TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 6, 2012
TREASURES
DEFINITION:
Wealth or riches stored or accumulated; anything greatly valued or highly prized; to put away for security or future use.
SCRIPTURE:
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust does corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:20-21.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Webster says that “treasures” are accumulated wealth or riches. Many people work hard today, almost every possible free moment, to get as much money as possible so that they can buy all the material things they want just so they will be happy.
In Matthew 6:19 Jesus tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” You may ask, “Why not?” Because Jesus went on to say that material things do not last as they are subject to destruction by moths, rust and can be stolen by thieves.
It is a known fact that if money becomes our treasure that the result will be that it will consume all of our time and energy. There is nothing evil about money itself. In fact money is a needed necessity to supply all of our daily needs. The problem is how one looks at money and whether getting it is a major goal in one’s life. The scripture says that it is the LOVE OF MONEY that is the root of all evil.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus warns us that you cannot serve both God and money. When money and possessions become all consuming we will have no time for serving God. What Jesus wants is for us to accumulate or store up our treasures in heaven. Everything that we do in life that is in obedience to God and His Word is a treasure that we store in our account in heaven. Simply said, acts of obedience to God cannot be destroyed by moths, rust or stolen by thieves.
God has given us all certain talents so that we can build up our treasure in heaven. We are reminded of a crippled lady who could not leave her house. God gave this dear lady the talent of prayer. Every day she spent hours praying for people and missions. Just think of the treasure she laid up in heaven in her account. Yes, God gives us all talents. He gives some more than others but the important thing is what are we doing with the talents God has given us?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Keep me from being tempted to let material things and the pleasures of this world become my treasures. Give me a burning desire to store up treasures in my account in heaven by doing all I can to further Your Kingdom here on earth.
January 8, 2012
Giving: January 5, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 5, 2012.
GIVING
DEFINITION:
To hand to someone; to convey or transmit; to assign or contribute; to be warm and open in one’s relationship with others.
SCRIPTURE:
A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9.
It is more blessed to give then to receive. Acts 20:35
“Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each of us has three things that God has given us that we in turn can give back to Him. They are our time, out talent and our resources. We have a responsibility to give a portion of these things that God has blessed us with back to Him and a portion to our family.
Down through the years we have found that we could never out give God. We were taught as children and then practiced when we were older to give cheerfully of our time, talent and resources. When we did this, God always supplied all of our needs over and above what we gave to Him.
It was important to us to teach and train our children this same Biblical principle as they were growing up. They learned from us because of not only our words but they could see what we did by watching our deeds.
As parents we need to give of our time and love to our children. Most parents do not practice this and then wonder why their children went wrong. Money does not buy what children need most. In addition, it is clearly stated in the Bible that we have a responsibility as believers in Jesus to give to those who are in need and hurting.
God blesses those who give. It is important for a person to get their priorities in proper order. Most people want to get their “THINGS” first and then they will reach out to God, family, children and those that are hurting. But in this order it seems to very rarely happen. We learned that when we first gave to God, our tithe and our time and talent, then He would bless us in such a way that we had our “THINGS” and all that we needed. Our children were well fed and had what they needed. God not only provided all that we and our children needed but He enabled us to reach out to help others in need.
When we give sparingly, we will reap sparingly. This is a Biblical principle that one must learn. Some people give just enough to get by or to make a good impression. Others just do enough to satisfy their own conscience. But the Biblical principle is that when we give bountifully we will reap bountifully.
How many times have you given a lot and then experienced the joy that comes from that giving? The scripture tells us in Matthew 6:3-4 that we are not to let our left hand know what our right hand does. In other words, do not give for recognition or glory.
The verse we have written above from Luke reminds us that God will bless us with the same measure that we give to Him. What a wonderful promise. ONE CANNOT OUT GIVE GOD.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Give me a new spirit of giving. Thank You for the great gift You gave me by dying on the cross paying the penalty for my sins. Help me to give back to You a large portion of the talent, time and resources that You have blessed me with so abundantly.
GIVING
DEFINITION:
To hand to someone; to convey or transmit; to assign or contribute; to be warm and open in one’s relationship with others.
SCRIPTURE:
A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9.
