Gems of Encouragement: July 20, 2013

GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY JULY 20, 2013.

PROVERB:

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. Proverbs 26:20-21.

PROMISE:

God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastics 12:14.

PRAISE:

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All you have made will praise you, O Lord; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your Kingdom and speak of Your might. Psalm 145: 8-11.

Love: July 19, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 19, 2013

LOVE

DEFINITION:

Powerful attraction to another; a warm concern.

SCRIPTURE:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It was 56 years ago today that we were married in a church in St. Louis Missouri with no air condition and the temperature at about 100 degrees. This was a day that we will never forget not only because it was our wedding day but the theme of our wedding ceremony was love and we have never forgotten that love is the key to our relationship. When we chose TODAY’S WORD for today the word love was the first that came to mind. The scripture has much to say about love and we want to share with you today a few thoughts about love.

There is no way to get around it, almost all we do as believers in Jesus needs to be done in love and as a result of God’s great love for us. Think about it. We are not to make merciless judgments but we are to love one another. Do not just say that we have faith in God but show it by your good works in love for one another.

The test of love is so important that Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).

But we have learned over the years that sometimes this can be very hard. Satan certainly sees to that. How many times has Satan taken your weakness and pitted you against someone else? Friction, hurt feelings and discouragement sets in and you just want to give up when you realize what has happened. Of course, we are not perfect but we have learned over the years that God is perfect and will lead us through these valleys of temptations and failures as long as we put our complete trust in Him. His love can perfect our love. What a promise. What a command and what an opportunity we have when we look at love in this manner.

Over the years we raised six children. We cannot count how many times one of them said to us, I love you mommy or I love you daddy. When we heard those words, warmth went through our whole body. It took away any tension we may have been facing and melted away our frustrations. The result, without exception, was an overwhelming desire to love in return.

This is the power of God’s love to us. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. His love is so powerful that it breaks all walls of hostility. His love frees us from the chains of sin and the clutches of death. His love fills us so full that there is no room for hate or self-pity.

The love of Christ has been so powerful in our lives that it is like “glue” with the power and capacity to hold life together for us in perfect harmony and usefulness. On this our anniversary we pray that you have experienced personally the love of Christ and that you will lean on His love to guide you and strengthen you as you face the trials and temptations of life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

Our prayer today is that the love that You have given us and the love we have had for one another might be a reality to all who read these words. Help us to share with all those we meet today Your love for them and what You have done for them because you love them.

Prepare: July 18, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JULY 18. 2013.

PREPARE

DEFINITION:

To put in proper condition or readiness; to make suitable for a specific purpose.

SCRIPTURE:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed. II Timothy 2:15

Therefore, prepare your minds for action. I Peter 1:13NIV.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Early on we worked at training our children to prepare for the things that were part of their daily lives. It seemed to us that each child picked up and learned the trait of being prepared in most areas of their lives. They learned to see the importance of being prepared every day with their homework that they brought home from school. They always were prepared for their sporting events. Their competitive natures seemed to drive them to be prepared in most areas of their lives.

We also noticed that every week they would memorize our family scripture verse. They knew that at the end of the week we would have each one recite the verse and they all were prepared and recited it well. It was important to them not to be just mentally and physically prepared but to be spiritually prepared.

The scriptures give us many examples of the preparation that God required of His children. We will discuss one of these examples today.

After God had miraculously parted the Jordan River so the Children of Israel could enter Canaan, the Israelites were anxious to conquer the surrounding nations so that they could occupy the land God had promised them. God however said "Time out --- not so fast!"  God did not want them to rush into Canaan without being prepared.

The first thing God had them do in preparation was to set up the memorial of twelve stones. God had them do this to remind them that it was God who parted the Jordan River and that they were serving a God of might and power.

The second thing that God asked the Israelites to do was to circumcise every male. When God made His covenant (promise) with Abraham that He would make him the father of a great nation, God established that circumcision would be a symbol of cutting off the old life and beginning a new life with God. This was a sign of belonging to God.

The third thing that God required them to do was to celebrate the Passover which was a celebration of the night in Egypt that the angel of death passed over the Israelites homes sparing the lives of their first born. God wanted them to remember the mighty miracles of God that He had done in bringing them out of Egypt to the Promised Land.

There was special significance to these three steps of preparation that God asked the Children of Israel to do. He wanted to establish the importance of worshipping Him. They were to trust in God and in Him alone!

