GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY JULY 5, 2014.
PROVERB:
Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.
Proverbs 24:1.
PROMISE:
Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying His glorious presence.
Isaiah 3:8
PRAISE:
I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O most high. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You. For You have upheld my right and my cause; You have sat on Your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Psalm 9: 2-5.
July 6, 2014
Freedom: July 4, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 4, 2014
FREEDOM
DEFINITION:
The state of being free; liberty; without restraint; the right to worship and publish fact and opinion without restriction.
SCRIPTURE:
There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me FREE from the law of sin and death. Romans 8: 1-2
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
It was 238 years ago that the official day was set for the independence of America, the birth day of the founding of these United States of America. This country was founded to give its people freedoms and we should be thankful to God for the freedoms we have enjoyed for these more than 238 years.
But unfortunately we are seeing changes. We slowly but surely are losing one freedom at a time here in America. But the sad thing we see is that believers in Jesus do not seem to care.
SPECIAL ALERT! We need to stand up for the freedoms we have. Many friends from more than 175 countries receive these email devotionals every day and they understand what we are saying because many do not enjoy the freedom to worship as we do here in America.
Our country was founded by those who sought freedom to worship God as they pleased. Our founding fathers paid a heavy price to see that we, today, have the freedoms that we enjoy. Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States said: “freedom is expensive, it still costs blood, it still calls for courage and endurance by every man and woman who is free and who is determined to remain free.”
Freedom is something that needs to be protected. Above the Capitol building in Washington D.C. is the FREEDOM LADY. This statue is about 20 feet high and stands out for all to see when they come near the Capitol. The story is told about the shipping by sea of this statue from Rome to America in the 1700’s. The ship encountered a severe storm and to protect the ship and the crew they threw most of the cargo overboard.
Some of the crew wanted to throw the statue out --- it was very heavy. The captain refused shouting for all to hear, “NO NEVER! We will flounder before we throw FREEDOM away”.
Christianity is much more than a religion. It is a relationship with Jesus. God has given each one of us the freedom to choose to have a relationship with Jesus. Joshua said to the Children of Israel: “Choose you this day, who you will serve. For me and my house we will serve the Lord”. They had the freedom to choose as do we today and we do not want to lose that freedom.
Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:13 that we, as believers, have been given freedom, and we are to use that freedom to serve one another and not as an opportunity to further our sinful desires. We are free to sin but sin enslaves us and is not freedom at all.
Believers are truly free because Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin. We are to use our freedom to glorify God by serving others.
The freedoms we have here in America are very important to all of us but the freedom that we receive from our Lord is much more important. We dare not let evil triumph because the result will be the loss of our freedoms. God will honor our faithfulness if we are faithful to Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the freedoms You have given me and my family, especially the freedom to worship You. Help me to use my freedom to further the good news of the gospel. Enable me to share my beliefs to my family, my friends and my neighbors and lead them to appreciate the freedom to worship God.
FREEDOM
DEFINITION:
The state of being free; liberty; without restraint; the right to worship and publish fact and opinion without restriction.
SCRIPTURE:
There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me FREE from the law of sin and death. Romans 8: 1-2
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
It was 238 years ago that the official day was set for the independence of America, the birth day of the founding of these United States of America. This country was founded to give its people freedoms and we should be thankful to God for the freedoms we have enjoyed for these more than 238 years.
But unfortunately we are seeing changes. We slowly but surely are losing one freedom at a time here in America. But the sad thing we see is that believers in Jesus do not seem to care.
SPECIAL ALERT! We need to stand up for the freedoms we have. Many friends from more than 175 countries receive these email devotionals every day and they understand what we are saying because many do not enjoy the freedom to worship as we do here in America.
Our country was founded by those who sought freedom to worship God as they pleased. Our founding fathers paid a heavy price to see that we, today, have the freedoms that we enjoy. Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States said: “freedom is expensive, it still costs blood, it still calls for courage and endurance by every man and woman who is free and who is determined to remain free.”
