MAY 6, 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 6, 2011.
PLEASURE
DEFINITION:
A feeling of enjoyment or delight; a cause or source of this feeling; one’s will or desire.
SCRIPTURE:
“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.” II Thessalonians 1:11.
There will be terrible times in the last days, people will be --- lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. II Timothy 3:1-4.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We are spending ever-increasing amounts of money each year on pleasure. Statistics tell us that Americans give $3.5 billion each year to churches and spend $150 billion on pleasure. That is over 4 times more spent on worldly pleasure than income to churches.
Now we understand that there is nothing evil or wrong with relaxation and recreation, but there is something wrong when the pursuit of pleasure becomes a major obsession to a person or a family. It is so easy to get caught up in the frenzies of this life and forget that heaven will be a place for “pleasures forevermore.”
Personally we enjoy the times we set aside for pleasure. Sometimes we are with family and other times we are alone just with the two of us. These are always important times in our lives because it gives us time to relax, regroup, and get to know family and each other better. It is also valuable time when we can look clearly at what we consider our priorities and reevaluate them.
In times of pleasure we also enjoy meeting new people, seeing new sites and going to new places. These are all very important to us personally but at all times we make sure that our relationship with God is not affected by what we are doing in these special times.
Henry David Thoreau once said: “The pleasures of the intellect are permanent; the pleasures of the heart are transitory.” But he never considered eternity where our pleasures will be forever with the Lord.
We are reminded of the account recorded in the book of Nehemiah of the building of the wall around the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a common man but he led a comfortable and secure life. He was the cupbearer to the king of Persia. He was in the position where he had opportunity to take advantage of all the pleasures of the world, but that was not his desire. He was a man of God who wanted to be used by God. When he heard from others who had been to Jerusalem, that the wall and gates of the city had been broken, it distressed and saddened him.
Nehemiah was a man of action and vision and when he saw a need he took the responsibility to do something about it. The first thing he did was to go to the Lord in prayer. Then he went to the king and asked for permission to go to Jerusalem so that he could rebuild the walls. With the king’s approval and help he went to Jerusalem. He organized the people and assigned them specific sections of the wall and completed the project in just 52 days.
Nehemiah is known as a man of prayer. Eleven times in this book of Nehemiah, we find Nehemiah praying for direction and guidance. His pleasure was doing the will of God. Nehemiah was a man that was willing to sacrifice and give up his easy life style and forego the pleasures of life to do the pleasures of the Lord.
Nehemiah was also a man that read the “Law of Moses” and as written in chapter 8 verse 8, he had it read and explained to the people. Nehemiah did God’s work and did it God’s way. He was a master builder that clearly followed the plan of “THE MASTER BUILDER.”
Later in Nehemiah 8:9-10 it is written that Nehemiah was governor and Ezra was the priest and scribe of that day. After the people had the scriptures read to them and explained by Ezra they were told to go eat, give portions to those that had nothing prepared and then have pleasure by rejoicing in the Lord. They responded because they understood the words that were declared unto them.
We should learn that when we communicate with God by reading His Word and praying then we should have pleasure in rejoicing in what the Lord is doing through our lives.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for all that You have given me that enables me to enjoy the pleasures of this life, but help me to realize that lasting and true pleasure is found in serving You as my Lord.
May 8, 2011
Peace: May 5, 2011
MAY 5, 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MAY 5, 2011
PEACE
DEFINITION:
Freedom from war or civil disorder; harmony in human relations, tranquility, quietness and not quarrelling; freedom from anxiety, annoyance or other mental disturbance; state of calm.
SCRIPTURE:
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Have you thought as to how much peace the world has experienced throughout recorded history? The group called CHRISTIAN VICTORY has calculated that since the creation, the world has been entirely at peace for only eight percent of the time. In over 3,100 recorded years of history only 286 years have been without war.
Just look at what has taken place in our world over the last ten years or so. There have been conflicts in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been uprisings in such places as Greece, Libya and Egypt. Men and women have been in constant conflicts down through the ages all because of the sin in their hearts.
The man that created the atomic bomb that was used in 1945 was asked if there was any defense against this weapon. He responded quickly by saying only two words: CERTAINLY --- PEACE.
