GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY JULY 19, 2014.
PROVERB:
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18.
PROMISE:
I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
Isaiah 13:11
PRAISE:
Love the Lord, all His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud He pays back in full.
Psalm 31:23.
July 20, 2014
Priorities: July 18, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 18, 2014
PRIORITIES
DEFINITION:
Something given special attention and considered most important; The state of being earlier in time and occurrence; the right to precede others in order; rank or privilege.
SCRIPTURE:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:35.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
A priority is something that is considered to be more important than anything else. Most people today do not set any kind of priorities in their lives. We are living in a generation where people literally live just from one minute to another with absolutely no direction or any kind of priority of purpose. The saddest thing to see is that people are so focused on themselves that they do not have any concern for others. They live totally for self.
To be a success in business you must have a business plan. This plan will outline the priorities that are necessary to establish and grow that business. The same is necessary if you want a happy family. You must have a plan, a schedule, a listing of daily priorities and then outline how you will spend your time and schedule your activities.
We encourage you today to set goals and priorities in your life for yourself personally and for your family. God leaves no doubt as to what our first priority is to be. He states it very clear in Matthew 22:37-38: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the FIRST and GREATEST commandment."
Thus, your first priority must be your relationship with God. Every day you need to set aside time to read and study the Bible and to pray. Along with this you need study tools to help you grow spiritually. If this is not already a priority in your life, you need to be concerned enough to make it a priority.
Your second priority is to your family. Parents have the responsibility of providing not only for their children's physical needs but also for their spiritual needs. This includes involving them in reading the Bible, praying and going to a church. This requires a commitment of your time, and unless you make it a priority, it will not happen. Countless things will come up and become excuses for not having time. Your family must be second to God in your list of priorities.
We need to live by example because our children watch and listen and follow in our footsteps. Children need positive role models in their lives, beginning with their parents. Parents have a responsibility to help their children do their school work and guide them in their school activities and other responsibilities. Those times of sitting with our children at the kitchen table, helping them with school work were wonderful times of bonding.
Priorities are dreams with a deadline and remember you cannot dream a dream too big for God. You need to set your priorities each day. Every morning write down your priorities for the day. Try it and you will be amazed at how much you will accomplish. When you are setting your priorities ask yourself the question: "What must be the focus of my attention today?" Then ask, "Does it control me?" If it is not Christ centered, then change it. The key thought here is "control." The priorities you set will control your life.
The reason many people do not go very far in life is because they side step opportunity and shake hands with procrastination. Every day is a new opportunity to serve the Lord. Do you make that your priority or do you procrastinate?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Help me, Lord, to keep my priorities straight. Keep Your hand on me so that I will not stray from putting You first in my life. Guide me to be a Godly example for my family and to make it my priority to be there for them.
PRIORITIES
DEFINITION:
Something given special attention and considered most important; The state of being earlier in time and occurrence; the right to precede others in order; rank or privilege.
SCRIPTURE:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:35.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
A priority is something that is considered to be more important than anything else. Most people today do not set any kind of priorities in their lives. We are living in a generation where people literally live just from one minute to another with absolutely no direction or any kind of priority of purpose. The saddest thing to see is that people are so focused on themselves that they do not have any concern for others. They live totally for self.
To be a success in business you must have a business plan. This plan will outline the priorities that are necessary to establish and grow that business. The same is necessary if you want a happy family. You must have a plan, a schedule, a listing of daily priorities and then outline how you will spend your time and schedule your activities.
We encourage you today to set goals and priorities in your life for yourself personally and for your family. God leaves no doubt as to what our first priority is to be. He states it very clear in Matthew 22:37-38: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the FIRST and GREATEST commandment."
Thus, your first priority must be your relationship with God. Every day you need to set aside time to read and study the Bible and to pray. Along with this you need study tools to help you grow spiritually. If this is not already a priority in your life, you need to be concerned enough to make it a priority.
Your second priority is to your family. Parents have the responsibility of providing not only for their children's physical needs but also for their spiritual needs. This includes involving them in reading the Bible, praying and going to a church. This requires a commitment of your time, and unless you make it a priority, it will not happen. Countless things will come up and become excuses for not having time. Your family must be second to God in your list of priorities.
