GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR AUGUST 31, 2013.
PROVERB:
I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me. Proverbs 8:17.
PROMISE:
He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:8-10.
PRAISE:
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:3-4.
September 1, 2013
Uniqueness: August 30, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 30, 2013.
UNIQUENESS
DEFINITION:
Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single, solitary in type and characteristics; having no like or equal; incomparable; not typical; unusual.
SCRIPTURE:
The officers answered, No man ever spoke like this man. John 7:46.
And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. Luke 2:47.
And they were astonished at His teachings, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Mark 1:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In life there are many unique people, places and things. All of us have seen people that are unique because they have some unique ability. There are places on this earth that are unique because of the topography, wildlife and climate. We all have seen unique things, but today we want to talk about the most unique person that ever lived.
Jesus came to this earth as a man that possessed moral integrity and divine righteousness that marked Him different from all men. He was unique and set apart from all others. Following are seven ways in which Jesus was unique and set Him apart and above all other possible messianic claimants.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS PERSON. The verses in Hebrews 1:1-13 proclaim His uniqueness as the Son of God, the Christ and the God-Man. He spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets (verse 1). He was appointed heir of all things (verse 2). Through Him God made the worlds (verse 2). He is the out-flowing of the glory of God and expresses the perfect character of God (verse 3). He cleansed us from our sins (verse 3). He sat down at the right side of God (verse 3).
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS BIRTH. This uniqueness is outlined in Luke 1:26-35. He was born of a virgin. He was the incarnate God (born in flesh). He was born in the city of Bethlehem as prophesied. His birth was announced by angels. He was born a man, poor, in a stable, cared for in a feeding trough but worshipped by Kings. His birth was signaled by a star. Hosts of angels gave forth praises at His birth.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS POWER. Jesus said in John 10:25: “The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me.” Jesus demonstrated His unique power when He calmed the storm, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, made the lame to walk, and restored life to the dead.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS MINISTRY. In Mark 1:21-28 and the other gospels, we are told that He preached with absolute authority. He was the greatest teacher that ever lived. He performed the mightiest of miracles. He was the greatest healer. He was absolutely Holy and sinless in His person, actions and standards. He was a friend of sinners always offering them salvation. His ministry fulfilled the Old Testament messianic prophecies.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS DEATH. In John 19:16-30 we are told that, as Messiah, He died for people’s sins. He prophesied that He would be put to death. He died as the Passover Lamb as prophesied. He died voluntarily doing His Father’s will. As He endured the agony on the cross He asked for forgiveness for His enemies.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS RESSURECTION. In John 20: 1-31 we read that He rose according to the Old Testament prophecies. He prophesied His own resurrection. He rose from the dead from a sealed and guarded tomb. He appeared alive first to a woman and then over and over again to His disciples for 40 days as well as some 500 others.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS ASCENSION. In Acts 1:1-9 we are told how He was taken into heaven just as Enoch and Elijah were. He went to be with the Father. Jesus made a promise at His ascension that the disciples would receive power to witness for Him after the Holy Spirit came. Jesus commanded them to go into all the world and be witnesses of Him. He went to heaven to take the right seat next to God and to make continual intercession for the believers to God.
HE WILL BE UNIQUE IN HIS SECOND COMING. In Matthew 16:27 we are told that Jesus will return to this earth in power and majesty. He will raise the dead in Christ. He will come as a thief in the night. He will begin the promised millennium Kingdom on this earth and will rescue the tribulation saints
YES -- Jesus is the most UNIQUE person we have ever met. Have you met Him?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
I give praise to You for Your uniqueness that sets You apart above all others who would claim to be God’s promised Messiah. Help me to be a testimony of Your uniqueness and Your power to redeem us from all of our sins. Thank You that You have power over death and have given me the gift of eternal life.
UNIQUENESS
DEFINITION:
Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single, solitary in type and characteristics; having no like or equal; incomparable; not typical; unusual.
SCRIPTURE:
The officers answered, No man ever spoke like this man. John 7:46.
And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. Luke 2:47.
And they were astonished at His teachings, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Mark 1:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In life there are many unique people, places and things. All of us have seen people that are unique because they have some unique ability. There are places on this earth that are unique because of the topography, wildlife and climate. We all have seen unique things, but today we want to talk about the most unique person that ever lived.
