TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2012.
SEEKING
DEFINITION:
Go in search or quest of; attempt; endeavor.
SCRIPTURE:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We will talk to day about two kinds of seeking. The children of Israel began seeking to have a king like the pagan nations around them, so God allowed the Children of Israel to choose a king who would make their decisions for them. They were in the process of taking their eyes off of God. They choose Saul and it turned out to be one of the great tragedies in the Bible because Saul continually made his decisions seeking human favor for himself.
God told Saul to kill all of the Amalekites, but he chose to save the life of their king because he felt it would find him favor in the eyes of his people. Saul had a divided allegiance. He was quite content to serve God as long as it pleased those around them. The failure in the life of Saul was his continual hunger for the affection of people around him. Do you know people like that today that are associated with you? We all do.
Now we have the contrast of knowing a seeking Savior rather than one seeking the favor of others. In the third chapter of Revelation, John relates to us that the Christians at Laeodicea were self deceived, picturing themselves as rich and self-sufficient, when in reality, their spiritual blindness and self-righteousness had prevented from seeing their true poverty. They had closed the door between themselves and Jesus but Jesus still was reaching out to them as their seeking Savior.
Let us look at how John tells us how Jesus is reaching out to us. First, He is standing at the door. Jesus takes the initiative and willing to seek us even when we have erected a barrier.
Secondly, He knocks at the door. He tries to get our attention through circumstances we might face, needs we have, pain, trials, conviction, sleeplessness, or even His Word. He patiently waits for us to respond.
Thirdly, Jesus invites us to open the door. Jesus seeks us and He is omnipotent but never pushes His way into a relationship with us. We are the ones that choose, not Jesus.
Fourthly, Jesus enters through the door. If we open the door to Him He will come in. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives we will actually partake of Christ’s divine nature and be transformed into His image.
Finally, Jesus will dine with us inside the door. When we allow the seeking Jesus to come into our heart nothing stands between us and Jesus. It is then we can begin to enjoy all the benefits of an intimate relationship with Jesus and be nourished by His Word.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
I am so grateful that You were seeking me out and continued to do so until I opened the door of my heart to let You in. Use me today to show to others that You are their seeking Savior, patiently waiting for them to open the door of their hearts.
February 19, 2012
Purge: February 16, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2012.
PURGE
DEFINITION:
Cleanse from impurities, bodily or spiritually; remove disloyal members.
SCRIPTURE:
As for our transgressions, thou shall purge them away. Psalm 65:3.
Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. I Corinthians 5:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many Chinese families several days before their New Year give their home a thorough cleaning. They practice this tradition because they believe the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck.
In the verse above from I Corinthians the Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth asking them to give their lives a thorough cleansing, not for good luck but to please God. He told them to purge out the old leaven. Paul in this verse used the Jewish feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12) as a backdrop for this statement. Leaven (yeast) was a symbol of sin and corruption and was to be removed from the Jewish homes to celebrate these festivals.
When Paul says to be a new lump he is saying for us to start acting like what we are --- a new creation in Jesus. As a new creation we have a new standing with God and we can have victory over all sin because of the cross and our relationship with Christ.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb who cleanses us from sin and corruption which separates us from God. The Corinthian church had acknowledged that Jesus was their Passover Lamb, but they had not gotten rid of their old sinful ways. Paul wrote them and admonished them that they must purge out (get rid of) the old leaven (sin).
The Corinthians were to scour their hearts and remove all evil and sexual immorality, malice, and wickedness from their lives. Out of gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice, let us purge out the sin in our lives and celebrate the holiness that only God can bring to us.
The NIV translation of Psalms 65:3 reads, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.” David, the writer of this Psalm acknowledged he was a sinner and knew where to go when sin overwhelmed him. He knew that no matter how great our sin, there is no sin God will not forgive and enable us to purge from our life.
By faith, David looks forward for the purging of his sin at Calvary. Our faith now looks back to Calvary where we were purged of our sin and iniquities.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
I pray that You will give me a heart that is pure from within, purged from sin and evil. Help me to understand that sin’s contamination in my life requires Your cleansing.
PURGE
DEFINITION:
Cleanse from impurities, bodily or spiritually; remove disloyal members.
SCRIPTURE:
As for our transgressions, thou shall purge them away. Psalm 65:3.
Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. I Corinthians 5:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many Chinese families several days before their New Year give their home a thorough cleaning. They practice this tradition because they believe the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck.