We need to live by example because our children watch and listen and follow in our footsteps. Children need positive role models in their lives, beginning with their parents. Parents have a responsibility to help their children do their school work and guide them in their school activities and other responsibilities. Those times of sitting with our children at the kitchen table, helping them with school work were wonderful times of bonding.
Priorities are dreams with a deadline and remember you cannot dream a dream too big for God. You need to set your priorities each day. Every morning write down your priorities for the day. Try it and you will be amazed at how much you will accomplish. When you are setting your priorities ask yourself the question: "What must be the focus of my attention today?" Then ask, "Does it control me?" If it is not Christ centered, then change it. The key thought here is "control." The priorities you set will control your life.
The reason many people do not go very far in life is because they side step opportunity and shake hands with procrastination. Every day is a new opportunity to serve the Lord. Do you make that your priority or do you procrastinate?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Help me, Lord, to keep my priorities straight. Keep Your hand on me so that I will not stray from putting You first in my life. Guide me to be a Godly example for my family and to make it my priority to be there for them.
Respect: July 17, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JULY 17, 2014
RESPECT
DEFINITION:
Treat with high regard and high esteem.
SCRIPTURE:
Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Ephesians 6:1-3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In these verses we want you to note that verse 1 of Ephesians 6 deals with children and their responsibility to obey. Every parent soon comes to know that their children do not come with a natural inclination to obey. Parents must teach their children to obey.
In verse two when Paul refers to honor he is speaking about attitude which is the motive behind the action. When God gave us His law in the Ten Commandments, the first law governing human relationships was this one. It is God’s design that children are born into a family with a mother and a father. What children learn in a family setting is what they will carry into the rest of their life.
Society is built on the family. When the family breaks down the society breaks down. We are seeing today the devastating effect the break-down of the family is having on society. Just look at how many single parent families there are. Where are the fathers? They have abandoned their God given responsibility.
The major factor for stability in the family is respect. Parents must respect one another and teach their children to respect them and their authority over them. How can this even come to pass with the breakdown of the family unit today?
Verse two ends with a promise of special blessing for those that obey this command – children obey and honor their mother and father.
“To honor your parents” means to act in a way that shows courtesy and respect and to be submissive to them. It means to never speak disrespectfully to them or about them.
If children do not learn to honor parents, the disrespect spills over into their adult lives, affecting every other relationship. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach respect and if they fail problems accelerate into the next generation. Soon an entire society is plagued with disrespect in homes, schools and workplaces. Does this sound like our generation today?
Our culture is disrespectful because parents have abdicated their responsibility. Instead of standing in the place of honor that God has given them, they have stepped down and tolerated bad behavior from their children. Some parents fail to recognize that disrespect is a serious matter that calls for immediate action. This is ignorance about discipline. If you let such attitudes and behaviors continue it will escalate if it is not checked and you are not raising your child according to Biblical principles so how can you expect anything but trouble later in life.
There also is a misunderstanding about love. In their desire to be loved by their children, parents try to be a child’s best friend instead of a parent. Children need an authority figure in their lives. If children see a parent as an equal they are less likely to respect or love the parent.
Probably the biggest reason for the lack of respect today by children is that parents get overwhelmed with busyness and they let it slide when their children show disrespect. Teaching children to honor you takes time, effort, and consistency. If you as a parent do not teach your child does not learn. Parents must remember that they teach by example. Parents must also obey God’s command and honor their own parents.
In Ephesians 6:4 Paul instructs parents to be the right kind of teachers and bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Help me to train my children respect and honor. May I be strong and firm in a loving way showing them that it is Your will for them to love, honor and respect their parents. Help me to be a Godly example for my children and to be deserving of their respect.
RESPECT
DEFINITION:
Treat with high regard and high esteem.
SCRIPTURE:
Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Ephesians 6:1-3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In these verses we want you to note that verse 1 of Ephesians 6 deals with children and their responsibility to obey. Every parent soon comes to know that their children do not come with a natural inclination to obey. Parents must teach their children to obey.
In verse two when Paul refers to honor he is speaking about attitude which is the motive behind the action. When God gave us His law in the Ten Commandments, the first law governing human relationships was this one. It is God’s design that children are born into a family with a mother and a father. What children learn in a family setting is what they will carry into the rest of their life.