They were to serve God and no other gods because they were His chosen people. They were set apart from the rest of the world and belonged to God.

They were to recognize that God is faithful and fulfills His promises thus He is the one that should receive the glory.

Just as God wanted the Israelites to take time out and prepare for the challenges that were before them, God wants us to take time out to prepare each day for the challenges we will face in life. Taking time for God each day is just as important today as it was in the days of Joshua.

We coached the soccer and baseball teams that several of our children were playing on. In order to be adept in the game we required the team to practice on a regular basis each week so that they as a team would be prepared for the game on Saturday. Our teams always did well and that was because they came to each game ready and prepared. Each one knew their role and the importance of team work. They knew what to do and how to do it before the start of the game.

Take a moment right now and make sure you have taken time with God today to be prepared for what you will face this day. When you are obedient to God’s commandments and seek His guidance, He will lead you in the right way and you will have victory over your challenges.

LEARNING

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

Lord keep me faithful each day so that I take "time out" to spend time reading Your Word and in prayer. Encourage me so that I will know that this will prepare me for the challenges I will face each day. Guide me as I teach and prepare my children so that they may stand strong in these times of great temptation. Help me to get them ready for the "game of life" so that they may be victorious.

Meditation: July 17, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 17, 2013.

MEDITATION

DEFINITION:

Continued or extended thought; thoughtful and careful contemplation; devout religious or spiritual introspection.

SCRIPTURE:

Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8.

But the way of the righteous is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

The book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When you are out walking, riding the bus, driving the car or just sitting and relaxing, where does your mind wander to? Are you thinking about all your problems, family issues, all the work stacked up on your desk, someone or something that annoys you, envy, jealousy of someone who has something that you do not have, the frustration of traffic and the aggressive drivers who are always cutting you off or just plain day dreaming? You, no doubt, have a list of your own.

These verses that we have listed above remind us to meditate on God's Word day and night. This means thinking about what you read in the Bible. Of course, you must first read God's Word before you can meditate on it. Please do not pass over this statement. Again we say --- as a believer you must read the Bible each morning before you can meditate on it during the day. How else can God speak to you? Each day after you read the Bible take a few minutes to think about what you have read and apply it to your life. As you meditate ask yourself how the life you are living stacks up against God's principles that you have read about. You cannot miss His principles because they are on every page of the Bible. You need to take a hard look at what changes you need in your life.

After the death of Moses, Joshua became Israel's leader and had the responsibility to lead two million people to the Promised Land. God spoke to Joshua and reassured him that just as He had been with Moses, He would be with him. In Joshua 1:8 (as written above) God gave a commandment to Joshua to be obedient to God's law and instructed Joshua to meditate on God's Word day and night. God expects the same from us today.

Most believers would agree it is important to read God's Word but many do not really meditate on the Word of God and think about how it applies to their daily life. When you read God's Word do you take time to really understand what you have read and reflect on what God is saying to you? God speaks to us through His Word.

Our thoughts have a profound influence on the way we live our lives. What we allow to occupy our minds will sooner or later come out in what we say or do. If we dwell on our anger eventually we will erupt with angry words or even worse with angry actions. If our thoughts are evil our deeds will be evil. Our thoughts reflect our character and meditating on God's Word will make a difference in our thinking, our attitudes and our actions.

Paul, before he found Christ as his Savior, had allowed his hate for those who believed in Jesus to drive him to persecute them and to have them thrown into prison. Paul well understood how thoughts influence what we do and how they determine the kind of person we really are. If you want to change your life, Paul after he found Jesus, offers a solution as to how to change our thinking. In Philippians 4:8 (above) we are given his list of things that will lead us to a God honoring thought pattern which will lead to a positive change in how we live our lives. When we have God in our life and we are meditating on His Word, God changes "things" because He changes us.

Just think how your outlook on life might change if you would spend your time meditating day and night on God's Word instead of worrying about all the things that are troubling you.

Would your life style change? Would your thinking change? What would happen to all your problems in life? What role would worry play in your life? How would your family treat you and how would you treat your family?

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to spend our time thinking on things that are pure, noble, just, lovely, praiseworthy and things of good report. Your life will change if you would meditate day and night on these things.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

Help me today to learn how to meditate on Your Word and make my heart receptive to Your instruction. Thank You for changing my thought patterns so that I can think on those things that honor and glorify Your name.

Signs: July 16, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY JULY 16, 2013.