Jesus came to this earth as a man that possessed moral integrity and divine righteousness that marked Him different from all men. He was unique and set apart from all others. Following are seven ways in which Jesus was unique and set Him apart and above all other possible messianic claimants.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS PERSON. The verses in Hebrews 1:1-13 proclaim His uniqueness as the Son of God, the Christ and the God-Man. He spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets (verse 1). He was appointed heir of all things (verse 2). Through Him God made the worlds (verse 2). He is the out-flowing of the glory of God and expresses the perfect character of God (verse 3). He cleansed us from our sins (verse 3). He sat down at the right side of God (verse 3).
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS BIRTH. This uniqueness is outlined in Luke 1:26-35. He was born of a virgin. He was the incarnate God (born in flesh). He was born in the city of Bethlehem as prophesied. His birth was announced by angels. He was born a man, poor, in a stable, cared for in a feeding trough but worshipped by Kings. His birth was signaled by a star. Hosts of angels gave forth praises at His birth.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS POWER. Jesus said in John 10:25: “The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me.” Jesus demonstrated His unique power when He calmed the storm, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, made the lame to walk, and restored life to the dead.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS MINISTRY. In Mark 1:21-28 and the other gospels, we are told that He preached with absolute authority. He was the greatest teacher that ever lived. He performed the mightiest of miracles. He was the greatest healer. He was absolutely Holy and sinless in His person, actions and standards. He was a friend of sinners always offering them salvation. His ministry fulfilled the Old Testament messianic prophecies.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS DEATH. In John 19:16-30 we are told that, as Messiah, He died for people’s sins. He prophesied that He would be put to death. He died as the Passover Lamb as prophesied. He died voluntarily doing His Father’s will. As He endured the agony on the cross He asked for forgiveness for His enemies.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS RESSURECTION. In John 20: 1-31 we read that He rose according to the Old Testament prophecies. He prophesied His own resurrection. He rose from the dead from a sealed and guarded tomb. He appeared alive first to a woman and then over and over again to His disciples for 40 days as well as some 500 others.
HE WAS UNIQUE IN HIS ASCENSION. In Acts 1:1-9 we are told how He was taken into heaven just as Enoch and Elijah were. He went to be with the Father. Jesus made a promise at His ascension that the disciples would receive power to witness for Him after the Holy Spirit came. Jesus commanded them to go into all the world and be witnesses of Him. He went to heaven to take the right seat next to God and to make continual intercession for the believers to God.
HE WILL BE UNIQUE IN HIS SECOND COMING. In Matthew 16:27 we are told that Jesus will return to this earth in power and majesty. He will raise the dead in Christ. He will come as a thief in the night. He will begin the promised millennium Kingdom on this earth and will rescue the tribulation saints
YES -- Jesus is the most UNIQUE person we have ever met. Have you met Him?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
I give praise to You for Your uniqueness that sets You apart above all others who would claim to be God’s promised Messiah. Help me to be a testimony of Your uniqueness and Your power to redeem us from all of our sins. Thank You that You have power over death and have given me the gift of eternal life.
Memorization: August 29, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 29, 2013.
MEMORIZATION
DEFINITION:
The mental capacity of retaining and reviving impressions; remembrance; recollection.
SCRIPTURE:
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We both remember well the importance our parents put on us to memorize verses from the Bible. We memorized verses in our homes and when we were in Sunday school each week. We also both remember memorizing Bible verses when we went to daily vacation Bible school each summer. As a teenager Ken memorized hundreds of verses in order to participate in the Youth for Christ Bible quiz program.
One thing we can say with certainty is that we never regretted the time we spent memorizing scripture because even today many of the scriptures we memorized as kids come back to help us in specific times of need.
When our children were living at home, as we have told you before several times, we made it a practice for all of us to have dinner together every night as a family. We had very few exceptions over the more then 30 years that at least one of our children were at home. We felt as parents that this was an important need for several reasons. First, it gave us time together every day with the family. By the way, there was no TV on or text messages coming in. It was a family time without outside distractions.
Secondly, this time at dinner kept the communication line open between our children and us giving each of us the chance to talk about how our day went. Thirdly, each child had an opportunity to share their concerns and blessings with us. Fourthly, it gave us as parents a chance to listen so we could be sensitive to each child's needs and concerns and respond to them before they became major problems.