The scripture tells us that there will always be wars and rumors of war this side of our spending eternity with our Lord and Savior. Complete peace will only occur, according to the scriptures, on this earth during the thousand year reign of Christ after the rapture of the church and the seven year tribulation.
Let us share some thoughts that come to our minds about peace after we have read what Mark records as to the words of Jesus in his book chapter 13 verses 6-13. Jesus has told us why there is no peace and there can be no peace in our world. He says that there will be many deceivers that will come in His name. He says there will be wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines and troubles.
And for us as believers He says for us to watch out because we will be delivered to councils, beaten, brought to rulers for a testimony to them about our faith in God. And then Jesus says that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. He then tells us that all these things must occur before He comes to this earth as the Prince of Peace.
As we talk to people each day the only reference to peace we hear is that of a hope for world peace in the future. But very few that say they hope this will happen really believe it will happen.
In the verse in John that we have shared with you above, Jesus makes it clear that He offers believers peace but not as the world thinks of peace. The peace that Jesus talks about is the peace that comes to one’s heart when that one accepts Jesus into his or her heart. The word PEACE summarizes God’s message of salvation to us. We read this in Acts 10:36, the message God sent to all people telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is the Lord of all.
Both of us wake up every morning with an inward peace in our hearts. We know that because of our faith that Jesus is with us and will lead us and protect us through every activity of the day. Are you experiencing peace in your life each day? This can only come to pass when you have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus.
We wonder how those who do not know Jesus as their Savior can have any peace in their heart. They hear the news every day of wars, murders, corruption, kidnapping, terrorism and the list goes on and on. Then they face the personal concerns of job security, spousal problems, and children running wild and economic turmoil. They face all of this with no one that they can rely on throughout the day. Is it any wonder people are stressed?
Contrast today the life that one lives without Jesus and the life one lives with Jesus and the peace that He gives all believers.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Teach me to pray, not only for my own needs and others, but for peace. Help me to follow Your words by encouraging me to not only pray for peace in our world but for the peace of Jerusalem. Give me a new peace in my heart that comes from You, a peace that passes all understanding.
PEACE
DEFINITION:
Freedom from war or civil disorder; harmony in human relations, tranquility, quietness and not quarrelling; freedom from anxiety, annoyance or other mental disturbance; state of calm.
SCRIPTURE:
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Have you thought as to how much peace the world has experienced throughout recorded history? The group called CHRISTIAN VICTORY has calculated that since the creation, the world has been entirely at peace for only eight percent of the time. In over 3,100 recorded years of history only 286 years have been without war.
Just look at what has taken place in our world over the last ten years or so. There have been conflicts in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been uprisings in such places as Greece, Libya and Egypt. Men and women have been in constant conflicts down through the ages all because of the sin in their hearts.
The man that created the atomic bomb that was used in 1945 was asked if there was any defense against this weapon. He responded quickly by saying only two words: CERTAINLY --- PEACE.
The scripture tells us that there will always be wars and rumors of war this side of our spending eternity with our Lord and Savior. Complete peace will only occur, according to the scriptures, on this earth during the thousand year reign of Christ after the rapture of the church and the seven year tribulation.
Let us share some thoughts that come to our minds about peace after we have read what Mark records as to the words of Jesus in his book chapter 13 verses 6-13. Jesus has told us why there is no peace and there can be no peace in our world. He says that there will be many deceivers that will come in His name. He says there will be wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines and troubles.
And for us as believers He says for us to watch out because we will be delivered to councils, beaten, brought to rulers for a testimony to them about our faith in God. And then Jesus says that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. He then tells us that all these things must occur before He comes to this earth as the Prince of Peace.
As we talk to people each day the only reference to peace we hear is that of a hope for world peace in the future. But very few that say they hope this will happen really believe it will happen.
In the verse in John that we have shared with you above, Jesus makes it clear that He offers believers peace but not as the world thinks of peace. The peace that Jesus talks about is the peace that comes to one’s heart when that one accepts Jesus into his or her heart. The word PEACE summarizes God’s message of salvation to us. We read this in Acts 10:36, the message God sent to all people telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is the Lord of all.
Both of us wake up every morning with an inward peace in our hearts. We know that because of our faith that Jesus is with us and will lead us and protect us through every activity of the day. Are you experiencing peace in your life each day? This can only come to pass when you have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus.
