GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 21, 2013.
PROVERB:
Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Proverbs 4:26.
PROMISE:
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His names sake. Psalm 23:3.
PRAISE:
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him; and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. Psalm 28:7
December 22, 2013
Intercession: December 20, 2013
DECEMBER 20 2013. TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 20, 2013.
INTERCESSION
DEFINITION:
Prayer offered on behalf of others; to plead or meditate on behalf of someone.
SCRIPTURE:
Christ Jesus, who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34
This is the way you should bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:23-26.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayers of the faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
James 5: 14-15.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We will today look at a third gift that God gave us through the birth of Jesus some 2000 years ago, Intercession. Jesus came to be the mediator between God and man. It is only through the shed bold of Jesus that we can come before the throne of God with our petitions. After Jesus rose from the dead He ascended to heaven and is there at God’s right hand interceding for us. Our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Jesus pleads our case before God.
In Hebrews 4:15-16 we have two assurances about Jesus as our intercessor. First, Jesus is able to sympathize with our weakness because He was tempted in every way as we are. Secondly, we can pray in confidence that we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. Jesus is always available to hear our prayer. We can pray at any time and at any place. Be assured prayer changes things. We are to pray not only for ourselves but for others.
We raised six children and one of the things we both learned from our parents and our study of the Bible was to pray daily for each of our children. In a simple way we felt we were the bridge between our children and our Lord, teaching them to know God and praying for that reality. Prayer is intercession and so important for all parents to understand.
The scriptures give us several purposes that we should adhere to when we pray not only for our children, our families but also others. We are to seek intercession for healing for people, to avert judgment, for deliverance from an evil situation, to give blessings to them, to obtain restoration and to encourage repentance. Yes, intercession (prayer) for others is not only a gift and a privilege given to us but is expected of us from our Lord.
Moses often had to intercede for the Children of Israel on their long hard journey through the wilderness. The people did not make it easy on Moses because when they had a discouraging moment they would complain. Their complaints were not only about the hardships in the wilderness, and the leadership of Moses but even about God. They questioned why God was allowing situations that they faced. Can you relate to this in your life?
In Numbers 21, God brought punishment in the form of fiery serpents to the Children of Israel because of their rebellion and sinful ways. When the serpent bit a person that person would die. Therefore, the people came to Moses and said that they had sinned because they had spoken against God and against you (Moses). They asked Moses to pray and intercede for them before God and ask Him to take away the snakes. Moses did pray and God responded by sparing the children of Israel from the serpents because of the intercession of Moses.
God gave Moses and the priests a prayer that they should pray to bless the Children of Israel. This is the verse we have put above under scripture from the book of Numbers. Have you thought about just praying and asking God to bless someone?
We are to intercede for others and when we pray we are told to plead on their behalf and be specific as to the needs we are praying for. We are to pray earnestly in faith believing we have the victory.
The uniqueness of our relationship with Jesus is that, as believers, we have Jesus as our intercessor between us and God. That is why when we pray we close our prayer in Jesus name. In James 5:16 we read that, “The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective.” Is there someone who needs you to pray for them and make intercession for?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:8.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You for Your wonderful gift of prayer. Thank You that You are my intercessor so that I can talk to God. Help me to understand through prayer and Bible reading how to be the intercessor You want me to be for others who need You in their time of trouble.
INTERCESSION
DEFINITION:
Prayer offered on behalf of others; to plead or meditate on behalf of someone.
SCRIPTURE:
Christ Jesus, who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34
This is the way you should bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:23-26.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayers of the faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
James 5: 14-15.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We will today look at a third gift that God gave us through the birth of Jesus some 2000 years ago, Intercession. Jesus came to be the mediator between God and man. It is only through the shed bold of Jesus that we can come before the throne of God with our petitions. After Jesus rose from the dead He ascended to heaven and is there at God’s right hand interceding for us. Our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Jesus pleads our case before God.
In Hebrews 4:15-16 we have two assurances about Jesus as our intercessor. First, Jesus is able to sympathize with our weakness because He was tempted in every way as we are. Secondly, we can pray in confidence that we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. Jesus is always available to hear our prayer. We can pray at any time and at any place. Be assured prayer changes things. We are to pray not only for ourselves but for others.
