Standards: January 2, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 2, 2015.

STANDARDS

DEFINITION:

Something established by authority, custom or general consent as a model or example; criterion; the morals, ethics or customs regarded as acceptable.

SCRIPTURE:

What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God with all your heart, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees. Deuteronomy 10:12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As we begin a New Year, we urge you to sit down and evaluate the standards you have set for your life and carefully study them and make sure you are living by them. The sad fact today is that most people do not have standards that they have set for their life. Most people do not consider standards are important to them. They want to do what they want and when they want. They really only want to do what benefits themselves right now.

God has set standards for us who love Him to keep. Setting human standards that ignore God and His commandments have no lasting effect. For the non-believers standards are made to be broken.

For those who know Jesus as his or her Savior, a standard has significant importance. A believer in Jesus lives by the standards that Jesus lived by and taught. They are God’s standards. God first gave His standards to the Children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. The purpose of God’s standards was to make His people spiritually and morally unique from the rest of the world. Their godly standards of living were to be a witness and a testimony of the true and living God to the nations.  We read in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, that there were five things that God expected of them. They were:

1. Reverence God.

2. Walk in all His ways.

3. Love Him.

4. Serve Him with all your heart and soul.

5. Observe His commands.

Jesus, when He was here on earth, lived by and taught these same standards. God does not change. His standards for us are the same that they were for the children of Israel and as they were some 2000 years ago when Jesus was on this earth and taught them personally. Godly standards are essential in every believer’s life. Are you living the way that God expects you to and are you keeping God’s standards?

Living by God’s standards should become a natural part of every believer’s daily routine. Here are some thoughts to consider that may help you to stay committed to living by God’s standards:

Do you set a time daily for reading the Bible? If not how does God communicate to you and how do you learn about Him?

Do you spend time daily praying to God? This is your time to communicate with God.

Do you spend time with your family and do you communicate with your spouse?

At the workplace do you set yourself a standard of excellence in your work, completing your work, communicating to the people you work with and living a life that exemplifies the Lord before them?

What about your church? Are you active and offer to serve as a volunteer in some way?

Do you set good examples and a Godly standard for your family, friends and neighbors?

Are you involved in a home Bible study group?

Do others during the week see the same life standards in you on Monday that you live by on Sunday?

We are sure that these are enough questions to get you to think about making standards in your life that honor God a priority. Setting Godly standards in your life and then keeping these standards are essential if we want to be used by God and be a testimony to the rest of the world of God’s love and saving grace.

The commands and decrees that we are told to keep in Deuteronomy 10:12 are given to us in Exodus 20. We know them today as the Ten Commandments. We urge you to read these today and then print them and put them in a prominent place in your home so you have to read them daily. If you choose to do this and then choose to live by them God will change you and your life dramatically. Commandments are not options. They are the requirements necessary to have a right relationship with God.

LEARNING:

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

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

PRAYER:

Father in heaven, help me and my family to be obedient to Your commandments so that others will see that we are morally and spiritually unique. Keep us committed to living by godly standards so that our lives are a testimony that we have been changed by Your saving grace that we have received through the shed blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Excuse: January 1, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 1, 2015.

EXCUSE

DEFINITION:

Seek to lessen the blame for a fault or offence; try to justify or defend.

SCRIPTURE:

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. John 15:22.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As we begin a New Year our greatest concern is for people, children, youth and adults, who use excuses as to why they do not accept Jesus as their Savior. We urge you as you begin this New Year, if you do not know Jesus as your Savior that you get rid of all of your excuses and accept Jesus today.

Jesus did not mean in this verse, that we have written above, that if He had not come, we would have been sinless. But what He is saying is that by His coming to this earth He has made us aware of the severest and most deadly sin that one can commit. That is rejecting (using excuses) and rebelling against God and His truth. The coming of Jesus to this earth gave evidence to the truth of God. Once we have received knowledge of the truth we are held accountable for what we do about it. Therefore, we have no possible excuse for rejecting the good news of the gospel.

