January 1, 2012

End: December 30, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 30, 2011

END

DEFINITION:

Finish; the terminal moment in time; the concluding part.

SCRIPTURE:

Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Revelation 22:13

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Our TODAYS WORD that we are using today is unique only because it explains best that we are at the END of another year. Tomorrow is New Years Eve and the next day begins a New Year. We want to take a moment today and consider what we have accomplished for our Lord in 2011. In the verse above from Matthew, Jesus commands us to teach to observe all things that He has commanded us to do right up to the end. The “end” of the year is a time we can look back and think about how we have responded to what God has commanded us to do.

Have we taught our children the ways of the Lord? Have we ourselves lived every day using the TEN COMMANDMENTS as our standards? Do the people that we live by and work with know of our love and dedication for our Lord?

But we cannot live in the past. We can look at the past and evaluate the pluses and the minuses and our failures and our successes. Now we have the opportunity to build our New Year on the base we have established. And this is our challenge for 2012. May this New Year be a year when we spend more time reading God’s Word, more time praying and more time doing what God wants us to do. Take a good look at the talent, the treasure and the time that God gives you and make that time count in using those abilities for your Father in heaven.

Most of us have already started making some plans for the New Year. It is important that we commit our plans to the Lord if we want them to succeed. Proverbs 16:3 in the NAS version reads: “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” In Proverbs 19: 21 it reads, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.”

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed to the people years ago His God-given plans as recorded in the message version in Isaiah 61: 1-2:

“The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because GOD ANNOINTED ME, HE SENT ME TO PREACH GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR, HEAL THE BROKEN HEARTED, ANNOUNCE FREEDOM TO THE CAPTIVES, PARDON ALL THE PRISONERS. God sent me to announce the YEAR OF HIS GRACE, a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies, and to comfort all that mourn.”

His challenge from years ago is a good challenge for us today.

May 2012 be a blessed year for you and yours. Remember God anointed (chose) you to do His will in 2012. Make your commitment today to grow daily in His Word and to serve Him with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:9.

He who had a generous eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

PRAYER:

May the New Year 2012 be a year that I not only grow spiritually every day but that I reach out to the world around me so that every person I make contact with see You through my walk and talk. I commit all my plans to You and ask for Your guiding hand upon my life to show me Your will.

Inheritance: December 29, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 29, 2011

INHERITANCE

DEFINITION:

Acquire by gift or succession, something such as property, a title, or a right received as an heir.

SCRIPTURE:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. Ephesians 1:11

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Did you know that you are an heir to unimaginable wealth that will never go away? If you believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted Jesus as your Savior you are known as a child of God. God has for His children an inheritance reserved for us in heaven.

Do you need to be reminded that here on this earth He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (as the old song says). And He has in heaven reserved for us an inheritance far beyond what our minds can comprehend here on earth. In the verse above He says that we have already obtained our inheritance.

Our divine inheritance is so certain that it is as if we have already received it. It is certain because it was sovereignly determined by God’s will and guaranteed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the will of God that every one of us, no matter how vile a sinner, might be made righteous by believing in Christ and receive the inheritance God has prepared for us.

In I Peter 1:4, Peter tells us that if we belong to Christ, we are one of His children and our inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled and does not fade away and reserved for us in heaven. No one can take our inheritance from us because God has guaranteed it by sealing us with His Holy Spirit of promise.

Naturally, we all want to know what we are going to inherit. Much of our inheritance is far beyond our human comprehension but the scripture gives us a few hints. Part of our inheritance will be the transformation of our body and soul. We will be conformed to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29 and I John 3:2). Our weak perishable bodies will be changed into strong, glorious ones that are free from sin and death. Not only will we live forever and forever, but we will live in the glorious presence of our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 2:7 we are told that God will show us “the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” As we live our days on this earth let us show love and gratitude to our Father for such amazing goodness. Let us devote each day of our lives to living for Him.

In just three days it will be a New Year. With the coming of a New Year many people consider making NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS. What better resolution can we make than to show our love and gratitude to our Father in heaven for His amazing goodness to us by serving Him.

