Heart: April 3, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 3, 2015.

HEART

DEFINITION:

A muscular organ in the vertebrates; the vital center of one’s being, emotions and sensibilities.

SCRIPTURE:

Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me. Hebrews 3:15

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Jesus went to the eleven disciples (Mark 16:14) just before He rose to heaven after the resurrection and reproached them for their unbelief. They did not believe those that said they saw Jesus after the resurrection. Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart. And then He commanded them to get up and go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures.

Yes, even the disciples experienced unbelief, lack of faith and hardness of heart. The disciples had seen Jesus crucified and buried and were sitting around a table eating and bemoaning that they had lost their leader. Although they said they believed “He was the Christ” (Mark 8:29) and although Jesus had told them He would be killed and “three days later rise again” (Mark 10:34) they lacked the faith to believe that He was really alive when told that others had seen Jesus alive. When Jesus appeared to them when they were eating (Mark 16:14) they did believe completely and their hearts were changed and they went and preached everywhere (Mark 16:26).

Today God continually calls to His children but the condition of one’s heart determines the result. Those with soft and tender hearts hear His voice and yield to Him in obedience. Those with hardened hearts resist His warnings and instructions.

Hardening is a slow process that is accompanied by excuses and rationalizations. The danger signs might not be easily recognized. A hardened heart will show insensitivity and resistance to what the Lord is saying or directing and one will not listen for His voice. One with a hardened heart will refuse to put himself or herself under His authority and will be disobedient to what they know is right. They will always justify sinful conduct and will resist counsel from others. They are preoccupied by the things of this world and lack any desire for Bible study or communication with God.

God wants us to have a tender heart that is pliable and responsive to Him. He wants us to be like a lump of clay that allows the potter to determine the shape of the vessel. God has sent His Holy Spirit to indwell each believer and to awaken responsiveness in him or her.

People with tender hearts will stay closely connected to the body of Christ. They will be submissive to Him and quick to deal with any sin in their life. One with a tender heart not only is receptive to what God wants from them but are teachable and willing to listen to and be corrected by others.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 4:2.

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

PRAYER:

Keep my heart and the hearts of each of my family members tender toward You. May others see Christ in us and through us daily. Thank You for the encouraging words that we receive as we read Your Word.

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Resurrection: April 2, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 2, 2015.

RESURRECTION

DEFINITION:

The rising of Christ from the dead.

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

These verses we have written above were words spoken by Jesus to Martha when Jesus went to Bethany to visit Martha four days after Lazarus died. Jesus said that He was the resurrection and the life. Jesus could make this statement because He has power over life and death. Jesus is the life because He is the creator of life. He is the resurrection because He conquered death and He can restore life.

Jesus said to Martha that, those who believe in Him, though they die, they will live! He asked her if she believed this and Martha responded saying that she did believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. By this statement Martha showed her deep faith and that she believed Jesus was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do. At this time Jesus had not yet died and risen from the grave.

It was the resurrection of Jesus after His death on the cross that made it possible for us to have an eternal spiritual life that death cannot conquer. He died for you and for us. He died and was resurrected so that we did not have to pay the penalty for our sins because we are all born as sinners and if we are to have eternal life in heaven with God we must be free from the penalty for the sins we have committed.

Jesus did die a cruel death on the cross to pay the penalty for all of our sins. Jesus asks us the same question He asked Mary, “Do you believe this?” All we have to do is believe, repent of our sins, ask God for forgiveness, and then accept Jesus as our Savior and live for Him. Then death no longer has power over us and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The resurrection of our Lord is what makes Christianity different from ALL other religions. The bodies of all the other religious leaders down through the centuries remain in their tombs. Jesus left an empty tomb. Jesus did what he said He would. On Easter Sunday He did rise from that grave. He remained on earth 40 days during which time He ate and drank with the disciples and showed them His wounds to provide evidence of His resurrection. Jesus appeared not only to the disciples but more than 500 believers saw Jesus alive after His resurrection. He went back to Heaven and today is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

If for some reason you do not believe that there was a resurrection then you are saying Jesus is a liar and a hoax. If you believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead then you believe He has no power over death and thus no power to pay the penalty for your sins, which is death.

