SEPTEMBER 9 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
FAITHFULNESS
DEFINITION:
True to one’s word, promises and vows; reliable, trusted or believed.
SCRIPTURE:
Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Genesis 5:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. I Corinthians 9:24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Life is full of reversals, and we as Christians are not excluded from disappointments that make us want to give up. This is not what God wants from us. He wants faithfulness, a spirit of never quitting, to dominate our lives.
Paul challenges us in the race that is the Christian life to keep running (above verse). He gave these words to the believers in the church at Corinth. We are to run faithfully the race God has given us and should be driven by the knowledge that we run to honor our King and to receive from Him an eternal crown at the end of our race.
We have never been a couple that did a good job exercising. But in recent years we have committed to walk about two miles every day. It is tough for us to be faithful in doing this but Ken will admit that Dottie is the faithful one. If the day is close to being over she will ask very nicely, “Are we going to walk today?”
This comment about walking made us think about a man in the Bible named Enoch. There is not much written about him but in a short narrative in Genesis it says that “Enoch walked with God.” Walking with God requires faithfulness and commitment. One other thing written about Enoch was that God rewarded him for his obedience. Enoch did not have to experience death. God just took him to be with Him because he walked daily with God and had an unswerving obedience to God in a corrupt culture.
We urge you to be challenged by the faithfulness of Enoch as we are and to renew our commitment to walk faithfully with God today in all that we do. You are headed in the right direction when you walk with God and faithfully serve Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
PRAYER:
Help our family to live by the words of the song, He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known.
September 11, 2011
Worry Part Two: September 8, 2011
SEPTEMBER 8 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
WORRY
PART TWO
DEFINITION:
To make uneasy or anxious; trouble; torment with annoyances or cares.
SCRIPTURE:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recent studies report that over 73% of the visits made to doctor’s offices today for illness turns out to be nothing more than anxiety caused by worrying about something. WORRY is one of the major EMOTIONAL LANDMINES that most people struggle with today.
Take a moment now and think about all the “THINGS” that you have worried about just in the last two or three days. Many worry constantly about their health and the health of their loved ones. Others worry about their economic situation including their job, having enough funds to pay the bills, needing shelter or money to pay the rent. Many also worry about facing failure in their lives.
Broken family relationships are a major concern to many today. Every day when you talk to people the comments always lead to some sort of concern or WORRY. With the worldwide economy slowdown and the lowering of standards to live by, parents and grandparents are concerned about what life will be like for their children and grandchildren years from now.
In contrast we visited several villages in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. These dear people literally have nothing. But these people were not showing a spirit of WORRY. The reason was simple to understand. They have so few “THINGS” in life and therefore really their only concern was living out that day.
We have been blessed to travel to almost every corner of the world in past years and we have seen this same attitude of living day by day by FAITH in areas as poor as the slums of Nairobi East Africa. We were supporting at that time over 75 churches and we went to a conference held for these churches. Just to listen to them sing challenged us to keep on going. They exchanged worry in their lives for the excitement of worshipping God. They did not have an abundance of material things but they had an abundance of joy.
In these same churches when the offering was taken everyone gave as generously as they could. The offerings included vegetables, fruits and even chickens. You see God had blessed them with the necessities of life and they gave back to God a portion of what God had given to them. What a lesson for all of us to learn. We have seen this repeated as we visited such places as the Philippians, Honduras, Guatemala and even the inner cities here in America. What had made the difference in their lives from those who worry was their faith in the Lord.
We have been overwhelmed visiting so many of these areas of our world and talking to Christians who lived in poor circumstances yet practiced every day what Jesus told us in His “Sermon on the Mount.” Every day they lived by FAITH and they showed great excitement talking about the soon return of Jesus to take them to an eternity with Him. They found real joy and happiness in their faith.
They may not have food for tomorrow but they know God will supply their every need --- and He does. They may not have new clothes or the money to buy a school uniform for their child but they know that God will supply their need in His perfect timing.
It is a lack of trust in God that drives one to WORRY. God wants us to trust Him for ALL our needs. We are more valuable to Him than the birds that fly and the flowers that grow. He provides for the birds and flowers so how much more will He provide for us. Why invest your time in worrying and fretting when you can, with one simple prayer give your worries to God. All you have to do is ask Him to help you live a life of FAITH and joy. Worry can’t change anything but the prayers of the faithful will.
