GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY MAY 24, 2014.
PROVERB:
A wise son accepts his father’s discipline; but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
Proverbs 13:1
PROMISE:
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
Revelation 3:19.
PRAISE:
Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip. For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.
Psalm 66:8-10.
May 25, 2014
Battle: May 23, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014.
BATTLE
DEFINITION:
A fight; hostile encounter; an engagement between opposing forces; a struggle; a conflict.
SCRIPTURE:
For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. Psalm 18:39.
For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands. I Samuel 17:47.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Our “word” today is BATTLE. Probably the first thing crosses your mind is a battle among countries or cultures. Maybe it is a battle among politicians. Our concern today is the battles that are happening in our homes and in our personal lives. Every day there are battles that are happening probably in over half of our homes around the world. In light of this it is a serious issue that must be discussed. These are not battles with guns or weapons but battles with words, attitudes and actions.
At the root of most battles are our selfish desires. We all want things our way and usually our way conflicts with someone else’s way and what they desire.
In most cases these conflicts turn into verbal battles and there are no winners because words are hurtful and can do irreparable damage to family relationships. Words between spouses and between parents and children often concern money, commitments, standards and choices. When the home has become a battleground over these issues and the family is falling apart it may look like and feel like an impossible situation to solve. Many people are ready to give up in despair.
The children that are involved in battles in homes sometimes are forced to take sides in a conflict and this is a no win situation for the children or the parent.
When your home has become a battleground and your family is in constant verbal warfare, it is time to put the situation into God’s hands and let the battle be the Lord’s. There are many scriptures that tell us to stop and pray and then ask God what we should do. Most people respond by acting on their own and the result is usually a bigger battle.
There is mighty power in prayer when we are willing to let God change our selfish desires and sinful motives to conform to His perfect will for us.
There is no situation that is so hopeless or so impossible that the Lord cannot give you victory over. The key is that you must be willing to turn to Him in faith and submit to His will and His direction. Solving any battle must begin with you and how you respond. Battles continue when you decide that someone else should change first.
We have said it so many times and we repeat it now. The first and foremost responsibility that a family has beginning with the spouses on their wedding day is to make a commitment to God. Without a commitment to God families will sooner or later become dysfunctional and they will fall apart.
Early in his life David made a commitment to God and as a result God armed him with strength for the battle he was set to face (Psalm 18:39). The same can be true for us if we have our faith and trust in God as David had. This includes battles in a family or a major conflict at work. Our Lord will guide us through every battle we face if we put our trust in Him.
In I Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous battles that have ever happened. It was the battle between David and Goliath. David fully understood what this battle was all about. The chief issue was that the Philistines were challenging the Lord by confronting the Lord’s people.
We all know the story but what we can learn about this battle today is that David prayed to God, asked for His protection and then he proceeded with confidence knowing that God would give him victory because he was fighting on the Lord’s side.
We can have the same confidence that David had but we must be prepared. In our lives Satan initiates battles to destroy a family’s relationship with God. To confront these battles we prepare by reading the Bible daily and communicating to God daily through prayer. The result will be that each day we will grow spiritually and God will answer our prayers and go before us in all of our battles when we are fighting on the Lord’s side and in His strength.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Prepare my heart and the hearts of each member of my family so that we can face every battle with the confidence that You are with us and with Your help we can see victory.
BATTLE
DEFINITION:
A fight; hostile encounter; an engagement between opposing forces; a struggle; a conflict.
SCRIPTURE:
For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. Psalm 18:39.
For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands. I Samuel 17:47.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Our “word” today is BATTLE. Probably the first thing crosses your mind is a battle among countries or cultures. Maybe it is a battle among politicians. Our concern today is the battles that are happening in our homes and in our personal lives. Every day there are battles that are happening probably in over half of our homes around the world. In light of this it is a serious issue that must be discussed. These are not battles with guns or weapons but battles with words, attitudes and actions.
At the root of most battles are our selfish desires. We all want things our way and usually our way conflicts with someone else’s way and what they desire.
In most cases these conflicts turn into verbal battles and there are no winners because words are hurtful and can do irreparable damage to family relationships. Words between spouses and between parents and children often concern money, commitments, standards and choices. When the home has become a battleground over these issues and the family is falling apart it may look like and feel like an impossible situation to solve. Many people are ready to give up in despair.
The children that are involved in battles in homes sometimes are forced to take sides in a conflict and this is a no win situation for the children or the parent.