Society is built on the family. When the family breaks down the society breaks down. We are seeing today the devastating effect the break-down of the family is having on society. Just look at how many single parent families there are. Where are the fathers? They have abandoned their God given responsibility.
The major factor for stability in the family is respect. Parents must respect one another and teach their children to respect them and their authority over them. How can this even come to pass with the breakdown of the family unit today?
Verse two ends with a promise of special blessing for those that obey this command – children obey and honor their mother and father.
“To honor your parents” means to act in a way that shows courtesy and respect and to be submissive to them. It means to never speak disrespectfully to them or about them.
If children do not learn to honor parents, the disrespect spills over into their adult lives, affecting every other relationship. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach respect and if they fail problems accelerate into the next generation. Soon an entire society is plagued with disrespect in homes, schools and workplaces. Does this sound like our generation today?
Our culture is disrespectful because parents have abdicated their responsibility. Instead of standing in the place of honor that God has given them, they have stepped down and tolerated bad behavior from their children. Some parents fail to recognize that disrespect is a serious matter that calls for immediate action. This is ignorance about discipline. If you let such attitudes and behaviors continue it will escalate if it is not checked and you are not raising your child according to Biblical principles so how can you expect anything but trouble later in life.
There also is a misunderstanding about love. In their desire to be loved by their children, parents try to be a child’s best friend instead of a parent. Children need an authority figure in their lives. If children see a parent as an equal they are less likely to respect or love the parent.
Probably the biggest reason for the lack of respect today by children is that parents get overwhelmed with busyness and they let it slide when their children show disrespect. Teaching children to honor you takes time, effort, and consistency. If you as a parent do not teach your child does not learn. Parents must remember that they teach by example. Parents must also obey God’s command and honor their own parents.
In Ephesians 6:4 Paul instructs parents to be the right kind of teachers and bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Help me to train my children respect and honor. May I be strong and firm in a loving way showing them that it is Your will for them to love, honor and respect their parents. Help me to be a Godly example for my children and to be deserving of their respect.
Believe: July 16, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 16, 2014.
BELIEVE
DEFINITION:
Accept as true; to have confidence in the truth; to hold a firm conviction about.
SCRIPTURE:
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. I John 5:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we believe in something we have made a choice. As individuals we make choices daily to believe in something or someone or not to believe. We choose friends we can believe in. We choose activities that we believe are proper for us to be involved in.
We all have been given the choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are saved by faith. All who believe have the assurance of eternal life. This is not something we can claim because we were born to parents who believed in Jesus or because we attend church or live in a so-called Christian country but only because, by faith, we became a child of God.
In order to be a true believer in Jesus one must believe the precepts to several principles that have been made clear to all of us in the scriptures.
One must first of all have a clear understanding of the gospel and accept the message of the gospel to be true. It is essential for a person to believe the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life. The death of Jesus on the cross was the only sacrifice required to remove us from our sins and to pay the penalty for them, which is death. God has offered His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it.
It is not head knowledge about Christ that makes us right with God. It is what we believe in our heart. In Romans 10:10 Paul writes, “For with the heart one believes and is justified (made right with God), and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
At sometime each one of us must make a conscious decision to believe in Jesus. People just do not automatically become a believer in Jesus. It does not happen accidently. Faith in Jesus is a conscious and definitive choice. The choice to believe in Jesus defines who we are and determines where we will spend eternity.
When a person makes the choice to believe in Jesus the result is a blessed assurance that comes into the heart of the believer that his or her sins are forgiven and he or she has been made right with God.
Those who make a choice to become a believer enter into a personal relationship with Him and surrender to Christ. They will desire to embrace the Word of God and live their life fully for the Lord. They will no longer want to muddle through the rituals of some religion out of habit but, instead will relish the opportunity of worship and fellowship with other believers.
Believing in Jesus changes us: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has gone, the new has come.” II Corinthians 5:17
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to atone for my sins and make me right with God. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to choose to believe in You. Give me the certainty that I know You and am serving You according to Your will and not mine. Help me to be a faithful child of God who lives for You daily and serves You and loves You with all of my heart.
BELIEVE
DEFINITION:
Accept as true; to have confidence in the truth; to hold a firm conviction about.
