Gems of Encouragement: February 9, 2013

GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2013

PROVERB:

Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.” Proverbs 24:29

PROMISE:

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be some of the Most High. Luke 6:35

PRAISE:

For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You. Psalm 86:5

Sibling Rivalry: February 8, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2013.

SIBLING RIVALRY

DEFINITION:

Seeking to achieve the same object or goal as a brother or sister; trying to equal or outdo a brother or a sister.

SCRIPTURE:

"Whoever hates his brother is in darkness and walks around in darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." 1 John 2:10

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Sibling rivalry is very common.  Sibling rivalry just seems to happen even in the most loving of families. Just ask anyone who has been part of a family with two or more children.  Sibling rivalry is certainly not new.  It began in the family of Adam and Eve with the rivalry between their sons, Cain and Abel.  Another Biblical example was the sibling rivalry between Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac.  Apparently they were at it while still in the womb as we read in Genesis 25:22, "The babies jostled each other within her."  Later on we read in Genesis of the sibling rivalry between Jacob's son Joseph and his ten older brothers.

By definition, sibling rivalry stems from the desire to outdo a brother or sister.  Parents must use Godly wisdom in dealing with sibling rivalry. In the family of Cain and Abel we are not told if Adam and Eve played any role in their rivalry. In the family of Jacob and Esau the parents played a significant role. Isaac favored Esau and Rebecca favored Jacob. In fact Rebecca not only favored Jacob but she “aided and abetted” Jacob to get what he wanted. In Joseph’s family his father, Jacob, brought on the rivalry between Joseph and his brothers by showing favoritism to Joseph.

When sibling rivalry is not dealt with in the right way it leads to jealousy and anger which leads to hate. Jealousy has a disastrous affect on the family.

In Adam’s family it resulted in the first murder. When God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s offering Cain became very angry and killed Abel.

In Isaac’s family when Esau discovered his brother Jacob cheated him out of his birthright and the blessing of his father, Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill him. Jacob’s parents had to send Jacob away to spare his life. Sibling rivalry from the beginning of time has torn families apart.

In Joseph's family, Joseph was the favored son of Jacob and Jacob had made it very obvious.  The ten older brothers saw Joseph as a rival for their father's love and esteem. They became bitterly jealous and coveted Joseph's relationship that he had with their father.  That rivalry turned to hate toward their brother and like Cain and Esau they wanted to kill their brother. (Genesis 37)

John tells us in I John 2 that anyone who hates his brother is walking around in darkness and doesn't know where he is going.  Hate is in itself a sin because it leads us to greater sin.  Hate blinds us and keeps us from the light that is in Christ Jesus. Without the light of Jesus we will follow the wrong path in life.

As a result of their hate for Joseph his brothers were walking around in darkness.  They were blind and couldn't judge right from wrong.  Apparently, Jacob was unaware of what his favoritism was doing to his family and blind to the feelings of his older sons.  He certainly did nothing to take control of the situation.

There will be rivalry between siblings and their parents have a responsibility to be aware of their children's feelings and help them to learn to work out their differences.  Parents must be very careful to not show favoritism. Children must be taught to care about each other and to be sensitive to one another's feelings.  It is hard to mistreat someone you love and care about.  Learning to get along with siblings enables children to get along with other children.  As we have said before the parents must "set the example" by making their children feel loved and important and that their feelings matter.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalms 100:4.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

PRAYER:

Help me to be aware of my children's feelings and assure each one that they are loved and valued for who they are.  Help me to teach them to love each other and work out their differences.  Help each one of us to be forgiving of one another as Jesus has forgiven us.

Show Up: February 7, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2013.

SHOW UP

DEFINITION:

Allow to be seen; exhibit; appear; perform.

SCRIPTURE:

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

There was a time that a certain city in America (we will leave it nameless) was known as one of the most hostile cities toward the preaching of the gospel. Talking about Jesus was taboo and witchcraft was promoted. Posters in coffee shops advertized witchcraft meetings where you could learn to cast a spell on your enemies.

Literally on every corner there were porno shops and evil was rampant. It was such a challenging and intimidating environment for the people that lived there who desired to serve the Lord. The churches struggled because they were unable to announce their programs outside of their church buildings and they could not get building permits.  There was a lot of "woe is me" talk among the church leaders. When Satan is in control evil abounds.