WORRY IS THE INTEREST YOU PAY ON BORROWED TROUBLE.
WORRY LOOKS AROUND!
SORRY LOOKS BACK!
FAITH LOOKS UP!
How many “THINGS” in the past have you worried about that never came to pass? WORRY doesn’t change things but PRAYER does. Trust God for your protection and provisions and He will supply your every need.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
PRAYER:
Help our family to put our complete trust in You. Help us realize that the lack of trust in You drives us to worry. May our lives be an example to others who are facing situations that are overwhelming them with worry. Keep us alert to help those people in their time of need.
WORRY
PART TWO
DEFINITION:
To make uneasy or anxious; trouble; torment with annoyances or cares.
SCRIPTURE:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recent studies report that over 73% of the visits made to doctor’s offices today for illness turns out to be nothing more than anxiety caused by worrying about something. WORRY is one of the major EMOTIONAL LANDMINES that most people struggle with today.
Take a moment now and think about all the “THINGS” that you have worried about just in the last two or three days. Many worry constantly about their health and the health of their loved ones. Others worry about their economic situation including their job, having enough funds to pay the bills, needing shelter or money to pay the rent. Many also worry about facing failure in their lives.
Broken family relationships are a major concern to many today. Every day when you talk to people the comments always lead to some sort of concern or WORRY. With the worldwide economy slowdown and the lowering of standards to live by, parents and grandparents are concerned about what life will be like for their children and grandchildren years from now.
In contrast we visited several villages in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. These dear people literally have nothing. But these people were not showing a spirit of WORRY. The reason was simple to understand. They have so few “THINGS” in life and therefore really their only concern was living out that day.
We have been blessed to travel to almost every corner of the world in past years and we have seen this same attitude of living day by day by FAITH in areas as poor as the slums of Nairobi East Africa. We were supporting at that time over 75 churches and we went to a conference held for these churches. Just to listen to them sing challenged us to keep on going. They exchanged worry in their lives for the excitement of worshipping God. They did not have an abundance of material things but they had an abundance of joy.
In these same churches when the offering was taken everyone gave as generously as they could. The offerings included vegetables, fruits and even chickens. You see God had blessed them with the necessities of life and they gave back to God a portion of what God had given to them. What a lesson for all of us to learn. We have seen this repeated as we visited such places as the Philippians, Honduras, Guatemala and even the inner cities here in America. What had made the difference in their lives from those who worry was their faith in the Lord.
We have been overwhelmed visiting so many of these areas of our world and talking to Christians who lived in poor circumstances yet practiced every day what Jesus told us in His “Sermon on the Mount.” Every day they lived by FAITH and they showed great excitement talking about the soon return of Jesus to take them to an eternity with Him. They found real joy and happiness in their faith.
They may not have food for tomorrow but they know God will supply their every need --- and He does. They may not have new clothes or the money to buy a school uniform for their child but they know that God will supply their need in His perfect timing.
It is a lack of trust in God that drives one to WORRY. God wants us to trust Him for ALL our needs. We are more valuable to Him than the birds that fly and the flowers that grow. He provides for the birds and flowers so how much more will He provide for us. Why invest your time in worrying and fretting when you can, with one simple prayer give your worries to God. All you have to do is ask Him to help you live a life of FAITH and joy. Worry can’t change anything but the prayers of the faithful will.
WORRY IS THE INTEREST YOU PAY ON BORROWED TROUBLE.
WORRY LOOKS AROUND!
SORRY LOOKS BACK!
FAITH LOOKS UP!
How many “THINGS” in the past have you worried about that never came to pass? WORRY doesn’t change things but PRAYER does. Trust God for your protection and provisions and He will supply your every need.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
PRAYER:
Help our family to put our complete trust in You. Help us realize that the lack of trust in You drives us to worry. May our lives be an example to others who are facing situations that are overwhelming them with worry. Keep us alert to help those people in their time of need.
Worry Part One: September 7, 2011
SEPTEMBER 7 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
WORRY
PART ONE
DEFINITION:
To feel uneasy or anxious; torment oneself with disturbing thoughts.
