GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2013
PROVERB:
A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised. Proverbs 12:8.
PROMISE:
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God, that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. I Corinthians 1:27-28.
PRAISE:
To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Romans 16:27.
November 3, 2013
Joy: November 1, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2013.
JOY
DEFINITION:
A feeling or state of gladness, elation or rejoicing; An emotion of sudden pleasure; exultant satisfaction; keen delight; an emotion evoked by well-being or by success.
SCRIPTURE:
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5.
These things that I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Joy as spoken of in the Bible is not based on the happiness that the world considers happiness. Joy will not come to a person because he or she has wealth, possessions, fame or status. This kind of joy is temporary. People work hard to obtain these things in order to find happiness, but as Solomon, who had everything, tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:2, that it is all meaningless.
Webster's closest definition of JOY as used in the Bible is "exultant satisfaction." Only those who know the Lord understand the true meaning of JOY. Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior have peace in their heart and "exultant satisfaction" because they know their sins have been forgiven and that God loves them.
Jesus explains what He means when He says "MY JOY" in John 15:11 (above). In the previous two verses He says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His Love." Jesus loved His Father and found joy in doing the will of His Father and obeying His Father's commands. When we do the will of our Heavenly Father and obey His commands, we will come to know that joy that Jesus has. This is the "JOY' we pray you have in your life.
In the scripture, Matthew 25:21 where Jesus told the parable of the "Talents", He talked about the joy that the master had in his heart when one of his servants responded as he had hoped. He said: "Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the Joy of the Lord." The servant's faithfulness and the success he obtained because of his faithfulness brought joy to his master and allowed the servant to share in the master's happiness. There is joy in doing well because it pleases our Lord.
The apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit that are evidenced in the lives of Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. These are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. [Galatians 5:22-23]. Only those who have united themselves with Christ can understand the true meaning of joy. James reminds us in James 1:2 that when we face the trials in our day to day life we are to "count it all joy." He does not mean we are to be happy about our trials, but we are to face our trials with an attitude of joy because of what it can produce in our life for Christ's glory. Joy is a vital need for our everyday peace of mind.
What we learn from the scripture is that we as believers can have a spirit of joy that is not based on the positive or negative circumstances of our life. When we have the "JOY OF THE LORD' in our life we will find it easier to face the difficulties of life.
The bottom line that we learn from these scriptures and from what we have learned in real life is that we are to face every moment of every day with a spirit of Joy! When we do this the negatives in life seem to diminish and the positives of life seem to stay with us. We all need to remember to put Christ first in our lives and be obedient to all of His commandments.
Over the years we have had several close friends that were facing serious health problems. Each one had been through many tests, consultations, treatments and medicines and you often wondered how much they could humanly take. But the one thing that was true in each of their lives was that they were living each day with a spirit of joy. They did all that they could from a medical perspective and they responded to their doctors care. They put everything into God's hands. They prayed for healing daily, as did scores of their friends. They understood the meaning of Psalm 30:5 where it says that weeping and suffering lasts only for a while, but for the believer there is joy coming. They were living their lives full of joy and hope. They were all ready to meet their Lord but each one also realized that they still had a mission here on this earth until God took them home. That mission was to share their faith, their attitude and their joy with others.
Do you live a life of joy? If not, we encourage you to look at your relationship with God. Do you enjoy reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer? Joy comes from having a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Give me joy in my life throughout today. Help me to realize that whatever happens to me today, according to the words of James, I am to count it all joy. Give me wisdom to make decisions that honor You and give me Your joy in my heart so that my joy may be full.
JOY
DEFINITION:
A feeling or state of gladness, elation or rejoicing; An emotion of sudden pleasure; exultant satisfaction; keen delight; an emotion evoked by well-being or by success.
SCRIPTURE:
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5.
These things that I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Joy as spoken of in the Bible is not based on the happiness that the world considers happiness. Joy will not come to a person because he or she has wealth, possessions, fame or status. This kind of joy is temporary. People work hard to obtain these things in order to find happiness, but as Solomon, who had everything, tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:2, that it is all meaningless.
Webster's closest definition of JOY as used in the Bible is "exultant satisfaction." Only those who know the Lord understand the true meaning of JOY. Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior have peace in their heart and "exultant satisfaction" because they know their sins have been forgiven and that God loves them.