Freedom is something that needs to be protected. Above the Capitol building in Washington D.C. is the FREEDOM LADY. This statue is about 20 feet high and stands out for all to see when they come near the Capitol. The story is told about the shipping by sea of this statue from Rome to America in the 1700’s. The ship encountered a severe storm and to protect the ship and the crew they threw most of the cargo overboard.
Some of the crew wanted to throw the statue out --- it was very heavy. The captain refused shouting for all to hear, “NO NEVER! We will flounder before we throw FREEDOM away”.
Christianity is much more than a religion. It is a relationship with Jesus. God has given each one of us the freedom to choose to have a relationship with Jesus. Joshua said to the Children of Israel: “Choose you this day, who you will serve. For me and my house we will serve the Lord”. They had the freedom to choose as do we today and we do not want to lose that freedom.
Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:13 that we, as believers, have been given freedom, and we are to use that freedom to serve one another and not as an opportunity to further our sinful desires. We are free to sin but sin enslaves us and is not freedom at all.
Believers are truly free because Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin. We are to use our freedom to glorify God by serving others.
The freedoms we have here in America are very important to all of us but the freedom that we receive from our Lord is much more important. We dare not let evil triumph because the result will be the loss of our freedoms. God will honor our faithfulness if we are faithful to Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the freedoms You have given me and my family, especially the freedom to worship You. Help me to use my freedom to further the good news of the gospel. Enable me to share my beliefs to my family, my friends and my neighbors and lead them to appreciate the freedom to worship God.
Intimacy: July 3, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JULY 3, 2014.
INTIMACY
DEFINITION:
A close, familiar, and affectionate personal relationship; a close association with or deep understanding of a place or a person.
Scripture:
For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:32.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you have an intimate relationship with the Lord? Many believers in Jesus today do not have the exciting experience of having an intimate relationship with their Lord. When a believer finds the Lord as their Savior and accepts Jesus into their heart they receive God’s divine nature.
When you have the Lord in your heart he is there to be part of you and is waiting to guide you through each and every situation in life that you face just for the asking.
The verse in Revelation 3:20 describes the intimate fellowship the Lord desires to have with us. It reads, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him and he with Me.”
Jesus makes it very clear in the scriptures as He was teaching His disciples His message to all of us. He expects us to come to Him, follow Him and abide with Him. You come to Him by accepting Him as your Savior. You follow Him by reading His Word and communicating to Him through prayer. You abide with Him when He is in your heart and is dining with you and you with Him (Revelation 3:20 above).
When you abide with Him you know what is right and what is wrong. You know that light does not mix with darkness. You know that being holy does not mix with sin. Jesus is knocking at our hearts door wanting to share with us His divine nature.
The key to making this a reality in our lives is communicating with Jesus through prayer and reading His Word. Prayer is a time saver for a believer. Let us share with you several things that prayer will do for you so you can have the exciting opportunity to abide with your Lord. Prayer eliminates confusion. Prayer lets you know when you are thinking about making wrong decisions. Prayer eliminates worry and anxiety. Prayer produces calmness and peacefulness. Prayer gives us confidence. And prayer sharpens our discernment.
Life becomes exciting when you have an intimate relationship with your Savior. We urge you to start your process today and respond to the Lord who is knocking on the door of your heart.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Help me to learn what it means to have an intimate relationship with You. May I open the door of my heart to You so You can come in and abide in me. May the intimacy of my relationship with You make me a shining light for You in a dark and evil world.
INTIMACY
DEFINITION:
A close, familiar, and affectionate personal relationship; a close association with or deep understanding of a place or a person.
Scripture:
For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:32.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Do you have an intimate relationship with the Lord? Many believers in Jesus today do not have the exciting experience of having an intimate relationship with their Lord. When a believer finds the Lord as their Savior and accepts Jesus into their heart they receive God’s divine nature.
When you have the Lord in your heart he is there to be part of you and is waiting to guide you through each and every situation in life that you face just for the asking.