We wonder how those who do not know Jesus as their Savior can have any peace in their heart. They hear the news every day of wars, murders, corruption, kidnapping, terrorism and the list goes on and on. Then they face the personal concerns of job security, spousal problems, and children running wild and economic turmoil. They face all of this with no one that they can rely on throughout the day. Is it any wonder people are stressed?
Contrast today the life that one lives without Jesus and the life one lives with Jesus and the peace that He gives all believers.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Teach me to pray, not only for my own needs and others, but for peace. Help me to follow Your words by encouraging me to not only pray for peace in our world but for the peace of Jerusalem. Give me a new peace in my heart that comes from You, a peace that passes all understanding.
Conquerors: May 4, 2011
MAY 4, 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 4, 2011
CONQUERORS
DEFINITION:
One who subdues by force, one who overcomes or gains victory or wins by effort.
SCRIPTURE:
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:
Most people are conquerors by nature. We like to be victorious in what we do. We all like to conquer a test we have to take in school. We like to conquer a job at work. We like to look back in our lives and evaluate circumstances and accomplishments. We conquered some and we failed at others.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the favorite Bible stories that our children loved to hear read to them. As the scriptures reminds us (above) from Romans 8:30, we can be more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us and David proved that he could conquer anything or anybody with God at his side. Being a conqueror for Jesus is life’s greatest accomplishment for all of us.
David loved God and trusted Him to be his shield and defender. When David went out to face the Philistine giant, he went out as a conqueror because he knew the battle was the Lord’s and the Lord would deliver him. When Goliath taunted David because his only weapon was a slingshot, David’s response was, “You come against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come in the name of the Lord Almighty.”
Not only did David not have a sword or a spear, he had no shield. I Samuel 17:50 tells us, “So David triumphed (conquered) over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
David fought many battles and understood that God was the one that enabled him to be a conqueror. He gave God the credit and in his Psalm 144:2 he praised God for being his “shield and defender.” David praised God with these words “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” He knew that God was with him. This is the key that God has given us so that we can be conquerors in all situations in our lives. We must recognize that “the battle is the Lord’s” and in Him we can have the victory.
One of the world’s most unusual landmarks is a single granite plaque on a pole on the western boundary of Russia near the city of Wilna. There are two inscriptions on this plaque. The western side reads: Napoleon Bonaparte passed this location in 1812 with 410,000 men on his way to conquer Russia. On the eastern side it reads: Napoleon Bonaparte passed this location in 1812 with 9,000 men as he returned home. Napoleon, who had the goal of conquering the world, had met his match in this Russian campaign.
We are reminded constantly in the scriptures that with God we can conquer anybody or anything. The scripture tells us that Satan will meet his match when confronted with the judgment of God and he will have no survivors. Yes, our God will be the ultimate conqueror of evil.
No matter what the circumstances of life may be to you, if you believe in Jesus then you are more than a conqueror. The scriptures tell us that no matter the circumstances or their severity, Christ will carry us through each situation giving us strength and encouragement. We cannot lose when we let the battle be the Lord’s. Christ loves us and wants us to be conquerors through Him. Look what the scriptures say that Christ can do for you:
• He will give you rest.(Matthew 11:28)
• He will give you peace. (John 14:27)
• He provides for you an escape from temptation. (I Corinthians 10:13)
• He will comfort you through all trials that you may face.
(II Corinthians 1:3-4)
• He will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
• He will deliver you through all persecution.(II Corinthians4:8)
• He will enable you to overcome the world. (I John 5:4)
• He will deliver you from fear. (Isaiah 41:10)
• He will give you eternal life. (John 10:28-29)
• He will keep you from evil. (II Thessalonians 3:3)
In everyday life are you a conqueror? Do you as a believer, let Satan and the world take away your Christian birthright? Realize anew today that you are a child of the King --- the ultimate conqueror. Go out and act like it today in all that you do and say.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
I thank You Lord that believers are the ultimate winners in the great spiritual battle that I fight day in and day out. Thank You that it is because of Your power and the marvelous gift that You gave in providing Your Son to pay the penalty of death for my sins.
CONQUERORS
DEFINITION:
One who subdues by force, one who overcomes or gains victory or wins by effort.