Finally, a group of pastors decided to meet together each morning to pray for their city and the people that lived in the city. Soon, as a group, they felt that God was leading them to take action and SHOW UP for their city. They started ministries to the needy. Faithfully and intentionally they brought the love of Jesus to the needs of hurting people. Simply said, they decided TO SHOW UP BEFORE THEY SPOKE UP.

They soon learned that if they practiced what they believed to be God's first and foremost desire, to reach out to help the poor, that their actions and their prayers brought positive results for the churches and for the Lord. Their positive actions touched enough lives in their community that soon they had a voice that many listened to and they began to make a spiritual impact on that community.

Now how does this apply to our lives today? No one really wants to hear what we say about the love of Jesus until they have seen it in our lives. That is what Jesus is telling us in the verse we have written above from Matthew. When you let your light shine so others can see Jesus through your words and actions then they will listen as you tell them about Jesus. Your consistent and positive God honoring words and deeds will allow you to SHOW UP with authority that only God can give you.

Let us remind you that light does not shine to be seen, but to enable others to see. For us, who are believers, we are to let our light shine that our lives are to be seen but that others may see Christ through us. Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 5:14 that, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden" We should let our light shine so others see Christ through us and in us. We cannot expect to have a convincing testimony of God’s grace and saving power if we are not living a godly life.

Matthew compares a godly life to a city set on a hill. The lights of a city on a hill can be seen for miles in the darkness of the night. If we live for Christ then we will shine like a light in a dark world. Are you a shining light for Christ or have you been unplugged from your power source?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalms 100:4

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

PRAYER:

Help me to understand afresh the concept that I am to be the light of my world to glorify Your name. May I be like that city on a hill whose light cannot be hidden because my light shines so brightly as a testimony of who You are.

Retire: February 6, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2013.

RETIRE

DEFINITION:

Withdraw from an occupation or career because of age; make inactive; relieve of duty.

SCRIPTURE:

And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. Numbers 8:25 (ESV)

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

You can see if you read our life history at the end of these devotionals that we are at the age of so called retirement. Quite often now we are asked the question: "When are you going to retire?" We never pause a moment and always respond the same way: "We never plan to retire."

The word "retirement" has never been in our vocabulary and let us share with you the reason why. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior we made a commitment to serve Him until we died. We have never been able to find any reference in the scriptures that lead us to believe that we should retire at age 60, 65, 70, or 75.

But we must explain and we will do that in the words that follow, but first let us share with you the true story of the first people that climbed to the top of Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain. They were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Hillary was only 33 years of age and had accomplished his life goal. His feat had given him fame and wealth and he had already lived a remarkable life. He had no higher mountains to climb so in a sense he could "retire."

Although retired from mountain climbing he didn't sit back and do nothing. He kept on working but with a different purpose. For the next 55 years Hillary put all of his efforts into improving the life styles and welfare of the Nepalese people living near Mt. Everest.

In Numbers 8:25, God through Moses told the Levites to retire from their regular duties at the age of 50. Although God retired the older Levites from doing the heavy work of moving the Tabernacle as the Israelites made their way to the Promised Land, He did not want them to stop helping others. God said that they should "minister with their brethren in the Tabernacle" and assist them in performing the duties of the Tabernacle.

This is a wonderful example for us to share with you. We believe that when one comes to the point in their life that they can retire and retire with the means to live the rest of their life then that is a blessing that one receives from God. Just because we may be retired, God does not want us to quit. God expects us to keep on serving Him and that is work. So many people retire and find out that they have nothing to do so they sit and just seem to waste away. It is far better to do as the Levites and Sir Edmund Hillary did, and focus when we retire, on giving our time to help others. 

Paul advises us in Galatians 6:9-10, to not to become weary in doing good and use every opportunity to do good onto others. We are never too old to reap a harvest if we never give up.

Let us assure you that life takes on a whole new meaning when we invest all of our time and effort in representing our Lord and in helping others. For us, it blesses us in our retirement years to have that time in our lives to use in serving the Lord.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalms 100:4.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

PRAYER:

I pray that You will give me the strength and help that I need to serve You today. Help me to serve others with a heart of love and a concern for their well being.