It is more blessed to give then to receive. Acts 20:35
“Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each of us has three things that God has given us that we in turn can give back to Him. They are our time, out talent and our resources. We have a responsibility to give a portion of these things that God has blessed us with back to Him and a portion to our family.
Down through the years we have found that we could never out give God. We were taught as children and then practiced when we were older to give cheerfully of our time, talent and resources. When we did this, God always supplied all of our needs over and above what we gave to Him.
It was important to us to teach and train our children this same Biblical principle as they were growing up. They learned from us because of not only our words but they could see what we did by watching our deeds.
As parents we need to give of our time and love to our children. Most parents do not practice this and then wonder why their children went wrong. Money does not buy what children need most. In addition, it is clearly stated in the Bible that we have a responsibility as believers in Jesus to give to those who are in need and hurting.
God blesses those who give. It is important for a person to get their priorities in proper order. Most people want to get their “THINGS” first and then they will reach out to God, family, children and those that are hurting. But in this order it seems to very rarely happen. We learned that when we first gave to God, our tithe and our time and talent, then He would bless us in such a way that we had our “THINGS” and all that we needed. Our children were well fed and had what they needed. God not only provided all that we and our children needed but He enabled us to reach out to help others in need.
When we give sparingly, we will reap sparingly. This is a Biblical principle that one must learn. Some people give just enough to get by or to make a good impression. Others just do enough to satisfy their own conscience. But the Biblical principle is that when we give bountifully we will reap bountifully.
How many times have you given a lot and then experienced the joy that comes from that giving? The scripture tells us in Matthew 6:3-4 that we are not to let our left hand know what our right hand does. In other words, do not give for recognition or glory.
The verse we have written above from Luke reminds us that God will bless us with the same measure that we give to Him. What a wonderful promise. ONE CANNOT OUT GIVE GOD.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Give me a new spirit of giving. Thank You for the great gift You gave me by dying on the cross paying the penalty for my sins. Help me to give back to You a large portion of the talent, time and resources that You have blessed me with so abundantly.
Honesty: January 4, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4, 2012.
HONESTY
DEFINITION:
Uprighteous; integrity; trustworthiness; truthfulness; sincerity; freedom from deceit or fraud.
SCRIPTURE:
“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” Proverbs 11:3.
“I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted the Lord; I shall not slip.” Psalm 26:1.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The lack of honesty in people today is prevalent world-wide. It is hard to know whom you can trust. The newspapers and television news reports remind us daily of how dishonest people are. Governments cannot trust other governments. Businesses give dishonest financial reports and deceive investors. Taxpayers cheat on their taxes. Students cheat to get better grades. Spouses cheat on one another. Children lie to get out of trouble.
We are given the godly advice in Proverbs 11:3 that we should let honesty guide us. Honesty keeps us on the path of uprighteousness. Dishonesty leads us to destruction.
In the book of Acts, chapter 5, we read about the dishonesty of Ananias and Sapphire. Yes, dishonesty can be found even in church members. Satan had planted in their hearts a very deceitful plan. Church members are not immune to Satan’s temptation. They sold a piece of property and brought a portion of the profit to the apostles as their gift to God. The problem was that they inferred or pretended to be giving all the profit to the Lord. Their sin was that they were not honest. They lied to the apostles to make themselves seem more generous than they were. The truth was that they were not what they appeared to be.
The problem that they had was multiple. They were not honest to themselves, to the apostles and most important to God. It reads in Acts 5:4: “Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” For this they paid a terrible price --- death.
Ananias and Sapphire knew that what they were doing was dishonest but they felt that no one would know what the property sold for. Nothing is hidden from God. God knows our every dishonest thought, every lie we tell, and every dishonest thing we do. By reading this passage of scripture to your child you will be able to teach them the importance of being honest if they want to do what is pleasing to God.
Parents have the responsibility to set standards of honesty for their children. Children must see these standards of honesty upheld in the lives of their parents. And as parents we need to be well aware that we teach our children not only by our words but by example. We need to show honesty and consistency in our daily walk and talk because what we do and say is watched carefully by our children.