We raised six children and one of the things we both learned from our parents and our study of the Bible was to pray daily for each of our children. In a simple way we felt we were the bridge between our children and our Lord, teaching them to know God and praying for that reality. Prayer is intercession and so important for all parents to understand.
The scriptures give us several purposes that we should adhere to when we pray not only for our children, our families but also others. We are to seek intercession for healing for people, to avert judgment, for deliverance from an evil situation, to give blessings to them, to obtain restoration and to encourage repentance. Yes, intercession (prayer) for others is not only a gift and a privilege given to us but is expected of us from our Lord.
Moses often had to intercede for the Children of Israel on their long hard journey through the wilderness. The people did not make it easy on Moses because when they had a discouraging moment they would complain. Their complaints were not only about the hardships in the wilderness, and the leadership of Moses but even about God. They questioned why God was allowing situations that they faced. Can you relate to this in your life?
In Numbers 21, God brought punishment in the form of fiery serpents to the Children of Israel because of their rebellion and sinful ways. When the serpent bit a person that person would die. Therefore, the people came to Moses and said that they had sinned because they had spoken against God and against you (Moses). They asked Moses to pray and intercede for them before God and ask Him to take away the snakes. Moses did pray and God responded by sparing the children of Israel from the serpents because of the intercession of Moses.
God gave Moses and the priests a prayer that they should pray to bless the Children of Israel. This is the verse we have put above under scripture from the book of Numbers. Have you thought about just praying and asking God to bless someone?
We are to intercede for others and when we pray we are told to plead on their behalf and be specific as to the needs we are praying for. We are to pray earnestly in faith believing we have the victory.
The uniqueness of our relationship with Jesus is that, as believers, we have Jesus as our intercessor between us and God. That is why when we pray we close our prayer in Jesus name. In James 5:16 we read that, “The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective.” Is there someone who needs you to pray for them and make intercession for?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:8.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You for Your wonderful gift of prayer. Thank You that You are my intercessor so that I can talk to God. Help me to understand through prayer and Bible reading how to be the intercessor You want me to be for others who need You in their time of trouble.
Eternity: December 19, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 19, 2013.
ETERNITY
DEFINITION:
Infinite time; duration without beginning or ending; endless period of time.
SCRIPTURE:
That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:15
For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
For a few days before Christmas we are looking at several of the gifts that God gave us as believers with the birth of Jesus. Yesterday we talked about the gift of salvation. Today we will talk about eternity.
Have you ever tried to imagine what eternity is like? It is very difficult for our finite minds to grasp the concept of life going on and on with absolutely no end. This is because here on earth life has a beginning and an ending. We have heard people say, and we have said ourselves, when standing in a line, that it seems like an eternity waiting to be helped. It may seem long but it is relatively short and there is an ending. Eternity is forever and ever.
In the two verses above, John and the writer of Romans both talk about the gift God has made available to us for us to have eternal life. This gift is obtained when one believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord. So we ask you the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
It is a fact that we all will spend an eternity either with God in heaven or with Satan in hell. There is no other choice or option. We need to remind you that in order to spend eternity with Jesus you must ask Him for forgiveness of your sins and accept Him as your Savior. The other option is to ignore the issue, but ignoring the issue does not make the issue go away. Hell is automatic if you do not believe in Jesus; therefore each one of us has a choice to make. Our choices are first to accept Jesus as Savior and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Our second choice is to do nothing and go on living life as you are now and spend an eternity in hell. And finally our third choice is to reject Jesus and God and spend eternity in hell.
Many people today just do not want to face the fact that their un-forgiven sins will bring condemnation to them. People, for the most part, are searching for real hope and peace in their lives. The only real peace and joy one can experience in life is to know where you will spend eternity. Have you made that choice? Will you spend eternity with Jesus in heaven by accepting His gift to you or will you spend your eternity with the devil in hell?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, that I can be certain where I will spend eternity. Thank You for sending Your Son to be born in this world so that we can ask for forgiveness of our sins and accept Your Son as our Savior and be assured we will spend eternity with You. I pray for those who do not know You that they might see that they need to be saved and that they will accept You as their Savior.
ETERNITY
DEFINITION:
Infinite time; duration without beginning or ending; endless period of time.
