearts. Thank You for the assurance You give that by doing this it will help us not sin against You. As we, as a family, memorize Your Word allow it to make a difference in the way we live and the way we serve You.
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