If a child is raised in a home where their parents and siblings are not honest and upright, then dishonesty becomes a way of life. Someone once said that being honest means that you will never have to look back over your shoulder. This is true because when one is dishonest one almost always will soon get caught with a conflicting story. It seems that there is always someone that surfaces that knows the truth. We can be certain that our heavenly Father knows the truth and we will have to sooner or later answer to Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for giving us a standard of honesty that we can use as our guide in life. I pray that You will give me the motivation and the strength to be honest and consistent in doing what is right in Your sight. May my actions glorify Your name and be the standard that my family needs to follow.
HONESTY
DEFINITION:
Uprighteous; integrity; trustworthiness; truthfulness; sincerity; freedom from deceit or fraud.
SCRIPTURE:
“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” Proverbs 11:3.
“I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted the Lord; I shall not slip.” Psalm 26:1.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The lack of honesty in people today is prevalent world-wide. It is hard to know whom you can trust. The newspapers and television news reports remind us daily of how dishonest people are. Governments cannot trust other governments. Businesses give dishonest financial reports and deceive investors. Taxpayers cheat on their taxes. Students cheat to get better grades. Spouses cheat on one another. Children lie to get out of trouble.
We are given the godly advice in Proverbs 11:3 that we should let honesty guide us. Honesty keeps us on the path of uprighteousness. Dishonesty leads us to destruction.
In the book of Acts, chapter 5, we read about the dishonesty of Ananias and Sapphire. Yes, dishonesty can be found even in church members. Satan had planted in their hearts a very deceitful plan. Church members are not immune to Satan’s temptation. They sold a piece of property and brought a portion of the profit to the apostles as their gift to God. The problem was that they inferred or pretended to be giving all the profit to the Lord. Their sin was that they were not honest. They lied to the apostles to make themselves seem more generous than they were. The truth was that they were not what they appeared to be.
The problem that they had was multiple. They were not honest to themselves, to the apostles and most important to God. It reads in Acts 5:4: “Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” For this they paid a terrible price --- death.
Ananias and Sapphire knew that what they were doing was dishonest but they felt that no one would know what the property sold for. Nothing is hidden from God. God knows our every dishonest thought, every lie we tell, and every dishonest thing we do. By reading this passage of scripture to your child you will be able to teach them the importance of being honest if they want to do what is pleasing to God.
Parents have the responsibility to set standards of honesty for their children. Children must see these standards of honesty upheld in the lives of their parents. And as parents we need to be well aware that we teach our children not only by our words but by example. We need to show honesty and consistency in our daily walk and talk because what we do and say is watched carefully by our children.
If a child is raised in a home where their parents and siblings are not honest and upright, then dishonesty becomes a way of life. Someone once said that being honest means that you will never have to look back over your shoulder. This is true because when one is dishonest one almost always will soon get caught with a conflicting story. It seems that there is always someone that surfaces that knows the truth. We can be certain that our heavenly Father knows the truth and we will have to sooner or later answer to Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for giving us a standard of honesty that we can use as our guide in life. I pray that You will give me the motivation and the strength to be honest and consistent in doing what is right in Your sight. May my actions glorify Your name and be the standard that my family needs to follow.
Goals Part Two: January 3, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 3, 2012
GOALS
PART TWO
DEFINITION:
The terminal point in a race; the finish line.
SCRIPTURE:
I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus. I’m off and running and I am not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything that God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less then total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision. We are on the right track, let’s stay on it. Philippians 3:14-15 Message translation.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Other than Jesus Himself, no man has made a greater impact on the development and spreading of the gospel than the Apostle Paul. He wrote thirteen books of the New Testament and these books, inspired by God, still have an impact on the lives of people every day. Read the verse that we have put above. Even though it is the Message Translation it spells out clearly the commitment that Paul had to reach his goal of serving Jesus with every ounce of energy that he had. He was focused on his goal.
Enoch was a man that had a clear goal to serve God. There are only 9 verses in the Bible referring to Enoch but what these verses said was that he was a man dedicated to walking with God every day. The scriptures only state that two men “walked with God.” The other man was Noah. We will talk about these two men later in another devotional.