SCRIPTURE:
“Therefore I say to you, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 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 6:25-26
BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED ONTO YOU. Therefore DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” Matthew 6: 33- 34.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The above scripture is from the New Testament and is a portion of what is commonly known as “THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT” (Matthew 5, 6 and 7). After Jesus had chosen His disciples He went about Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Gospel to the masses and healing the sick and the lame. The fame of Jesus quickly spread --- first throughout Syria --- where they brought to Jesus their sick and afflicted and He healed them. Then great multitudes of people came from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and even beyond the Jordan River to see and listen to Jesus.
Then Jesus seeing the large crowds and hearing the many questions went up to a mountain and sat down with His disciples and began teaching His disciples and the multitudes that followed. In this “sermon” one of the topics is WORRY.
From a practical point of view you may ask what does this mean. Life is difficult. How can we help but worry over issues that affect us personally? Jesus was very specific in these verses in declaring that we are not to WORRY about “THINGS” in our life! The “things” He refers to here is the issue of having food, drink and clothes and what may happen tomorrow.
To emphasize His point Jesus then illustrates what He means by saying that if God protects and provides for the birds of the air and makes the grass and the flowers (lilies of the field) to grow, then how much more will He love, protect and provide for us in all of the circumstances we face in life? And the key to this is that WE MUST ACCEPT THIS BY FAITH AND NOT WORRY!
Each of us must make choices every day of our lives as to how we are to live. We can choose to live by faith trusting in God’s provision, or we can worry. You cannot live by FAITH and WORRY at the same time. Jesus shared the secret to living by FAITH --- when He said that we are to be seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. There it is! To live by FAITH we must first --- EVERY DAY --- seek God and ask Him for His protection and provisions.
When one makes the choice to follow Christ and be part of God’s Kingdom you are then robed in righteousness and then God will provide all of your needs according to His riches in Glory through Christ Jesus. BUT --- You must make the “BY FAITH” choice daily. Will you live by FAITH or will you choose to live your life governed by WORRY? When you make the choice to live by FAITH you will have no need to WORRY.
This is a very difficult lesson for most people to learn today. This is because so many people today live in a “ME” culture that wants instant gratification, and cannot grasp the concept of living by FAITH. The choice is ours and Jesus has given to us in His “SERMON” how to live by FAITH. When we live without a relationship with God and rely on “ME” we will live in a state of constant WORRY!
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
PRAYER:
Help our family to understand the negative influence of worry in our lives. Help us to seek You first in all we do and allow You to work in our lives. Keep our faith strong so our trust in You to provide our needs never wavers.
WORRY
PART ONE
DEFINITION:
To feel uneasy or anxious; torment oneself with disturbing thoughts.
SCRIPTURE:
“Therefore I say to you, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 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 6:25-26
BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED ONTO YOU. Therefore DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” Matthew 6: 33- 34.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The above scripture is from the New Testament and is a portion of what is commonly known as “THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT” (Matthew 5, 6 and 7). After Jesus had chosen His disciples He went about Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Gospel to the masses and healing the sick and the lame. The fame of Jesus quickly spread --- first throughout Syria --- where they brought to Jesus their sick and afflicted and He healed them. Then great multitudes of people came from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and even beyond the Jordan River to see and listen to Jesus.
Then Jesus seeing the large crowds and hearing the many questions went up to a mountain and sat down with His disciples and began teaching His disciples and the multitudes that followed. In this “sermon” one of the topics is WORRY.
From a practical point of view you may ask what does this mean. Life is difficult. How can we help but worry over issues that affect us personally? Jesus was very specific in these verses in declaring that we are not to WORRY about “THINGS” in our life! The “things” He refers to here is the issue of having food, drink and clothes and what may happen tomorrow.
To emphasize His point Jesus then illustrates what He means by saying that if God protects and provides for the birds of the air and makes the grass and the flowers (lilies of the field) to grow, then how much more will He love, protect and provide for us in all of the circumstances we face in life? And the key to this is that WE MUST ACCEPT THIS BY FAITH AND NOT WORRY!
Each of us must make choices every day of our lives as to how we are to live. We can choose to live by faith trusting in God’s provision, or we can worry. You cannot live by FAITH and WORRY at the same time. Jesus shared the secret to living by FAITH --- when He said that we are to be seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. There it is! To live by FAITH we must first --- EVERY DAY --- seek God and ask Him for His protection and provisions.