SCRIPTURE:
That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:15
For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
For a few days before Christmas we are looking at several of the gifts that God gave us as believers with the birth of Jesus. Yesterday we talked about the gift of salvation. Today we will talk about eternity.
Have you ever tried to imagine what eternity is like? It is very difficult for our finite minds to grasp the concept of life going on and on with absolutely no end. This is because here on earth life has a beginning and an ending. We have heard people say, and we have said ourselves, when standing in a line, that it seems like an eternity waiting to be helped. It may seem long but it is relatively short and there is an ending. Eternity is forever and ever.
In the two verses above, John and the writer of Romans both talk about the gift God has made available to us for us to have eternal life. This gift is obtained when one believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord. So we ask you the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
It is a fact that we all will spend an eternity either with God in heaven or with Satan in hell. There is no other choice or option. We need to remind you that in order to spend eternity with Jesus you must ask Him for forgiveness of your sins and accept Him as your Savior. The other option is to ignore the issue, but ignoring the issue does not make the issue go away. Hell is automatic if you do not believe in Jesus; therefore each one of us has a choice to make. Our choices are first to accept Jesus as Savior and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Our second choice is to do nothing and go on living life as you are now and spend an eternity in hell. And finally our third choice is to reject Jesus and God and spend eternity in hell.
Many people today just do not want to face the fact that their un-forgiven sins will bring condemnation to them. People, for the most part, are searching for real hope and peace in their lives. The only real peace and joy one can experience in life is to know where you will spend eternity. Have you made that choice? Will you spend eternity with Jesus in heaven by accepting His gift to you or will you spend your eternity with the devil in hell?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, that I can be certain where I will spend eternity. Thank You for sending Your Son to be born in this world so that we can ask for forgiveness of our sins and accept Your Son as our Savior and be assured we will spend eternity with You. I pray for those who do not know You that they might see that they need to be saved and that they will accept You as their Savior.
Salvation: December 18, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2013.
SALVATION
DEFINITION:
Deliverance from the power and the penalty of sin; redemption; deliverance from danger or a difficulty.
SCRIPTURE:
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we prepare for Christmas just one week from today we are beginning today a short series on four gifts given to us because Jesus came to this earth as a babe in Bethlehem’s manger. These gifts are: Salvation; Eternity (eternal life); Intercession (a mediator between God and man); Holy Spirit.
Many non-believers do not understand us when we mention the word salvation. Have you asked someone if they are saved? Many times the answer will be, from what? Also when life is going well for an unbeliever they see no reason to “be saved.”
What many unbelievers do not understand is that without “being saved” they face eternal separation from God because of their sin. The believer understands what he is being saved from. The believer knows that he has sinned. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. The believer also understands that there is a penalty for sin which is death. Romans 6:33 states that “the wages of sin is death.”
Salvation is a gift that only God can give. He has given this gift to us through His Son Jesus Christ. This salvation is for everyone but for several generations now, here in America, many just do not feel a need for God and the salvation He offers. Many have decided they have no need for God in their lives because they are getting along on their own. God has been taken out of our schools, in the decision making of our government and judicial systems.
For several generations now in our family we have believed that receiving salvation (accepting Jesus as our Savior) is the most important decision one can make in life. Our parents and grandparents made this a priority in our lives and we have made it a priority to our children and grandchildren.
Jesus began His ministry on earth by first preaching the marvelous message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) He never gave us an option. His message was simple, clear and concise --- REPENT! There is no other way to heaven. We must repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior.
What a gift God gave us in salvation. It is more than great. The scripture says that it is so great because:
1. It was from God and through Jesus Christ, His Son. It was the giving of His one and only Son to pay the penalty for our sins. John 3:16.
2. It came at a great cost. Jesus gave His life for us.
3. It is complete and for all time. I Peter 3:18 reads that “Jesus died for our sins once and for all.”
4. And finally, it is the only way to God and eternity. John 14:6 tells us that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.”
What a wonderful gift God gave us. Take the time this Christmas season to meditate and think on all the gifts that God has given you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Our family, at this Christmas season, is so grateful for the gift of salvation that You have given us. Thank You for the price You paid for us by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. May we never forget that we celebrate Christmas to remember and honor Your birth. Thank You for coming into this world to give us Your precious gift of salvation.
