TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2011.
GOAL
DEFINITION:
The result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.
SCRIPTURE:
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
During one’s lifetime we have many opportunities to set goals. We set these goals, some consciously and some unconsciously. For example as a child we unconsciously set a goal to quit crawling and start walking. As students in school we set goals in classes, in sports and in activities.
As we grew older we set goals for advance schooling or job selections. We set goals for leaving home and living on our own. We set goals in our married life and then years later as we retired. The point we are making is that every day we live we have opportunities to set goals. The importance of a goal is that it motivates us to achieve.
Years ago I (Ken) developed the habit of writing out a list every night outlining my goals for the next day. I still do that now after all these years. We believe that people accomplish more when they set goals in life.
But the most important goals that we need to set are the spiritual goals in our lives. Some of these include the goals we set after we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. The goals we should set are to read the Bible and pray every day. We, as believers, need to set goals for our spiritual growth that includes studying God’s Word and praying for our role in reaching the world we live in.
The Apostle Paul clearly states his most important goal in the verse we have put at the top of this devotional. He tells us that he presses toward that goal. It is not instantly attained. It is a process. In other words everyday he pushes himself to the commitment he made in his life to know Christ Jesus and to be more like Jesus every day. And part of this commitment was his communication with God, asking Him for direction and wisdom to keep him obedient to God’s leading in his life.
Paul goes on in this verse to tell us that his goal was the prize of the upward call of Jesus. He daily looked forward to the day he would be in heaven with his Lord. What a clear directive Paul gives to all believers in this verse. Now it is our responsibility to act. It is our responsibility to set Paul’s goal as ours.
Are there things in your life that you must change because they are hindering your goal to be more like Jesus Christ? We urge you to learn to set goals for your daily life. As a believer in Jesus, what are you doing to be a witness for Him? We are commanded as believers to “GO.” If we are not reaching out to others to show our love for Jesus we are failing. God wants us to set goals and then act on them. When you include God in setting your spiritual goals, watch out what He will do for you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be aware of those things that are hindering my relationship with You. Help me set goals today that will make me fruitful for You. May my family join me as together we can make an impact for You as we press toward the prize of spending an eternity with You.
November 27, 2011
Treasure: November 23, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2011.
TREASURE
DEFINITION:
An accumulation of money or jewels; anything prized highly; to regard or treat as precious; to cherish.
SCRIPTURE:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In this verse above from Matthew Jesus was teaching the disciples and the crowds that came to listen to Him about our heart and where the interest of our heart really is and should be. The heart is the central part or core of something. Our heart is the innermost core of our emotions. In this scripture above from Matthew, Jesus is in essence telling us to give ourselves a heart check-up. Things that are nearest and dearest to our heart are the things we treasure and most desire. There are earthly (material) treasures and there are heavenly (spiritual) treasures. We must examine our hearts to see what it is we treasure.
There is a problem with earthly treasures. Earthly treasures are subject to deterioration and can be stolen from us. Heavenly treasures cannot be taken away. They are eternal.
Someone once said, “What I hoard in this life, I lose; but what I give in this life, I keep.” We cannot take our earthly treasures with us when we die, but we can send them ahead by sharing and caring for others and supporting kingdom work.
If your riches are here on this earth, your heart will be bound to this world’s system. If your riches are in heaven, you will seek those things which are above and use the things of this world to the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul adds to these thoughts from Matthew when he writes to the church in Colossae, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2.
When we were children we were blessed with godly parents who not only taught us to build up our treasures in heaven and not on this earth, but also practiced what they preached. Earthly riches basically were never in our vocabulary. Our parents worked hard and God provided all we needed, and at the same time they invested their time, talents and treasures in heavenly things. We continued this practice with our children and God has blessed us abundantly with all we ever needed on this earth. It is our prayer that every day we invest our time and talent to build our treasures in Heaven.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
PRAYER:
Help our family today to make every moment a time when we are investing our treasure in heavenly projects. Help us to realize that where our heart is that that is where our treasure is. May Your Holy Spirit move mightily in our hearts so that we will honor and glorify Your name.