SCRIPTURE:
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. I John 5:13.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When we believe in something we have made a choice. As individuals we make choices daily to believe in something or someone or not to believe. We choose friends we can believe in. We choose activities that we believe are proper for us to be involved in.
We all have been given the choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are saved by faith. All who believe have the assurance of eternal life. This is not something we can claim because we were born to parents who believed in Jesus or because we attend church or live in a so-called Christian country but only because, by faith, we became a child of God.
In order to be a true believer in Jesus one must believe the precepts to several principles that have been made clear to all of us in the scriptures.
One must first of all have a clear understanding of the gospel and accept the message of the gospel to be true. It is essential for a person to believe the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life. The death of Jesus on the cross was the only sacrifice required to remove us from our sins and to pay the penalty for them, which is death. God has offered His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it.
It is not head knowledge about Christ that makes us right with God. It is what we believe in our heart. In Romans 10:10 Paul writes, “For with the heart one believes and is justified (made right with God), and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
At sometime each one of us must make a conscious decision to believe in Jesus. People just do not automatically become a believer in Jesus. It does not happen accidently. Faith in Jesus is a conscious and definitive choice. The choice to believe in Jesus defines who we are and determines where we will spend eternity.
When a person makes the choice to believe in Jesus the result is a blessed assurance that comes into the heart of the believer that his or her sins are forgiven and he or she has been made right with God.
Those who make a choice to become a believer enter into a personal relationship with Him and surrender to Christ. They will desire to embrace the Word of God and live their life fully for the Lord. They will no longer want to muddle through the rituals of some religion out of habit but, instead will relish the opportunity of worship and fellowship with other believers.
Believing in Jesus changes us: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has gone, the new has come.” II Corinthians 5:17
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to atone for my sins and make me right with God. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to choose to believe in You. Give me the certainty that I know You and am serving You according to Your will and not mine. Help me to be a faithful child of God who lives for You daily and serves You and loves You with all of my heart.
Rekindle: July 15, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JULY 15, 2014.
REKINDLE
DEFINITION:
Set on fire again; stir up and inspire; to excite.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:6-7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What do you do when you have lost your enthusiasm for something you once were totally committed to? Many people just give up and move on to something else. Have you stopped to think what caused you to lose that enthusiasm?
When something becomes difficult it takes perseverance to continue on. People tend to give up too easily today. If a job becomes too difficult, they quit. If there are serious difficulties in their marriage, they walk out. The fire of love and desire that once was felt for someone or something can quickly die out when dampened by obstacles and difficulties.
When a person loses the fire of enthusiasm in their spiritual life it is serious. When our faith grows cold it affects our relationship with the Lord and our desire to serve Him. The lack of faith leads to discouragement and an attitude of indifference that says “I do not care about God, the Bible or anything spiritual.
II Timothy is Paul’s letter to Timothy, his young assistant, written while Paul was in prison in Rome and knew he could soon die. There is a sense of urgency in Paul’s letter. Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus to deal with some difficulties that had risen from some immoral people and from some false teachers in the church. Some in the church opposed Timothy’s leadership and Paul was deeply concerned that Timothy’s enthusiasm for his faith might die in the face of this opposition and persecution.
Paul wrote to urge Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God that is in you” (II Timothy 1:6-7). Paul was trying to remind Timothy about the training Paul had given him from God’s Word. Satan is continually at work to destroy our faith so that we become spiritually empty. Paul was writing Timothy warning him not to allow Satan to destroy his faith. His words to Timothy are relevant for us today.
The following are five “R’s” that will help you rekindle the gift of God that is in you.
First you need to REFILL. Get on your knees and ask God through His Holy Spirit to give you a refill, a rekindling of your love for the Lord. Examine your life, repent of any sins, and then submit to His leadership in your life.
Secondly, you need to REFOCUS. Take your focus off the problems in your life that have caused you to lose your enthusiasm for the Lord. When we focus on obstacles in our life they become bigger and nothing will dim the flame of enthusiasm in your life more than fixing your thoughts on the problem that caused your to lose enthusiasm. Thus, what you need to do is to fix your eyes on Christ, forget the problems and He will become bigger than any problem you may face.
Thirdly, when we are spiritually down, the devil whispers lies into our minds such as: You can’t do this, no one appreciates you, why not call it quits. You need to recognize that these discouraging thoughts come from the devil and you need to REJECT them.