SCRIPTURE:
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:
Most people are conquerors by nature. We like to be victorious in what we do. We all like to conquer a test we have to take in school. We like to conquer a job at work. We like to look back in our lives and evaluate circumstances and accomplishments. We conquered some and we failed at others.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the favorite Bible stories that our children loved to hear read to them. As the scriptures reminds us (above) from Romans 8:30, we can be more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us and David proved that he could conquer anything or anybody with God at his side. Being a conqueror for Jesus is life’s greatest accomplishment for all of us.
David loved God and trusted Him to be his shield and defender. When David went out to face the Philistine giant, he went out as a conqueror because he knew the battle was the Lord’s and the Lord would deliver him. When Goliath taunted David because his only weapon was a slingshot, David’s response was, “You come against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come in the name of the Lord Almighty.”
Not only did David not have a sword or a spear, he had no shield. I Samuel 17:50 tells us, “So David triumphed (conquered) over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
David fought many battles and understood that God was the one that enabled him to be a conqueror. He gave God the credit and in his Psalm 144:2 he praised God for being his “shield and defender.” David praised God with these words “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” He knew that God was with him. This is the key that God has given us so that we can be conquerors in all situations in our lives. We must recognize that “the battle is the Lord’s” and in Him we can have the victory.
One of the world’s most unusual landmarks is a single granite plaque on a pole on the western boundary of Russia near the city of Wilna. There are two inscriptions on this plaque. The western side reads: Napoleon Bonaparte passed this location in 1812 with 410,000 men on his way to conquer Russia. On the eastern side it reads: Napoleon Bonaparte passed this location in 1812 with 9,000 men as he returned home. Napoleon, who had the goal of conquering the world, had met his match in this Russian campaign.
We are reminded constantly in the scriptures that with God we can conquer anybody or anything. The scripture tells us that Satan will meet his match when confronted with the judgment of God and he will have no survivors. Yes, our God will be the ultimate conqueror of evil.
No matter what the circumstances of life may be to you, if you believe in Jesus then you are more than a conqueror. The scriptures tell us that no matter the circumstances or their severity, Christ will carry us through each situation giving us strength and encouragement. We cannot lose when we let the battle be the Lord’s. Christ loves us and wants us to be conquerors through Him. Look what the scriptures say that Christ can do for you:
• He will give you rest.(Matthew 11:28)
• He will give you peace. (John 14:27)
• He provides for you an escape from temptation. (I Corinthians 10:13)
• He will comfort you through all trials that you may face.
(II Corinthians 1:3-4)
• He will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
• He will deliver you through all persecution.(II Corinthians4:8)
• He will enable you to overcome the world. (I John 5:4)
• He will deliver you from fear. (Isaiah 41:10)
• He will give you eternal life. (John 10:28-29)
• He will keep you from evil. (II Thessalonians 3:3)
In everyday life are you a conqueror? Do you as a believer, let Satan and the world take away your Christian birthright? Realize anew today that you are a child of the King --- the ultimate conqueror. Go out and act like it today in all that you do and say.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
I thank You Lord that believers are the ultimate winners in the great spiritual battle that I fight day in and day out. Thank You that it is because of Your power and the marvelous gift that You gave in providing Your Son to pay the penalty of death for my sins.
Regret: May 3, 2011
MAY 3, 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MAY 3, 2011
REGRET
Definition:
To feel sorrow or remorse for an act, fault or failure.
SCRIPTURE:
When Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, saw that He was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed ‘innocent blood.’” Matthew 27:3
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:
Most people could write a book about all of the times they regretted something they said or did. Let us assure you that as we think about what we will write about this word “regret,” we think of many incidents that pop out in our minds. Most often we regret what we say or do too late. The damage has already been done.
When we think of the best illustration in the Bible about regret we think of the deep regret that Judas must have had after he realized what a terrible thing he had done to Jesus.
Judas was seized with remorse. By this time the chief priests and the elders had made their decision to put Jesus to death. When Judas realized that Jesus was going to be killed he regretted so deeply what he had done so much so that he went to the chief priests and returned the money he had received to betray Jesus. He wanted to undo what he had done so he confessed to the chief priests and elders saying, “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
He hoped his confession and his profession that Jesus was innocent would change the minds of the chief priests and the elders. It was too late. His thoughtless act of betrayal had already set in motion the consequences of what he had done.