How many times have you heard someone give an excuse for something not completed or not done? Children always have an excuse when they are caught in doing wrong. The making of an excuse for wrong actions isn’t limited to children. Adults are just as guilty. Most excuses are given to justify laziness. We do not know how many times we have heard the excuse that they just did not feel like doing what they should have done.

We use excuses to justify our inaction. You have often heard, “I was just so busy that I could not get around to doing it?” Most excuses are what we would call “lame.” They are a lot like the child that tells his teacher that he cannot turn in his homework because “the dog ate it.”

In John 15, Jesus was teaching His disciples the gospel message and what to expect when they would be the ones teaching others. Just as Jesus and His message were rejected by many, He told them that they also would have their message rejected by excuses. This is still true today. As believers we must continue to tell all those we can, through our words and deeds, of Jesus love and plan of redemption, knowing that at times our message will be rejected. Those who accept Jesus will be saved, but those who reject Him will “have no excuse for their sin” when they meet God and are destined for an eternity in Hell.

In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus shares what is called the parable of the great supper. The master, the parable says, invited his friends and neighbors to a great feast. They all gave excuses as to why they could not come. All their excuses were weak and had a smack of insincerity which made it evident that they did not want to come. Jesus likened their excuses to all the excuses that are given when people are invited to know Jesus as their Savior and they do not want to come to Him.

People come up with many excuses as to why they cannot accept Jesus. Many just do not want to change their ways. Others say they do not have to worry about it now as there is plenty of time and want to wait till later in their lives. These are all excuses that are not acceptable to our Lord. Everyone who rejects Jesus is without excuse in God’s sight.

In Romans 1:18-20 the writer talks about the end-time judgment of men when the wrath of God will come against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. At that time it will be too late for excuses. He goes on to tell us that since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that all of us are without excuse.

God has revealed Himself in His creation. In this universe we see His Intelligence, His beauty, His power, and His provisions. Those who reject God have no excuse. Salvation is available to all just for the asking and excuses such as not knowing or waiting until later are not acceptable.

LEARNING:

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

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

PRAYER:

Thank You, Lord that You made Yourself known to us and have given us the choice to accept or reject You. Thank You that my sins have been forgiven because I have accepted You as my Savior.

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Renew: December 31, 2014

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31, 2014.

RENEW

DEFINITION:

To restore or replenish, to revive, to reestablish, to make new spiritually.

SCRIPTURE:

Let the people renew their strength. Isaiah 41:1

And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Today is the last day of what has been a very difficult year. It has been a year of persecution for many Christians around the world. It has been a year where America has fallen further away from God. It has been a year of civil wars, earthquakes, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes.

Today is a day that all of us need to take a few moments and reflect on this past year. What have we done to honor the Lord? How committed have we been in serving Jesus? What kind of family relationship have we had? These are all questions that one needs to ask especially as we leave an old year and enter a new one.

All things on earth need to be renewed. We all know that God created all things but no created thing continues by itself. God provided ways for the things He created to be renewed. For example, consider trees. They must have the water of the rain that falls and must be fed with the nourishment from the soil that God provides for them.

Years ago we were in the country of Lebanon. We had read so many times in the Bible and in other books about the Cedars of Lebanon. We went to the part of Lebanon where many of these beautiful Cedars of Lebanon trees grow. God planted (created) these trees but they only live because God provided for them an environment that met their daily needs for renewal and growth that they could draw from the earth.

Just as these beautiful trees need daily renewal our spiritual life can only be sustained by receiving a daily renewal from God. Just as it is necessary for us to replace the waste and liquid from our bodies with frequent food and water daily, we must replace the waste we lose from our soul by feeding daily on reading God’s Word.

God’s Word provides nourishment to our soul. Studying and meditating on God’s Word changes our thinking and redirects our minds and puts us in a spiritual environment that allows the Holy Spirit to do His work of renewal in our lives.