Fourthly, you need to get away from life in general and get alone with the Lord to rekindle your relationship with Him. This RETREAT will allow you to turn off the phone, shut down your computer and be by yourself. This will allow the Lord to speak to you.
Finally, RELY on the Lord and He will empower you to live your life for Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Keep my faith in You strong so that the fire of the gift of God does not die in me. Keep me faithful in reading Your Word so that my love for You will be continually rekindled. Help me to refill by studying Your Word, refocusing on You, rejecting what is of the devil and taking time to be alone with You. Mold me to be what You need me to be so You can use me to bring honor and glory to You
REKINDLE
DEFINITION:
Set on fire again; stir up and inspire; to excite.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:6-7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
What do you do when you have lost your enthusiasm for something you once were totally committed to? Many people just give up and move on to something else. Have you stopped to think what caused you to lose that enthusiasm?
When something becomes difficult it takes perseverance to continue on. People tend to give up too easily today. If a job becomes too difficult, they quit. If there are serious difficulties in their marriage, they walk out. The fire of love and desire that once was felt for someone or something can quickly die out when dampened by obstacles and difficulties.
When a person loses the fire of enthusiasm in their spiritual life it is serious. When our faith grows cold it affects our relationship with the Lord and our desire to serve Him. The lack of faith leads to discouragement and an attitude of indifference that says “I do not care about God, the Bible or anything spiritual.
II Timothy is Paul’s letter to Timothy, his young assistant, written while Paul was in prison in Rome and knew he could soon die. There is a sense of urgency in Paul’s letter. Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus to deal with some difficulties that had risen from some immoral people and from some false teachers in the church. Some in the church opposed Timothy’s leadership and Paul was deeply concerned that Timothy’s enthusiasm for his faith might die in the face of this opposition and persecution.
Paul wrote to urge Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God that is in you” (II Timothy 1:6-7). Paul was trying to remind Timothy about the training Paul had given him from God’s Word. Satan is continually at work to destroy our faith so that we become spiritually empty. Paul was writing Timothy warning him not to allow Satan to destroy his faith. His words to Timothy are relevant for us today.
The following are five “R’s” that will help you rekindle the gift of God that is in you.
First you need to REFILL. Get on your knees and ask God through His Holy Spirit to give you a refill, a rekindling of your love for the Lord. Examine your life, repent of any sins, and then submit to His leadership in your life.
Secondly, you need to REFOCUS. Take your focus off the problems in your life that have caused you to lose your enthusiasm for the Lord. When we focus on obstacles in our life they become bigger and nothing will dim the flame of enthusiasm in your life more than fixing your thoughts on the problem that caused your to lose enthusiasm. Thus, what you need to do is to fix your eyes on Christ, forget the problems and He will become bigger than any problem you may face.
Thirdly, when we are spiritually down, the devil whispers lies into our minds such as: You can’t do this, no one appreciates you, why not call it quits. You need to recognize that these discouraging thoughts come from the devil and you need to REJECT them.
Fourthly, you need to get away from life in general and get alone with the Lord to rekindle your relationship with Him. This RETREAT will allow you to turn off the phone, shut down your computer and be by yourself. This will allow the Lord to speak to you.
Finally, RELY on the Lord and He will empower you to live your life for Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Keep my faith in You strong so that the fire of the gift of God does not die in me. Keep me faithful in reading Your Word so that my love for You will be continually rekindled. Help me to refill by studying Your Word, refocusing on You, rejecting what is of the devil and taking time to be alone with You. Mold me to be what You need me to be so You can use me to bring honor and glory to You
Promise: July 14, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JULY 14, 2014
PROMISE
DEFINITION:
A declaration that something will or will not be done; a pledge; a vow; a covenant; to pledge or give assurance.
SCRIPTURE:
And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life. I John 2:25.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has given us hundreds of promises in His Word and none of them have been broken. When Joshua was old and knew his life was about over, he gave a farewell speech to the Children of Israel. He said in Joshua 23:14, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled and not one has failed.”
Throughout the Bible God has made promises and when God makes a promise it is never broken.
In the Old Testament God made two very significant promises long ago which continue to bear witness to the world today that God keeps His promises.