In the verse above from I Corinthians the Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth asking them to give their lives a thorough cleansing, not for good luck but to please God. He told them to purge out the old leaven. Paul in this verse used the Jewish feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12) as a backdrop for this statement. Leaven (yeast) was a symbol of sin and corruption and was to be removed from the Jewish homes to celebrate these festivals.
When Paul says to be a new lump he is saying for us to start acting like what we are --- a new creation in Jesus. As a new creation we have a new standing with God and we can have victory over all sin because of the cross and our relationship with Christ.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb who cleanses us from sin and corruption which separates us from God. The Corinthian church had acknowledged that Jesus was their Passover Lamb, but they had not gotten rid of their old sinful ways. Paul wrote them and admonished them that they must purge out (get rid of) the old leaven (sin).
The Corinthians were to scour their hearts and remove all evil and sexual immorality, malice, and wickedness from their lives. Out of gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice, let us purge out the sin in our lives and celebrate the holiness that only God can bring to us.
The NIV translation of Psalms 65:3 reads, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.” David, the writer of this Psalm acknowledged he was a sinner and knew where to go when sin overwhelmed him. He knew that no matter how great our sin, there is no sin God will not forgive and enable us to purge from our life.
By faith, David looks forward for the purging of his sin at Calvary. Our faith now looks back to Calvary where we were purged of our sin and iniquities.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
I pray that You will give me a heart that is pure from within, purged from sin and evil. Help me to understand that sin’s contamination in my life requires Your cleansing.
Guide: February 15, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2012.
GUIDE
DEFINITION:
Show the way to; escort; direct; manage.
SCRIPTURE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Life is like an untraveled trail with complex twists and turns. Have you ever gone hiking on a trail in the mountains? There are always signs that clearly mark the trails and signs that remind you to stay on the trail. If you make the mistake of leaving the right trail you become lost and may never reach your destination.
There are many examples in life where one needs a guide. How many times have you been driving on a road and run into a construction crew making the road impassible? Many times you will see guides at the beginning of the construction zone to help you through. We have guides when we travel in unknown territory. We need guides in many situations. We have guides that direct us in hospitals. Without signs it would be hard to find what we want in large malls and stores.
In our daily life we run into appealing activities that if we take our eyes off of our guide, Jesus, we can easily be detoured to the quicksand of sin. We may at times have to journey over some hard terrain or deep valleys. The only way to be sure we are walking right is to follow a guide who knows the way perfectly.
We remember seeing years ago a large picture on an office wall. An artist painted a picture of the Lord Jesus standing behind a young man whose eyes were focused in the direction that the Master was pointing. Jesus’ hand was on the man’s shoulder, and you could only imagine He is saying, “This is the way we are going. I will get you to your destination.”
If you are honest with yourself you will admit that you are ill-equipped to go through life alone. God created us knowing that we would need His guidance. In our own knowledge and reasoning power we are simply not able to figure out how to consistently make wise decisions. Some people feel they are wise enough to make their decisions on their own but sooner or later they fail.
The assuring hand of our Lord on our shoulder will always lead us down the right path to good choices if we put our total trust in Him as our guide. We urge you to choose to follow the lead of Jesus by reading His Word and then by applying biblical principles to your walk in life. Also learn to pray through both large and small decisions you need to make and seek the path that He wants to guide you through.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Help me today to find the right path that You have marked out for me to walk on today. Help me to keep my eyes totally on You even though I may not see clearly the path you have for me. Thank You for walking beside me today and everyday as my guide in life.
GUIDE
DEFINITION:
Show the way to; escort; direct; manage.
SCRIPTURE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Life is like an untraveled trail with complex twists and turns. Have you ever gone hiking on a trail in the mountains? There are always signs that clearly mark the trails and signs that remind you to stay on the trail. If you make the mistake of leaving the right trail you become lost and may never reach your destination.
There are many examples in life where one needs a guide. How many times have you been driving on a road and run into a construction crew making the road impassible? Many times you will see guides at the beginning of the construction zone to help you through. We have guides when we travel in unknown territory. We need guides in many situations. We have guides that direct us in hospitals. Without signs it would be hard to find what we want in large malls and stores.
In our daily life we run into appealing activities that if we take our eyes off of our guide, Jesus, we can easily be detoured to the quicksand of sin. We may at times have to journey over some hard terrain or deep valleys. The only way to be sure we are walking right is to follow a guide who knows the way perfectly.
We remember seeing years ago a large picture on an office wall. An artist painted a picture of the Lord Jesus standing behind a young man whose eyes were focused in the direction that the Master was pointing. Jesus’ hand was on the man’s shoulder, and you could only imagine He is saying, “This is the way we are going. I will get you to your destination.”