When your home has become a battleground and your family is in constant verbal warfare, it is time to put the situation into God’s hands and let the battle be the Lord’s. There are many scriptures that tell us to stop and pray and then ask God what we should do. Most people respond by acting on their own and the result is usually a bigger battle.
There is mighty power in prayer when we are willing to let God change our selfish desires and sinful motives to conform to His perfect will for us.
There is no situation that is so hopeless or so impossible that the Lord cannot give you victory over. The key is that you must be willing to turn to Him in faith and submit to His will and His direction. Solving any battle must begin with you and how you respond. Battles continue when you decide that someone else should change first.
We have said it so many times and we repeat it now. The first and foremost responsibility that a family has beginning with the spouses on their wedding day is to make a commitment to God. Without a commitment to God families will sooner or later become dysfunctional and they will fall apart.
Early in his life David made a commitment to God and as a result God armed him with strength for the battle he was set to face (Psalm 18:39). The same can be true for us if we have our faith and trust in God as David had. This includes battles in a family or a major conflict at work. Our Lord will guide us through every battle we face if we put our trust in Him.
In I Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous battles that have ever happened. It was the battle between David and Goliath. David fully understood what this battle was all about. The chief issue was that the Philistines were challenging the Lord by confronting the Lord’s people.
We all know the story but what we can learn about this battle today is that David prayed to God, asked for His protection and then he proceeded with confidence knowing that God would give him victory because he was fighting on the Lord’s side.
We can have the same confidence that David had but we must be prepared. In our lives Satan initiates battles to destroy a family’s relationship with God. To confront these battles we prepare by reading the Bible daily and communicating to God daily through prayer. The result will be that each day we will grow spiritually and God will answer our prayers and go before us in all of our battles when we are fighting on the Lord’s side and in His strength.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Prepare my heart and the hearts of each member of my family so that we can face every battle with the confidence that You are with us and with Your help we can see victory.
Prejudice: May 22, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MAY 22, 2014.
PREJUDICE
DEFINITION:
An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason; bias; unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes of a hostile nature, regarding a social, religious, or national group.
SCRIPTURE:
And He has made from one blood (man) every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. Acts 17:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Prejudice is a serious problem in our world today. Prejudice can be based on race, on the color of one’s skin, one’s culture, on one’s social standing, on one’s financial status, talent or treasures of others, on education, on religious belief and any of a number of other things that sets one person apart from another. God’s Word has made it clear that prejudice of any kind is not acceptable. Prejudice grows out of pride and causes people to look down on others they consider inferior to themselves.
In the verse above we are reminded that all men and women today are created equal in God’s sight since all came from one man -- Adam. This teaching was a real blow to the national pride of the Greeks, who believed that all non-Greeks were barbarians. (Romans 1:14)
Likewise the Jews though they were superior to others. Jewish males recited this prayer every morning: “Lord, I thank You that I am not a gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Jesus came to make all believers one in Christ, because we are all joint heirs in Christ. No one is more privileged than anyone else nor is anyone better than anyone else.
In the verse (above) the writer of Acts says, having determined their appointed times and their boundaries of their dwellings. God’s sovereignty determines when and where we are born and thus who we are.
We live a life of faith when we are a child of God. Prejudice and faith cannot coexist in the life of a believer. Prejudice destroys faith and faith destroys prejudice. In James 2:1-6 he writes that there must be no partiality, no prejudice in a believer’s life. If a person is prejudiced against another person for any reason he or she is not a true follower of Jesus. As believers we are to love one another.
We cause real sorrow to others when we dishonor and debase others through prejudice or bigotry. Every human being is created in the image of God and worthy of honor. When by our own prejudice we demean someone we will wound another human being at the deepest level. We are all of the same family, the family of God. God expects us, as His children, to be treasured and cherished by one another. He desires us to show respect to all people because everyone was created by God in His very image.
There are not many that are not guilty of having prejudice. Often we are not aware of our prejudices.
The sad fact about prejudice is that it is usually passed from parent to child. Children learn from their parents. As believers, parents have the responsibility to make sure they do not have prejudice against others. If they do they can be sure their children will pick up on it. God alone can change our hearts and remove our prejudice feelings. God will do that if we draw close to Him and allow Him to work in our lives.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Continue to remind me daily that all of Your creations are rare treasures but none compares to one man’s worth to You. Thank You for creating me in Your image and help me to always show respect and honor to every man, woman and child.
