SEPTEMBER 7 2013. GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
PROVERB:
At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly. Proverbs 5:11-14
PROMISE:
Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17
PRAISE:
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. Psalm 25: 8-10
September 8, 2013
Regret: September 6, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2013.
REGRET
DEFINITION:
To feel sorrow or remorse for an act, fault or failure.
SCRIPTURE:
When Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, saw that He was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood. Matthew 27:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people could write a book about all of the times they regretted something they said or did. Let us assure you that as we think about what we will write about this word "regret," we think of many incidents that pop out in our minds. Most often we regret what we say or do too late. The damage has already been done.
When we think of the best illustration in the Bible about regret we think of the deep regret that Judas must have had after he realized what a terrible thing he had done to Jesus.
Judas was seized with remorse. By this time the chief priests and the elders had made their decision to put Jesus to death. When Judas realized that Jesus was going to be killed he regretted deeply what he had done so much so that he went to the chief priests and returned the money he had received to betray Jesus. He wanted to undo what he had done so he confessed to the chief priests and elders saying, "I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood."
He hoped his confession and his profession that Jesus was innocent would change the minds of the chief priests and the elders. It was too late. His thoughtless act of betrayal had already set in motion the consequences of what he had done.
Who we are and what we are develops out of the decisions we make in life. Every day we make choices. We choose what we do, where we go, who we talk to, what we read and what we watch. All of our choices have consequences. Our choices will either have a positive effect on our life or a negative one. And something we do not often consider is that our choices affect others.
On every decision we make we should think before we act. It is our nature to want immediate gratification. When that is our motive we will make bad decisions that we will regret later and most of the time too late to make right. Even an apology is really not sufficient because the damage is already done.
Any decision that we make that is in disobedience to God's laws will bring consequences that will cause us to regret what we have done. We need to consider each day if our decisions are made in accordance to what God wants us to do.
Sunday schools some years ago used the phrase "What would Jesus do?" in teaching children how to make the right decisions. WWJD became the acronym for that phrase. Some of our grandchildren had bracelets that they wore with WWJD on them. It was a reminder to them to stop and consider what Jesus would do in the same situation that they were in. That is exactly the question we should ask ourselves before we make a decision. If we did this we would have fewer regrets.
God never makes us do anything but He is always there waiting for us to ask for His guidance and help to make the right decisions.
Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus. Regret is never enough. He went to the wrong people to set things right. Judas confessed to the high priests that he had sinned and betrayed an innocent man. Judas should have repented and sought forgiveness from Jesus. If there are things you have done or are doing that you regret, now is the time to repent and ask God's forgiveness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Lord, I come to You, asking You to lead me and guide me in every decision I need to make today. Help me to evaluate all the consequences of my decisions. Give me wisdom so that I can see what Jesus would want me to do. I regret and confess my sins of disobedience to You and ask for Your forgiveness.
REGRET
DEFINITION:
To feel sorrow or remorse for an act, fault or failure.
SCRIPTURE:
When Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, saw that He was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood. Matthew 27:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people could write a book about all of the times they regretted something they said or did. Let us assure you that as we think about what we will write about this word "regret," we think of many incidents that pop out in our minds. Most often we regret what we say or do too late. The damage has already been done.
When we think of the best illustration in the Bible about regret we think of the deep regret that Judas must have had after he realized what a terrible thing he had done to Jesus.
Judas was seized with remorse. By this time the chief priests and the elders had made their decision to put Jesus to death. When Judas realized that Jesus was going to be killed he regretted deeply what he had done so much so that he went to the chief priests and returned the money he had received to betray Jesus. He wanted to undo what he had done so he confessed to the chief priests and elders saying, "I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood."
He hoped his confession and his profession that Jesus was innocent would change the minds of the chief priests and the elders. It was too late. His thoughtless act of betrayal had already set in motion the consequences of what he had done.
Who we are and what we are develops out of the decisions we make in life. Every day we make choices. We choose what we do, where we go, who we talk to, what we read and what we watch. All of our choices have consequences. Our choices will either have a positive effect on our life or a negative one. And something we do not often consider is that our choices affect others.