Just think how depressed mentally and how weak physically we would be if we missed many meals. Even so we will get more depressed spiritually when we miss reading and studying God’s Word, but many believers do not understand this. Without constant spiritual renewal in our lives we become spiritually weak and we will not be ready for the constant evil assaults on our lives or the turmoil we have from within. If we do not renew our strength in the Lord daily, we will grow weaker spiritually and evil will gain a stronghold in our life and soon it will have mastery over all we do and say.

We need to not only read the Bible daily but we need to pray daily asking God to renew the spirit within us as the Psalmist said in Psalm 51:10. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:16 that “even though our outward man is perishing, yet our inward man is being renewed every day.” Paul could write this because physically he was failing in jail but spiritually, because of his commitment to the Lord, he was growing in his faith.

Yes, every day we get older and the aches and pains get stronger and our burdens get heavier, but when we are in a right relationship with God, He will renew us inwardly with spiritual strength through His Holy Spirit who works within us.

We urge you to remember the words of Isaiah (40:31) in your daily life. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” As we enter a new year, we have the opportunity to put our failures behind us and set a new course by putting our hope in the Lord and renewing our commitment to serve Him. God is faithful in His promises. He will renew our strength.

LEARNING:

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

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

PRAYER:

Help me to renew my trust in You as I begin this New Year. May I grasp anew the growth I will experience when I take the time to read Your Word and then allow myself to wait upon You so that I may have renewed strength to face every issue that comes my way. May I also learn anew today to commit all that I do today, and every day, to You.

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Rejection: December 30, 2014

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 30, 2014.

REJECTION

DEFINITION:

To cast out; to discard as unsatisfactory or useless; something or someone not wanted; to refuse to accept or admit; to refuse to have or recognize.

SCRIPTURE:

He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. John 1:11

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22:1 and Mark 15:34.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It is one thing to be rejected by friends and associates, but quite different to be rejected by family. But the fact is that any type of rejection hurts no matter where it comes from.

By the definition above, rejection is being cast out or discarded as unsatisfactory and not wanted. When one is rejected they are cast out and unwanted because someone feels they are unsatisfactory. Who they are and what they are has been found inferior and that is why rejection is so hurtful.

Some rejection is brought on by one’s own actions, but often it is because of prejudice or jealousy or a difference in belief. When a family rejects one of their own it is usually based on a major conflict between standards of right and wrong.

Rejection usually results in separation and abandonment. Children who are abandoned are often innocent victims but they feel the pain of rejection for a lifetime.

While Jesus lived here on this earth He experienced rejection along with the suffering of the world. Jesus truly knew the meaning of rejection. First, even his own people, the scripture says, rejected Him. Secondly, it was the rejection and abandonment of His Father that He knew He must experience when He took our sins upon Himself that brought Him to His knees in the garden of Gethsemane beseeching His Father to take that cup from Him.

We cannot begin to imagine the agony of the physical pain that Jesus endured as He hung on the cross. There is no more painful death than death by crucifixion. As horrible as the pain was, it was the rejection and abandonment of His Father that caused Jesus to cry out in agony, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?” It is because Jesus went through that suffering of rejection by His Father that we do not have to endure the rejection of our heavenly Father for our sins.

“Why does nobody care?” was the question that rings so clear in my mind from a young girl living in a home our organization sponsored for children with cancer in Honduras. Our interpreter told us what the girl was saying but we really did not need an interpreter because it shown so clearly on her face.

There was no cancer medicine in the whole country to help children with cancer. This young girl and her mother, sitting by her side, felt so rejected, desperate and so alone. Did anyone care? We tried to assure them that help was on the way but we knew that it would not arrive on time to save her life?

Our organization did respond and soon there was medicine and even state of the art equipment to help assist children put their cancer into remission. Unfortunately the equipment and medicine did not arrive in time to save this young girl’s life, but thousands of children since have been helped because this one girl moved us to action. Her feeling of rejection was used by God to enable many other children in her country get the help they need.