Even before we were married we set a life-time goal. That goal was that our hearts would be broken so that we would be able to see the world as a world in need and that God would use our lives to be a witness to a lost and needy world. God honored this request that we gave Him in ways that we would never have dreamt. We learned at a very young age that when we asked God for something that if it was in His will He would honor it. We also learned that most of the time our goals, in God’s mind, were small and He wanted us to be involved in something bigger. We learned clearly and very quickly that any project we attempted, whether large or small, would fail unless we allowed God to take over.
It was just a few weeks after we were married that we were off to Korea. We went with the goal of letting the Lord use us as He saw fit on a mission field. We also were directed to set up some orphanages for World Vision. Our goal was to stay one year and then move on to what God would have for us next.
God’s plans for us were bigger than we could have imagined. Our time in Korea lasted only about five months. But in those five months God took over and used us to establish 145 orphanages, build a five story office building for World Vision, hire and train over 100 translators and set up and run a 22 day city wide evangelistic crusade in Seoul Korea which was attended by over 350,000 people with thousands coming to find Jesus as their Savior.
We set our goals and then asked God to open the doors. We were willing to attempt whatever an open door offered. We were young, dedicated and ready to be used of God. None of this could have been accomplished if we depended on our abilities and talent.
Over these last 54 years together we have been blessed with many such opportunities and through them all we learned that when we asked God to open doors and believed that He would --- He did. God has blessed us in a unique way but it all began with us by setting goals and asking God to open the door.
You can do the same. It may be to make it possible to talk to an associate about their relationship with God. It may be to ask God to give you a ministry of prayer. Set your goal and then let God do His thing.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Open my heart today to being committed to the goal of serving You. Help me to seek opportunities to serve You and to honor Your name. Give me then the strength and faith to expect great things to happen. Help me to rely totally on Your direction, Your power and Your love.
GOALS
PART TWO
DEFINITION:
The terminal point in a race; the finish line.
SCRIPTURE:
I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus. I’m off and running and I am not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything that God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less then total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision. We are on the right track, let’s stay on it. Philippians 3:14-15 Message translation.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Other than Jesus Himself, no man has made a greater impact on the development and spreading of the gospel than the Apostle Paul. He wrote thirteen books of the New Testament and these books, inspired by God, still have an impact on the lives of people every day. Read the verse that we have put above. Even though it is the Message Translation it spells out clearly the commitment that Paul had to reach his goal of serving Jesus with every ounce of energy that he had. He was focused on his goal.
Enoch was a man that had a clear goal to serve God. There are only 9 verses in the Bible referring to Enoch but what these verses said was that he was a man dedicated to walking with God every day. The scriptures only state that two men “walked with God.” The other man was Noah. We will talk about these two men later in another devotional.
Even before we were married we set a life-time goal. That goal was that our hearts would be broken so that we would be able to see the world as a world in need and that God would use our lives to be a witness to a lost and needy world. God honored this request that we gave Him in ways that we would never have dreamt. We learned at a very young age that when we asked God for something that if it was in His will He would honor it. We also learned that most of the time our goals, in God’s mind, were small and He wanted us to be involved in something bigger. We learned clearly and very quickly that any project we attempted, whether large or small, would fail unless we allowed God to take over.
It was just a few weeks after we were married that we were off to Korea. We went with the goal of letting the Lord use us as He saw fit on a mission field. We also were directed to set up some orphanages for World Vision. Our goal was to stay one year and then move on to what God would have for us next.
God’s plans for us were bigger than we could have imagined. Our time in Korea lasted only about five months. But in those five months God took over and used us to establish 145 orphanages, build a five story office building for World Vision, hire and train over 100 translators and set up and run a 22 day city wide evangelistic crusade in Seoul Korea which was attended by over 350,000 people with thousands coming to find Jesus as their Savior.
We set our goals and then asked God to open the doors. We were willing to attempt whatever an open door offered. We were young, dedicated and ready to be used of God. None of this could have been accomplished if we depended on our abilities and talent.
Over these last 54 years together we have been blessed with many such opportunities and through them all we learned that when we asked God to open doors and believed that He would --- He did. God has blessed us in a unique way but it all began with us by setting goals and asking God to open the door.