Jesus explains what He means when He says "MY JOY" in John 15:11 (above). In the previous two verses He says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His Love." Jesus loved His Father and found joy in doing the will of His Father and obeying His Father's commands. When we do the will of our Heavenly Father and obey His commands, we will come to know that joy that Jesus has. This is the "JOY' we pray you have in your life.
In the scripture, Matthew 25:21 where Jesus told the parable of the "Talents", He talked about the joy that the master had in his heart when one of his servants responded as he had hoped. He said: "Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the Joy of the Lord." The servant's faithfulness and the success he obtained because of his faithfulness brought joy to his master and allowed the servant to share in the master's happiness. There is joy in doing well because it pleases our Lord.
The apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit that are evidenced in the lives of Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. These are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. [Galatians 5:22-23]. Only those who have united themselves with Christ can understand the true meaning of joy. James reminds us in James 1:2 that when we face the trials in our day to day life we are to "count it all joy." He does not mean we are to be happy about our trials, but we are to face our trials with an attitude of joy because of what it can produce in our life for Christ's glory. Joy is a vital need for our everyday peace of mind.
What we learn from the scripture is that we as believers can have a spirit of joy that is not based on the positive or negative circumstances of our life. When we have the "JOY OF THE LORD' in our life we will find it easier to face the difficulties of life.
The bottom line that we learn from these scriptures and from what we have learned in real life is that we are to face every moment of every day with a spirit of Joy! When we do this the negatives in life seem to diminish and the positives of life seem to stay with us. We all need to remember to put Christ first in our lives and be obedient to all of His commandments.
Over the years we have had several close friends that were facing serious health problems. Each one had been through many tests, consultations, treatments and medicines and you often wondered how much they could humanly take. But the one thing that was true in each of their lives was that they were living each day with a spirit of joy. They did all that they could from a medical perspective and they responded to their doctors care. They put everything into God's hands. They prayed for healing daily, as did scores of their friends. They understood the meaning of Psalm 30:5 where it says that weeping and suffering lasts only for a while, but for the believer there is joy coming. They were living their lives full of joy and hope. They were all ready to meet their Lord but each one also realized that they still had a mission here on this earth until God took them home. That mission was to share their faith, their attitude and their joy with others.
Do you live a life of joy? If not, we encourage you to look at your relationship with God. Do you enjoy reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer? Joy comes from having a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Give me joy in my life throughout today. Help me to realize that whatever happens to me today, according to the words of James, I am to count it all joy. Give me wisdom to make decisions that honor You and give me Your joy in my heart so that my joy may be full.
Hunger: October 31, 2013
TODAY’S
WORD FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2013.
HUNGER
DEFINITION:
A
strong desire; a craving for food; a compelling need.
SCRIPTURE:
O
God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh
longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
Blessed
are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied. Matthew 5:6.
KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE:
The
Lord has given us physical appetites, which are essential for our physical
survival. And in addition He has created within our hearts a hunger that is
spiritual. David knew both physical and spiritual hunger. During the time King
Saul was seeking to kill David he fled to the desert to hide. The scripture
tells us that he was alone, hungry and thirsty. This is physical hunger.
David
was a man who recognized and felt a yearning for the Lord in his life. There
are many verses in the Psalms, like the one we have written above, where we
find David meditating, offering praise, or crying out to God. We have no doubt,
reading about David, that his greatest joy was to be with his Heavenly Father
in intimate communion. He had many moments in his life where he fell away from
God revealing his human weaknesses. He also knew where to find healing and refuge.
With a repentant and hungry heart he sought the Lord's forgiveness and
fellowship. This satisfied his spiritual hunger for the Lord.
Hungering
for the Lord is a desire to know and draw closer to God. Unfortunately, this
desire is lacking in many believer's lives.
Most believers are sure they are saved but have very little desire for
more of God in their lives.
One
of the major reasons for this is that our society is filled with all sorts of
things that grab and hold our interest and desires in life. These interests
compete with God for our attention and they seem to claim our time and effort
more than our hunger to know more about our Lord.
Our
prayer is that this devotional will awaken you to see the need in your life for
a new hunger for God. But for this to happen it will require changing
priorities and pursuits. Let us assure you that you will always get more out of
a fresh relationship with God then what you put into it. You will find that as
your hunger for Him becomes a priority He will open your heart and mind to
understand and desire more of Him. Jesus said, "They who hunger and thirst
for righteousness shall be satisfied."
LEARNING:
Our
memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If
someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who
does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not
seen.