PREJUDICE
DEFINITION:
An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason; bias; unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes of a hostile nature, regarding a social, religious, or national group.
SCRIPTURE:
And He has made from one blood (man) every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. Acts 17:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Prejudice is a serious problem in our world today. Prejudice can be based on race, on the color of one’s skin, one’s culture, on one’s social standing, on one’s financial status, talent or treasures of others, on education, on religious belief and any of a number of other things that sets one person apart from another. God’s Word has made it clear that prejudice of any kind is not acceptable. Prejudice grows out of pride and causes people to look down on others they consider inferior to themselves.
In the verse above we are reminded that all men and women today are created equal in God’s sight since all came from one man -- Adam. This teaching was a real blow to the national pride of the Greeks, who believed that all non-Greeks were barbarians. (Romans 1:14)
Likewise the Jews though they were superior to others. Jewish males recited this prayer every morning: “Lord, I thank You that I am not a gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Jesus came to make all believers one in Christ, because we are all joint heirs in Christ. No one is more privileged than anyone else nor is anyone better than anyone else.
In the verse (above) the writer of Acts says, having determined their appointed times and their boundaries of their dwellings. God’s sovereignty determines when and where we are born and thus who we are.
We live a life of faith when we are a child of God. Prejudice and faith cannot coexist in the life of a believer. Prejudice destroys faith and faith destroys prejudice. In James 2:1-6 he writes that there must be no partiality, no prejudice in a believer’s life. If a person is prejudiced against another person for any reason he or she is not a true follower of Jesus. As believers we are to love one another.
We cause real sorrow to others when we dishonor and debase others through prejudice or bigotry. Every human being is created in the image of God and worthy of honor. When by our own prejudice we demean someone we will wound another human being at the deepest level. We are all of the same family, the family of God. God expects us, as His children, to be treasured and cherished by one another. He desires us to show respect to all people because everyone was created by God in His very image.
There are not many that are not guilty of having prejudice. Often we are not aware of our prejudices.
The sad fact about prejudice is that it is usually passed from parent to child. Children learn from their parents. As believers, parents have the responsibility to make sure they do not have prejudice against others. If they do they can be sure their children will pick up on it. God alone can change our hearts and remove our prejudice feelings. God will do that if we draw close to Him and allow Him to work in our lives.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Continue to remind me daily that all of Your creations are rare treasures but none compares to one man’s worth to You. Thank You for creating me in Your image and help me to always show respect and honor to every man, woman and child.
Afraid: May 21, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2014.
AFRAID
DEFINITION:
Feeling fear or apprehension; feeling a threat of danger or harm.
SCRIPTURE:
Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. Matthew 14:27
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Genesis 26:24.
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you often feel afraid? If you do you are not alone. In times when we are afraid, God’s message to us is the same message that He gave to Isaac when he feared for his life. God said to Isaac, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (above verse). Great men down through history, in their time of fear, needed the assurance from God that they had no reason to fear.
When you read the scriptures you will see that Abraham, Moses, Isaac, David, Jeremiah, the disciples, Peter, Paul and many others faced situations where they feared for their very life and were all told by God not to be afraid.
Psalm 56 (above) was written by David at a time in his life when he was afraid because he was being endangered by the Philistines. David’s natural reaction was to panic but in this Psalm he demonstrates that the believer in God can replace anticipated terror with composure of trust.
In verses 1-4 David relates his fear and contrasts it with his trust in God. His trust and faith in God gives him the victory he needs over fear. In verses 5-9, David recognizes that although his enemies were seeking to destroy him he has a deliverer in the God he trusts. In verse 9, David says, “This I know, that God is for me.”
In the midst of fear when all seems dark, one truth shines through: when God is for us, those against us will not succeed. In verses 10-13 David tells us that the result of putting his trust in God gave him victory over his fear and a cause for thanksgiving.
Being afraid is a result of the evil that engulfs us on every side and this comes to us because of our unbelief and sinful nature. The solution is to put our trust in God when we are afraid.
We can remember our young children from time to time waking up in the middle of the night saying that they were afraid. What makes this happen? Most of the time it relates back to a time when they heard about or saw something that was frightening and might do something to hurt them. Their reaction, of course, is to run to someone they can trust. There is no place where a child feels safer than to be in the safety of their parent’s protective and loving arms.