On every decision we make we should think before we act. It is our nature to want immediate gratification. When that is our motive we will make bad decisions that we will regret later and most of the time too late to make right. Even an apology is really not sufficient because the damage is already done.
Any decision that we make that is in disobedience to God's laws will bring consequences that will cause us to regret what we have done. We need to consider each day if our decisions are made in accordance to what God wants us to do.
Sunday schools some years ago used the phrase "What would Jesus do?" in teaching children how to make the right decisions. WWJD became the acronym for that phrase. Some of our grandchildren had bracelets that they wore with WWJD on them. It was a reminder to them to stop and consider what Jesus would do in the same situation that they were in. That is exactly the question we should ask ourselves before we make a decision. If we did this we would have fewer regrets.
God never makes us do anything but He is always there waiting for us to ask for His guidance and help to make the right decisions.
Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus. Regret is never enough. He went to the wrong people to set things right. Judas confessed to the high priests that he had sinned and betrayed an innocent man. Judas should have repented and sought forgiveness from Jesus. If there are things you have done or are doing that you regret, now is the time to repent and ask God's forgiveness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Lord, I come to You, asking You to lead me and guide me in every decision I need to make today. Help me to evaluate all the consequences of my decisions. Give me wisdom so that I can see what Jesus would want me to do. I regret and confess my sins of disobedience to You and ask for Your forgiveness.
Kindness: September 5, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2013.
KINDNESS
DEFINITION:
The quality of being friendly, generous and considerate; showing consideration.
SCRIPTURE:
He who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Do everything in love. I Corinthians 16:14
Hatred stirs up strife, but kindness [love] covers all sins Proverbs 10:12
Love is patient, love is kind. I Corinthians 13:4.
But if you love those that love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those that love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. So love your enemies, do good, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful [kind], just as your father also is merciful.
Luke 6:32-33, 35-36.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As you read the above scriptures, did you notice that when you show love you show it by acts of kindness? But you must not only love and show kindness to those that love you but you also must love and show kindness to your enemies just as God loves you and is merciful and kind to you. That makes it much harder, doesn't it?
Emily Dickinson once said: "Some say that a word is dead when it is said. I say it just begins to live that day." Nothing can hurt more than a harsh word. The words we say may have long lasting consequences. As Christians we need to constantly ask God to help us show kindness to all we meet. Kindness can be expressed by our words. We also need to show kindness by our actions even to those who wish us harm.
It is in our heart that we store our feelings and it is what is in our heart that motivates our actions. Before we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and been set free from sin, the desires of our sinful nature hold sway in our heart. When we accept Jesus as our Savior the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and produces the fruits of the Spirit within us. These fruits of the Spirit are the character traits of Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Our actions and our words need to reflect the heart of the One who paid the ultimate price to come to our rescue when we needed Him the most. Our comments and our complaints may stick with the hearer for decades. Unkind words once spoken can never be taken back. My [Dottie] mother admonished me that if I could not say something nice and kind it would be better to say nothing at all.
Some time ago I was having lunch with a Christian leader who was and still is President of a ministry. We were talking about the past when he reminded me that we had met close to 45 years before and we had had a lengthy conversation about the value of investing our lives in Christian ministries. He thanked me several times during our visit, for being so kind to listen to him and to respond to his needs. Kindness sometimes is just giving some time and listening. I took the time to be kind to him at a time when he was searching for God's will in his life. Words of kindness and encouragement that are given may not seem much when given, but so many times kind words are never forgotten and certainly harsh words are difficult to forget. As Christians we need to make sure our words are at all times words of kindness and encouragement.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity you give us to serve You. Help our family to show kindness to those whom we meet. Help us to restrain our lips when some word or thought hurts us. Lead us to respond by being kind and loving just as You have told us in Your Word. Thank You for teaching us to help the poor, the rich, the sick and the healthy just as You so loved the world.
KINDNESS
DEFINITION:
The quality of being friendly, generous and considerate; showing consideration.
SCRIPTURE:
He who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Do everything in love. I Corinthians 16:14
Hatred stirs up strife, but kindness [love] covers all sins Proverbs 10:12
Love is patient, love is kind. I Corinthians 13:4.
