Discernment: November 28, 2014

TODAY'S WORD FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2014.

DISCERNMENT

DEFINITION:

The process or ability to determine between truth and error, right and wrong; acuteness of judgment and understanding.

SCRIPTURE:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. Psalm 1:1.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

There is a passage in the book of Matthew that we feel is relevant for today’s word, as is all the scripture. In Matthew 16, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and were testing Him. They asked Him to show them a sign from heaven that would prove He was the Messiah.

Jesus answered them with a weather illustration. He reminded them that they say that when the sky is red in the evening the weather will be fair. But when the sky is red in the morning it would be a storm day.

As primitive as their method of predicting the weather their ability to discern Spiritual matters was worse. Being Pharisees and Sadducees they knew the scripture concerning the promised Messiah and they were looking for His coming. But here they were talking to Jesus face to face and they did not discern that He was their Messiah.

They had the Messiah in their presence and refused to acknowledge Him. They were naïve and lacked sense in their ability to discern what was happening among them. They had no ability to determine between truth and error.

God’s Word provides God’s standard of discernment for every issue in life. In order to live a life pleasing to God we must be discerning. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to “test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil”. What agrees with God’s Word is good and right and what does not agree with His Word is evil and bad.

The discerning believer is not to walk, nor stand, nor sit with the wicked because these associations will ultimately drag a believer into the life of a sinner. Those we associate with have a profound effect on us. It takes discernment on behalf of the believer to choose the right kind of associates.

How many times have you talked to young people who have told you that as they prepare for the future they need to get into the world to experience ungodly situations and ungodly people in order to grow stronger in their spiritual life?

Certainly, we are all in the world but we are not of this world, as we are told in John 17:15. Many times young people will expose themselves to worldly conditions and the result is spiritually disastrous.

We are all exposed to false teachers and anti-God situations in our schools, jobs, and neighborhoods. We need to be careful and be discerning so that being exposed to those situations in real life does not lead to our embracing ungodly and evil philosophies.

All of us would avoid a lot of pitfalls and mature faster in our Christian faith if we did all we could to ignore the world and follow the divine pattern that the Psalmist gives us in Psalm 1:1. Here are several further thoughts that will help you show discernment as you walk your daily walk.

Do not let your decisions you need to make each day be controlled by the “counsel of the ungodly.” Do not ask advice of those who do not know Jesus. Look to those who are walking with God. This will take spiritual discernment on your part.

Do not become comfortable being with people who seem to always mock God, His Word, and His role in your life. Mockers are enemies of God and hate His wisdom. Counsel from such sources leads you away from God. It will be based on lies not on truth.

Get your knowledge and advice from God’s Word and those that know God and love Him. God and His Word, not experiences from the world, is our best teacher. Make sure you use discernment every day in your decision making and do not walk, stand or sit in the counsel of the ungodly.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 4:18.

But I have received everything in full and have abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

PRAYER:

Give me the discernment in making decisions concerning the people, places and things in my life so that my choices will honor You. May God’s Word fill my memory, rule my heart and guide my life.

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Thanks: November 27, 2014

TODAY'S WORD FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2014.

THANKS

DEFINITION:

To express gratitude or appreciation; a grateful feeling.

SCRIPTURE:

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercies endure forever. I Chronicles 16:34.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107: 8-9.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. II Corinthians 9:15.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When the American colonies were first settled one man suggested that as a group they were dwelling too much on their problems. It was time to focus on their blessings. Thus, we had the first thanksgiving celebration in America.

For Christians every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Just take a moment and list in your mind all the things that God has given you to be thankful for; good health, family, our salvation, a job, a home, friends, church, the Bible, food, material possessions and the list goes on and on.

Many people in our world, in fact over 85%, do not have anywhere near the many things that we as Americans have to be thankful for. How much more then should we be thankful to God? Take a moment now to read the three scriptures we have written for you above and then reflect on how God has blessed you.

In Psalm 103:2 it reads: "Praise the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits." It is easy to forget all the benefits God has given us. How often do we really thank God for all He gives us?