Probably the most important reason for this practice was that it gave us time every night to read the Bible together and to pray together as a family. We could share prayer needs and hear about people that needed our prayers. Each one of us had our own circle of friends with some overlapping, but hearing prayer requests from each family member broadened our world of concern. We also each week had one verse from the Bible that together as a family we would memorize. It almost became a contest at times between our children as to who could learn a specific verse the fastest. These verses have stayed with us all down through the years. Memorizing God's Word has been so important to the spiritual growth of our children and to us as well.
In the two verses we have listed above we can see the importance of memorizing God's Word. The Psalmist reminds us to hide God's Word in our heart so that we may not sin. Thus it helps us grow spiritually each day that we live. When we hide God's Word in our heart, the scriptures memorized will be a constant reminder for us to walk as Jesus wants us to walk and His Word will guide us in that walk. You will be surprised as to how some of these verses come back to you at a time when you have a special need.
We have been in parts of the world where families did not have their own Bible so they shared one Bible with another family. There also are people in certain areas of our world that have asked for just one Bible for a whole village. When they received their Bible, they tore out a page for each family. They would keep that page for a set time and then trade with another person or family. While they had their one page they would memorize these pages so that they would always have hidden in their hearts the Word of God.
Every place in our world where there are believers, memorizing verses from the Bible has become a priority. One of the reasons for this is that many believers in our world realize that at some point their Bibles could be taken away from them.
Having had this experience with our family, and seeing illustrations of what we have shared above, is the reason we felt it important to add one verse from the Bible each week to these devotionals for us all to memorize together. These verses each week are simple, short but meaningful. We hope you will join us each week in memorizing the verse we suggest under.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Give our family a desire to memorize Your word. Help us to realize how blessed we are to have Your written Word so we can hide it in our hearts. Thank You for the assurance You give that by doing this it will help us not sin against You. As we, as a family, memorize Your Word allow it to make a difference in the way we live and the way we serve You.
MEMORIZATION
DEFINITION:
The mental capacity of retaining and reviving impressions; remembrance; recollection.
SCRIPTURE:
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We both remember well the importance our parents put on us to memorize verses from the Bible. We memorized verses in our homes and when we were in Sunday school each week. We also both remember memorizing Bible verses when we went to daily vacation Bible school each summer. As a teenager Ken memorized hundreds of verses in order to participate in the Youth for Christ Bible quiz program.
One thing we can say with certainty is that we never regretted the time we spent memorizing scripture because even today many of the scriptures we memorized as kids come back to help us in specific times of need.
When our children were living at home, as we have told you before several times, we made it a practice for all of us to have dinner together every night as a family. We had very few exceptions over the more then 30 years that at least one of our children were at home. We felt as parents that this was an important need for several reasons. First, it gave us time together every day with the family. By the way, there was no TV on or text messages coming in. It was a family time without outside distractions.
Secondly, this time at dinner kept the communication line open between our children and us giving each of us the chance to talk about how our day went. Thirdly, each child had an opportunity to share their concerns and blessings with us. Fourthly, it gave us as parents a chance to listen so we could be sensitive to each child's needs and concerns and respond to them before they became major problems.
Probably the most important reason for this practice was that it gave us time every night to read the Bible together and to pray together as a family. We could share prayer needs and hear about people that needed our prayers. Each one of us had our own circle of friends with some overlapping, but hearing prayer requests from each family member broadened our world of concern. We also each week had one verse from the Bible that together as a family we would memorize. It almost became a contest at times between our children as to who could learn a specific verse the fastest. These verses have stayed with us all down through the years. Memorizing God's Word has been so important to the spiritual growth of our children and to us as well.
In the two verses we have listed above we can see the importance of memorizing God's Word. The Psalmist reminds us to hide God's Word in our heart so that we may not sin. Thus it helps us grow spiritually each day that we live. When we hide God's Word in our heart, the scriptures memorized will be a constant reminder for us to walk as Jesus wants us to walk and His Word will guide us in that walk. You will be surprised as to how some of these verses come back to you at a time when you have a special need.