But if you love those that love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those that love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. So love your enemies, do good, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful [kind], just as your father also is merciful.
Luke 6:32-33, 35-36.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As you read the above scriptures, did you notice that when you show love you show it by acts of kindness? But you must not only love and show kindness to those that love you but you also must love and show kindness to your enemies just as God loves you and is merciful and kind to you. That makes it much harder, doesn't it?
Emily Dickinson once said: "Some say that a word is dead when it is said. I say it just begins to live that day." Nothing can hurt more than a harsh word. The words we say may have long lasting consequences. As Christians we need to constantly ask God to help us show kindness to all we meet. Kindness can be expressed by our words. We also need to show kindness by our actions even to those who wish us harm.
It is in our heart that we store our feelings and it is what is in our heart that motivates our actions. Before we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and been set free from sin, the desires of our sinful nature hold sway in our heart. When we accept Jesus as our Savior the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and produces the fruits of the Spirit within us. These fruits of the Spirit are the character traits of Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Our actions and our words need to reflect the heart of the One who paid the ultimate price to come to our rescue when we needed Him the most. Our comments and our complaints may stick with the hearer for decades. Unkind words once spoken can never be taken back. My [Dottie] mother admonished me that if I could not say something nice and kind it would be better to say nothing at all.
Some time ago I was having lunch with a Christian leader who was and still is President of a ministry. We were talking about the past when he reminded me that we had met close to 45 years before and we had had a lengthy conversation about the value of investing our lives in Christian ministries. He thanked me several times during our visit, for being so kind to listen to him and to respond to his needs. Kindness sometimes is just giving some time and listening. I took the time to be kind to him at a time when he was searching for God's will in his life. Words of kindness and encouragement that are given may not seem much when given, but so many times kind words are never forgotten and certainly harsh words are difficult to forget. As Christians we need to make sure our words are at all times words of kindness and encouragement.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity you give us to serve You. Help our family to show kindness to those whom we meet. Help us to restrain our lips when some word or thought hurts us. Lead us to respond by being kind and loving just as You have told us in Your Word. Thank You for teaching us to help the poor, the rich, the sick and the healthy just as You so loved the world.
Purpose: September 4, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2013.
PURPOSE
DEFINITION:
The reason for which something exists, is done or made; an intended or desired result, objective.
SCRIPTURE:
We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. II Corinthians 1:8.
What shall I say, Father save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. John 12:27
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people today live a life with no purpose really in mind. We are creatures of habit. We get up in the morning and go about a routine getting ourselves ready to go to school, to work or to do whatever we have to do. Our days are routine and then we return home at night facing the same evening routine that we face daily.
Some people, though, have a purpose in life. The problem with most people that have a purpose, that purpose has no hope or any kind of a future. In most cases those that do have a purpose in life have such based on a goal. They want to be rich, popular, famous or whatever.
The only people we know that really have a beneficial purpose in life are those that know Jesus as their Savior. Purpose comes from the priorities that one has. Those who believe in Jesus know that they have a purpose. Believers have the God given purpose to be Christ's witnesses to all those they meet. The message is that He died and rose again from the dead to save us and give us eternal life. The reason we have a purpose in life is because Jesus fulfilled His purpose for us.
In John 6:38 Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was to do the will of the Father. Jesus also knew that it was the will of the father for Him to be crucified on the cross carrying all of our sins for us. It was a moment He did not want to face because He was human and it would be a horrible death, but what He dreaded most was the separation from His Father that would come as a result of taking our sins upon Himself. But Jesus put aside His desires for the will of the Father and thus would fulfill the purpose He was sent to earth.
Paul too, was willing to suffer to fulfill God’s purpose. He told the church at Corinth (above verse) that his persecution was so intense that he "despaired even of life." But he knew that this was God's purpose for his life at that time. Because he kept his focus on God, he was able to endure joyfully instead of becoming overwhelmed.
Paul learned through what God took him through not to trust in himself but in God (verse 9). "Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we night not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” Paul had such great faith that even in the direst of circumstances He knew that God was at work to accomplish His purpose.