The verse in Revelation 3:20 describes the intimate fellowship the Lord desires to have with us. It reads, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him and he with Me.”
Jesus makes it very clear in the scriptures as He was teaching His disciples His message to all of us. He expects us to come to Him, follow Him and abide with Him. You come to Him by accepting Him as your Savior. You follow Him by reading His Word and communicating to Him through prayer. You abide with Him when He is in your heart and is dining with you and you with Him (Revelation 3:20 above).
When you abide with Him you know what is right and what is wrong. You know that light does not mix with darkness. You know that being holy does not mix with sin. Jesus is knocking at our hearts door wanting to share with us His divine nature.
The key to making this a reality in our lives is communicating with Jesus through prayer and reading His Word. Prayer is a time saver for a believer. Let us share with you several things that prayer will do for you so you can have the exciting opportunity to abide with your Lord. Prayer eliminates confusion. Prayer lets you know when you are thinking about making wrong decisions. Prayer eliminates worry and anxiety. Prayer produces calmness and peacefulness. Prayer gives us confidence. And prayer sharpens our discernment.
Life becomes exciting when you have an intimate relationship with your Savior. We urge you to start your process today and respond to the Lord who is knocking on the door of your heart.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Help me to learn what it means to have an intimate relationship with You. May I open the door of my heart to You so You can come in and abide in me. May the intimacy of my relationship with You make me a shining light for You in a dark and evil world.
Blind: July 2, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 2, 2014.
BLIND
DEFINITION:
Unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; something that obstructs vision.
SCRIPTURE:
He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing, that although I was blind, now I can see. John 9:25.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Our dear friend, Dr. Billy Graham, years ago was trying to explain to a group of Rotary club members the joy that he experienced by following Christ. He was trying to communicate the thrill, the excitement, the exhilaration knowing where he came from and where he was going. He was trying to explain that there was a real reason for him to exist every day and it was not the pleasures and things of the world.
At the end of his talk to the club he asked if anyone had any questions. One man stated very clearly to Dr. Graham that he just could not see what he was explaining. Dr. Graham responded: I have found Jesus and every morning as I study the scriptures and walk with my Lord, I have excitement and joy.
And you tell me that you cannot see that. Of course, you can’t. You see you are blind. Try to explain television to a blind man. He can understand a little but it just does not make sense. Try to explain a sunset to him. He is blind to it.
In order to see and understand what I am talking about the scales must be removed from your eyes and only Christ can do that. He can remove them right now and you can start living and seeing a whole new world that you never knew existed just like I did years ago. God will do great things for you if you let Him open your spiritual eyes.
We ask you today are you experiencing the joy and excitement of knowing Jesus as your Savior. If the things that we have talked about --- joy, happiness and peace --- do not stand prominent in your life then you are spiritually blind. Open your eyes today and ask Jesus into your heart and watch God work in your life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
I thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit who is at work in this world to give sight to the spiritually blind eyes of each person who trusts in You.
BLIND
DEFINITION:
Unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; something that obstructs vision.
SCRIPTURE:
He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing, that although I was blind, now I can see. John 9:25.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Our dear friend, Dr. Billy Graham, years ago was trying to explain to a group of Rotary club members the joy that he experienced by following Christ. He was trying to communicate the thrill, the excitement, the exhilaration knowing where he came from and where he was going. He was trying to explain that there was a real reason for him to exist every day and it was not the pleasures and things of the world.
At the end of his talk to the club he asked if anyone had any questions. One man stated very clearly to Dr. Graham that he just could not see what he was explaining. Dr. Graham responded: I have found Jesus and every morning as I study the scriptures and walk with my Lord, I have excitement and joy.
And you tell me that you cannot see that. Of course, you can’t. You see you are blind. Try to explain television to a blind man. He can understand a little but it just does not make sense. Try to explain a sunset to him. He is blind to it.