You can do the same. It may be to make it possible to talk to an associate about their relationship with God. It may be to ask God to give you a ministry of prayer. Set your goal and then let God do His thing.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Open my heart today to being committed to the goal of serving You. Help me to seek opportunities to serve You and to honor Your name. Give me then the strength and faith to expect great things to happen. Help me to rely totally on Your direction, Your power and Your love.
Goals Part One: January 2, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 2, 2012
GOALS
PART ONE
DEFINITION:
Any object of ambition or desire; the result of achievement to which effort is directed; the aim or end.
SCRIPTURE:
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God.” Philippians 3:14.
“Seek the Lord and His strength.” Psalm 105:4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has allowed us to be involved through the years in some very exciting and rewarding projects. In all of these projects throughout our lives we have been driven by goals that we have set. Today we urge young people to make a commitment early in life to set goals in their lives that honor God.
If you have never thought about setting goals for your life, now is the time to begin. We begin a New Year this week and many people take time at the beginning of a New Year to make resolutions. But unfortunately, in a very short time those resolutions are not only broken but forgotten.
Remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life and God wants you to set some life lasting goals serving Him. Without positive practical physical goals in your life you will become stagnant and perhaps lazy.
Of greater priority to the Lord are the spiritual goals we have for our life. We need to have spiritual goals that will help us grow our faith in the Lord and allow Him to work in us and through us.
The above verse from Psalms would be a great first goal for you to commit to today: SEEK THE LORD AND HIS STRENGTH. Consider making this your daily prayer and God will honor you through it. Never underestimate what God is able to do through you.
In the verse above from Philippians the Apostle Paul set a goal that was not made for his hope for earthly rewards. This goal was set because he was totally committed to honor God and work every day for his heavenly rewards. During Paul’s lifetime his goals in life changed dramatically. After Paul had an encounter with God and met Jesus Christ as his Savior, he went from the goal of persecuting Christians to the goal of spreading the good news of the gospel. God called him to spread Christianity to the world he lived in.
This became Paul’s one and only goal for the rest of his life. Even when it meant being persecuted, or being beaten, or being put in prison, Paul never wavered in fulfilling his God given goal for his life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Give me the strength as I seek You today to set life-long goals that will honor You. Burden my heart to the extent that I will make this New Year a year that I will reach out to the world around me with the good news of the gospel.
GOALS
PART ONE
DEFINITION:
Any object of ambition or desire; the result of achievement to which effort is directed; the aim or end.
SCRIPTURE:
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God.” Philippians 3:14.
“Seek the Lord and His strength.” Psalm 105:4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has allowed us to be involved through the years in some very exciting and rewarding projects. In all of these projects throughout our lives we have been driven by goals that we have set. Today we urge young people to make a commitment early in life to set goals in their lives that honor God.
If you have never thought about setting goals for your life, now is the time to begin. We begin a New Year this week and many people take time at the beginning of a New Year to make resolutions. But unfortunately, in a very short time those resolutions are not only broken but forgotten.
Remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life and God wants you to set some life lasting goals serving Him. Without positive practical physical goals in your life you will become stagnant and perhaps lazy.
Of greater priority to the Lord are the spiritual goals we have for our life. We need to have spiritual goals that will help us grow our faith in the Lord and allow Him to work in us and through us.
The above verse from Psalms would be a great first goal for you to commit to today: SEEK THE LORD AND HIS STRENGTH. Consider making this your daily prayer and God will honor you through it. Never underestimate what God is able to do through you.
In the verse above from Philippians the Apostle Paul set a goal that was not made for his hope for earthly rewards. This goal was set because he was totally committed to honor God and work every day for his heavenly rewards. During Paul’s lifetime his goals in life changed dramatically. After Paul had an encounter with God and met Jesus Christ as his Savior, he went from the goal of persecuting Christians to the goal of spreading the good news of the gospel. God called him to spread Christianity to the world he lived in.
This became Paul’s one and only goal for the rest of his life. Even when it meant being persecuted, or being beaten, or being put in prison, Paul never wavered in fulfilling his God given goal for his life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
PRAYER:
Give me the strength as I seek You today to set life-long goals that will honor You. Burden my heart to the extent that I will make this New Year a year that I will reach out to the world around me with the good news of the gospel.
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