Gems of Encouragement: June 29, 2013

JUNE  29 2013. GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

PROVERB:

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30.

PROMISE:

Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is form say to him who formed it, “He did not make me.?” Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing?” Isaiah 29: 15-16.

PRAISE:

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. Psalm95: 6-7.

Christ-Likeness: June 28, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013.

CHRIST-LIKENESS

DEFINITION:

Living one's life like Christ did while on this earth.

SCRIPTURE:

Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

God’s ultimate goal for each one of us is that we be made like His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). It was not an afterthought; it was God’s plan and purpose for us from the beginning. The process of becoming like Christ is most of the time painful, but it is always worth it. When we talk about becoming Christ-like, we mean that our daily life always should show the spirit of Christ in all that we do and all that we say. 

Becoming Christ-like is an ongoing process that requires us to do battle with our sinful nature. In Colossians 3:5-9 Paul gives us a list of the sinful acts that one must no longer be part of the life of anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Savior. The list includes sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy-language, and lying. In verse three Paul says we must put to death all these things because they are actions that come from our old sinful nature.

To become Christ-like in today's society is very difficult because of the pressure to conform to the growing evil that we face in this world. As we have often said, we live in a "ME" generation and if you are going along with the crowd and living for yourself, you cannot be Christ-like.

Receiving Jesus into our hearts, God's gift of salvation is a one-time event but to become like Him is a daily event that often requires suffering and struggle. It involves putting off your old sinful habits and replacing them with new godly ones.

The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians (above) "Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt and put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

As a believer in Christ have you put out of your life the evil and ungodly habits of your past? Look at the Ten Commandments and they will give you a checklist so you can grade yourself. Old habits are tough to eliminate but God expects us to get rid of them and promises us help to do so.

What is troubling you today? God may be using the kind rebuke from a family member or friend or even a painful trial to prompt you to get rid of a sinful habit. By doing this God will replace that habit with godly character.

 In I Peter 4:1-2 it reads: "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."

The conversion of a soul is the miracle that only God can do in a moment but the growth of a soul is God's work of a lifetime.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

PRAYER:

It is my prayer today for me and my family that we would be more like Jesus. Help us make this our goal as we face the evils of this world. May Your Spirit be our guide not only for today but until we meet You in heaven.

Aging: June 27, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JUNE 27, 2013.

AGING

DEFINITION: 

Having lived a long time; advanced years; getting older; measuring how long one has lived.

SCRIPTURE:

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31

Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding. Job 12:12

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

I (Ken) can remember so vividly when I was a young teenager staying with my grandfather and grandmother for six weeks in northern Canada. The days were long in the summer time and almost every night after dinner we would sit on my grandfather's porch and listen to him talk about the Bible and how it related to our lives.

He was a fiery old time Baptist minister and every once in a while he would stand up so he could use his hands and raise his voice so he could make his point. But for me it was a learning time and, as Job says in the verse above, I learned from my grandfather's wisdom and understanding what he had learned through his many days of living.

Americans spend more than $20 billion annually on anti-aging products that claim to cure baldness, remove wrinkles, build muscles and renew powers from their youth. But there is absolutely no scientific proof that any commercial product will stop or reverse aging.

As a believer in Jesus you have a promise of spiritual vitality that defies the concerns one may have of time and aging. Isaiah tells us in Isaiah (above) that youth will faint, young men will fall but those that wait upon the Lord shall run, not be weary, walk and not faint. What a wonderful promise.

Isaiah used the eagle as a symbol of freedom and endurance for those of us that are believers in Jesus. As we put our trust in Him we are carried along by His strength and not our own.

The psalmist said in Psalms 103:5 that it is the Lord who nourishes us so that our strength is renewed. Are you taking advantage of God's anti-aging power? It is promised to all of us who put our trust in Him for strength, vigor and energy.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

PRAYER:

We pray for new inner strength today so that our trust in You may grow. Make growing old for our family a blessing because we are growing in godly wisdom and into a closer relationship with You.

Confidence: June 26, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 26, 2013.

CONFIDENCE

DEFINITION:

Sure of oneself and one's abilities, correctness or likelihood of success; being sure of something without doubt, belief in the trustworthiness or reliability of someone or something.

SCRIPTURE:

For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. Proverbs 3:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In today's society it is very difficult for a person to be confident about anything or anyone. One of the reasons for this is that in today's society situations can change daily. For example a job that seemed secure two years ago can be lost overnight. Homes are going into foreclosure at a very fast rate.

Sadly, family is no longer a priority in many homes and as a result many families are falling apart. That is why we said above that one cannot even be confident today about any one person, even those in your family.

The only way that a person can feel securely confident today is to have their confidence in the Lord and not in people and things. The verse from Proverbs (above) assures us that when we have confidence in the Lord, He will guide every step we take in life.

The scripture tells us that God had enabled the Children of Israel to easily overcome the city of Jericho. Because of this so called easy victory Joshua set about to conquer the city of Ai. Ai was strategically located to provide for the Children of Israel a foothold in the central highlands and was the logical next step for Joshua to proceed to conquer the land that God had promised for them.

Joshua sent spies to Ai to check out the military strength of the city. The spies returned confident that the city of Ai could easily be taken by Israel. They advised Joshua that it would be so easy that they would not need their whole army. They said to Joshua, "Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there."

Joshua took their advice and sent three thousand men against Ai. To their surprise they were driven out by the men of Ai and thirty six of their men were killed.

Joshua and the elders of Israel had become too self-confident. How quickly they had forgotten that it was God who had given them the victory over Jericho. They did not consult God about taking the city of Ai. They rushed head long into battle relying on their own strength. The second mistake was that they did not prepare themselves spiritually. They had already forgotten that before they undertook the battle of Jericho, God had required that they prepare themselves spiritually.

Joshua and the elders could not understand why they were so easily brought down by the men at Ai. They were so grieved over the loss that they tore their clothes in mourning and fell down on their faces and cried out to God asking what went wrong.

Most of us try to go about our daily routines confident in our own abilities to accomplish whatever we have to do. But for the most part it just does not work. We seldom seek God's help. We turn to God only when, like Israel, we have been defeated and our problems become overwhelming.

There is a better way for us to be confident in living our lives. We must begin every day by getting ourselves prepared spiritually for that day. Remember when you read the Bible; this is the way God speaks to you. When you pray; this is the way you speak to God. God wants us to put our confidence in Him and consult Him in all that we do, not only in our down and out times, but in our good times. Consulting God when everything is running along smoothly will keep us from bringing on problems for ourselves.

When was the last time you consulted God on anything? Now might be a good time to start. A little time spent consulting God can save us from mistakes that will be very costly to us.

There was a three year difference in age between two of our sons. Whatever the oldest did the youngest was confident he could do as well. The older one had been driving for a while. It looked easy enough so the younger son decided he wanted to try to drive a car. Fortunately it was in a parking lot but he made the mistake of hitting the gas pedal when he wanted the brake. He sideswiped a tree putting a dent in the side of the car. It not only made an impression on the car but a deep impression on him. He was not as competent in his abilities as he assumed he was and learned that preparation was key to gaining confidence in all that he did. In life we all learn by mistakes which serve to remind us not to be over confident in ourselves.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

PRAYER:

Lord help me to put my confidence in You and to learn to consult You for the direction and guidance I need in my life in both the good times and the bad times. Forgive me for my mistakes and help me to learn from them. Help my children to see, by the way I live my life, that they should not rely on themselves but seek God's help in all that they do.