If you are honest with yourself you will admit that you are ill-equipped to go through life alone. God created us knowing that we would need His guidance. In our own knowledge and reasoning power we are simply not able to figure out how to consistently make wise decisions. Some people feel they are wise enough to make their decisions on their own but sooner or later they fail.
The assuring hand of our Lord on our shoulder will always lead us down the right path to good choices if we put our total trust in Him as our guide. We urge you to choose to follow the lead of Jesus by reading His Word and then by applying biblical principles to your walk in life. Also learn to pray through both large and small decisions you need to make and seek the path that He wants to guide you through.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Help me today to find the right path that You have marked out for me to walk on today. Help me to keep my eyes totally on You even though I may not see clearly the path you have for me. Thank You for walking beside me today and everyday as my guide in life.
Love: February 14, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2012.
LOVE
DEFINITION:
Affection for another person.
SCRIPTURE:
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an expressible and glorious joy. I Peter 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We cannot let this day pass without saying HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. This is a day set aside to put emphasis on love here in America. This is a day when spouses show their love in a special way to express that they care. It may be through a gift or a card or an act of kindness. And this is a day when children and parents show something special to one another to express their love.
In I Peter, Peter reminds us of a benefit that we enjoy because we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This benefit can carry us through times of trial, loneliness and sorrow. It is a rejoicing love that only God can give. It is a quiet joy that fills your heart simply because you know Jesus in an intimate and personal way.
This joy that Peter talks about is not the result of anything God does for you, although He does so much for us. It is simply the result of who He is and the fact that He loves you and you love Him. And Peter reminds us that even though we cannot see Him we love Him. We have joy because of our love relationship with Him that allows us to have fellowship with Him.
Our deepest need as men and women is love. Children cannot grow up whole unless they have love, expressed not only in words, but through affirming eye contact and physical touch. The same is true for the marriage relationship if it is not only to survive but to thrive.
Solomon wrote two books about love relationships. He wrote Ecclesiastics about our love relationship with God. Solomon says that without God life is meaningless. He wrote Song of Solomon about the love relationship between a husband and a wife. Without love a marriage is empty and meaningless.
These two books in the Bible express our need for faith, hope and love. We need to take time to read these book when we ever feel that our love relationship with God is not what it should be and our love relationship with our spouse is failing.
The world is not impressed by what we do not do. The world is impressed by what we do do because as believers it shows a positive attitude showing that we love. This is love based on our will, not on our emotions. It is a love that is based on our decision to seek the good in others, not on the fact that other people are loveable. In fact this kind of love is precisely aimed at those who are hard to love. This is what God wants from us not just on this VALENTINES DAY 2012, but every day.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear God for the love You showed to me by sending Your Son to this earth to die on the cross to pay my penalty for my sins. Help me to show Your love to others, this day, in a way that will reveal my love relationship with You.
LOVE
DEFINITION:
Affection for another person.
SCRIPTURE:
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an expressible and glorious joy. I Peter 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We cannot let this day pass without saying HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. This is a day set aside to put emphasis on love here in America. This is a day when spouses show their love in a special way to express that they care. It may be through a gift or a card or an act of kindness. And this is a day when children and parents show something special to one another to express their love.
In I Peter, Peter reminds us of a benefit that we enjoy because we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This benefit can carry us through times of trial, loneliness and sorrow. It is a rejoicing love that only God can give. It is a quiet joy that fills your heart simply because you know Jesus in an intimate and personal way.
This joy that Peter talks about is not the result of anything God does for you, although He does so much for us. It is simply the result of who He is and the fact that He loves you and you love Him. And Peter reminds us that even though we cannot see Him we love Him. We have joy because of our love relationship with Him that allows us to have fellowship with Him.
Our deepest need as men and women is love. Children cannot grow up whole unless they have love, expressed not only in words, but through affirming eye contact and physical touch. The same is true for the marriage relationship if it is not only to survive but to thrive.
Solomon wrote two books about love relationships. He wrote Ecclesiastics about our love relationship with God. Solomon says that without God life is meaningless. He wrote Song of Solomon about the love relationship between a husband and a wife. Without love a marriage is empty and meaningless.
These two books in the Bible express our need for faith, hope and love. We need to take time to read these book when we ever feel that our love relationship with God is not what it should be and our love relationship with our spouse is failing.
The world is not impressed by what we do not do. The world is impressed by what we do do because as believers it shows a positive attitude showing that we love. This is love based on our will, not on our emotions. It is a love that is based on our decision to seek the good in others, not on the fact that other people are loveable. In fact this kind of love is precisely aimed at those who are hard to love. This is what God wants from us not just on this VALENTINES DAY 2012, but every day.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear God for the love You showed to me by sending Your Son to this earth to die on the cross to pay my penalty for my sins. Help me to show Your love to others, this day, in a way that will reveal my love relationship with You.