We have been in parts of the world where families did not have their own Bible so they shared one Bible with another family. There also are people in certain areas of our world that have asked for just one Bible for a whole village. When they received their Bible, they tore out a page for each family. They would keep that page for a set time and then trade with another person or family. While they had their one page they would memorize these pages so that they would always have hidden in their hearts the Word of God.
Every place in our world where there are believers, memorizing verses from the Bible has become a priority. One of the reasons for this is that many believers in our world realize that at some point their Bibles could be taken away from them.
Having had this experience with our family, and seeing illustrations of what we have shared above, is the reason we felt it important to add one verse from the Bible each week to these devotionals for us all to memorize together. These verses each week are simple, short but meaningful. We hope you will join us each week in memorizing the verse we suggest under.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Give our family a desire to memorize Your word. Help us to realize how blessed we are to have Your written Word so we can hide it in our hearts. Thank You for the assurance You give that by doing this it will help us not sin against You. As we, as a family, memorize Your Word allow it to make a difference in the way we live and the way we serve You.
Judging: August 28, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 28, 2013.
JUDGING
DEFINITION:
To infer, think or hold as an opinion; to make a mental judgment.
SCRIPTURE:
Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you Matthew 7:1-2
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What better way is there to tell people to mind their own business than by quoting what Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." This happens especially by people who seldom read the Bible. But if you read this seventh chapter of Matthew (verses 1-5) you will see what Jesus meant.
In these verses Jesus pulls no punches concerning the criticizer, the one who judges. In verse one Jesus says, do not judge and do not criticize. In verse two He says the criticizer will be judged. In verse three He mentions that the one who judges should examine himself first. So often things we find fault within others are no worse than the faults in ourselves.
In verse four Jesus says that the criticizer is deceived about himself when he judges others. The one who critizes magnifies the faults of others while excusing his or her own
This makes it very clear what our Lord feels about we as believer’s judging others.
Take a moment and think of all the awful sins listed here committed by the criticizer. Christ says the criticizer will stand in the day of judgment guilty of inconsistency, self-righteousness, spiritual blindness, self deception, uncharitableness, lack of love, hypocrisy and abuse of the gospel.
The word judge means to criticize, condemn or censor. It is fault-finding and most often picky. But when someone thinks judging is necessary they often miss the point that the scripture shares with us. When a person slips it is a time for compassion not censoring. It is time to reach out with a helping hand and not a time to hand out condemnation. It is a time to speak kindly and encourage, not negatively or harmfully.
Most people judge others because it boosts one's self image. It is part of our sinful nature to want to tear others down to build ourselves up. It allows one to justify their decisions at the expense of someone else's decisions. And unfortunately, it is an outlet for one to hurt or show revenge to the one who possibly failed us. Jesus would have us judge ourselves first and then show forgiveness to others. Then we will have no desire to criticize and judge.
We should not judge, first, because the scripture tells us not to judge. Secondly, we do not know all the circumstances and facts. All people fall short and when we fall short we want someone to comfort us, to show compassion and to lend a helping hand.
God is our final judge and believers will be judged by the quality of fruit they produce. This fruit cannot be judged by earthly values but by heavenly values. Galatians 5:22 lists the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Help our family to be slow to judge others and quick to judge ourselves. Help us to produce the fruits of the spirit that will draw people to You and not away. Help us to lead others by Your love and do this as a humble servant of our Lord and Savior.
JUDGING
DEFINITION:
To infer, think or hold as an opinion; to make a mental judgment.
SCRIPTURE:
Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you Matthew 7:1-2
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What better way is there to tell people to mind their own business than by quoting what Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." This happens especially by people who seldom read the Bible. But if you read this seventh chapter of Matthew (verses 1-5) you will see what Jesus meant.
In these verses Jesus pulls no punches concerning the criticizer, the one who judges. In verse one Jesus says, do not judge and do not criticize. In verse two He says the criticizer will be judged. In verse three He mentions that the one who judges should examine himself first. So often things we find fault within others are no worse than the faults in ourselves.
In verse four Jesus says that the criticizer is deceived about himself when he judges others. The one who critizes magnifies the faults of others while excusing his or her own
This makes it very clear what our Lord feels about we as believer’s judging others.