Being afraid is not uncommon for many people today. We live in such an evil world that just the everyday circumstances of life can give us reason to be afraid. We hear parents tell us that they are fearful of the direction their children are going. Others are fearful that their marriage is falling apart. Some are fearful of losing a job or even their home.
Remember our hope and strength is in the Lord. When fear comes into your life then it is time to run to God. He is your Heavenly Father. When we cast our cares, our worries, and our fears upon Him, He will take care of us and make us victorious over our fears.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Take away my thoughts of fear today. Give me confidence that all my concerns are in Your hands and you will not only take care of each one but You will shelter me with Your protective hand. May my family find the same assurance as they walk through life today.
AFRAID
DEFINITION:
Feeling fear or apprehension; feeling a threat of danger or harm.
SCRIPTURE:
Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. Matthew 14:27
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Genesis 26:24.
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you often feel afraid? If you do you are not alone. In times when we are afraid, God’s message to us is the same message that He gave to Isaac when he feared for his life. God said to Isaac, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (above verse). Great men down through history, in their time of fear, needed the assurance from God that they had no reason to fear.
When you read the scriptures you will see that Abraham, Moses, Isaac, David, Jeremiah, the disciples, Peter, Paul and many others faced situations where they feared for their very life and were all told by God not to be afraid.
Psalm 56 (above) was written by David at a time in his life when he was afraid because he was being endangered by the Philistines. David’s natural reaction was to panic but in this Psalm he demonstrates that the believer in God can replace anticipated terror with composure of trust.
In verses 1-4 David relates his fear and contrasts it with his trust in God. His trust and faith in God gives him the victory he needs over fear. In verses 5-9, David recognizes that although his enemies were seeking to destroy him he has a deliverer in the God he trusts. In verse 9, David says, “This I know, that God is for me.”
In the midst of fear when all seems dark, one truth shines through: when God is for us, those against us will not succeed. In verses 10-13 David tells us that the result of putting his trust in God gave him victory over his fear and a cause for thanksgiving.
Being afraid is a result of the evil that engulfs us on every side and this comes to us because of our unbelief and sinful nature. The solution is to put our trust in God when we are afraid.
We can remember our young children from time to time waking up in the middle of the night saying that they were afraid. What makes this happen? Most of the time it relates back to a time when they heard about or saw something that was frightening and might do something to hurt them. Their reaction, of course, is to run to someone they can trust. There is no place where a child feels safer than to be in the safety of their parent’s protective and loving arms.
Being afraid is not uncommon for many people today. We live in such an evil world that just the everyday circumstances of life can give us reason to be afraid. We hear parents tell us that they are fearful of the direction their children are going. Others are fearful that their marriage is falling apart. Some are fearful of losing a job or even their home.
Remember our hope and strength is in the Lord. When fear comes into your life then it is time to run to God. He is your Heavenly Father. When we cast our cares, our worries, and our fears upon Him, He will take care of us and make us victorious over our fears.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Take away my thoughts of fear today. Give me confidence that all my concerns are in Your hands and you will not only take care of each one but You will shelter me with Your protective hand. May my family find the same assurance as they walk through life today.
Poverty: May 20, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MAY 20, 2014.
POVERTY
DEFINITION:
Lack of money; great need; impoverished; condition of being poor.
SCRIPTURE:
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. Psalm 14:31.
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Psalm 19:17.
He, who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, will also cry himself and not be heard. Psalm 21:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you understand that it offends God, our creator when we neglect the poor? This is because they are part of His creation and He cares for them. All of our married lives we have had the privilege of working to help the poor. It began for us in South Korea after the Korean War where we set up over 140 orphanages for World Vision.
These orphanages were needed to house and care for the poorest of the poor children in Korea. They were the victims of the war and we knew that God loved them and needed us to make sure they had places to live so He could care for them.
Statistics help us to share with you the problem we face in our world today. We are told that last year over 16 million people, mostly children died in our world from hunger. Also last year over 10 million children died before they could celebrate their fifth birthday.
These are all numbers, but they are much more than numbers. Each number represents one person, mostly children and God loves each one. This is why there are so many verses in His Word that make it very clear to us that we need to reach out and help the poor.
Take a moment now and carefully read the three verses from Psalms that we have written above. Does the question now come to your mind, what can I do about this? Most people will react by saying to themselves something like, I am too busy. I do not have any time. I do not have the money to help now. But God says we must help.