As far back as we can remember we spent time every day praying and thanking God for His blessings. As a child we prayed before every meal, we prayed every morning and we prayed every evening before we went to bed. In these prayers we never forgot to thank God for the blessings He gave to us. That is the way we were taught to pray by our parents and we never forgot it.

Christian parents have the responsibility of teaching their children the benefits they received from the Lord and to be faithful in thanking Him for them. In Psalm 103: 3-5 David reminds us of the benefits we receive. Be sure to read these to your children and discuss them with them. We are thankful for the marvelous heritage we received from our Christian parents to remember all God’s benefits and be thankful to Him. We passed this heritage to our children. Now it is their responsibility to pass it on to their children.

What about you? If you do not have that heritage now is the time for you to take time every day to thank God for His blessings and establish that heritage with your children. Our God is a loving God and deserving of your gratitude. And He will respond by multiplying His blessings upon your life if you just take the time to thank Him.

Have you thanked God recently for sending His Son to pay the penalty for your sins? Have you thanked God for the assurance that you have that He is in heaven preparing a place for you for eternity? The apostle Paul calls God's gift of salvation and grace that he gave us by giving His only begotten Son to die on the cross as "GOD'S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT." We should be so thankful for this gift that Paul says is above all else.

If you pause to think, you will be aware of how many benefits you have from God that should give you cause to thank God. We need to remember with gratitude God's many blessings each and every day, not just on Thanksgiving day.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for today is a special verse for thanksgiving found in I Chronicles 16:34.

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercies endure forever.

PRAYER:

Give me this day a spirit of gratitude to You dear God for all that You have blessed my life with. As a family may we begin today spending more time just to thank You for all the benefits we receive from You. Thank You for Your goodness in forgiving our sins, for redeeming us and giving us eternal life and for Your wonderful blessings to us. Thank You for satisfying my longing soul and for filling my life with your joy and peace.

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Influences: November 26, 2014

TODAY'S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2014.

INFLUENCES

DEFINITION:

Power to control or affect others by authority, persuasion, or example.

SCRIPTURE:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Isaiah 61:1.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Isaiah was a prophet to the nation of Judah after the Israelites had become divided into two kingdoms. Under the influence of the pagan people that the Israelites lived among and inter-married with, the Israelites had turned to worshipping idols. Their land was devastated and their society was in an upheaval. Isaiah compared their wickedness to the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:10) This was the hopeless situation that God sent Isaiah to contend with. Isaiah’s role was to confront the Israelites with their sin and influence them to turn away from their wicked ways. They could have been rescued if they had listened to Isaiah.

Isaiah 61:1 gives the job description that God gave to him. In this verse that we have written above, Isaiah, the prophet of God was anointed by God to be a major influence on the children of Israel. These words written by Isaiah are relevant for us today as believers. We are to influence others in the world we live in by bringing good tidings to the poor, heal the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives (those who are captivated by the evil in this world), and ministering to those who are prisoners of sin and bound by it.

Isaiah is a wonderful example and role model for us to understand the importance of being careful about what we allow to influence our lives. In the first verse of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah speaks of the vision he received from God. Isaiah’s life and ministry reflects how great an influence his encounter with God had on him.

What we experience in our lives as children has a profound impact on our lives as we become adults. External influences do help shape our personality but the direction we might go is not predictable. For example, early years full of painful experiences leave deep wounds resulting in bitterness and anger in some people but for others those same painful experiences contribute to the development of depth and perseverance in one’s life.

During the years that children are living with their parents, the parents have a great influence on their lives. As parents, we are given a momentous task to model and teach our children to live according to God’s Word and His commandments. Good parenting requires prayerful self-evaluation, godly wisdom, much love and patience, and being a Christ-honoring role model.

There are many people and many things that can influence children and adults for good or for the bad. Influences come from all kinds of people including parents, neighbors, friends, teachers and pastors. Radio, television, movies and the internet bring right into our homes standards, beliefs, and lifestyles that are completely opposed to what the Bible teaches. People like to hear what reinforces their own sinful desires. You will spend the most time on what interests you the most. Is it the things of the world? If so these “things’ will be a lasting influence on your life and will set you on a path toward the evils of the world and away from God.