In order to see and understand what I am talking about the scales must be removed from your eyes and only Christ can do that. He can remove them right now and you can start living and seeing a whole new world that you never knew existed just like I did years ago. God will do great things for you if you let Him open your spiritual eyes.
We ask you today are you experiencing the joy and excitement of knowing Jesus as your Savior. If the things that we have talked about --- joy, happiness and peace --- do not stand prominent in your life then you are spiritually blind. Open your eyes today and ask Jesus into your heart and watch God work in your life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12:2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
I thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit who is at work in this world to give sight to the spiritually blind eyes of each person who trusts in You.
Happiness: July 1, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JULY 1, 2014.
HAPPINESS
DEFINITION:
The quality or state of being happy; good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
SCRIPTURE:
Happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18b
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people, unbelievers in Jesus, feel that happiness is good health, good job, happy home, successful investments, parties and social acceptance. But all these things come and go and really should not be considered as real happiness.
King George of England wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible of a friend, “The secret of happiness is not what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do. Too many think of happiness as some sort of thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching.”
Happiness is not found by seeking. It is not an end in itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of a rainbow (as the saying goes) and as we used to think as children. Gold is mined from the ground or panned from a mountain stream, never sitting in a pot ready to be found.
We need to look at the scripture to really see what happiness is. Jesus once told His disciples, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The “things” he spoke of in this passage were things that made us happy and secure. They were food, drink, clothes, and shelter. He told the disciples and us not to make these “things” the chief goal of our lives but to “seek the kingdom” and then these needs would be automatically supplied. There, if we will believe it, is the secret of happiness. We need not worry about being happy. In fact Jesus told us in Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own”. Seek first the Lord and then He will give you all you need to be happy.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12: 2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have sought to find happiness in the wrong things. You have promised to take care of all my needs so keep me faithful in trusting You for my happiness.
HAPPINESS
DEFINITION:
The quality or state of being happy; good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
SCRIPTURE:
Happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18b
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Most people, unbelievers in Jesus, feel that happiness is good health, good job, happy home, successful investments, parties and social acceptance. But all these things come and go and really should not be considered as real happiness.
King George of England wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible of a friend, “The secret of happiness is not what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do. Too many think of happiness as some sort of thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching.”
Happiness is not found by seeking. It is not an end in itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of a rainbow (as the saying goes) and as we used to think as children. Gold is mined from the ground or panned from a mountain stream, never sitting in a pot ready to be found.
We need to look at the scripture to really see what happiness is. Jesus once told His disciples, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The “things” he spoke of in this passage were things that made us happy and secure. They were food, drink, clothes, and shelter. He told the disciples and us not to make these “things” the chief goal of our lives but to “seek the kingdom” and then these needs would be automatically supplied. There, if we will believe it, is the secret of happiness. We need not worry about being happy. In fact Jesus told us in Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own”. Seek first the Lord and then He will give you all you need to be happy.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12: 2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have sought to find happiness in the wrong things. You have promised to take care of all my needs so keep me faithful in trusting You for my happiness.
Murmur: June 30, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JUNE 30, 2014.
MURMUR
DEFINITION:
A low indistinct sound; a mumbled expression of discontent; a muttered complaint.
SCRIPTURE:
And all of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God if we died in this wilderness.” Numbers 14: 2.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Murmuring or muttering complaints is the outward expression of inner obstinacy and rebellion. It most likely is something every one of us has been guilty of some time in our life.
In the verse above we read about the Children of Israel murmuring against their leaders. They had become fearful of going into the Promised Land to conquer it as the Lord wanted them to do.
Twelve spies had been sent to spy out the land. Ten of the spies had aroused fear in the people by reporting that the Canaanites were too powerful to be conquered. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the twelve spies who remained strong in their faith and took a stand against the other spies.
In spite of experiencing God’s power and might in delivering them from their hard life of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites faith in God was weak. The journey from Egypt to Canaan was not an easy one. The Israelites began to not only murmur but to loudly complain. It was Joshua that God used to speak out against the murmuring. He told the congregation of Israelites that the land was good and “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.”