PRAYER:
Help
me to yearn more for You in my life as David did. Give me a fresh hunger for
Your righteousness that drives me to change my priorities and pursuits. Thank
You for satisfying my family with contentment and a sense of completeness that
You alone can give.
Blessing: October 30, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2013.
BLESSING
DEFINITION:
Devine favor; a fortunate occurrence; approval; benediction; a short prayer for divine approval.
SCRIPTURE:
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap a harvest if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? Job 2:10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we mention the word blessing to many people they think of the prayer that they say before a meal or the prayer that a minister gives at the end of a service. These are called blessings but we want to look at the word from the perspective of the blessings that God has for us as believers in Him.
We are convinced that God gives us the greatest blessings in our lives when we invest our time, talent or treasures in other people or projects that benefit people and honor Him. Let us share with you just one example. One of the ministries that we have worked with for years is a ministry called CERT. They recruit doctors, dentists, nurses and other professionals to give a week or two of their time and talent to go on a mission trip to a remote area of our world where the people have no access to medical or dental help.
The President of CERT promises the volunteers hardship and discomfort. He warns them that they will not receive financial help but they have to pay their own expenses. But he does promise them that they will receive one of the greatest blessings that they have ever experienced. A doctor who accepted that challenge (and over 100 do every year) came back from the trip he went on and said, "I never knew that life in a remote third world country could be so bad but the blessings that I received from this trip has driven me to look for ways every day for me to share my talents, treasures and time into the life of someone that needs help."
Take the Apostle Paul's encouragement given in the verse above from Galatians to do good to all and do not grow weary. Sometimes in order to do good we must endure hardship and discomfort, but if we carry on, trusting God for the results, there will come a harvest of blessing in due time.
In the verse above from Job we are asked the question about receiving good (blessings) from God. Sometimes we feel a little guilty when God blesses us so abundantly when others have so little.
When things are going well in our life most believers are happy to acknowledge God as the source of their blessings. Often, however, when trouble comes their faith wavers and they blame God. Satan uses difficult times in life to cause us to doubt God. Job and his wife suffered great losses and disappointments but Job’s faith never wavered. Job’s wife wavered in her faith and blamed God for all their hardships. Job asked his wife (verse above) if they should accept good (blessings) from God and not also accept adversity? This is a question we must ask ourselves today.
The principle here is for us to be grateful for the blessings that God gives us and to be strong in our faith in both the good times and the bad times in our life.
The Apostle Paul tells us how he learned to rejoice in plenty and in want (Philippians 4:10-13). God has an interest in teaching us to be content both in blessings and in losses. The message for us today is to know that we are at our best when we serve others and we are to accept what God gives us in all circumstances.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
It is our prayer today that You would make our family a channel of blessing to others as we reach out to serve those that need a special touch from You. May we be grateful for every blessing that You send our way and through these blessings always praise Your name. Keep us strong in our faith even in times when we are suffering.
BLESSING
DEFINITION:
Devine favor; a fortunate occurrence; approval; benediction; a short prayer for divine approval.
SCRIPTURE:
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap a harvest if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? Job 2:10.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we mention the word blessing to many people they think of the prayer that they say before a meal or the prayer that a minister gives at the end of a service. These are called blessings but we want to look at the word from the perspective of the blessings that God has for us as believers in Him.
We are convinced that God gives us the greatest blessings in our lives when we invest our time, talent or treasures in other people or projects that benefit people and honor Him. Let us share with you just one example. One of the ministries that we have worked with for years is a ministry called CERT. They recruit doctors, dentists, nurses and other professionals to give a week or two of their time and talent to go on a mission trip to a remote area of our world where the people have no access to medical or dental help.
The President of CERT promises the volunteers hardship and discomfort. He warns them that they will not receive financial help but they have to pay their own expenses. But he does promise them that they will receive one of the greatest blessings that they have ever experienced. A doctor who accepted that challenge (and over 100 do every year) came back from the trip he went on and said, "I never knew that life in a remote third world country could be so bad but the blessings that I received from this trip has driven me to look for ways every day for me to share my talents, treasures and time into the life of someone that needs help."
Take the Apostle Paul's encouragement given in the verse above from Galatians to do good to all and do not grow weary. Sometimes in order to do good we must endure hardship and discomfort, but if we carry on, trusting God for the results, there will come a harvest of blessing in due time.
In the verse above from Job we are asked the question about receiving good (blessings) from God. Sometimes we feel a little guilty when God blesses us so abundantly when others have so little.