Although Isaiah lived in a time when the people of Judah and Israel had cut themselves off from God and turned to idolatry, Isaiah was not influenced by the wickedness and immorality that was rampant all around him. He obeyed God and called the people to return to God, repent of their sins, and renew a right relationship with the Lord. God honored him because he looked to God for daily direction and guidelines to live as God desired of him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 4:18.

But I have received everything in full and have abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

PRAYER:

Help me as a parent to consider the impact and the influence that I have on my children. Help me to also have a godly influence on those that I am with this day. Help me to evaluate what I allow to influence my life.

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Respect: November 25, 2014

TODAY'S WORD FOR TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2014.

RESPECT

DEFINITION:

Treat with high regard and high esteem; to give honor to.

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. Ephesians 6:1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

At times we wonder if people even know what the word respect means. The actions of people today tend to show a lack of respect. For example if you drive a car do people driving other cars show any respect to you. You get cut off from your lane if you are not going as fast as others. Backing out of your parking place in a parking lot you must be very alert because no one waits for you to back out. They keep on moving and many times just miss a collision.

What kind of respect do you receive at your work place? It seems each person is out for themselves and even when you do a good job and complete a project your boss says nothing. It used to be that people were thanked and congratulated for a job well done. That does not happen today.

In the two verses we have put above we want you to note, first, that verse 1 of Ephesians 6 deals with children and their responsibility to obey. This speaks of action that must be taken by the child and when they obey they are showing respect to their parent.

In verse two when Paul refers to honor he is speaking about respect and attitude which is the motive behind the action taken by the child as he or she obeys. When God gave us His law in the Ten Commandments, the first law governing human relationships was this one. It relates to family and is the only one that does, because this principle alone secures a families fulfillment. And verse two ends with a promise (as given in verse three) of special blessing for those that obey this command. Children that obey and honor their father and mother are showing respect to them.

According to God’s Word society is built on the family. When the family breaks down, as is happening so prevantly today, the society breaks down. We are seeing today the devastating effect the break-down of the family is having on society.

One of the major factors for stability in the family is respect. Parents must respect one another and teach their children to respect them and their authority over them. But in many homes today, worldwide, this is not happening.

“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 they will have. 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 Philippians 4:18.

But I have received everything in full and have abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

PRAYER:

Help me to teach 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.

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Believe: November 24, 2014

TODAY'S WORD FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2014.

BELIEVE

DEFINITION:

Accept as true; to have confidence in the truth, existence, reliability, or value of something.

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 had to make a choice. We make choices every day to either believe in something or someone or not to believe. For example in a job situation we may come to a place where we have a choice to continue in some way or to reverse what we are doing and go another direction. We make this choice because we believe at that time that a reversal of direction is right.

Many times parents and children have conflicts because the parent believes a certain thing or plan is right and the child does not see it that way.

Every day we have numerous situations that come our way where we have to make a decision as to what we believe and why. It is so easy to make wrong choices in life and we all do. Today we want to talk about spiritual choices we make based on what we believe.

We all have been given the choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We make the choice of believing in Jesus by faith. 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. It is something that we must accept by faith personally and then we become 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 message of God’s plan of salvation and the gospel to be true. This is essential in order for a person to believe and receive the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ. 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 offered His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it when He had Christ die on the cross.

Those that say they just can’t believe because they have intellectual reservations about the truth of God’s Word and His gift of salvation are just looking for excuses. It is not that they cannot believe it is that they don’t want to believe. The root of the reason they won’t believe is sin. They do not want to give up their sinful ways. Those that truly believe in God will choose to obey God which means turning away from their sinful way of living.

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 become a believer in Jesus by their good works or just because they are a good person. 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 enters into a personal relationship with Him and surrenders to Christ. He will desire to embrace the Word of God and live his or her life fully for the Lord. One 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. Then one will know what it means to have real peace in their heart and they will find joy in the Lord that will amaze them.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 4:18.

But I have received everything in full and have abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

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.

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