Who we are and what we are develops out of the decisions we make in life. Every day we make choices. We choose what we do, where we go, who we talk to, what we read and what we watch. All of our choices have consequences. Our choices will either have a positive effect on our life or a negative one. And something we do not often consider is that our choices affect others.
On every decision we make we should think before we act. It is our nature to want immediate gratification. When that is our motive we will make bad decisions that we will regret later and most of the time too late to make right. Even an apology is really not accepted because the damage is already done.
Any decision that we make that is in disobedience to God’s laws will bring consequences that will cause us to regret what we have done. We need to consider each day if our decisions are made in accordance to what God wants us to do.
Sunday schools of recent date used the phrase “What would Jesus do?” in teaching children how to make the right decisions. WWJD became the acronym for that phrase. Some of our grandchildren had bracelets that they made with WWJD on them. It was a reminder to them to stop and consider what Jesus would do in the same situation that they were in. That is exactly the question we should ask ourselves before we make a decision. If we did this we would have fewer regrets.
God never makes us do anything but He is always there waiting for us to ask for His guidance and help to make the right decisions.
Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus. Regret is never enough. He went to the wrong people to set things right. Judas confessed to the high priests that he had sinned and betrayed an innocent man. Judas should have repented and sought forgiveness from Jesus. If there are things you have done or are doing that you regret, now is the time to repent and ask God’s forgiveness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Lord, I come to You, asking You to lead me and guide me in every decision I need to make today. Help me to evaluate all the consequences of my decisions. Give me wisdom so that I can see what Jesus would want me to do. I regret and confess my sins of disobedience to You and ask for Your forgiveness.
REGRET
Definition:
To feel sorrow or remorse for an act, fault or failure.
SCRIPTURE:
When Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, saw that He was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed ‘innocent blood.’” Matthew 27:3
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:
Most people could write a book about all of the times they regretted something they said or did. Let us assure you that as we think about what we will write about this word “regret,” we think of many incidents that pop out in our minds. Most often we regret what we say or do too late. The damage has already been done.
When we think of the best illustration in the Bible about regret we think of the deep regret that Judas must have had after he realized what a terrible thing he had done to Jesus.
Judas was seized with remorse. By this time the chief priests and the elders had made their decision to put Jesus to death. When Judas realized that Jesus was going to be killed he regretted so deeply what he had done so much so that he went to the chief priests and returned the money he had received to betray Jesus. He wanted to undo what he had done so he confessed to the chief priests and elders saying, “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
He hoped his confession and his profession that Jesus was innocent would change the minds of the chief priests and the elders. It was too late. His thoughtless act of betrayal had already set in motion the consequences of what he had done.
Who we are and what we are develops out of the decisions we make in life. Every day we make choices. We choose what we do, where we go, who we talk to, what we read and what we watch. All of our choices have consequences. Our choices will either have a positive effect on our life or a negative one. And something we do not often consider is that our choices affect others.
On every decision we make we should think before we act. It is our nature to want immediate gratification. When that is our motive we will make bad decisions that we will regret later and most of the time too late to make right. Even an apology is really not accepted because the damage is already done.
Any decision that we make that is in disobedience to God’s laws will bring consequences that will cause us to regret what we have done. We need to consider each day if our decisions are made in accordance to what God wants us to do.
Sunday schools of recent date used the phrase “What would Jesus do?” in teaching children how to make the right decisions. WWJD became the acronym for that phrase. Some of our grandchildren had bracelets that they made with WWJD on them. It was a reminder to them to stop and consider what Jesus would do in the same situation that they were in. That is exactly the question we should ask ourselves before we make a decision. If we did this we would have fewer regrets.
God never makes us do anything but He is always there waiting for us to ask for His guidance and help to make the right decisions.
Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus. Regret is never enough. He went to the wrong people to set things right. Judas confessed to the high priests that he had sinned and betrayed an innocent man. Judas should have repented and sought forgiveness from Jesus. If there are things you have done or are doing that you regret, now is the time to repent and ask God’s forgiveness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Lord, I come to You, asking You to lead me and guide me in every decision I need to make today. Help me to evaluate all the consequences of my decisions. Give me wisdom so that I can see what Jesus would want me to do. I regret and confess my sins of disobedience to You and ask for Your forgiveness.