All of us have days and times that we feel rejected and that no one cares. It may be because of a spouse, a parent, a child or a friend. When these moments of rejection come our way we must look to the Lord for special strength that only He can give. When we are feeling down cast, the only way to look is up. God understands how you feel because He knew rejection.

We must learn to be positive in those moments of feeling unwanted. You must remember that at the lowest times of your life when you feel rejection that God loves you. When we come to Him with repentant hearts and in faith, believing in Him, He will never reject us.

LEARNING:

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

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord, for the blessed assurance I have that You will never reject me because You have promised to never leave or forsake those who love and obey You. Thank You for suffering rejection on the cross to save me from my sins.

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Gratitude: December 29, 2014

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 29, 2014.

GRATITUDE

DEFINITION:

The quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful; appreciation for something received.

SCRIPTURE:

Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1: 21.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Showing gratitude has become a lost art for many people here in America. Many people do not understand what the word gratitude really means. We meet people who do not seem to be grateful for much in their lives.

What causes this lack of gratitude? Possibly we are spoiled and expect much more than we have, or possibly, it is because of the so called “ME” generation that we live in. We have taken our prosperity for granted. We really do not know how blessed we are nor do we acknowledge the one who is the giver of all that we are blessed with. We think we are entitled to it.

When someone does something kind for you, do you say thank you and by saying thank you show gratitude? It is very rare for us to hear someone say thank you after being helped in some manner.

The lack of gratitude is just part of man’s failure that affects our society. In Romans 1:22, Paul gets right to the root of the problem. The first point Paul makes is that it is not sufficient to just be aware that God exists. We must know God. To know God means to have an intimate relationship with Him that God has made possible by His gift of salvation.

When we know God, Paul tells us that, we are to glorify Him as God. This means that we are to acknowledge His sovereignty, His holiness, and His perfection and give Him the glory in all things. God is good and every good thing that we enjoy in life comes from God. We are not just to acknowledge this fact but we are to give God thanks for it (show Him gratitude). When we do not our thinking becomes “futile and our foolish hearts become darkened.”

We in America have had so much given to us by God but we neglect to show Him the gratitude that He deserves. Often those who are less fortunate in life are the ones who show the most gratitude.

When we were in Manila Philippines we visited a large garbage dump. We went there because we were told that more than 100,000 people lived on top of the garbage. These dear people search through garbage scraps, dumped by the garbage trucks, for food and anything that can be salvaged and they sell what they find and use the money just for items of survival. They live in shacks that look like they will collapse with any wind.

We mentioned the following story in a prior devotional but we want to repeat it now because it really expresses gratitude. We were walking on this dump being led by a missionary that we worked with. We came upon this lean-to shack with an open front and saw a little 10 year old girl sitting by a box, the only thing in the room, and on that box was a Sunday school daily vacation bible school picture booklet.

We were introduced to the little girl and soon we asked about the book. Her eyes lit up and she said that someone a year before had given her that book and she read through the pictures every day. She said that she had never had a gift before and this was the best thing she ever had. Her gratitude moved us to tears.

We recognized the Sunday school book as one of the books we had sent several years prior in a large 40 foot sea container to the missionary who was leading us on this tour to the dump. He did not even know that this young girl had this book. She was still showing her gratitude for what God had given her.

Another example was when we visited one of the churches in Kenya that we sponsored the pastor. When the offering was taken, we saw the offering box being passed around and it was filling up with fruit, vegetables and even a chicken. These people were showing their gratitude to God for all they had by giving a portion of what little they did have back to Him.

Do you express your gratitude to God for all that He has given you? Do you express gratitude to your spouse, your children, your parents, your family or your friends for who they are? And do not forget when we express our gratitude to God we are acknowledging that He is the one who gives us all that we have and that He is the Lord of all. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17).

LEARNING:

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

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

PRAYER:

Lord, I acknowledge that You are the giver of every good thing that I have. Thank You for Your mercy and grace in saving me from my sins and giving me the greatest gift of all, eternal life. Thank You for all Your many blessings that You have given me and continue to give me every day.

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