TREASURE
DEFINITION:
An accumulation of money or jewels; anything prized highly; to regard or treat as precious; to cherish.
SCRIPTURE:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In this verse above from Matthew Jesus was teaching the disciples and the crowds that came to listen to Him about our heart and where the interest of our heart really is and should be. The heart is the central part or core of something. Our heart is the innermost core of our emotions. In this scripture above from Matthew, Jesus is in essence telling us to give ourselves a heart check-up. Things that are nearest and dearest to our heart are the things we treasure and most desire. There are earthly (material) treasures and there are heavenly (spiritual) treasures. We must examine our hearts to see what it is we treasure.
There is a problem with earthly treasures. Earthly treasures are subject to deterioration and can be stolen from us. Heavenly treasures cannot be taken away. They are eternal.
Someone once said, “What I hoard in this life, I lose; but what I give in this life, I keep.” We cannot take our earthly treasures with us when we die, but we can send them ahead by sharing and caring for others and supporting kingdom work.
If your riches are here on this earth, your heart will be bound to this world’s system. If your riches are in heaven, you will seek those things which are above and use the things of this world to the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul adds to these thoughts from Matthew when he writes to the church in Colossae, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2.
When we were children we were blessed with godly parents who not only taught us to build up our treasures in heaven and not on this earth, but also practiced what they preached. Earthly riches basically were never in our vocabulary. Our parents worked hard and God provided all we needed, and at the same time they invested their time, talents and treasures in heavenly things. We continued this practice with our children and God has blessed us abundantly with all we ever needed on this earth. It is our prayer that every day we invest our time and talent to build our treasures in Heaven.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
PRAYER:
Help our family today to make every moment a time when we are investing our treasure in heavenly projects. Help us to realize that where our heart is that that is where our treasure is. May Your Holy Spirit move mightily in our hearts so that we will honor and glorify Your name.
Thanksgiving 2011: November 24, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2011.
THANKSGIVING 2011
DEFINITION:
The act of giving thanks; an expression of thanks especially to God.
SCRIPTURE:
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Psalm 100:4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, “In everything give thanks. (I Thessalonians 5:18) This does not mean that we have to be thankful for everything. We do not have to be thankful for bad circumstances or issues. But the Lord can use the resulting difficulties from these issues for good. The scriptures tell us is that our praise and thanksgiving to God should not depend on our circumstances.
In his letter to Philemon the Apostle Paul writes about his runaway slave Onesimus. Onesimus had met Paul and found the Lord. When Paul was imprisoned, Onesimus had helped Paul. It was a disappointment to Philemon that Onesimus ran away and Paul wanted Philemon to see how the Lord turned the situation into good. He wanted Philemon, who was also a Christian, to be thankful for this situation. Paul wrote to Philemon, “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good, no longer as a slave, but a dear brother.”
Knowing that God can use all things for good is more than enough for us to give thanks to Him for everything. God has not promised to keep us from the storms of life but He will keep us as we go through them.
When the American colonies were being developed, one man said to the pioneers that they were spending way too much time on their problems. He said it was time for them to focus on their blessings thus the first Thanksgiving Day came to pass. As believers we need to take time not only today, but every day, to focus on our blessings and not on our problems that we may be facing. If we do this, God will give us a joyful spirit and a thankful heart.
In Deuteronomy 9, we read of God’s reminder to Israel that He was leading them into the Promised Land to fulfill His purpose and promises. He reminded them that they would succeed because of Him and not because of their own righteousness. He knew that they would be tempted to give themselves the credit and not to be grateful for their prosperity.
Ungratefulness is a problem and a temptation for us today. If our endeavors are successful we need to make certain that we make our THANKFULNESS TO GOD a priority and give Him the glory. We need to thank God for His goodness, help and blessing. We do not need more to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful.