SALVATION
DEFINITION:
Deliverance from the power and the penalty of sin; redemption; deliverance from danger or a difficulty.
SCRIPTURE:
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we prepare for Christmas just one week from today we are beginning today a short series on four gifts given to us because Jesus came to this earth as a babe in Bethlehem’s manger. These gifts are: Salvation; Eternity (eternal life); Intercession (a mediator between God and man); Holy Spirit.
Many non-believers do not understand us when we mention the word salvation. Have you asked someone if they are saved? Many times the answer will be, from what? Also when life is going well for an unbeliever they see no reason to “be saved.”
What many unbelievers do not understand is that without “being saved” they face eternal separation from God because of their sin. The believer understands what he is being saved from. The believer knows that he has sinned. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. The believer also understands that there is a penalty for sin which is death. Romans 6:33 states that “the wages of sin is death.”
Salvation is a gift that only God can give. He has given this gift to us through His Son Jesus Christ. This salvation is for everyone but for several generations now, here in America, many just do not feel a need for God and the salvation He offers. Many have decided they have no need for God in their lives because they are getting along on their own. God has been taken out of our schools, in the decision making of our government and judicial systems.
For several generations now in our family we have believed that receiving salvation (accepting Jesus as our Savior) is the most important decision one can make in life. Our parents and grandparents made this a priority in our lives and we have made it a priority to our children and grandchildren.
Jesus began His ministry on earth by first preaching the marvelous message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) He never gave us an option. His message was simple, clear and concise --- REPENT! There is no other way to heaven. We must repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior.
What a gift God gave us in salvation. It is more than great. The scripture says that it is so great because:
1. It was from God and through Jesus Christ, His Son. It was the giving of His one and only Son to pay the penalty for our sins. John 3:16.
2. It came at a great cost. Jesus gave His life for us.
3. It is complete and for all time. I Peter 3:18 reads that “Jesus died for our sins once and for all.”
4. And finally, it is the only way to God and eternity. John 14:6 tells us that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.”
What a wonderful gift God gave us. Take the time this Christmas season to meditate and think on all the gifts that God has given you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Our family, at this Christmas season, is so grateful for the gift of salvation that You have given us. Thank You for the price You paid for us by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. May we never forget that we celebrate Christmas to remember and honor Your birth. Thank You for coming into this world to give us Your precious gift of salvation.
Grace: December 17, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2013.
GRACE
DEFINITION:
Mercy, clemency, pardon, the influence or spirit of God operating in humans; the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
SCRIPTURE:
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Grace is the freely given unmerited favor and love of God. It is solely by God’s grace that we are saved. Grace is part of God’s divine nature along with love, patience, kindness, righteousness and justice that caused God to give His only Son to die on the cross for us and to save us from our sins. If our faith is real we cannot remain complacent. We will want a closer relationship with our Lord, and this is also what God wants from us.
God wants us as individuals and as families to grow daily in grace. Today we will share together three attributes of grace from the scripture. These are faith, love and humility.
First, we need to grow in faith. We need to believe the promises of God that He gives us with more diligence and apply them to our life each day. Our faith must increase with consistency and with simplicity. We limit what God can do through us because of our lack of faith. He wants us to step out with great faith and let God do His will in us and through us to bring honor and glory to His Holy name.
We also must grow daily in love. Our love needs to extend beyond what and who we love today. We need to be more Christ-like as we share our love with others. We need to be forgiving, more purposeful in what and who we love, and our love should be reflected through every thought, word and deed that comes from us. We are to love the lovely and also the unlovely. We are to love the believer and the unbeliever. At times this will be very difficult, especially to love an unlovely person or an unbeliever who stands strongly against what you believe. But God wants us to grow in the grace of love.
Finally, for today, we need to grow in the grace of humility. For many people this is most difficult. People want to be thought of highly when they accomplish something but that is not what God wants from us. We need to be humble in our speech and our actions. We must recognize that in and of ourselves we are nothing without God. As we grow downward, in other words increase our humility, we will grow upward in our approach to God. This will happen in our prayer life and as we read the Bible. Our fellowship with Jesus will become more intimate.