SIGNS

DEFINITION:

Something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual; divinely ordained event pointing to something larger or more important; miracle.

SCRIPTURE:

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Recently we have received many e-mails asking us if there are signs or miracles in the scriptures that would help them know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God. We have many wonderful new friends that we have heard from in third world countries that are besieged with false teachings and they especially need this devotional to encourage them in their faith.

In the book of John, the author John records seven signs or miracles that prove the deity of Jesus Christ. The word "SIGNS" in the gospel of John is the key that unlocks the door to our understanding of the good news of the gospel. In this gospel of John there are signs in the form of miracles, powers, wonders, and of words. John's purpose was twofold: First, that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Secondly, that by believing we may have life in His name.

Following are the seven signs or miracles that John recorded for us to prove the deity of Jesus Christ:

•             Jesus turned water into wine to prove His power to create. (John 2:1-11)

•             Jesus healed the Nobleman's son to prove His power to prolong life. (John 4:46-54)

•             Jesus healed a sick man at the pool of Bethesda to prove His power to give life. (John 5:1-18)

•             Jesus fed the five thousand with a lad's lunch to prove His power to supply the necessities of life. (John 6:1-14)

•             Jesus walked on the water to prove His power to protect life. (John 6:15-21)

•             Jesus gave sight to a blind beggar to prove His power to illuminate life. (John 9:1-4)

•             Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to prove His power to re-create life. (John 11:38-44)

In John 20:28 we read probably the most heartfelt confession of faith ever uttered or written. When Thomas saw Jesus after His death and resurrection he said: "MY LORD AND MY GOD."

These words spoken to Jesus by Thomas were a declaration of Jesus divinity and deity. Thomas recognized that Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God.

The words "MY LORD" indicate his full commitment to Jesus. The words "MY GOD" indicate his intellectual conviction that Jesus is God. Saving faith demands total commitment to Christ as Lord and Master and intellectual conviction that He is the God-Man.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

I praise You dear Lord that You are my Savior, my God and my Redeemer. Thank You for the many illustrations that are given in Your Word that assures me that my faith is real. Thank You for the signs that You send my way that keep me aware that You are with me always in all that I do.

Innocence: July 15, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JULY 15, 2013.

INNOCENCE

DEFINITION:

Free from moral wrong; without sin; without evil intent or motive.

SCRIPTURE:

How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Genesis 39:9

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent and separated from the sinners and the undefiled, exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the first eleven verses of Genesis 37 we read about Joseph's life as a young boy. Joseph was Jacob's favorite son and his brothers resented him for it. The older brothers were off attending their father's flock and Jacob would send Joseph to check on them. Unfortunately, Joseph found them doing bad things and had to give his father a bad report. This added to the brother's resentment of Joseph. Joseph was innocent. He was trying to do right for his father.

Joseph again innocently further provoked his brothers hostility when he told his family about his God-given dreams which portrayed that he would rule over them. Again Joseph told them innocently and he had no evil motive or intent.

Although Joseph had done no wrong his brothers plotted to kill Joseph but settled on selling him to slave traders. We need to note that this was God’s plan for Joseph. His brothers took his robe and put blood stains on it and returned it to their father as evidence that Joseph was dead. The slave traders sold him to Potiphar, a high Egyptian official. At the young age of perhaps 17, Joseph was separated from his family and living in a strange country far from home and as a mere slave.

In spite of the hardships of life as a slave, Joseph remained faithful to God and God blessed him. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him but Joseph refused her saying, "How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God." (Genesis 39:9) She then lied to Potiphar and falsely accused Joseph of trying to seduce her. Joseph was then thrown into prison even though, once again, he was innocent.

Joseph is seen as a type of Christ; an innocent person who suffered because of the wickedness of others and through him the chosen people were delivered from certain death. Joseph's silence as his brothers debated his fate reminds us of the silence of Christ before His judges.

Jesus was falsely accused. He was innocent of any wrong doing as was Joseph. Joseph was thrown into prison but Jesus was crucified. By His death, Jesus delivered us from eternal death when He gained the victory over death by rising from the dead.

Jesus is alive and our high priest today. Like the high priests in the Bible, He is the perfect High Priest because He is Holy, innocent and undefiled. As our High priest, Jesus makes continuing intercession for us before God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

Thank You for the reminder You have given us in the life of Joseph preparing us to look to You for our salvation from the evils of this world. Help me to lead my family to trust in You and to put You first in all that we do as individuals and as a family.