God has a purpose for each of us and He wants us to fulfill that purpose. But so many believers sit back and stay in the comfort zone of their daily routine and never step out in faith to fulfill God's purpose in their life. Trials in life may be part of God's plan to accomplish His purpose in our life. Trials make us think and thinking makes us wiser and wisdom helps us see our weaknesses and our need to rely on the Lord.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Give my family the grace we need today to trust You when our burdens seem too much to bear. Make our lives purposeful so that we can honor Your name in all we do. Help us to daily rise above the evils of this world and to be a testimony to people that have no purpose for living.
PURPOSE
DEFINITION:
The reason for which something exists, is done or made; an intended or desired result, objective.
SCRIPTURE:
We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. II Corinthians 1:8.
What shall I say, Father save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. John 12:27
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people today live a life with no purpose really in mind. We are creatures of habit. We get up in the morning and go about a routine getting ourselves ready to go to school, to work or to do whatever we have to do. Our days are routine and then we return home at night facing the same evening routine that we face daily.
Some people, though, have a purpose in life. The problem with most people that have a purpose, that purpose has no hope or any kind of a future. In most cases those that do have a purpose in life have such based on a goal. They want to be rich, popular, famous or whatever.
The only people we know that really have a beneficial purpose in life are those that know Jesus as their Savior. Purpose comes from the priorities that one has. Those who believe in Jesus know that they have a purpose. Believers have the God given purpose to be Christ's witnesses to all those they meet. The message is that He died and rose again from the dead to save us and give us eternal life. The reason we have a purpose in life is because Jesus fulfilled His purpose for us.
In John 6:38 Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was to do the will of the Father. Jesus also knew that it was the will of the father for Him to be crucified on the cross carrying all of our sins for us. It was a moment He did not want to face because He was human and it would be a horrible death, but what He dreaded most was the separation from His Father that would come as a result of taking our sins upon Himself. But Jesus put aside His desires for the will of the Father and thus would fulfill the purpose He was sent to earth.
Paul too, was willing to suffer to fulfill God’s purpose. He told the church at Corinth (above verse) that his persecution was so intense that he "despaired even of life." But he knew that this was God's purpose for his life at that time. Because he kept his focus on God, he was able to endure joyfully instead of becoming overwhelmed.
Paul learned through what God took him through not to trust in himself but in God (verse 9). "Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we night not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” Paul had such great faith that even in the direst of circumstances He knew that God was at work to accomplish His purpose.
God has a purpose for each of us and He wants us to fulfill that purpose. But so many believers sit back and stay in the comfort zone of their daily routine and never step out in faith to fulfill God's purpose in their life. Trials in life may be part of God's plan to accomplish His purpose in our life. Trials make us think and thinking makes us wiser and wisdom helps us see our weaknesses and our need to rely on the Lord.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Give my family the grace we need today to trust You when our burdens seem too much to bear. Make our lives purposeful so that we can honor Your name in all we do. Help us to daily rise above the evils of this world and to be a testimony to people that have no purpose for living.
Trust: September 3, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2013.
TRUST
DEFINITION:
The reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; having a confident expectation; to place ones confidence in.
SCRIPTURE:
Trust in the Lord and do good. Psalm 37:3
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
How many people do you really trust enough to confide in them real personal concerns? When you put your trust in a person they often, for one reason or another, fail you in your time of need. It is a sad fact of life, but many people whom we put our confidence in will betray our trust at the first opportunity if there is something they can gain from it.
Putting your trust in people today is most of the time an unreliable action. People in general are undependable. But putting your trust in God is always reliable. God will never betray us.
We often refer to the children of Israel in these devotionals and we are going to do this again today. As you know the children of Israel wandered around the desert for forty years. Much of this long trek was because they often forgot to put their trust in God and God, because of this, lengthened their time wandering in the dessert. He delayed their entrance into the Promised Land until He was sure that they would keep their trust in Him.