In Genesis 6:8 we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man who loved God, had faith in God, and obeyed God in humility. It must have seemed like a crazy idea to build an Ark in the desert. Noah did not argue with God. He built the Ark just as God commanded him to do. By God’s grace Noah and all his family were saved while everyone else perished. It is only by God’s grace that we are saved.
In Psalm 84:11 the psalmist tells us that the Lord will give us grace and glory and no good thing will be withheld from those who walk uprightly. The more we grow in grace, the more God can work in our lives. The key for us is to want to love and to know God and to choose to walk with Him daily.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Help me to teach my family to love God, have faith in Him and to be humble so that we may find grace in Your sight just as Noah did so many years ago. Help me to listen to what You say and then may Your Holy Spirit give me the conviction and courage to obey and walk with You in the direction You lead me.
GRACE
DEFINITION:
Mercy, clemency, pardon, the influence or spirit of God operating in humans; the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
SCRIPTURE:
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Grace is the freely given unmerited favor and love of God. It is solely by God’s grace that we are saved. Grace is part of God’s divine nature along with love, patience, kindness, righteousness and justice that caused God to give His only Son to die on the cross for us and to save us from our sins. If our faith is real we cannot remain complacent. We will want a closer relationship with our Lord, and this is also what God wants from us.
God wants us as individuals and as families to grow daily in grace. Today we will share together three attributes of grace from the scripture. These are faith, love and humility.
First, we need to grow in faith. We need to believe the promises of God that He gives us with more diligence and apply them to our life each day. Our faith must increase with consistency and with simplicity. We limit what God can do through us because of our lack of faith. He wants us to step out with great faith and let God do His will in us and through us to bring honor and glory to His Holy name.
We also must grow daily in love. Our love needs to extend beyond what and who we love today. We need to be more Christ-like as we share our love with others. We need to be forgiving, more purposeful in what and who we love, and our love should be reflected through every thought, word and deed that comes from us. We are to love the lovely and also the unlovely. We are to love the believer and the unbeliever. At times this will be very difficult, especially to love an unlovely person or an unbeliever who stands strongly against what you believe. But God wants us to grow in the grace of love.
Finally, for today, we need to grow in the grace of humility. For many people this is most difficult. People want to be thought of highly when they accomplish something but that is not what God wants from us. We need to be humble in our speech and our actions. We must recognize that in and of ourselves we are nothing without God. As we grow downward, in other words increase our humility, we will grow upward in our approach to God. This will happen in our prayer life and as we read the Bible. Our fellowship with Jesus will become more intimate.
In Genesis 6:8 we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man who loved God, had faith in God, and obeyed God in humility. It must have seemed like a crazy idea to build an Ark in the desert. Noah did not argue with God. He built the Ark just as God commanded him to do. By God’s grace Noah and all his family were saved while everyone else perished. It is only by God’s grace that we are saved.
In Psalm 84:11 the psalmist tells us that the Lord will give us grace and glory and no good thing will be withheld from those who walk uprightly. The more we grow in grace, the more God can work in our lives. The key for us is to want to love and to know God and to choose to walk with Him daily.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Help me to teach my family to love God, have faith in Him and to be humble so that we may find grace in Your sight just as Noah did so many years ago. Help me to listen to what You say and then may Your Holy Spirit give me the conviction and courage to obey and walk with You in the direction You lead me.
Adoption: December 16, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 16, 2013,
ADOPTION
DEFINITION:
Take or receive as one’s own, such as a child; to take another’s child into one’s own family.
SCRIPTURE:
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1:5.
To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:5.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Here in America most people know of families that have adopted a child. For some parents it is because they are unable to have a child and for others it is their desire to help raise a hurting child.
In ancient Rome, adoption was occasionally used by the emperors to pass on succession to competent heirs. For example, Augustus Caesar was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar. Other notable adoptees included the emperors Tiberius and Hadrian. All of these mentioned proved to be strong rulers because each one was raised and trained to live like a child of his adoptive father. Under Roman law adopted children had all the rights and privileges of a biological child. An adopted child received his father’s inheritance.