When things are going well in our life most believers are happy to acknowledge God as the source of their blessings. Often, however, when trouble comes their faith wavers and they blame God. Satan uses difficult times in life to cause us to doubt God. Job and his wife suffered great losses and disappointments but Job’s faith never wavered. Job’s wife wavered in her faith and blamed God for all their hardships. Job asked his wife (verse above) if they should accept good (blessings) from God and not also accept adversity? This is a question we must ask ourselves today.
The principle here is for us to be grateful for the blessings that God gives us and to be strong in our faith in both the good times and the bad times in our life.
The Apostle Paul tells us how he learned to rejoice in plenty and in want (Philippians 4:10-13). God has an interest in teaching us to be content both in blessings and in losses. The message for us today is to know that we are at our best when we serve others and we are to accept what God gives us in all circumstances.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
It is our prayer today that You would make our family a channel of blessing to others as we reach out to serve those that need a special touch from You. May we be grateful for every blessing that You send our way and through these blessings always praise Your name. Keep us strong in our faith even in times when we are suffering.
Wealth: October 29, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 29, 2013.
WEALTH
DEFINITION:
A great quantity or store of money, property or other riches; plentiful amount; abundance; being rich or valuable.
SCRIPTURE:
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother. Psalm 49:6-7.
And you should remember the Lord your God, for it is He that gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant. Deuteronomy 8:18
As for every man that God has given riches and wealth, this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastics 5:19.
Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. Proverbs 3:9.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Wealth can be a wonderful asset or it can be a terrible liability depending on how one uses wealth. Let us share with you three principles concerning wealth:
* All wealth comes from God.
* God releases His wealth to His children.
* God releases His wealth to those who use it for His divine purposes.
We need to understand, as Christians, that all wealth does come from God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He created the world and all that is in it; He created us and we are blessed according to His will.
We have learned that God really blesses those that practice what Proverbs 3:9 states: "Honor the Lord with your possessions." There are numerous other verses in the Bible that reminds us that we are to honor the Lord with the first portion of our wealth. When one honors the Lord, no matter how wealthy he or she may be, God in turn multiplies what is given in what He gives back to the giver. And God will give you only what He can trust you with. Remember money or wealth is not evil. The scripture says that it is the love of money or wealth that is evil.
The Lord also reminds us in Luke 12:48 that "for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required." This includes not only our money but our time and talents. For some people their wealth is in talents. If so then God expects much to be done for Him in return for this wealth He has given to you.
In Ecclesiastics 5:10 we are told that money never satisfies. If you take the time to read some of the biographies of some of the wealthiest people in the world, page after page will share experiences of unhappy lives. We read often in the newspaper of people committing suicide who seemed to have it all. They were rich and famous but could not find true satisfaction in their fortune.
Money alone does not satisfy. In I Timothy 6:6-8 we are reminded that we bring nothing into this world and we take nothing out of this world when we die. This fact alone should cause each of us today to honor God with all of our possessions and use all of our wealth, money, talent and time, for His glory.
All of us need to reevaluate how we respond to what God has given to us. Are we seeking to please God with our wealth or are we hoarding our wealth (time, talent or treasure) and therefore limiting God in what He wants to do through us with our wealth?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear Lord for what You have given me here on earth. I am so wealthy because I know there is a rich treasury stored up in heaven for all who believe in You and have the assurance of spending an eternity with You. Help me to give back to You a portion of all that You have given and will give to me. Give my family a special touch from You this day and may Christ be glorified by our actions and our words.
WEALTH
DEFINITION:
A great quantity or store of money, property or other riches; plentiful amount; abundance; being rich or valuable.
SCRIPTURE:
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother. Psalm 49:6-7.
And you should remember the Lord your God, for it is He that gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant. Deuteronomy 8:18
As for every man that God has given riches and wealth, this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastics 5:19.
Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. Proverbs 3:9.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Wealth can be a wonderful asset or it can be a terrible liability depending on how one uses wealth. Let us share with you three principles concerning wealth:
* All wealth comes from God.
* God releases His wealth to His children.
* God releases His wealth to those who use it for His divine purposes.
We need to understand, as Christians, that all wealth does come from God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He created the world and all that is in it; He created us and we are blessed according to His will.
We have learned that God really blesses those that practice what Proverbs 3:9 states: "Honor the Lord with your possessions." There are numerous other verses in the Bible that reminds us that we are to honor the Lord with the first portion of our wealth. When one honors the Lord, no matter how wealthy he or she may be, God in turn multiplies what is given in what He gives back to the giver. And God will give you only what He can trust you with. Remember money or wealth is not evil. The scripture says that it is the love of money or wealth that is evil.