Paul says in I Corinthians 15:14 that if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is useless and your faith is also useless. In verse 17 Paul goes on to say that if Christ is not risen that your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Those who are still in their sins cannot avoid God’s judgment. We are asked in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great a salvation?”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 4:2.

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

PRAYER:

We worship You and rejoice in what You have done for us. We thank You and praise You that You are the resurrected Savior, the giver of our great salvation.

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Fail: April 1, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, 2015.

FAIL

DEFINITION:

To fall short of success or achievement in something expected.

SCRIPTURE:

My heart throbs, my strength fails me; and the light of my eyes, even that is gone from me. Psalm 38:10.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. I Corinthians 13:8

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the Psalm 38 David is feeling that he has totally failed in life and he is overwhelmed by guilt. In verse 5 he says that it is because of his sinful folly in life. In verse 11 he says he has lost his loved ones, his friends and his kinsmen. Those near him had abandoned him. He ends this Psalm by asking the Lord not to forsake him. His sin troubles him and he wants to conquer failure. He confesses his sin and he asks the Lord to help him as he pursues good. He makes no excuse for his failure but readily acknowledges his sin and asks the Lord to help him.

When we fail our natural tendency is to offer a variety of justifications to our Father, God. Excuses are way too common. God has set His standard for the way He wants us to live but because of our sinful nature we all have failed in one way or another. Failure is painful. As every parent knows, children can always find an excuse and excuses begin early in life. The excuses we give tend to attempt to shift responsibility for what we have done or have not done to something or someone besides our self.

Sometimes we fail to achieve God’s plan for us for other reasons like greed. Selfishness will not help us succeed in His kingdom but generosity will. When we give as the Lord commands us and when we take the opportunity of an open door that God gives us to speak a word of encouragement to someone or even taking the time just to help someone with a small task will bring blessings to us from our father.

Another reason we fail is because we act against what our conscience is telling us. It makes us double minded: we feel guilty over our action but decide to proceed anyway.

Another reason for failure is laziness, which is often accompanied by excuses and yields the same result -- disobedience to God. With the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can overcome these common negative tendencies. And finally remember what the words of John 14:15 are: “If you love Me you will keep My commandments.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 4:2.

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

PRAYER:

When I fail You Lord, help me to humbly confess it without excuse and ask for Your help, just as David did. Help me to understand that if I love You and seek You with all my heart and listen to what You say to me, You will uphold me and keep me from the pitfalls of life that can cause me to fail. May my family join me in loving You with all their hearts.

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Righteousness: March 31, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2015.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

DEFINITION:

Characterized by uprightness or morality; virtuous or devout.

SCRIPTURE:

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many people in our world will tell you that they strive daily to live a righteous life. When you ask these people to tell you what they mean by being righteous, you will get many different kinds of responses. Some will say that being righteous is living an honest life. Others will say being kind to people. Some will say that being helpful to others is living a righteous life.

Most people will also tell you that it is very hard to live a righteous life and others will tell you that it is impossible if you are going to be successful. Many people are trying to achieve righteousness by their own strength and actions, but it is impossible to overcome our evil desires because of the sinful nature we are born with.

One cannot buy righteousness and we cannot earn it. Paul writes in Romans 3:10 that “There is no one righteous, not even one.” A person that does not know Jesus as their Savior cannot experience the righteousness we are talking about today. Righteousness comes only after we are saved.

The scripture above begins very clearly by stating it is, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done.” that we are saved. It is because of God’s mercy that He saved us and through Him we can experience righteousness in our lives. In Galatians 2:21 we are reminded that righteousness does not come through the law. If it had been possible to obtain righteousness by keeping the law and doing good then Christ would have died in vain.

There is nothing that we can do in the way of keeping the law, doing good deeds, or working to improve ourselves and obtain righteousness. This was something that Paul learned in a most traumatic way when he met Jesus on the Damascus road and was struck blind for three days. Paul studied and lived by the law of the Old Testament but after his conversion he recognized he did not have a righteousness of his own that comes from keeping the law, but the righteousness he had comes from God by his faith (Philippians 3:9). In Ephesians 6:14 he tells us that we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness, that only God can give us, to stand firm against the temptations of the devil. And finally Paul tells us in I Timothy 6:11 that we are to flee the things of this evil world and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Look at the company that Paul puts with righteousness. Are you practicing and growing daily in faith, godliness, love, patience and gentleness? Each day we need to strive to be more like Jesus but it is only because of His mercy we will be righteous in His sight.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 4:2.

