Freedom: July 3, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 3, 2015.

FREEDOM

DEFINITION:

The state of being free; the right to worship and publish fact and opinion without restriction; liberty.

SCRIPTURE:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serves one another. Galatians 5:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Some 239 years ago tomorrow our country was officially founded. The major reason our fore fathers fought for freedom was to have freedom of worship. On January 6, 1941, Our President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech that became famous as he outlined for the world to know that America had four freedoms that we ought to enjoy. These freedoms are Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom of Want and freedom of Fear.

Several years later President Harry S. Truman said in a speech, “Freedom is expensive, it still costs cold blood, it still calls for courage and endurance by every man and woman who is free and who is determined to remain free. May we ask, where do you stand today? Do you have the courage and endurance to remain free, to have the freedom of Worship?

Now look at what is happening to thousands of believers in Jesus who are being beheaded or killed because of their faith, including young children who are marched out into the streets where they live and told to renounce their faith in Jesus or be killed.

Freedom is something that needs to be protected. Our forefathers paid a high price in order for us to be free and we must be diligent and mindful to defend what they fought for years ago.

The Bible has a lot to say about freedom. Let us share a few scriptures that you can look up and read. God has given us the freedom from the law (Romans 7:7 and 8:2). The freedom to be free of death (Hebrews 2:15). When we believe in Jesus we have been freed of sin (Romans 6:7 and 18). We are free from corruption (I Corinthians 9:19).

The Apostle Paul reminds us in his words to the church in Galatia (Galatians 5:13) that we as believers have been given freedom, and we are to use that freedom to serve one another and not as an opportunity for the furthering of our sinful desires. We all understand that we need to protect our freedoms we have here in America but the freedom from sin and death that we have received from our Lord is what is most important. Make sure you have the freedom from sin and death by acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Do not take your freedoms for granted. We need to work daily to keep our freedoms and if we do God will honor our faithfulness.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:3.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:

Thank you for the freedoms You have blessed us with, especially the freedom to worship You. Help me to use the freedom of worship to grow spiritually myself and to share the good news of the gospel with my neighbors and peers.

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Anticipation: July 2, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015.

ANTICIPATION

DEFINITION:

To expect or look forward to; to feel or realize beforehand.

SCRIPTURE:

Joshua told the people: Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you. Joshua 3:4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In chapter three of Joshua, the verse we used above, Israel was standing on the edge of the Jordan River in anticipation of entering the Promised Land. Just think what many were thinking, but basically they were all wondering how all these people, two million, were going to get across this river.

For forty years God caused them to wander in the wilderness as punishment for their sins. Finally, a new generation was ready to enter the Promised Land; however, there was one major obstacle. It was the Jordan River where the banks were overflowing because of the spring rains. Just think of the mixed emotions that went through each person’s mind and the anticipation of what tomorrow would bring.

God always has a plan for carrying out His promises. God instructed Moses what to do to solve the problem. The priests that were carrying the Ark of the Covenant were told to stand at the edge of the Jordan River. Can you imagine the emotions that Moses had? He had led the Children of Israel right to the edge of the Promised Land. He was sure God was leading him but that emotion of anticipation had to make him think -- What if?

As soon as the Priests feet touched the water, the waters parted. Then the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant were standing on dry land in the middle of the river. Have you ever wondered about the anticipation the Priests had waiting to see what God was going to do. And then the anticipation if the parted waters would stay parted for two million people to cross into the Promised Land. This will take days and those Priests in the middle of the river on dry land must have counted the hours.

The anticipation of doing something new or dangerous is often accompanied by an element of fear. Those Priests stepped out into the raging waters by faith and look what the Lord did.

The Lord has given us so many examples in the scripture to let us know that if we put our trust in Him our anticipation of concern will pass away. What kind of anticipation did Noah go through building an ark in the desert and then waiting for it to rain? What do you think the anticipation level was for David as he walked out to meet the giant Goliath with 5 stones and a sling shot?

What about the anticipation felt by the disciples as they watched Jesus die on the cross? The disciples were sure that Jesus had come to earth to set up His kingdom and the crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans dashed all of their hopes.

We all run into obstacles in life that raises our anticipation level. This is because we usually anticipate the worst. These obstacles stand between us and God. In order for God to help us get around these obstacles we must trust Him and not let our negative anticipation govern our emotions. We must trust God and learn to step out by faith just as Moses, Noah, David and the disciples did and do what God calls us to do.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:3.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:

Help me, dear Lord, to anticipate receiving direction from God. Help me to overcome the obstacles in my life that stand between me and You by trusting in You and being obedient to Your will for my life. Use me to do amazing things that will bring honor and glory to You.

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Allergy: July 1, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 1, 2015.

ALLERGY

DEFINITION:

An overreaction of the immune system to a previously encountered ordinary harmless substance resulting in skin rash, swelling of mucous membranes, sneezing or wheezing. Having an allergy to something averse.

SCRIPTURE:

Avoid from every form of evil. I Thessalonians 5:22.

Let those who love the Lord hate evil. Psalm 97:10.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We are sure that some of the readers of these devotionals will look at our WORD today and say, “Where are they going with this WORD?” Many people today struggle with allergies. For some it is food, some it is plants or grass and some just the air we breathe. An allergy makes a person very uncomfortable and normally affects one physically. Therefore we need to do all we can to avoid the cause of the allergy.

Both of us constantly struggle with allergies and several of our children and grandchildren do also. Just as we know to stay away from things that affect our physical health the Bible warns us to avoid dangers that affect our spiritual health. So today we want to talk about these dangers which are SPIRITUAL ALLERGIES.