The Lord also reminds us in Luke 12:48 that "for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required." This includes not only our money but our time and talents. For some people their wealth is in talents. If so then God expects much to be done for Him in return for this wealth He has given to you.
In Ecclesiastics 5:10 we are told that money never satisfies. If you take the time to read some of the biographies of some of the wealthiest people in the world, page after page will share experiences of unhappy lives. We read often in the newspaper of people committing suicide who seemed to have it all. They were rich and famous but could not find true satisfaction in their fortune.
Money alone does not satisfy. In I Timothy 6:6-8 we are reminded that we bring nothing into this world and we take nothing out of this world when we die. This fact alone should cause each of us today to honor God with all of our possessions and use all of our wealth, money, talent and time, for His glory.
All of us need to reevaluate how we respond to what God has given to us. Are we seeking to please God with our wealth or are we hoarding our wealth (time, talent or treasure) and therefore limiting God in what He wants to do through us with our wealth?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Thank You dear Lord for what You have given me here on earth. I am so wealthy because I know there is a rich treasury stored up in heaven for all who believe in You and have the assurance of spending an eternity with You. Help me to give back to You a portion of all that You have given and will give to me. Give my family a special touch from You this day and may Christ be glorified by our actions and our words.
Vision: October 28, 21013
TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 28, 2013.
VISION
DEFINITION:
The act or power of sensing with the eyes; the act or power of anticipating that which or may come to me; an object of sight.
SCRIPTURE:
When your eye is good, your whole body is also filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Matthew 6:22
Your old men will dream dreams and your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28
Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we think of the word "vision" two things come to mind. First is the "vision" we have when we see things as they are. Secondly, we think of "vision" as it relates to things in the future that we want to accomplish. In life today most people see things only as they are now and cannot, for the most part, see past today.
As believers we must have spiritual vision. Spiritual vision is to see what God wants us to do and to see ourselves from His point of view.
The good eye Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6:22 (above) is one focused on God. It brings God’s light into our life and gives us vision to see God’s purpose for us and gives us the desire to fulfill that purpose.
In Acts 9:17 God temporarily took away Paul’s physical sight to open his spiritual eyes so he could see God’s purpose for him was to take the gospel across the Roman Empire.
Nehemiah had spiritual vision. God’s purpose for Nehemiah’s life was to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem. It was a monumental task, but Nehemiah organized, supervised, encouraged, and stood up against opposition and got the job done. Men of vision do not stand around and just talk about the situation. They take action and do something about it.
Someone once said that worse than blindness is living without vision. As we think back on our lives we have seen God do so much in our lives and this has been mainly because we had a vision to accomplish what sometimes seemed impossible. We must remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 20:26, "With God all things are possible."
We can remember after our sixth child, a woman Dottie knew, came up to her and asked how were we ever going to get our children through college on the income we were getting from our ministry? We certainly did not know the answer but we knew that Jesus did.
But we did believe that we needed to continually act and not just sit back and wait for something to happen. We believed God wanted us to do what we could and then He would complete the task. From the day each of our six children entered Junior High School we continually encouraged them to do their very best so that they could get the financial aid they would need to attend college. Each one responded to our vision and they all went to a Christian college because they worked hard to do their best at every level of school so that they were able to receive financial aid and low interest loans.
For us, life would have been unproductive and unsatisfying if we did not have a vision for our family and a vision even today for the world around us that needs to know Jesus.
Columbus had a vision to find the new world and he set out on a course that was unknown to man and his vision resulted in finding this new world. We have known a few Christian leaders in our life time that had a vision for the impossible. Then God took over and those visions became a reality.
Where there is no vision the people will perish. Leaders that we have known well include: Dr. Billy Graham, Dr Bob Pierce, Dr. Torrey Johnson, Dr. Bill Bright and Dr. Henrietta Mears. They all had visions that when first talked about were thought to be impossible. But look what God has done because these and others had a vision that God had given them and then they acted upon that vision. We all know about the ministries of Billy Graham.
Dr. Pierce founded with my [Ken] father World Vision which today is one of the top five charities in the world. Dr Johnson founded Youth for Christ, a youth organization that made a dramatic impact on teenagers lives for over 40 years. Dr. Bright founded Campus Crusade that started as a college ministry and today is a worldwide ministry. And finally Dr. Mears founded Gospel Light Press, the first major Sunday school material publishers in America. These people all were ordinary people that had a VISION and acted upon it believing God for the impossible.