In Genesis 9:12-15 God said to Noah, “this is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, and for perpetual generations; I set My rainbow in the cloud and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth --- that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
And in Genesis 12: 2-3 God told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; I will bless those that bless you; I will curse those that curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
In both of these passages God made a promise that He has kept. In His promise to Noah He said He would send a rainbow after a storm to remind us that He would never destroy the earth with a flood. God kept His promise to Abraham by making him a great nation [Israel] and making his name great.
But the greatest promise ever made was the promise made by God to send His only Son to this earth to pay the penalty for the sins of everyone who has or will live on this earth so that they might have eternal life. This promise of eternal life is for everyone who is willing to first ask God for forgiveness for their sins and then accept Jesus into their heart and enter into a personal relationship with Him.
In life today so many people make promises that are not kept. Parents promise certain things to children and then do not follow through. Every day spouses make promises, families make promises, neighbors make promises, bosses make promises and for the most part they disregard the promises as if they were never made.
Many parents do not realize the positive impact that is made on a child’s mind when promises are made and kept. When promise are made and not kept there is a negative impact that can have long term repercussions. When you keep promises you will be considered reliable and trustworthy and looked up to as a person of integrity.
God set the example in keeping His promises with Noah and Abraham and as Christians God expects nothing less from us. Each of us should take the time now and think about the promises we have made and not kept and do all we can to honor our promises in the future.
From this day on we need to commit to make promises that we are sure we can honor. Relationships are put in jeopardy when promises are not kept. Marriage vows are a promise to love, honor and to be faithful as long as both husband and wife shall live. Oh, how often that promise is broken. It is time to right the wrongs and honor your promises.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in
Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Thank You that You are a faithful God who keeps all Your promises. Thank You for fulfilling Your promise to send Your only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins so that I can know that all my sins are forgiven and that I have received Your promised gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your promise to never leave or forsake those who love You.
PROMISE
DEFINITION:
A declaration that something will or will not be done; a pledge; a vow; a covenant; to pledge or give assurance.
SCRIPTURE:
And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life. I John 2:25.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
God has given us hundreds of promises in His Word and none of them have been broken. When Joshua was old and knew his life was about over, he gave a farewell speech to the Children of Israel. He said in Joshua 23:14, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled and not one has failed.”
Throughout the Bible God has made promises and when God makes a promise it is never broken.
In the Old Testament God made two very significant promises long ago which continue to bear witness to the world today that God keeps His promises.
In Genesis 9:12-15 God said to Noah, “this is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, and for perpetual generations; I set My rainbow in the cloud and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth --- that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
And in Genesis 12: 2-3 God told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; I will bless those that bless you; I will curse those that curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
In both of these passages God made a promise that He has kept. In His promise to Noah He said He would send a rainbow after a storm to remind us that He would never destroy the earth with a flood. God kept His promise to Abraham by making him a great nation [Israel] and making his name great.
But the greatest promise ever made was the promise made by God to send His only Son to this earth to pay the penalty for the sins of everyone who has or will live on this earth so that they might have eternal life. This promise of eternal life is for everyone who is willing to first ask God for forgiveness for their sins and then accept Jesus into their heart and enter into a personal relationship with Him.
In life today so many people make promises that are not kept. Parents promise certain things to children and then do not follow through. Every day spouses make promises, families make promises, neighbors make promises, bosses make promises and for the most part they disregard the promises as if they were never made.
Many parents do not realize the positive impact that is made on a child’s mind when promises are made and kept. When promise are made and not kept there is a negative impact that can have long term repercussions. When you keep promises you will be considered reliable and trustworthy and looked up to as a person of integrity.
God set the example in keeping His promises with Noah and Abraham and as Christians God expects nothing less from us. Each of us should take the time now and think about the promises we have made and not kept and do all we can to honor our promises in the future.
From this day on we need to commit to make promises that we are sure we can honor. Relationships are put in jeopardy when promises are not kept. Marriage vows are a promise to love, honor and to be faithful as long as both husband and wife shall live. Oh, how often that promise is broken. It is time to right the wrongs and honor your promises.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in
Romans 8:18.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
PRAYER:
Thank You that You are a faithful God who keeps all Your promises. Thank You for fulfilling Your promise to send Your only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins so that I can know that all my sins are forgiven and that I have received Your promised gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your promise to never leave or forsake those who love You.
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