When one makes the choice to follow Christ and be part of God’s Kingdom you are then robed in righteousness and then God will provide all of your needs according to His riches in Glory through Christ Jesus. BUT --- You must make the “BY FAITH” choice daily. Will you live by FAITH or will you choose to live your life governed by WORRY? When you make the choice to live by FAITH you will have no need to WORRY.
This is a very difficult lesson for most people to learn today. This is because so many people today live in a “ME” culture that wants instant gratification, and cannot grasp the concept of living by FAITH. The choice is ours and Jesus has given to us in His “SERMON” how to live by FAITH. When we live without a relationship with God and rely on “ME” we will live in a state of constant WORRY!
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
PRAYER:
Help our family to understand the negative influence of worry in our lives. Help us to seek You first in all we do and allow You to work in our lives. Keep our faith strong so our trust in You to provide our needs never wavers.
Trouble: September 6, 2011
SEPTEMBER 6 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2011.
TROUBLE
DEFINITION:
Annoy; disturb in the mind; worry; put to inconvenience; discomfort; distress; a cause or source of affliction.
SCRIPTURE:
“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.” Proverbs 11:8.
“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help.” Psalm 22:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In life we have the choice of two paths. We can choose the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness. Neither path is trouble free. Even the righteous will have suffering and troubles in life. We are told this in Proverbs 34:18-19 where it reads: “The Lord is close to the broken hearted. A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
The believer who has chosen the path of righteousness has the promise of God that He will be close to him in the time of trouble and will deliver him from it (above verse from Proverbs). The wicked by their own sinful ways bring more and more trouble upon themselves.
David was no stranger to trouble and suffering even though he was righteous. In Psalms 22:11, he recognized that God was the one and only one, that could deliver him from trouble and the only one he could call on for help. He called on God to be near to him because there was no one else to help him.
Many people today are constantly running from trouble. Much of the trouble that they are running from was caused by their own actions. We cannot forget that we are living in an evil society that we have called many times the “ME” generation.
When one makes every decision in life based on what they personally want to do, there is no right or wrong in their lives. This is how trouble begins. There is a standard of right and wrong in all of our societies and so many people know the standards but feel they are exempt and these standards are for others but not for them.
There are so many troubles that we face in life where God is our only possible source of help. This promise is stated so clearly for us in Psalm 60:11-12. “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. With God we will gain victory, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
PRAYER:
My prayer today is that You would stay close to me and keep me away from trouble. Increase my faith so I truly understand that You are with me in my times of trouble. Bless and care for my family just as You care for me.
TROUBLE
DEFINITION:
Annoy; disturb in the mind; worry; put to inconvenience; discomfort; distress; a cause or source of affliction.
SCRIPTURE:
“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.” Proverbs 11:8.
“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help.” Psalm 22:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In life we have the choice of two paths. We can choose the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness. Neither path is trouble free. Even the righteous will have suffering and troubles in life. We are told this in Proverbs 34:18-19 where it reads: “The Lord is close to the broken hearted. A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
The believer who has chosen the path of righteousness has the promise of God that He will be close to him in the time of trouble and will deliver him from it (above verse from Proverbs). The wicked by their own sinful ways bring more and more trouble upon themselves.
David was no stranger to trouble and suffering even though he was righteous. In Psalms 22:11, he recognized that God was the one and only one, that could deliver him from trouble and the only one he could call on for help. He called on God to be near to him because there was no one else to help him.
Many people today are constantly running from trouble. Much of the trouble that they are running from was caused by their own actions. We cannot forget that we are living in an evil society that we have called many times the “ME” generation.
When one makes every decision in life based on what they personally want to do, there is no right or wrong in their lives. This is how trouble begins. There is a standard of right and wrong in all of our societies and so many people know the standards but feel they are exempt and these standards are for others but not for them.
There are so many troubles that we face in life where God is our only possible source of help. This promise is stated so clearly for us in Psalm 60:11-12. “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. With God we will gain victory, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
PRAYER:
My prayer today is that You would stay close to me and keep me away from trouble. Increase my faith so I truly understand that You are with me in my times of trouble. Bless and care for my family just as You care for me.
Faith Part 2: September 5, 2011
SEPTEMBER 5 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
FAITH
PART 2
DEFINITION:
A belief that is not based on proof; a trust in God and His promises.