Take a moment and think of all the awful sins listed here committed by the criticizer. Christ says the criticizer will stand in the day of judgment guilty of inconsistency, self-righteousness, spiritual blindness, self deception, uncharitableness, lack of love, hypocrisy and abuse of the gospel.
The word judge means to criticize, condemn or censor. It is fault-finding and most often picky. But when someone thinks judging is necessary they often miss the point that the scripture shares with us. When a person slips it is a time for compassion not censoring. It is time to reach out with a helping hand and not a time to hand out condemnation. It is a time to speak kindly and encourage, not negatively or harmfully.
Most people judge others because it boosts one's self image. It is part of our sinful nature to want to tear others down to build ourselves up. It allows one to justify their decisions at the expense of someone else's decisions. And unfortunately, it is an outlet for one to hurt or show revenge to the one who possibly failed us. Jesus would have us judge ourselves first and then show forgiveness to others. Then we will have no desire to criticize and judge.
We should not judge, first, because the scripture tells us not to judge. Secondly, we do not know all the circumstances and facts. All people fall short and when we fall short we want someone to comfort us, to show compassion and to lend a helping hand.
God is our final judge and believers will be judged by the quality of fruit they produce. This fruit cannot be judged by earthly values but by heavenly values. Galatians 5:22 lists the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Help our family to be slow to judge others and quick to judge ourselves. Help us to produce the fruits of the spirit that will draw people to You and not away. Help us to lead others by Your love and do this as a humble servant of our Lord and Savior.
Content: August 27, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2013.
CONTENT
DEFINITION:
Satisfied, ease of mind and happy.
SCRIPTURE:
I have learned that whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recently we were in the country of Panama. We took a bus for several hours and then rode down a river in a dugout canoe with an outboard motor deep into the rain forest of Panama. We went to an Indian village where we met about 75 Indians. What we found, seeing how they lived, was what we had seen in so many other areas of the world. They had so very little. There was no electricity, no running water, no sewage system and they fished the river for their food. Their homes had thatched roofs with flimsy sides that could be ruined with a strong wind. BUT, they were content. They had very little worries, if any and they seemed so happy that someone came to visit with them and see how they lived.
In the verse above from Philippians, Paul was writing to the church in Philippi and thanking them for a gift they sent him. In this context he wrote the words that we have written above under scripture. These words show us that contentment is not a natural feeling among most men and women. Contentment is one of the flowers given to us from God. If we are to have contentment in our lives we must cultivate it like a flower.
Covetousness, discontent and murmuring are as natural to men as thorns are to a garden or the soil. We need not sow thistles and thorns because they come naturally to earth. This same reasoning deals with men. We do not need to teach one to complain, be jealous or even to lie about something. This comes naturally to all men.
If we want wheat in our fields, we must plough and sow the wheat. If we want flowers in our garden, we must first have a garden and then be willing to care for it. Contentment must be cultivated in our lives just like flowers in the garden. If we are to have contentment it must be cultivated because it will not grow in us by nature.
It is our new nature in Christ alone that can produce contentment. Even then we must be careful to watch it, maintain it and cultivate it with the grace that God has sown in us. Paul says in this verse that he has learned to be content. By saying this he is, inferring that at one time in his life he did not know how to be content. The learning process cost him some pains in his life.
Before Paul met Jesus it would seem he had it all. He was well educated. He had a highly respected position of a Pharisee. He had every reason to be content. He gave up that life for a life of hardship. Paul described his life in I Corinthians 4:21: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.” Does that sound like a life of contentment? Yet it was in hardship that Paul found contentment.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:12 the secret of being content: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
He wrote to Timothy in I Timothy 6:6-8 that godliness with contentment is great gain. He reminded Timothy that we brought nothing into this world and it is a certainty that we cannot take anything out. So therefore having food and clothing (for today) should give us all the contentment we need.
Now Paul was an old man, locked up in Nero’s dungeon at Rome, writing to the friends he loved in the church at Philippi and telling them that he had LEARNED TO BE CONTENT! We learn from Paul that we cannot be content without going through the process of learning. This takes discipline and will not come naturally. We cannot do it in our own strength but we can do it with God’s strength. In order to be content we must learn not to envy or be jealous or covet what others have. Being content in Christ is an achievement that one must learn and then prayerfully work to attain.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Teach me today to learn to be content in You. Help me to realize that contentment comes through depending on your strength to carry me through the tough valleys in life. Thank You for teaching me daily as I read Your word and communicate to You through prayer.