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

PRAYER:

Thank You that because of Your mercy I have been made righteous by my faith. Help me to increase my faith to be more like You today. May I put on the breastplate of righteousness that Paul talks about, so that I may stand firm against the attacks of the devil and wage the war on Your behalf against evil.

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Deceit: March 30, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 30, 2015.

DECEIT

DEFINITION:

Misrepresentation of the truth; intentional concealment; fraud; cheating; misleading; untruthful.

SCRIPTURE:

He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in My presence. Psalm 101:7

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When you carefully look at the definitions of the word deceit, as we have given above, you will see that it includes the misrepresentation of the truth and the intentional concealment of a wrong. For many people today misrepresenting the truth and concealing a wrong is a way of life and they never consider this to be a sin against God. We need to remind you, dear friend, that when you misrepresent the truth or conceal a wrong it is deceit and in God’s sight a sin. The ninth commandment of the Ten Commandments reads, “You shall not give false testimony.”

Breaking any of God’s commandments is a sin. As a result of the sinful nature in all of us, deceit runs rampant in our society. Think about what you say and do every day. Are you honoring God by your words and deeds? Take the time to evaluate what you see and hear every day from those you make contact. Are their words and actions not true or true? How does that affect your opinion of that person? Then go back and think about yourself. Is there cheating, misleading, lying and fraud in your life? And if so do you think that it affects people’s opinion of you?

If you have any doubt whether there is deceit in your life or in your family’s lives, then take just one day and watch and weigh every one of your words and actions. Then take the time to listen and watch your family, friends and neighbors. You will be surprised to see how much deceit, cheating, misleading and untruthfulness surrounds you every day. It is so commonplace that people just accept it without giving it much thought.

What is hard to understand is that we, as believers, all know when we are not being truthful so any act of deceit is done deliberately and consciously. Our hearts, even as believers, can become hardened to the sin of deceit.

In addition, when you watch television, read the magazines and newspapers all that you will see and hear is an undercurrent of lies, cheating and evil things. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in. Parents lie to and mislead their children. Children lie and mislead their parents. Teachers and bosses lie and spouses lie to each other. Some might say that they do not lie but that they just stretch the truth a little. Some say it is just a little white lie. Stretching the truth is a lie in God’s sight. God does not color code our lies. A lie is a lie in God’s sight whether it is large or small.

Lying is deceitful and misleading and basically happens when one is either trying to cover up a mistake, a failure in life or just making oneself look good. Living, as we all do, in a “ME” generation people will do and say what they think is best for them with no consideration of anyone else. Thus, a lie or some deceitful comment in order to complete a task or to make one just feel better seems to be in order and considered proper, until one gets caught.

Unfortunately, there are those that call themselves Christians who are deceitful. They perform the same way as a non-believer because they are not in tune with God. In God’s sight this is sin and not acceptable. The Psalmist in the verse that we have written above makes it very clear as to how God feels about deceit. God is truth, and deceit and truth cannot dwell together in God’s kingdom.

When a person has a deceit problem they will not dwell in the house of the Lord and will not be in the presence of God. The Psalmist also tells us in Psalms 32:2 that, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” God blesses those who are truthful and who have confessed their sins and received God’s forgiveness for their sins.

Being deceitful in God’s sight has very serious consequences. The scriptures tell us that if we are deceitful we will not dwell in HIS HOUSE! WOW! This is serious because it affects one’s whole eternity. We need to understand that our deceit hurts God and it is not acceptable in His sight.

It is also written in Proverbs 12:20 that “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.” As Christians we can have joy in our hearts if we do not practice deceit. It is impossible to live a life of joy and be deceitful. When we lie we have to live with stress because of our concern of being caught. It is important to be honest in all that we do. We will fail and when we do we need to ask God at that time to forgive us.

Our children are watching us along with our family, neighbors and those at our workplace and church. What kind of an image do you leave in their minds? Is God being honored through your truthful words and honest deeds?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 4:2.

Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

PRAYER:

Help me today to get rid of any deceit in my life. May others always see Christ through me. Take away from me all thoughts and actions that may be dishonest, misleading or deceitful to You as well as to those we see every day.

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