Trust: May 2, 2011
MAY 2, 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 2, 2011
TRUST
DEFINITION:
The reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; having a confident expectation; to place ones confidence in.
SCRIPTURE:
“Trust in the Lord and do good.” Psalm 37:3
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
How many people do you really trust enough to confide to them real personal concerns? When you put your trust in a person they often, for one reason or another, fail you in your time of need. It is a sad fact of life, but many people whom we put our confidence in will betray our trust at the first opportunity if there is something they can gain from it.
Putting your trust in people today is most of the time an unreliable action. People in general are undependable. Putting your trust in God is always reliable. God will never betray us.
We often refer to the children of Israel in these devotionals and we are going to do this again today. As you know the children of Israel wandered around the desert for forty years. Much of this long trek was because they often forgot to put their trust in God and God, because of this, lengthened their time wandering in the dessert. He delayed their entrance into the Promised Land until He was sure that they would keep their trust in Him.
In Exodus 16:2-3 we read of one of those times that the children of Israel lost their confidence in Moses and thus in God and it reads that the whole congregation --- all of the children of Israel --- complained to Moses in the wilderness. They said, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full.” They went on to complain by saying that, “you (Moses) have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
The scripture then goes on to tell us that God said to Moses that He would rain down bread from heaven and they should gather the food daily taking only the amount they needed. On the sixth day He would provide double what they picked on the other days so they could observe the Sabbath as a day of rest. God said to Moses that the reason He gave such specific details about how the manna was gathered was to test their obedience and their trust in God. Trusting God requires obedience to Him. What a wonderful illustration for us to read about so we can learn that God wants us to trust Him and if we walk in His law, He will provide for us all that we need.
Have you ever noticed the complete trust that young children have in their parents? When our children were young we took home movies of the children taking their first steps. When we watched those movies several years later we saw how hesitant they were to take that first step. They did not trust that next step that they needed to take. They were not sure if they would fall or keep standing. They would take a step or two, hesitate and then sit down. But they never quit, they would get right up and try again.
In the process of learning to walk our children would eagerly grasp our outstretched hand with complete trust that we would support them and keep them safe from falling. As they became confident enough to walk without falling, they outgrew their need to hold our hand.
This reminds us that God is holding out His hand to help us take every step. But the difference is that we will never outgrow our need to trust God and we will daily need Him to stand beside us and hold our hand through the turbulences of life.
One of our great examples of trust comes from the Old Testament. Abraham’s name meant “Father of Nations,” yet he and his wife Sarah were still childless in their nineties. It seemed impossible that God’s promise of a son could ever be fulfilled. The Lord, however, said to Abraham, “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14. Abraham trusted God to honor His promise of an heir and God in His perfect timing fulfilled His promise to Abraham with the birth of his son Isaac. As God stood by Abraham and rewarded his trust, so will God reward us if we put our full trust in Him.
We must learn as families to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children especially as they get older because they want to do everything their own way. Children, youth and adults receive continual peer pressure to just do what you want to do not taking into consideration whether it is even right or wrong. We are sure you have heard people say, “If it feels good just do it.” Unfortunately doing something because “we feel like it’” comes without much of a thought process. We see evidence of this over and over again in the world we live in today and the resulting disasters that come from these actions. God allows us to go ahead and do whatever "we feel like” and then because of His great love for us He is always available holding out His hand saying “Trust Me, let me help you and guide you.”
Have you really given any thought as to what or who you have your trust in today? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us who we should trust in --- the Lord, and how we should trust --- with all your heart, and who we should not trust --- lean not on your own understanding, and then the result is --– He will direct your paths.
We taught our children to trust the Lord daily and to do it with all their hearts and mind. We can trust God because He is trustworthy. It is a thrill for us today to watch our children teach their children (our grandchildren) the same. Along with trusting God, parents must be trustworthy in all that they do. Parents must prove themselves trustworthy to their children and then teach their children to be trustworthy not only by their words but by their actions and deeds. Mutual trustworthiness is a key to a strong family.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Help me as an individual to put my complete trust in God. Enable me to learn not to run ahead or lag behind doing what God wants from me. Allow me to lead my family by my actions and words to put their trust completely in the hands of our Lord.