We can show mercy by volunteering at a church feeding center or a soup kitchen. Maybe you can find a job for a father who has lost his job. How about taking a meal to a family that you know is hurting. Ask a few friends, if you can’t find a need, and someone will lead you to a family who needs a helping hand. What a blessing you can be to them and what an opportunity for you to share God’s love and His gift of salvation.
Accepting this responsibility honors God because he is concerned for each and every person in this world.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Lead me today to at least one person that we consider to be poor. Give me the one gift that I need to help this poor person. Help me to also share my love for You to these who are poor both physically and spiritually.
POVERTY
DEFINITION:
Lack of money; great need; impoverished; condition of being poor.
SCRIPTURE:
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. Psalm 14:31.
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Psalm 19:17.
He, who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, will also cry himself and not be heard. Psalm 21:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you understand that it offends God, our creator when we neglect the poor? This is because they are part of His creation and He cares for them. All of our married lives we have had the privilege of working to help the poor. It began for us in South Korea after the Korean War where we set up over 140 orphanages for World Vision.
These orphanages were needed to house and care for the poorest of the poor children in Korea. They were the victims of the war and we knew that God loved them and needed us to make sure they had places to live so He could care for them.
Statistics help us to share with you the problem we face in our world today. We are told that last year over 16 million people, mostly children died in our world from hunger. Also last year over 10 million children died before they could celebrate their fifth birthday.
These are all numbers, but they are much more than numbers. Each number represents one person, mostly children and God loves each one. This is why there are so many verses in His Word that make it very clear to us that we need to reach out and help the poor.
Take a moment now and carefully read the three verses from Psalms that we have written above. Does the question now come to your mind, what can I do about this? Most people will react by saying to themselves something like, I am too busy. I do not have any time. I do not have the money to help now. But God says we must help.
We can show mercy by volunteering at a church feeding center or a soup kitchen. Maybe you can find a job for a father who has lost his job. How about taking a meal to a family that you know is hurting. Ask a few friends, if you can’t find a need, and someone will lead you to a family who needs a helping hand. What a blessing you can be to them and what an opportunity for you to share God’s love and His gift of salvation.
Accepting this responsibility honors God because he is concerned for each and every person in this world.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
Lead me today to at least one person that we consider to be poor. Give me the one gift that I need to help this poor person. Help me to also share my love for You to these who are poor both physically and spiritually.
Adsversity: May 19, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 19, 2014.
ADVERSITY
DEFINITION:
Misfortune; trouble; calamity; a difficult circumstance; tribulation.
SCRIPTURE:
O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are saying to me, God will not deliver him. But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:1-3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Adversity is a fact of life. All of us at some time or another either have or will face difficulties or misfortune in our lives. In fact we will no doubt face it often. We often cause our own troubles but it is also true that many suffer adversity through no fault of their own. We have all read the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. He certainly knew what it was like to suffer adversity at the hands of others.
Joseph’s family moved to the land of Canaan when he was 6 years old. Joseph had 10 older brothers and he and his brothers tended their father’s flocks. Joseph’s father, Jacob, had made it obvious that Joseph was his favorite son. The brothers were jealous because of this and they hated Joseph.
It was 11 years later when he was 17 that he came home from being with his brothers and shared with his father a bad report on his brothers. This just added fuel to the smoldering fire of animosity toward Joseph within his brothers.
Joseph, in his immaturity, was not sensitive to his brother’s feelings. Joseph was boastful and his brothers could not interact with him without conflict and hostility. The brothers totally rejected Joseph and conspired against him and they sold him into slavery. He was not only cut off from his family and his financial security, but he was taken to a strange land with a different language and strange customs. This was truly adversity for Joseph because he had lost control of his own destiny and was at the mercy of others.
Joseph had lost everything but he did not lose his faith in God. This was the one thing that he could still control. We read in Genesis 37:2-4 that Joseph kept his faith and his relationship with God. As a result the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered in spite of his immaturity and adversity. As the story of Joseph’s life unfolds there is no doubt that God was in control and working to fulfill His plan and purpose for Joseph’s life. It is evident that it was God who determined that Joseph would be sold as a slave to a rich officer in Pharaoh’s service and taken to live in his home.
Joseph found favor with his master because his master saw that Joseph’s God was blessing him and he wanted the same success that Joseph had. Joseph did not let the adversities of his dire circumstances keep him from being the Godly man that God wanted him to be. Joseph did not give up in despair but he worked hard and was diligent even in the lowliest jobs that he was assigned to do. As a result of his integrity and faithfulness the Lord was with him and gave him the success that only God could have given him.