Here are several scriptures to remind you today to give thanks to God. In I Corinthians 15:57 it says for us to say thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. In II Corinthians 2:14 it says we are to give thanks to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. In II Corinthians 9:15 Paul says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” And finally in Hebrews 12:28 we read, “let us be thankful, and so worship God.”
Yes, we have so much to thank the Lord for and it is in our giving thanks and glory to the Lord for all that He has done for us, that we worship Him. Read the verse that we have put above under our scripture for today. Start today by entering into His gates with thanksgiving. Begin with a personal time of prayer and reading the Word of God and then throughout the whole day be thankful for all that God has done and is doing for you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
We thank You for Your creation, for the stars in the sky and the waters in the sea. We thank You for the blessings in life that You continually bestow upon us and for Your overwhelming goodness. We thank You for sending Your Son to pay the penalty for our sins. Thank You for preparing now a place for us to spend eternity with You.
THANKSGIVING 2011
DEFINITION:
The act of giving thanks; an expression of thanks especially to God.
SCRIPTURE:
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Psalm 100:4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, “In everything give thanks. (I Thessalonians 5:18) This does not mean that we have to be thankful for everything. We do not have to be thankful for bad circumstances or issues. But the Lord can use the resulting difficulties from these issues for good. The scriptures tell us is that our praise and thanksgiving to God should not depend on our circumstances.
In his letter to Philemon the Apostle Paul writes about his runaway slave Onesimus. Onesimus had met Paul and found the Lord. When Paul was imprisoned, Onesimus had helped Paul. It was a disappointment to Philemon that Onesimus ran away and Paul wanted Philemon to see how the Lord turned the situation into good. He wanted Philemon, who was also a Christian, to be thankful for this situation. Paul wrote to Philemon, “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good, no longer as a slave, but a dear brother.”
Knowing that God can use all things for good is more than enough for us to give thanks to Him for everything. God has not promised to keep us from the storms of life but He will keep us as we go through them.
When the American colonies were being developed, one man said to the pioneers that they were spending way too much time on their problems. He said it was time for them to focus on their blessings thus the first Thanksgiving Day came to pass. As believers we need to take time not only today, but every day, to focus on our blessings and not on our problems that we may be facing. If we do this, God will give us a joyful spirit and a thankful heart.
In Deuteronomy 9, we read of God’s reminder to Israel that He was leading them into the Promised Land to fulfill His purpose and promises. He reminded them that they would succeed because of Him and not because of their own righteousness. He knew that they would be tempted to give themselves the credit and not to be grateful for their prosperity.
Ungratefulness is a problem and a temptation for us today. If our endeavors are successful we need to make certain that we make our THANKFULNESS TO GOD a priority and give Him the glory. We need to thank God for His goodness, help and blessing. We do not need more to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful.
Here are several scriptures to remind you today to give thanks to God. In I Corinthians 15:57 it says for us to say thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. In II Corinthians 2:14 it says we are to give thanks to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. In II Corinthians 9:15 Paul says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” And finally in Hebrews 12:28 we read, “let us be thankful, and so worship God.”
Yes, we have so much to thank the Lord for and it is in our giving thanks and glory to the Lord for all that He has done for us, that we worship Him. Read the verse that we have put above under our scripture for today. Start today by entering into His gates with thanksgiving. Begin with a personal time of prayer and reading the Word of God and then throughout the whole day be thankful for all that God has done and is doing for you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
We thank You for Your creation, for the stars in the sky and the waters in the sea. We thank You for the blessings in life that You continually bestow upon us and for Your overwhelming goodness. We thank You for sending Your Son to pay the penalty for our sins. Thank You for preparing now a place for us to spend eternity with You.
Blessings: November 21, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2011.
BLESSING
DEFINITION:
Devine favor; a fortunate occurrence; approval; benediction; a short prayer for divine approval.