Joshua begged them to trust the Lord, but the congregation continued to murmur and complain and even threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Moses cried out to God for deliverance for his people. God was ready to wipe them out but because of Moses’ prayer of intersession for them, God forgave the Children of Israel for their murmuring and complaining.
Nevertheless, they still paid a price for their sinful complaining. God told them that they would wander in the desert for 40 years and no one but Joshua and Caleb and those under 20 years old would enter the Promised Land. Disobeying God always has consequences. The Israelites disobedience made life harder for them.
We can remember as children when our parents gave us something to do and we really did not want to do it that as we walked away we would murmur under our breath. This did not go over with our parents and usually got us into deep trouble. Years later the roles were reversed. We were the parents and our children would walk away from us after we gave them a responsibility to do murmuring under their breath. They soon learned, as we did, that murmuring and complaining got us nowhere, in fact, it brought consequences that just made them more unhappy.
There are murmurers and complainers among Christians today just like as there were among the Children of Israel. They complain about everything and then always blame God for what went wrong. God is not the problem. We who complain are the problem. We only want to do what we want to do and do it in our own way. We disobey God, just like the Children of Israel did, and then when we fail or get ourselves in trouble we ask God --- WHY?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12: 2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Enable me to be obedient to You and do what You want me to do without murmuring and complaining. Forgive me for the times that I have been obstinate and rebellious against You. Give me a right attitude and keep me cheerful in all that I do.
MURMUR
DEFINITION:
A low indistinct sound; a mumbled expression of discontent; a muttered complaint.
SCRIPTURE:
And all of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God if we died in this wilderness.” Numbers 14: 2.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Murmuring or muttering complaints is the outward expression of inner obstinacy and rebellion. It most likely is something every one of us has been guilty of some time in our life.
In the verse above we read about the Children of Israel murmuring against their leaders. They had become fearful of going into the Promised Land to conquer it as the Lord wanted them to do.
Twelve spies had been sent to spy out the land. Ten of the spies had aroused fear in the people by reporting that the Canaanites were too powerful to be conquered. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the twelve spies who remained strong in their faith and took a stand against the other spies.
In spite of experiencing God’s power and might in delivering them from their hard life of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites faith in God was weak. The journey from Egypt to Canaan was not an easy one. The Israelites began to not only murmur but to loudly complain. It was Joshua that God used to speak out against the murmuring. He told the congregation of Israelites that the land was good and “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.”
Joshua begged them to trust the Lord, but the congregation continued to murmur and complain and even threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Moses cried out to God for deliverance for his people. God was ready to wipe them out but because of Moses’ prayer of intersession for them, God forgave the Children of Israel for their murmuring and complaining.
Nevertheless, they still paid a price for their sinful complaining. God told them that they would wander in the desert for 40 years and no one but Joshua and Caleb and those under 20 years old would enter the Promised Land. Disobeying God always has consequences. The Israelites disobedience made life harder for them.
We can remember as children when our parents gave us something to do and we really did not want to do it that as we walked away we would murmur under our breath. This did not go over with our parents and usually got us into deep trouble. Years later the roles were reversed. We were the parents and our children would walk away from us after we gave them a responsibility to do murmuring under their breath. They soon learned, as we did, that murmuring and complaining got us nowhere, in fact, it brought consequences that just made them more unhappy.
There are murmurers and complainers among Christians today just like as there were among the Children of Israel. They complain about everything and then always blame God for what went wrong. God is not the problem. We who complain are the problem. We only want to do what we want to do and do it in our own way. We disobey God, just like the Children of Israel did, and then when we fail or get ourselves in trouble we ask God --- WHY?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 12: 2.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
PRAYER:
Enable me to be obedient to You and do what You want me to do without murmuring and complaining. Forgive me for the times that I have been obstinate and rebellious against You. Give me a right attitude and keep me cheerful in all that I do.
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