We challenge you and your family to ask God for a special vision to further His work here on earth. Whether your vision is large or small it is important to God. We can remember our prayer over 55 years ago. It was simply for God to use us and give us a burden for a world that needed Jesus. God needs you to think and pray this way today. Then take action as God leads you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Open my eyes so I can see the world around me with a new vision of how I can reach this world with the message of Your love and Your free gift of salvation. Enable me to step out in faith believing that I can fulfill that vision because You have promised to be with me and help me. Bless my family and help us to make an impact on the world we live in.
VISION
DEFINITION:
The act or power of sensing with the eyes; the act or power of anticipating that which or may come to me; an object of sight.
SCRIPTURE:
When your eye is good, your whole body is also filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Matthew 6:22
Your old men will dream dreams and your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28
Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we think of the word "vision" two things come to mind. First is the "vision" we have when we see things as they are. Secondly, we think of "vision" as it relates to things in the future that we want to accomplish. In life today most people see things only as they are now and cannot, for the most part, see past today.
As believers we must have spiritual vision. Spiritual vision is to see what God wants us to do and to see ourselves from His point of view.
The good eye Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6:22 (above) is one focused on God. It brings God’s light into our life and gives us vision to see God’s purpose for us and gives us the desire to fulfill that purpose.
In Acts 9:17 God temporarily took away Paul’s physical sight to open his spiritual eyes so he could see God’s purpose for him was to take the gospel across the Roman Empire.
Nehemiah had spiritual vision. God’s purpose for Nehemiah’s life was to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem. It was a monumental task, but Nehemiah organized, supervised, encouraged, and stood up against opposition and got the job done. Men of vision do not stand around and just talk about the situation. They take action and do something about it.
Someone once said that worse than blindness is living without vision. As we think back on our lives we have seen God do so much in our lives and this has been mainly because we had a vision to accomplish what sometimes seemed impossible. We must remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 20:26, "With God all things are possible."
We can remember after our sixth child, a woman Dottie knew, came up to her and asked how were we ever going to get our children through college on the income we were getting from our ministry? We certainly did not know the answer but we knew that Jesus did.
But we did believe that we needed to continually act and not just sit back and wait for something to happen. We believed God wanted us to do what we could and then He would complete the task. From the day each of our six children entered Junior High School we continually encouraged them to do their very best so that they could get the financial aid they would need to attend college. Each one responded to our vision and they all went to a Christian college because they worked hard to do their best at every level of school so that they were able to receive financial aid and low interest loans.
For us, life would have been unproductive and unsatisfying if we did not have a vision for our family and a vision even today for the world around us that needs to know Jesus.
Columbus had a vision to find the new world and he set out on a course that was unknown to man and his vision resulted in finding this new world. We have known a few Christian leaders in our life time that had a vision for the impossible. Then God took over and those visions became a reality.
Where there is no vision the people will perish. Leaders that we have known well include: Dr. Billy Graham, Dr Bob Pierce, Dr. Torrey Johnson, Dr. Bill Bright and Dr. Henrietta Mears. They all had visions that when first talked about were thought to be impossible. But look what God has done because these and others had a vision that God had given them and then they acted upon that vision. We all know about the ministries of Billy Graham.
Dr. Pierce founded with my [Ken] father World Vision which today is one of the top five charities in the world. Dr Johnson founded Youth for Christ, a youth organization that made a dramatic impact on teenagers lives for over 40 years. Dr. Bright founded Campus Crusade that started as a college ministry and today is a worldwide ministry. And finally Dr. Mears founded Gospel Light Press, the first major Sunday school material publishers in America. These people all were ordinary people that had a VISION and acted upon it believing God for the impossible.
We challenge you and your family to ask God for a special vision to further His work here on earth. Whether your vision is large or small it is important to God. We can remember our prayer over 55 years ago. It was simply for God to use us and give us a burden for a world that needed Jesus. God needs you to think and pray this way today. Then take action as God leads you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.
If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
PRAYER:
Open my eyes so I can see the world around me with a new vision of how I can reach this world with the message of Your love and Your free gift of salvation. Enable me to step out in faith believing that I can fulfill that vision because You have promised to be with me and help me. Bless my family and help us to make an impact on the world we live in.
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