SCRIPTURE:
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? Job 2:10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we mention the word blessing to many people they think of the prayer that they say before a meal or the prayer that a minister gives at the end of a service. These are called blessings but we want to look at the word from the perspective of the blessings that God has for us as believers in Him.
We are convinced that God gives us the greatest blessings in our lives when we invest our time, talent or treasures in other people or projects that benefit people. Let us share with you just one example. One of the ministries that we have worked with for years is a ministry called CERT. They recruit doctors, dentists, nurses and other professionals to give a week or two of their time and talent to go on a mission trip to a remote area of our world where the people have no access to medical or dental help.
The President of CERT promises the volunteers hardship and discomfort. He warns them that they will not receive financial help but they have to pay their own expenses. But he does promise them that they will receive one of the greatest blessings that they have ever experienced. A doctor who accepted that challenge (and over 100 do every year) came back from the trip he went on and said, “I never knew that life in a remote third world country could be so bad but the blessings that I received from this trip has driven me to look for ways every day for me to share my talents, treasures and time into the life of someone that needs help.”
Take the Apostle Paul’s encouragement that we wrote in the verse above from Galatians to do good to all and do not grow weary. In the verse above from Job we are asked the question about receiving good (blessings) from God. Sometimes we feel a little guilty when God blesses us so abundantly when others have so little. As Job asked his wife (above verse) if they should accept good (blessings) from God and not accept adversity?
When things are going well in our life most believers are happy to acknowledge God as the source of their blessings. Often, however, when trouble comes their faith wavers and they blame God. Satan uses difficult times in life to cause us to doubt God. Job and his wife suffered great disappointments but Jobs faith never wavered. The principle here is for us to be grateful for the blessings that God gives us and to be strong in our faith in both the good times and the bad times in our life.
The Apostle Paul tells us how he learned to rejoice in plenty and in want (Philippians 4:10-13). God has an interest in teaching us to be content both in blessings and in losses. The message for us today is to know that we are at our best when we serve others and we are to accept what God gives us in all circumstances.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
It is our prayer today that You would make our family a channel of blessing to others as we reach out to serve those that need a special touch from You. May we be grateful for every blessing that You send our way and through these blessings always praise Your name.
BLESSING
DEFINITION:
Devine favor; a fortunate occurrence; approval; benediction; a short prayer for divine approval.
SCRIPTURE:
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? Job 2:10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we mention the word blessing to many people they think of the prayer that they say before a meal or the prayer that a minister gives at the end of a service. These are called blessings but we want to look at the word from the perspective of the blessings that God has for us as believers in Him.
We are convinced that God gives us the greatest blessings in our lives when we invest our time, talent or treasures in other people or projects that benefit people. Let us share with you just one example. One of the ministries that we have worked with for years is a ministry called CERT. They recruit doctors, dentists, nurses and other professionals to give a week or two of their time and talent to go on a mission trip to a remote area of our world where the people have no access to medical or dental help.
The President of CERT promises the volunteers hardship and discomfort. He warns them that they will not receive financial help but they have to pay their own expenses. But he does promise them that they will receive one of the greatest blessings that they have ever experienced. A doctor who accepted that challenge (and over 100 do every year) came back from the trip he went on and said, “I never knew that life in a remote third world country could be so bad but the blessings that I received from this trip has driven me to look for ways every day for me to share my talents, treasures and time into the life of someone that needs help.”
Take the Apostle Paul’s encouragement that we wrote in the verse above from Galatians to do good to all and do not grow weary. In the verse above from Job we are asked the question about receiving good (blessings) from God. Sometimes we feel a little guilty when God blesses us so abundantly when others have so little. As Job asked his wife (above verse) if they should accept good (blessings) from God and not accept adversity?