In Exodus 16:2-3 we read of one of those times that the children of Israel lost their confidence in Moses and thus in God and it reads that the whole congregation, all of the children of Israel, complained to Moses in the wilderness. They said, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full." They went on to complain by saying that, "you (Moses) have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
The scripture then goes on to tell us that God said to Moses that He would rain down bread from heaven and they should gather the food daily taking only the amount they needed. On the sixth day He would provide double what they picked on the other days so they could observe the Sabbath as a day of rest. God said to Moses that the reason He gave such specific details about how the manna was gathered was to test their obedience and their trust in God. Trusting God requires obedience to Him. What a wonderful illustration for us to read about so we can learn that God wants us to trust Him and if we obey Him, He will provide for us all that we need in the time we need it.
Have you ever noticed the complete trust that young children have in their parents? When our children were young we took home movies of the children taking their first steps. When we watched those movies several years later we saw how hesitant they were to take that first step. They did not trust that next step that they needed to take. They were not sure if they would fall or keep standing. They would take a step or two, hesitate and then sit down. But they never quit, they would get right up and try again.
In the process of learning to walk our children would eagerly grasp our outstretched hand with complete trust that we would support them and keep them safe from falling. As they became confident enough to walk without falling, they outgrew their need to hold our hand.
This reminds us that God is holding out His hand to help us take every step. But the difference is that we will never outgrow our need to trust God and we will daily need Him to stand beside us and hold our hand through the turbulences of life.
One of our great examples of trust comes from the Old Testament. Abraham's name meant "Father of Nations," yet he and his wife Sarah were still childless in their nineties. It seemed impossible that God's promise of a son could ever be fulfilled. The Lord, however, said to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14. Abraham trusted God to honor His promise of an heir and God in His perfect timing fulfilled His promise to Abraham with the birth of his son Isaac. As God stood by Abraham and rewarded his trust, so will God reward us if we put our full trust in Him.
We must learn as families to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children especially as they get older because they want to do everything their own way. Children, youth and adults receive continual peer pressure to just do what you want to do not taking into consideration whether it is even right or wrong. We are sure you have heard people say, "If it feels good just do it." Unfortunately, doing something because "we feel like it'" comes without much of a thought process. We see evidence of this over and over again in the world we live in today and the resulting disasters that come from these actions. God allows us to go ahead and do whatever "we feel like." Unfortunately doing what “we feel like” has consequences, yet even in our disobedience, because of His great love for us, He is always available holding out His hand saying "Trust Me, let Me help you and guide you."
Have you really given any thought as to what or who you have your trust in today? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us who we should trust in, the Lord, and how we should trust, with all your heart, and who we should not trust, lean not on your own understanding, and then the result, He will direct your paths.
We taught our children to trust the Lord daily and to do it with all their hearts and mind. We can trust God because He is trustworthy. It is a thrill for us today to watch our children teach their children (our grandchildren) the same. Along with trusting God, parents must be trustworthy in all that they do. Parents must prove themselves trustworthy to their children and then teach their children to be trustworthy not only by their words but by their actions and deeds. Mutual trustworthiness is a key to a strong family.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Help me as an individual to put my complete trust in God. Enable me to learn not to run ahead or lag behind doing what God wants from me. Allow me to lead my family by my actions and words to put their trust completely in the hands of their Lord and Savior, the one and only true God.
TRUST
DEFINITION:
The reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person; having a confident expectation; to place ones confidence in.
SCRIPTURE:
Trust in the Lord and do good. Psalm 37:3
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
How many people do you really trust enough to confide in them real personal concerns? When you put your trust in a person they often, for one reason or another, fail you in your time of need. It is a sad fact of life, but many people whom we put our confidence in will betray our trust at the first opportunity if there is something they can gain from it.
Putting your trust in people today is most of the time an unreliable action. People in general are undependable. But putting your trust in God is always reliable. God will never betray us.
We often refer to the children of Israel in these devotionals and we are going to do this again today. As you know the children of Israel wandered around the desert for forty years. Much of this long trek was because they often forgot to put their trust in God and God, because of this, lengthened their time wandering in the dessert. He delayed their entrance into the Promised Land until He was sure that they would keep their trust in Him.