Making the words of Colossians 3:23-24 a part of our daily life is a good New Year resolution. “Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto man; knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve the Lord.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:9.

He who has a generous eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord for the inheritance You have stored up for me in heaven. Help me to daily show my love and gratitude to You for Your amazing goodness to me.

Temptation: December 28, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 28, 2011

TEMPTATION

DEFINITION:

An inducement; enticement to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.

SCRIPTURE:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. I Corinthians 10:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Temptation is a lot like an unexpected storm that sweeps in and causes damage to those who are caught unaware. A believer in Jesus must be alert to seeing the approach of a temptation and be prepared to ride it out. None of us, as believers, will reach a spiritual level of maturity at which we will no longer battle sinful enticements. The closer we walk with the Lord the less enticing the sinful temptations and ways of the world will be to us.

Understanding our own weaknesses is an important part of being prepared for temptation. It is usually a multitude of little sins that land most people in trouble and we need to watch for them and know where we are most vulnerable.

God has given us His guidelines in His Word for living a godly life that is pleasing to Him. The Bible clearly defines what sin is. We do not have the right to draw the line between what is sin and what is not. That is God’s right.

God has given us a line and as believers we must not go over that line. Take one step over the line and soon there is an inducement to take one more step and soon you find yourself totally estranged from the Lord and overwhelmed with guilt and shame.

To build a defense against temptation we must understand how it works. Every sin (temptation) originates as a thought. If you hold onto that thought it becomes a fantasy. Fantasies can become entangled with one’s emotions and then it becomes a desire.

At that point one will need to make a choice. This process is quite dangerous because the progression from a thought to a choice can be almost instantaneous. Wise believers determine ahead of time to resist a temptation as soon as it enters their consciousness.

The verse we have written above gives us two assurances that God has provided in our battle against temptation. First, is that God is faithful and we have a commitment as believers to obey God. Secondly, that we have the assurance that He is in control and has limited what Satan can do against us, and provides a way to escape.

When temptation comes your way take your focus away from the temptation and look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself the questions: Is this choice I make a violation of God’s Word? What are the consequences? Am I prepared to pay the price?

Any temptation can be resisted if you really desire to resist. God will help you resist any temptation and will provide for us a way to escape from it completely.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 22:9.

He who has a generous eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

PRAYER:

Help me to learn to spend more time daily in reading Your Word and praying so that I clearly understand what is sin and so that I have a strong defense against the temptation to do sinful things. May my family learn that they need to have this strong defense to protect them. Help me to build my faith daily by meditating in Your Word and praying.

Follow: December 27, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 27, 2011

FOLLOW

DEFINITION:

To accept as a guide or a leader; to accept the authority of; to imitate or copy; to pursue or go after; to conform to or comply with.

SCRIPTURE:

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. Exodus 23:2

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR PRACTICES.”’ Leviticus 18:1

“Whosoever serves me must follow me. John 12:26

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

By definition, follow means to accept someone as a guide or a leader and to do as they do. People can choose to follow many different leaders but tend, most often, to follow the crowd. There is a real danger in following the crowd. Just because “everyone” is doing something doesn’t make it right. Following the crowd will lead us to think as they think and cloud our judgment concerning God’s standards of what is right and wrong.

After God called Moses to the mountain top at Sinai to give Moses the Ten Commandments Moses brought God’s instructions to the Israelites to teach them how God wanted them to live their lives. One of God’s instructions was “not to follow the crowd in doing wrong.” (Exodus 23:2) Although Moses spoke these words so long ago (1445 BC) this instruction applies to us today. God’s commandments never change. We must not follow the crowd when they are doing the wrong things. This means we often find ourselves standing all alone. This is not an easy thing and many will find it easier to just follow the crowd.

One of the major issues parents have to deal with in raising their children is their children’s desire to follow the crowd. Teenagers, particularly, want to be like everyone else, dress like everyone else, style their hair like everyone else, do what everyone else does, and on and on the list could go. Teenagers are very vulnerable to peer pressure to follow the crowd.