SCRIPTURE:
“For as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26
“I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
These verses that we have written above look at faith in a different way then what we discussed last time. We discussed how faith is the means of bringing us into a relationship with God by accepting His saving grace and forgiveness by believing on Jesus as our Savior. Today we will be emphasizing our Faith as it relates to our relationship with Christ.
The scripture tells us that faith without works is dead. (James 2:26 above) As believers our faith should be evidenced in our lives by our actions or else our spiritual faith is not much more than an intellectual acknowledgement of faith and has no meaning. We can have faith and sit around and do nothing, but God would not be honored and our faith would not be fulfilling. We must live our faith everyday so that our actions verify the reality of our relationship with God.
One of the verses we learned with our parents and at church at a young age is found in II Timothy 2:22. It reads that we should flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Teaching our children the value of living by faith is difficult. In their immaturity it is easy for them to succumb to the temptations of youth. Most children want to see for themselves what you are talking about and find it hard to resist the peer pressure around them. If we desire for our children to live by faith they must see evidence in our lives as to what it means. We must be consistent everyday in demonstrating our faith by our actions and our works or it becomes meaningless to our children. Children learn best by example.
Hebrews chapter 11 has a list of some of the greatest men of faith from the Old Testament. We call it the “HEROES OF FAITH HALL OF FAME.” It will encourage you to read this chapter just to serve as a reminder to you what these men accomplished by faith.
Those who live by faith desire to know God’s will for their life and to do God’s will. Faith gives us the confidence to do what God wants us to do even when it is difficult and seems impossible. How strong is your faith? Do you have the faith as small as a mustard seed? If you do Jesus says you can move mountains. Are you training your children to live by faith?
From time to time we all have mountains in our lives to move. These mountains may seem insurmountable. It is possible to move these mountains by faith even if our faith is small. We can have assurance that it can happen because Jesus said nothing is impossible to those who have faith. How many mountains will you move today?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
PRAYER:
Help me today to live my life by faith. Give me enough faith that I can move mountains. Help me not to limit what You want me to accomplish today because of my lack of faith. Bless my family and together may we work to honor You every moment of this day.
FAITH
PART 2
DEFINITION:
A belief that is not based on proof; a trust in God and His promises.
SCRIPTURE:
“For as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26
“I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
These verses that we have written above look at faith in a different way then what we discussed last time. We discussed how faith is the means of bringing us into a relationship with God by accepting His saving grace and forgiveness by believing on Jesus as our Savior. Today we will be emphasizing our Faith as it relates to our relationship with Christ.
The scripture tells us that faith without works is dead. (James 2:26 above) As believers our faith should be evidenced in our lives by our actions or else our spiritual faith is not much more than an intellectual acknowledgement of faith and has no meaning. We can have faith and sit around and do nothing, but God would not be honored and our faith would not be fulfilling. We must live our faith everyday so that our actions verify the reality of our relationship with God.
One of the verses we learned with our parents and at church at a young age is found in II Timothy 2:22. It reads that we should flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Teaching our children the value of living by faith is difficult. In their immaturity it is easy for them to succumb to the temptations of youth. Most children want to see for themselves what you are talking about and find it hard to resist the peer pressure around them. If we desire for our children to live by faith they must see evidence in our lives as to what it means. We must be consistent everyday in demonstrating our faith by our actions and our works or it becomes meaningless to our children. Children learn best by example.
Hebrews chapter 11 has a list of some of the greatest men of faith from the Old Testament. We call it the “HEROES OF FAITH HALL OF FAME.” It will encourage you to read this chapter just to serve as a reminder to you what these men accomplished by faith.
Those who live by faith desire to know God’s will for their life and to do God’s will. Faith gives us the confidence to do what God wants us to do even when it is difficult and seems impossible. How strong is your faith? Do you have the faith as small as a mustard seed? If you do Jesus says you can move mountains. Are you training your children to live by faith?
From time to time we all have mountains in our lives to move. These mountains may seem insurmountable. It is possible to move these mountains by faith even if our faith is small. We can have assurance that it can happen because Jesus said nothing is impossible to those who have faith. How many mountains will you move today?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:6.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
PRAYER:
Help me today to live my life by faith. Give me enough faith that I can move mountains. Help me not to limit what You want me to accomplish today because of my lack of faith. Bless my family and together may we work to honor You every moment of this day.
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