The scripture that we have put above makes it clear as to what we are allergic to spiritually. Psalm 97:10 says those who love the Lord are to hate evil. As believers we are to hate evil in every form. This means not only the obvious sins found in the Ten Commandments but also the ones that society today has come to accept and overlook.

When we take part of something that is clearly evil it is not good for our spiritual vitality and like an allergy we must fight it daily. It is easy to relate to this when I (Ken) think about physical allergies that I fight. I am allergic to cats. So if I want to avoid the sneezing, coughing, stuffiness I need to avoid the cause which is cats. Just as we have to avoid the cause of physical allergies we must avoid situations that lead one to do things that are evil.

In II Timothy 2:23 we are reminded to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.” These are evil and we as Christians are allergic to them. In Titus 3:9 we are told to “Avoid foolish disputes, contentions and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless.” This is a spiritual allergy.

To avoid sin in our lives, which are allergies, we need to nip temptations in the bud. “Turn from evil and do good.” Psalm 34:14.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:3.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:

Help me to avoid every situation that would tempt me to do evil and cause my spiritual health to suffer. Give me the wisdom to avoid foolish and ignorant disputes as I face life today. Help me to communicate to my family and my friends that those foolish arguments and disputes do not honor You. Help me to love the things God loves and hates the evil things of this world that God hates.

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Afraid: June 30, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY JUNE 30, 2015.

AFRAID

DEFINITION:

Feeling fear or apprehension; feeling a threat of danger or harm.

SCRIPTURE:

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. Matthew 14:27.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Genesis 26:24.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Do you often feel afraid? If so, you are not alone. Throughout the scripture we read that God says, “Do not be afraid”. Abraham, Moses, Isaac, David and Jeremiah were all told by God not to be afraid. Jesus used the same words to reassure His disciples when they experienced fear.

We have good reason to be afraid because, as David reminds us in Psalm 18 we are surrounded by evil and our enemies are many and powerful. In Psalm 56:3 David has good advice for us and tells us to trust in God when we are afraid.

In Psalm 3, David tells us although he was surrounded by tens of thousands of enemies he was not afraid. He could lie down and sleep because he trusted God. It is hard to sleep when we are afraid, but David reminds us that if we cannot sleep because we are afraid, then we must just put our trust in God, and not doubt Gods ability to take care of us.

There are many reasons for fear. Being afraid is not uncommon for many people today. People are afraid of losing their job. They are afraid of where their children are headed. They are afraid of their finances being insufficient. They are afraid that they cannot keep their marriage together. No one likes to be afraid but fear has a purpose. It motivates us to take action to protect ourselves. Fear becomes a problem when we allow it to paralyze us.

But let us repeat what we said above because this critical for many people today. If we love the Lord with all of our heart and are committed to serve Him and read the scripture daily and follow the direction that God leads you into, you will not be afraid. Our hope is in the Lord and He has promised us that He will take care of us.

Fear comes when we doubt God’s ability to care for us. Remember that Jesus said to, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” I Peter 5:7. The best antidote for fear is to trust in the Lord. Think about His love for you and recognize His presence.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:3.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord for the wonderful assurance from Your Word that when I am afraid that I can put my trust in You and know that You are with me. Thank You for caring for me, loving me, and directing me down life’s road. May my family find this same assurance as they walk life’s journey today.

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Affection: June 29, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JUNE 29, 2015.

AFFECTION

DEFINITION:

Fond attachment; devotion or love; feeling; the compassionate realm of love.

SCRIPTURE:

Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.
Romans 12:10.

For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:8

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Genuine affection is demonstrated by a selfless kindness that will cause a person to put aside their own interests for the good of another. Affection is a family sort of love and involves ones entire being. It is not based on personal attraction. Affection is the sincere love that Jesus imparts to us and wants us to feel for others. Christ like affection demands our personal involvement.

One of the best illustrations in the Bible for us to look at today about affection is the relationship between David and Jonathan. In I Samuel 18:1 we are told that when they met each other an immediate bond developed between them. The scripture says that Jonathan loved David as himself. Jonathan showed his affection by giving David his robe, his tunic, his sword and his bow and belt.

Jonathan was King Saul’s son and David was the King’s son-in-law. Saul became very jealous of David because of his rise to fame. David was Saul’s greatest threat. David had successes in battle which caused the people to admire him. Saul wanted to kill David because he also knew Samuel had anointed David to be the next king.

Jonathan and David sealed their affection to one another by making a covenant. Jonathan agreed to keep David informed of Saul’s plots to kill him. David promised to always treat Jonathan’s family well after he became king.

Jonathan saw David’s faith in the Lord and saw that David always tried to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Because of their deep affection for one another David and Jonathan had complete trust in one another. Jonathan did not allow his affection for his father Saul which he never lost, blind him from the fact that his father desired to kill David which he knew was wrong. Jonathan had to choose between being loyal to his father or doing what was right. Sometimes in life we are going to have to make difficult choices just as Jonathan had to.

In Psalm 136, the Psalmist expressed that affection that God has for us endures forever. In Jeremiah 31:3 we are reminded of the Lord’s affection to us. It is written that God has loved us with an everlasting love. It is because of this love for us that He reached out to us with a loving kindness to save us from our sins.

God wants us to have the same genuine affection for others that He has for us. Genuine affection is revealed not by words but by actions of personal involvement. Jonathan showed his affection by giving David some of his personal possessions and warning him of Saul’s plans.

God showed His affection for us by giving us His only Son to die on a cross to save us from all our sin and give us eternal life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:3.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord, for Your genuine affection for me. Thank You for Your compassionate love for me which made You desire to give Your life for me to give me eternal life. Help me to show my family, friends and neighbors the genuine Christ honoring affection You desire for all who believe in You to show to others.

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