What does a parent do? Parents must know who they themselves are following. Are they following the crowd? If they are following a crowd that is not living as God would have them to live their instruction to their children to not to follow the crowd will fall on deaf ears. Children will follow the example of the parents. Our actions always speak louder than our words.

God created us to love and serve Him. Jesus said whoever serves Him must follow Him. (John 12:26) When Jesus chose His disciples He instructed them to “Come, follow Me.” (Matthew 4:19) When we follow Jesus we must follow Him completely. When Jesus called the two brothers, James and John, they were fishing with their father. Immediately, they left the boat and their father and followed Him. (Matthew 4:22) They left all to completely follow Jesus.

We must also follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus’ commandment to us is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

The question for each one of us today is: Who are we following? Are we following the crowd? We must also ask ourselves: Are we following Jesus completely and wholeheartedly or just when it suits us?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this last week of 2011 is found in Proverbs 22:9.

He who has a generous eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, keep me from desiring to follow the crowd. Help me in my desire to follow You completely and wholeheartedly. Help me to live my life so that it is an example to my children so that they too will desire to follow You and love You with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind.

Impossible: December 26, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 26, 2011

IMPOSSIBLE

DEFINITION:

Unable to be performed or affected; sure not to happen; cannot be done; utterly impracticable.

SCRIPTURE:

For with God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37.

But without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

How many times have you faced situations that you felt it was impossible to conquer? What is your first reaction when you encounter a difficult circumstance that looks impossible? Some people start searching for an answer or a way out of the circumstance; others curl up in defeat and try to avoid the circumstance totally.

As believers we need to remember that if we face circumstances that we feel are humanly impossible to conquer we need to ask the right question:

We may ask, “O Lord what am I going to do?” Is this the right question to ask? The problem with asking this question is that even though we are seeking the Lord’s guidance, the focus is on our actions. Therefore we limit our response to our abilities, resources and understanding. All too often if we do this our minds will start to devise plans and soon we will resort to manipulation and maneuvering to fix the problem.

We should ask, “God, what are you going to do?” Do you see the difference? Now you have changed the focus to the omniscience and omnipotence of Almighty God. God blows out the sides of any box that confines us, He untangles any situation that baffles us and He has the power to carry out HIS PLAN which is perfect and will bring Him the Glory.

God’s Word is a treasure available to us because it is practical and contains answers for any and every concern we may encounter. Impossible situations for us are opportunities for the Lord to teach us valuable lessons that we would never have learned any other way.

Remember: God’ supremacy trumps all human resources. And also remember that God often requires our participation to achieve His purpose. In John 6 we read where Jesus asked Philip to get bread to feed the multitude. From a human perspective it was an impossible situation. Jesus knew where the bread was and He knew how the multitude would be fed.

Jesus called on Philip to do what Jesus knew Philip would think to be impossible. Right away Philip began calculating the cost. Philip concluded it would take over eight months of wages to pay for enough bread and therefore what Jesus asked of him was in his mind impossible. Philip assumed what is or what is not possible based on his limited resources. Limited resources are more than sufficient when given to Jesus. Jesus took five small barley loaves and two fish and provided more food than was needed to feed everyone.

When God asks us to do what seems impossible we must not let our estimate of our own resources hold us back from doing what God wants us to do. We must remember that “with God nothing will be impossible.” It takes faith to believe that with God all things are possible and without faith it is impossible to please God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this last week of 2011 is found in Proverbs 22:9.

He who has a generous eye shall be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

PRAYER:

Help me today to surrender all my plans into Your hands so when a impossibility comes my way I can ask, “What are You going to do, Lord?” I am grateful that You can solve all the impossibilities I face in life and if You need me to help, I am ready and willing.

Welcome ~ Ministry Programs ~ Make a Donation ~ Product Catalog
Family Prayer Partners
~ Family Devotional ~ Statement of Faith ~ Contact Us

 

Copyright©2009. All Rights Reserved. The content of this Christian religious blog dedicated to
bringing Bibles to people all over the world is owned exclusively by World Bible Society. Legal Disclaimer

Christian Religious Blog and Website Design by Flagstaff Central.com, Inc.
Content Management System Powered by iUpdateIt.com