Every Christian, one who has accepted Jesus as his or her Savior, is an adopted child of the King of Kings. Our adoption comes at a great cost. God made it possible to be brought into His family through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross. Our adoption is completed when we asked Him for forgiveness for our sins and accept Him as our Savior. Romans 8:17 tells us that God has made us not only adopted children but joint heirs with Christ. What a privilege and what a blessing.
We should feel great indebtedness to God for all that He has done for us. There is no way to repay Him in for the cost He paid to adopt us into His family. The adopted Roman child gained not only the rights of a legitimate child in his new family but also the responsibilities. He was expected to study and train to be a worthy member of the family. God wants us to live in a way that a child of God is expected to live, honoring our heavenly Father. Our instruction and training is given to us in God’s Word.
In Colossians 3:5 we are told by the apostle Paul what we are to get rid of in our lives when we have been adopted by God. He tells us to, “Put to death the sinful ways of our old life; sexual immorality; impurity; lust; evil desires; greed and idolatry.” We are children of God and we should act like it.
Our old way of life is to be replaced by activities and desires that show that we belong to the family of God. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:12 that we are to “Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and longsuffering.” These are the characteristics of Jesus. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” John 10:30. Jesus did the will of the Father. As adopted children how could we desire to do anything but do the will of our Father?
In Romans 8:15 Paul tells the people in the church at Rome, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” We need to be led daily by the Spirit of God in order to do the will of God our Father and to become more like Christ.
God is waiting to adopt all that do not know Him as their Savior. All you have to do is recognize that you are a sinner, ask God for forgiveness and then ask Him to come into your heart. He will then adopt you as one of His children. John 1:12 reads, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You that You have adopted me as one of Your children. Give me the strength and determination to live for You every moment of this day. May all that I meet know that by my words and deeds that I am an adopted son of God.
ADOPTION
DEFINITION:
Take or receive as one’s own, such as a child; to take another’s child into one’s own family.
SCRIPTURE:
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1:5.
To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:5.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Here in America most people know of families that have adopted a child. For some parents it is because they are unable to have a child and for others it is their desire to help raise a hurting child.
In ancient Rome, adoption was occasionally used by the emperors to pass on succession to competent heirs. For example, Augustus Caesar was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar. Other notable adoptees included the emperors Tiberius and Hadrian. All of these mentioned proved to be strong rulers because each one was raised and trained to live like a child of his adoptive father. Under Roman law adopted children had all the rights and privileges of a biological child. An adopted child received his father’s inheritance.
Every Christian, one who has accepted Jesus as his or her Savior, is an adopted child of the King of Kings. Our adoption comes at a great cost. God made it possible to be brought into His family through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross. Our adoption is completed when we asked Him for forgiveness for our sins and accept Him as our Savior. Romans 8:17 tells us that God has made us not only adopted children but joint heirs with Christ. What a privilege and what a blessing.
We should feel great indebtedness to God for all that He has done for us. There is no way to repay Him in for the cost He paid to adopt us into His family. The adopted Roman child gained not only the rights of a legitimate child in his new family but also the responsibilities. He was expected to study and train to be a worthy member of the family. God wants us to live in a way that a child of God is expected to live, honoring our heavenly Father. Our instruction and training is given to us in God’s Word.
In Colossians 3:5 we are told by the apostle Paul what we are to get rid of in our lives when we have been adopted by God. He tells us to, “Put to death the sinful ways of our old life; sexual immorality; impurity; lust; evil desires; greed and idolatry.” We are children of God and we should act like it.
Our old way of life is to be replaced by activities and desires that show that we belong to the family of God. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:12 that we are to “Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and longsuffering.” These are the characteristics of Jesus. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” John 10:30. Jesus did the will of the Father. As adopted children how could we desire to do anything but do the will of our Father?
In Romans 8:15 Paul tells the people in the church at Rome, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” We need to be led daily by the Spirit of God in order to do the will of God our Father and to become more like Christ.
God is waiting to adopt all that do not know Him as their Savior. All you have to do is recognize that you are a sinner, ask God for forgiveness and then ask Him to come into your heart. He will then adopt you as one of His children. John 1:12 reads, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 15:4.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
PRAYER:
Thank You that You have adopted me as one of Your children. Give me the strength and determination to live for You every moment of this day. May all that I meet know that by my words and deeds that I am an adopted son of God.
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