In Exodus 16:2-3 we read of one of those times that the children of Israel lost their confidence in Moses and thus in God and it reads that the whole congregation, all of the children of Israel, complained to Moses in the wilderness. They said, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full." They went on to complain by saying that, "you (Moses) have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
The scripture then goes on to tell us that God said to Moses that He would rain down bread from heaven and they should gather the food daily taking only the amount they needed. On the sixth day He would provide double what they picked on the other days so they could observe the Sabbath as a day of rest. God said to Moses that the reason He gave such specific details about how the manna was gathered was to test their obedience and their trust in God. Trusting God requires obedience to Him. What a wonderful illustration for us to read about so we can learn that God wants us to trust Him and if we obey Him, He will provide for us all that we need in the time we need it.
Have you ever noticed the complete trust that young children have in their parents? When our children were young we took home movies of the children taking their first steps. When we watched those movies several years later we saw how hesitant they were to take that first step. They did not trust that next step that they needed to take. They were not sure if they would fall or keep standing. They would take a step or two, hesitate and then sit down. But they never quit, they would get right up and try again.
In the process of learning to walk our children would eagerly grasp our outstretched hand with complete trust that we would support them and keep them safe from falling. As they became confident enough to walk without falling, they outgrew their need to hold our hand.
This reminds us that God is holding out His hand to help us take every step. But the difference is that we will never outgrow our need to trust God and we will daily need Him to stand beside us and hold our hand through the turbulences of life.
One of our great examples of trust comes from the Old Testament. Abraham's name meant "Father of Nations," yet he and his wife Sarah were still childless in their nineties. It seemed impossible that God's promise of a son could ever be fulfilled. The Lord, however, said to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14. Abraham trusted God to honor His promise of an heir and God in His perfect timing fulfilled His promise to Abraham with the birth of his son Isaac. As God stood by Abraham and rewarded his trust, so will God reward us if we put our full trust in Him.
We must learn as families to trust God daily and not to rely on self. This is a difficult concept to teach our children especially as they get older because they want to do everything their own way. Children, youth and adults receive continual peer pressure to just do what you want to do not taking into consideration whether it is even right or wrong. We are sure you have heard people say, "If it feels good just do it." Unfortunately, doing something because "we feel like it'" comes without much of a thought process. We see evidence of this over and over again in the world we live in today and the resulting disasters that come from these actions. God allows us to go ahead and do whatever "we feel like." Unfortunately doing what “we feel like” has consequences, yet even in our disobedience, because of His great love for us, He is always available holding out His hand saying "Trust Me, let Me help you and guide you."
Have you really given any thought as to what or who you have your trust in today? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us who we should trust in, the Lord, and how we should trust, with all your heart, and who we should not trust, lean not on your own understanding, and then the result, He will direct your paths.
We taught our children to trust the Lord daily and to do it with all their hearts and mind. We can trust God because He is trustworthy. It is a thrill for us today to watch our children teach their children (our grandchildren) the same. Along with trusting God, parents must be trustworthy in all that they do. Parents must prove themselves trustworthy to their children and then teach their children to be trustworthy not only by their words but by their actions and deeds. Mutual trustworthiness is a key to a strong family.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse today is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Help me as an individual to put my complete trust in God. Enable me to learn not to run ahead or lag behind doing what God wants from me. Allow me to lead my family by my actions and words to put their trust completely in the hands of their Lord and Savior, the one and only true God.
Inquired: September 2, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2013.
INQUIRED
DEFINITION:
A searching for direction or knowledge, ask about, investigated.
SCRIPTURE:
And David inquired of the Lord. II Samuel 5:23.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When David made this inquiry of the Lord, he had already achieved great victories. He had killed the great Goliath with only a sling shot. He had defeated the Amalekites and the great hosts of Philistines. All the people were singing praises to David for his great victories saying, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. At the age of thirty David became King and became more and more powerful. In II Samuel 5:10 we are told the reason was, “because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”
But now the Philistines came a second time and David would not go to fight without inquiring of the Lord first. Once he had been victorious he might have said as many others have said, I will again fight and I will be victorious again. He had the choice of either to believe that he had conquered once so he could conquer again or since he had won one battle by the strength of the Lord he would not venture on another until he had the same assurance from the Lord.