When things are going well in our life most believers are happy to acknowledge God as the source of their blessings. Often, however, when trouble comes their faith wavers and they blame God. Satan uses difficult times in life to cause us to doubt God. Job and his wife suffered great disappointments but Jobs faith never wavered. The principle here is for us to be grateful for the blessings that God gives us and to be strong in our faith in both the good times and the bad times in our life.
The Apostle Paul tells us how he learned to rejoice in plenty and in want (Philippians 4:10-13). God has an interest in teaching us to be content both in blessings and in losses. The message for us today is to know that we are at our best when we serve others and we are to accept what God gives us in all circumstances.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
It is our prayer today that You would make our family a channel of blessing to others as we reach out to serve those that need a special touch from You. May we be grateful for every blessing that You send our way and through these blessings always praise Your name.
Meekness: November 25, 2011
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2011
MEEKNESS
DEFINITION:
Submissive; humble; gentleness.
SCRIPTURE:
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said “Blessed are the meek.” When He used the word meek He was talking about being gentle and humble. The meek prosper in this world because they are the ones who have power under control.
Many believers today often forget God in their daily decision making and try to live their life by using their own power. When this happens, we as believers need to ask God to teach us meekness so that we can live in, and depend on, His strength.
Moses thought he could use his power to bring about deliverance for God’s people from slavery. He misused his power by killing an Egyptian, which only dissipated his power because he lost the respect of his own people. (Exodus 2: 11-15) God had to teach him meekness and in Numbers 12:3 we read that after Moses learned his lesson by trying to operate on his own power that Moses became very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.
It is important for us to understand that power without control dissipates into useless energy. Some time ago we spent a few relaxing days at Niagara Falls. This is one of the most spectacular sights we have ever seen. We watched and listened to the roar of 6 million cubic feet of water come over those falls every minute. This makes it the most powerful waterfall in North America.
But very few people know that more than 50% of the river’s water is diverted before it reaches the falls via four huge tunnels. The diverted water passes through hydroelectric turbines that supplies power to nearby areas of Canada and the United States before it returns to the river well past the falls.
This is a marvelous example for us to understand that power without control will most often go into useless energy. We as believers need to let go of our personal power and let God’s power flow through our lives. Nothing is more powerful than the power that we can have when under God’s control.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
Help us to strive to do Your will so that we may experience Your power in our lives. When we struggle to succeed and realize we might fail in our own power, help us to realize that it is by Your strength that we need to succeed.
MEEKNESS
DEFINITION:
Submissive; humble; gentleness.
SCRIPTURE:
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said “Blessed are the meek.” When He used the word meek He was talking about being gentle and humble. The meek prosper in this world because they are the ones who have power under control.
Many believers today often forget God in their daily decision making and try to live their life by using their own power. When this happens, we as believers need to ask God to teach us meekness so that we can live in, and depend on, His strength.
Moses thought he could use his power to bring about deliverance for God’s people from slavery. He misused his power by killing an Egyptian, which only dissipated his power because he lost the respect of his own people. (Exodus 2: 11-15) God had to teach him meekness and in Numbers 12:3 we read that after Moses learned his lesson by trying to operate on his own power that Moses became very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.
It is important for us to understand that power without control dissipates into useless energy. Some time ago we spent a few relaxing days at Niagara Falls. This is one of the most spectacular sights we have ever seen. We watched and listened to the roar of 6 million cubic feet of water come over those falls every minute. This makes it the most powerful waterfall in North America.
But very few people know that more than 50% of the river’s water is diverted before it reaches the falls via four huge tunnels. The diverted water passes through hydroelectric turbines that supplies power to nearby areas of Canada and the United States before it returns to the river well past the falls.
This is a marvelous example for us to understand that power without control will most often go into useless energy. We as believers need to let go of our personal power and let God’s power flow through our lives. Nothing is more powerful than the power that we can have when under God’s control.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:14.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
PRAYER:
Help us to strive to do Your will so that we may experience Your power in our lives. When we struggle to succeed and realize we might fail in our own power, help us to realize that it is by Your strength that we need to succeed.
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