Like Joseph, David also knew what it was to face adversity which he wrote about in Psalms 3 (above). David also kept his faith in God through his adversities that he faced in life. When David wrote these verses he was not sitting on his throne in his luxurious palace. He was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom who was leading a rebellion against him.
When we face adversity it is tempting to think God has forgotten us. David says “NO”. The opposite is true. He puts a shield around us and lifts up our head. In verse 4 David wrote, “To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers me.” David prayed and God answered. God protected him from all of his enemies and continually lifted him above his adversities.
When we face adversities in our lives we can learn from Joseph and David. We must never forget that God never forgets us nor does He leave us even when we falter. In the times of our deepest adversities we need God and we must never lose faith in Him. He is there for us when we need Him most. When we pray God answers.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
I am so grateful that I can know that You are with me in all of the circumstances that I face today, even the adversities that may come my way. Keep my faith strong and help my life to be a testimony to others as what it means to know You as my savior. Help me to teach my children to turn to You in their darkest hours.
ADVERSITY
DEFINITION:
Misfortune; trouble; calamity; a difficult circumstance; tribulation.
SCRIPTURE:
O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are saying to me, God will not deliver him. But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:1-3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Adversity is a fact of life. All of us at some time or another either have or will face difficulties or misfortune in our lives. In fact we will no doubt face it often. We often cause our own troubles but it is also true that many suffer adversity through no fault of their own. We have all read the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. He certainly knew what it was like to suffer adversity at the hands of others.
Joseph’s family moved to the land of Canaan when he was 6 years old. Joseph had 10 older brothers and he and his brothers tended their father’s flocks. Joseph’s father, Jacob, had made it obvious that Joseph was his favorite son. The brothers were jealous because of this and they hated Joseph.
It was 11 years later when he was 17 that he came home from being with his brothers and shared with his father a bad report on his brothers. This just added fuel to the smoldering fire of animosity toward Joseph within his brothers.
Joseph, in his immaturity, was not sensitive to his brother’s feelings. Joseph was boastful and his brothers could not interact with him without conflict and hostility. The brothers totally rejected Joseph and conspired against him and they sold him into slavery. He was not only cut off from his family and his financial security, but he was taken to a strange land with a different language and strange customs. This was truly adversity for Joseph because he had lost control of his own destiny and was at the mercy of others.
Joseph had lost everything but he did not lose his faith in God. This was the one thing that he could still control. We read in Genesis 37:2-4 that Joseph kept his faith and his relationship with God. As a result the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered in spite of his immaturity and adversity. As the story of Joseph’s life unfolds there is no doubt that God was in control and working to fulfill His plan and purpose for Joseph’s life. It is evident that it was God who determined that Joseph would be sold as a slave to a rich officer in Pharaoh’s service and taken to live in his home.
Joseph found favor with his master because his master saw that Joseph’s God was blessing him and he wanted the same success that Joseph had. Joseph did not let the adversities of his dire circumstances keep him from being the Godly man that God wanted him to be. Joseph did not give up in despair but he worked hard and was diligent even in the lowliest jobs that he was assigned to do. As a result of his integrity and faithfulness the Lord was with him and gave him the success that only God could have given him.
Like Joseph, David also knew what it was to face adversity which he wrote about in Psalms 3 (above). David also kept his faith in God through his adversities that he faced in life. When David wrote these verses he was not sitting on his throne in his luxurious palace. He was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom who was leading a rebellion against him.
When we face adversity it is tempting to think God has forgotten us. David says “NO”. The opposite is true. He puts a shield around us and lifts up our head. In verse 4 David wrote, “To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers me.” David prayed and God answered. God protected him from all of his enemies and continually lifted him above his adversities.
When we face adversities in our lives we can learn from Joseph and David. We must never forget that God never forgets us nor does He leave us even when we falter. In the times of our deepest adversities we need God and we must never lose faith in Him. He is there for us when we need Him most. When we pray God answers.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.
Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.
PRAYER:
I am so grateful that I can know that You are with me in all of the circumstances that I face today, even the adversities that may come my way. Keep my faith strong and help my life to be a testimony to others as what it means to know You as my savior. Help me to teach my children to turn to You in their darkest hours.
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