CONTENT
DEFINITION:
Satisfied, ease of mind and happy.
SCRIPTURE:
I have learned that whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Recently we were in the country of Panama. We took a bus for several hours and then rode down a river in a dugout canoe with an outboard motor deep into the rain forest of Panama. We went to an Indian village where we met about 75 Indians. What we found, seeing how they lived, was what we had seen in so many other areas of the world. They had so very little. There was no electricity, no running water, no sewage system and they fished the river for their food. Their homes had thatched roofs with flimsy sides that could be ruined with a strong wind. BUT, they were content. They had very little worries, if any and they seemed so happy that someone came to visit with them and see how they lived.
In the verse above from Philippians, Paul was writing to the church in Philippi and thanking them for a gift they sent him. In this context he wrote the words that we have written above under scripture. These words show us that contentment is not a natural feeling among most men and women. Contentment is one of the flowers given to us from God. If we are to have contentment in our lives we must cultivate it like a flower.
Covetousness, discontent and murmuring are as natural to men as thorns are to a garden or the soil. We need not sow thistles and thorns because they come naturally to earth. This same reasoning deals with men. We do not need to teach one to complain, be jealous or even to lie about something. This comes naturally to all men.
If we want wheat in our fields, we must plough and sow the wheat. If we want flowers in our garden, we must first have a garden and then be willing to care for it. Contentment must be cultivated in our lives just like flowers in the garden. If we are to have contentment it must be cultivated because it will not grow in us by nature.
It is our new nature in Christ alone that can produce contentment. Even then we must be careful to watch it, maintain it and cultivate it with the grace that God has sown in us. Paul says in this verse that he has learned to be content. By saying this he is, inferring that at one time in his life he did not know how to be content. The learning process cost him some pains in his life.
Before Paul met Jesus it would seem he had it all. He was well educated. He had a highly respected position of a Pharisee. He had every reason to be content. He gave up that life for a life of hardship. Paul described his life in I Corinthians 4:21: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.” Does that sound like a life of contentment? Yet it was in hardship that Paul found contentment.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:12 the secret of being content: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
He wrote to Timothy in I Timothy 6:6-8 that godliness with contentment is great gain. He reminded Timothy that we brought nothing into this world and it is a certainty that we cannot take anything out. So therefore having food and clothing (for today) should give us all the contentment we need.
Now Paul was an old man, locked up in Nero’s dungeon at Rome, writing to the friends he loved in the church at Philippi and telling them that he had LEARNED TO BE CONTENT! We learn from Paul that we cannot be content without going through the process of learning. This takes discipline and will not come naturally. We cannot do it in our own strength but we can do it with God’s strength. In order to be content we must learn not to envy or be jealous or covet what others have. Being content in Christ is an achievement that one must learn and then prayerfully work to attain.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
PRAYER:
Teach me today to learn to be content in You. Help me to realize that contentment comes through depending on your strength to carry me through the tough valleys in life. Thank You for teaching me daily as I read Your word and communicate to You through prayer.
Popularity: August 26, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 26, 2013.
POPULARITY
DEFINITION:
The quality of being regarded with approval or affection by people in general.
SCRIPTURE:
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8: 36-37.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What was Jesus really saying to us through the words recorded in Mark 8:36(above)? When He asked, “What it profits a man,” He was bringing to our minds the simple equation of profit and loss, which basically states that one's soul is worth more than all the popularity, all of the riches, and all of the pleasures of this world. No matter how much you have of what the world offers to you, if you do not have salvation in Jesus Christ you are eternally bankrupt.
And in the second verse above (verse 37) He asks what one would consider giving in exchange for his soul. The soul is eternal and therefore worth more than anything that this world has to offer.
Popularity is not a bad thing if it comes for the right reasons and from the right actions. It is when popularity becomes an obsession that it is dangerous because it often leads to compromising one's character. The desire for popularity is one of Satan's tools. Many have sold their souls to the devil to gain popularity.
Everyone wants to be popular and wants to belong to the “in” crowd. Often, however, what the “in” crowd is doing is not the right thing. Popularity inflates the ego and changes the heart. We see this in the life of Saul.