Counsel: February 13, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2012
COUNSEL
DEFINITION:
An interchange of opinion; consultation; advice.
SCRIPTURE:
So Moses heeded the voice (counsel) of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Exodus 18:24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Because of the busy lives that many of us have it is not hard to recognize ourselves in an over-extended situation such as Moses was in as recorded in Exodus 18. As God’s chosen leader of the Israelites, Moses had a huge responsibility. He had to teach them God’s laws and show them how to live lives that were pleasing to God. Moses was also the sole judge for all of the children of Israel and he was surrounded, “from morning until evening” (verse 13), by people who needed his help and counsel.
We have talked to many people over the years, particularly parents that identify with Moses. They are overburdened and stressed out because they have too much on their plate. It seems that we need to learn two life skills for survival in today’s world. We need to have an eagerness to listen to wise counsel as Moses listened to his father-in-law in the verse we wrote above, and be willing to accept it. Secondly, we need to develop a willingness to accept the help of quality people as Moses did. In verse 25 we read that Moses chose able men to assist him and made them heads over people.
Many are not willing to listen to others and they do not want to accept help. This is mostly because of pride. But sometimes it is only because life is moving so swiftly for us and making so many demands on us that we barely have time to react, let alone to contemplate or go to someone for advice.
Many people would rather do it themselves to make sure it is done right. Others say that it is easier to do it themselves rather than take the time to train someone else. But the scripture is very clear when it tells us to surround ourselves with counselors who will offer their wisdom and experience even when we are too busy to ask for it.
Moses recognized that wise counsel includes God. His father-in-law Jethro, told Moses that if he followed his advice he must do it only if God commanded him to do it. (Exodus 18:23) Jethro also advised Moses that those men that Moses chose to help him must be men who feared God and are trustworthy.
We can all learn from Moses and his father-in-law. Do not put yourself in the position of being overwhelmed. Instead, seek godly counsel and then follow through on what you are told. God will go before you and lead you through every step. Also remember that he who will not be counseled will not be helped.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me the ears to hear advice from not only You but loved ones and family who obey You and are wise and humble. When I face challenges in my life that are overwhelming don’t let my pride keep me from accepting help from others.
COUNSEL
DEFINITION:
An interchange of opinion; consultation; advice.
SCRIPTURE:
So Moses heeded the voice (counsel) of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Exodus 18:24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Because of the busy lives that many of us have it is not hard to recognize ourselves in an over-extended situation such as Moses was in as recorded in Exodus 18. As God’s chosen leader of the Israelites, Moses had a huge responsibility. He had to teach them God’s laws and show them how to live lives that were pleasing to God. Moses was also the sole judge for all of the children of Israel and he was surrounded, “from morning until evening” (verse 13), by people who needed his help and counsel.
We have talked to many people over the years, particularly parents that identify with Moses. They are overburdened and stressed out because they have too much on their plate. It seems that we need to learn two life skills for survival in today’s world. We need to have an eagerness to listen to wise counsel as Moses listened to his father-in-law in the verse we wrote above, and be willing to accept it. Secondly, we need to develop a willingness to accept the help of quality people as Moses did. In verse 25 we read that Moses chose able men to assist him and made them heads over people.
Many are not willing to listen to others and they do not want to accept help. This is mostly because of pride. But sometimes it is only because life is moving so swiftly for us and making so many demands on us that we barely have time to react, let alone to contemplate or go to someone for advice.
Many people would rather do it themselves to make sure it is done right. Others say that it is easier to do it themselves rather than take the time to train someone else. But the scripture is very clear when it tells us to surround ourselves with counselors who will offer their wisdom and experience even when we are too busy to ask for it.
Moses recognized that wise counsel includes God. His father-in-law Jethro, told Moses that if he followed his advice he must do it only if God commanded him to do it. (Exodus 18:23) Jethro also advised Moses that those men that Moses chose to help him must be men who feared God and are trustworthy.
We can all learn from Moses and his father-in-law. Do not put yourself in the position of being overwhelmed. Instead, seek godly counsel and then follow through on what you are told. God will go before you and lead you through every step. Also remember that he who will not be counseled will not be helped.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 14:1-2.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me the ears to hear advice from not only You but loved ones and family who obey You and are wise and humble. When I face challenges in my life that are overwhelming don’t let my pride keep me from accepting help from others.
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