David was still a boy when he went out to fight Goliath. He knew he was no match for a man so large and so strong but he knew he was able to stand up against him because he knew the “battle is the Lord’s” II Samuel 17:47. David recognized he was insufficient but God was all sufficient. Even after David was the victorious warrior he still recognized his own insufficiency.
So as the scripture tells us, he inquired of the Lord when the next battle came his way. He asked God very simply, “Shall I go up against them again?” He then waited until God gave him an answer. God’s answer would not have been what David expected. God directed him to “not go straight up, but circle around behind the Philistines and then attack.” David obeyed and did just as God commanded him and God gave him the victory.
We need to learn from David to not take even one step without asking for God’s direction. As you walk down your path of life, take God as your compass. If you are steering your ship through treacherous waters, take God and put the steering wheel in the hands of God.
God promises us that He will instruct us and teach us in the ways we should go. The words once said by a Puritan were, “As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he will cut his own fingers.” And another Puritan also said, “He that goes before the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand.” When we trust in ourselves alone we are doomed to fail.
As believers in God we need to learn to inquire of Him in all we do. It is so easy for us to rely on our own strength feeling we can conquer even the largest of issues. But the times of failure will come your way unless you make it a practice to begin each day inquiring of God. Ask Him what you should do, how you should do it, and then wait upon Him for His answer. You can then march out each day to face your challenges with confidence that God is with you and leading you in every step you take.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for the example You have given us from the life of David. My prayer is to always inquire of You concerning the direction I should go and what You want from me. Secondly, when I receive a sign from You may I move forward with confidence, even in tough situations, knowing You are my God and with me every step of the way.
INQUIRED
DEFINITION:
A searching for direction or knowledge, ask about, investigated.
SCRIPTURE:
And David inquired of the Lord. II Samuel 5:23.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When David made this inquiry of the Lord, he had already achieved great victories. He had killed the great Goliath with only a sling shot. He had defeated the Amalekites and the great hosts of Philistines. All the people were singing praises to David for his great victories saying, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. At the age of thirty David became King and became more and more powerful. In II Samuel 5:10 we are told the reason was, “because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”
But now the Philistines came a second time and David would not go to fight without inquiring of the Lord first. Once he had been victorious he might have said as many others have said, I will again fight and I will be victorious again. He had the choice of either to believe that he had conquered once so he could conquer again or since he had won one battle by the strength of the Lord he would not venture on another until he had the same assurance from the Lord.
David was still a boy when he went out to fight Goliath. He knew he was no match for a man so large and so strong but he knew he was able to stand up against him because he knew the “battle is the Lord’s” II Samuel 17:47. David recognized he was insufficient but God was all sufficient. Even after David was the victorious warrior he still recognized his own insufficiency.
So as the scripture tells us, he inquired of the Lord when the next battle came his way. He asked God very simply, “Shall I go up against them again?” He then waited until God gave him an answer. God’s answer would not have been what David expected. God directed him to “not go straight up, but circle around behind the Philistines and then attack.” David obeyed and did just as God commanded him and God gave him the victory.
We need to learn from David to not take even one step without asking for God’s direction. As you walk down your path of life, take God as your compass. If you are steering your ship through treacherous waters, take God and put the steering wheel in the hands of God.
God promises us that He will instruct us and teach us in the ways we should go. The words once said by a Puritan were, “As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he will cut his own fingers.” And another Puritan also said, “He that goes before the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand.” When we trust in ourselves alone we are doomed to fail.
As believers in God we need to learn to inquire of Him in all we do. It is so easy for us to rely on our own strength feeling we can conquer even the largest of issues. But the times of failure will come your way unless you make it a practice to begin each day inquiring of God. Ask Him what you should do, how you should do it, and then wait upon Him for His answer. You can then march out each day to face your challenges with confidence that God is with you and leading you in every step you take.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing.
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for the example You have given us from the life of David. My prayer is to always inquire of You concerning the direction I should go and what You want from me. Secondly, when I receive a sign from You may I move forward with confidence, even in tough situations, knowing You are my God and with me every step of the way.
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