After Saul became King over Israel, he obeyed God and God gave him great victories over Israel’s enemies. Saul’s successes made him popular with the people but his popularity changed him. He not only did not give God the glory but he turned away from God and he had a monument built in his honor (I Samuel 15:12).
Jesus gained His popularity on this earth because He was God. His loving compassion, Godly wisdom, consistent teaching and healing touch made Him someone special and the crowds came to listen to Him.
He was popular because His teachings, His healings and His miracles (such as feeding the 5000) changed people's lives. Huge crowds followed Him wherever He went but He remained humble. He honored God, His Father and gave Him the glory and many were convinced to believe in Him as the Son of God.
When we were raising our children, and it is the same today with our grand children, popularity is important to young people. A young person wants to be liked and popular. Popularity is a fleeting thing and comes and goes quickly. This is why parents need to help their children get their eyes off of the "things" of the world such as popularity and onto the "things" that count for eternity.
When Jesus hung on that cross dying His popularity was disappearing. Even His disciples began to doubt. There he was dying on the cross paying for our sins and the sins of all who lived down through the centuries and there was doubt and sadness across the land. Jesus did not come to earth to be popular. He came to do the unpopular thing, to show us that we are sinners and to provide for us an escape from paying our penalty for our sins. Popularity is not what God wants us to strive for in life. We need to daily work on our relationship with Jesus and then allow Him to work through us. We are here to bring glory to His name.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God
PRAYER:
May my popularity be in You and You only. May I strive today on making people see Christ through me and not me striving to be popular with them.
POPULARITY
DEFINITION:
The quality of being regarded with approval or affection by people in general.
SCRIPTURE:
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8: 36-37.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What was Jesus really saying to us through the words recorded in Mark 8:36(above)? When He asked, “What it profits a man,” He was bringing to our minds the simple equation of profit and loss, which basically states that one's soul is worth more than all the popularity, all of the riches, and all of the pleasures of this world. No matter how much you have of what the world offers to you, if you do not have salvation in Jesus Christ you are eternally bankrupt.
And in the second verse above (verse 37) He asks what one would consider giving in exchange for his soul. The soul is eternal and therefore worth more than anything that this world has to offer.
Popularity is not a bad thing if it comes for the right reasons and from the right actions. It is when popularity becomes an obsession that it is dangerous because it often leads to compromising one's character. The desire for popularity is one of Satan's tools. Many have sold their souls to the devil to gain popularity.
Everyone wants to be popular and wants to belong to the “in” crowd. Often, however, what the “in” crowd is doing is not the right thing. Popularity inflates the ego and changes the heart. We see this in the life of Saul.
After Saul became King over Israel, he obeyed God and God gave him great victories over Israel’s enemies. Saul’s successes made him popular with the people but his popularity changed him. He not only did not give God the glory but he turned away from God and he had a monument built in his honor (I Samuel 15:12).
Jesus gained His popularity on this earth because He was God. His loving compassion, Godly wisdom, consistent teaching and healing touch made Him someone special and the crowds came to listen to Him.
He was popular because His teachings, His healings and His miracles (such as feeding the 5000) changed people's lives. Huge crowds followed Him wherever He went but He remained humble. He honored God, His Father and gave Him the glory and many were convinced to believe in Him as the Son of God.
When we were raising our children, and it is the same today with our grand children, popularity is important to young people. A young person wants to be liked and popular. Popularity is a fleeting thing and comes and goes quickly. This is why parents need to help their children get their eyes off of the "things" of the world such as popularity and onto the "things" that count for eternity.
When Jesus hung on that cross dying His popularity was disappearing. Even His disciples began to doubt. There he was dying on the cross paying for our sins and the sins of all who lived down through the centuries and there was doubt and sadness across the land. Jesus did not come to earth to be popular. He came to do the unpopular thing, to show us that we are sinners and to provide for us an escape from paying our penalty for our sins. Popularity is not what God wants us to strive for in life. We need to daily work on our relationship with Jesus and then allow Him to work through us. We are here to bring glory to His name.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God
PRAYER:
May my popularity be in You and You only. May I strive today on making people see Christ through me and not me striving to be popular with them.
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