TRUST
DEFINITION:
The reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; having a confident expectation; to place ones confidence in.
SCRIPTURE:
“Trust in the Lord and do good.” Psalm 37:3
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
How many people do you really trust enough to confide to them real personal concerns? When you put your trust in a person they often, for one reason or another, fail you in your time of need. It is a sad fact of life, but many people whom we put our confidence in will betray our trust at the first opportunity if there is something they can gain from it.
Putting your trust in people today is most of the time an unreliable action. People in general are undependable. Putting your trust in God is always reliable. God will never betray us.
We often refer to the children of Israel in these devotionals and we are going to do this again today. As you know the children of Israel wandered around the desert for forty years. Much of this long trek was because they often forgot to put their trust in God and God, because of this, lengthened their time wandering in the dessert. He delayed their entrance into the Promised Land until He was sure that they would keep their trust in Him.
In Exodus 16:2-3 we read of one of those times that the children of Israel lost their confidence in Moses and thus in God and it reads that the whole congregation --- all of the children of Israel --- complained to Moses in the wilderness. They said, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full.” They went on to complain by saying that, “you (Moses) have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
The scripture then goes on to tell us that God said to Moses that He would rain down bread from heaven and they should gather the food daily taking only the amount they needed. On the sixth day He would provide double what they picked on the other days so they could observe the Sabbath as a day of rest. God said to Moses that the reason He gave such specific details about how the manna was gathered was to test their obedience and their trust in God. Trusting God requires obedience to Him. What a wonderful illustration for us to read about so we can learn that God wants us to trust Him and if we walk in His law, He will provide for us all that we need.
Have you ever noticed the complete trust that young children have in their parents? When our children were young we took home movies of the children taking their first steps. When we watched those movies several years later we saw how hesitant they were to take that first step. They did not trust that next step that they needed to take. They were not sure if they would fall or keep standing. They would take a step or two, hesitate and then sit down. But they never quit, they would get right up and try again.
In the process of learning to walk our children would eagerly grasp our outstretched hand with complete trust that we would support them and keep them safe from falling. As they became confident enough to walk without falling, they outgrew their need to hold our hand.
This reminds us that God is holding out His hand to help us take every step. But the difference is that we will never outgrow our need to trust God and we will daily need Him to stand beside us and hold our hand through the turbulences of life.
One of our great examples of trust comes from the Old Testament. Abraham’s name meant “Father of Nations,” yet he and his wife Sarah were still childless in their nineties. It seemed impossible that God’s promise of a son could ever be fulfilled. The Lord, however, said to Abraham, “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14. Abraham trusted God to honor His promise of an heir and God in His perfect timing fulfilled His promise to Abraham with the birth of his son Isaac. As God stood by Abraham and rewarded his trust, so will God reward us if we put our full trust in Him.
We must learn as families to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children especially as they get older because they want to do everything their own way. Children, youth and adults receive continual peer pressure to just do what you want to do not taking into consideration whether it is even right or wrong. We are sure you have heard people say, “If it feels good just do it.” Unfortunately doing something because “we feel like it’” comes without much of a thought process. We see evidence of this over and over again in the world we live in today and the resulting disasters that come from these actions. God allows us to go ahead and do whatever "we feel like” and then because of His great love for us He is always available holding out His hand saying “Trust Me, let me help you and guide you.”
Have you really given any thought as to what or who you have your trust in today? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us who we should trust in --- the Lord, and how we should trust --- with all your heart, and who we should not trust --- lean not on your own understanding, and then the result is --– He will direct your paths.
We taught our children to trust the Lord daily and to do it with all their hearts and mind. We can trust God because He is trustworthy. It is a thrill for us today to watch our children teach their children (our grandchildren) the same. Along with trusting God, parents must be trustworthy in all that they do. Parents must prove themselves trustworthy to their children and then teach their children to be trustworthy not only by their words but by their actions and deeds. Mutual trustworthiness is a key to a strong family.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in Proverbs 22:6.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
PRAYER:
Help me as an individual to put my complete trust in God. Enable me to learn not to run ahead or lag behind doing what God wants from me. Allow me to lead my family by my actions and words to put their trust completely in the hands of our Lord.
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