Confidence: August 14, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2015.

CONFIDENCE

DEFINITION:

Belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or a thing. Belief in oneself and ones abilities.

SCRIPTURE:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.
II Corinthians 3:4-5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We have talked to many people who seem to be very confident in what they were talking about but when the conversation left their comfort zone you will watch them waver and many times their confidence in what they are saying and doing just falls apart.

This is true of children. When a young child begins to walk and takes that first step all alone you can see in their eyes confidence. And then all of a sudden as they continue to take tiny steps, they fall and their confidence is shattered even to the extent of a possible tear or two.

The Apostle Paul who wrote the verse we have put above was a confident man. In his earlier years his positive attitude and confidence came from his credentials. His background, education and position in life made him very confident. However, when he had his encounter with the Lord, all of a sudden he realized his education and position in life were of little worth. He had to re-evaluate his priorities because he came to understand that all that he had attained was because of his own efforts and that all of it would soon pass away.

You may ask what the source was of Paul’s new boldness. His new relationship with Christ formed a new foundation for his existence (Acts 9:1-6). Paul first realized the inadequacy of everything he had previously relied upon. He also relinquished any thought of trying to live independently of the Lord. He truly came to understand that he must live his life in total reliance upon the Lord.

Paul developed an unwavering trust in God’s faithfulness. He became very confident and firmly believed that God would equip him, strengthen him, guide him, meet his every need, and never leave him. Because of this he could now meet adversity with boldness and confidence because God is sufficient.

As believers in Jesus we need to work daily on our own confidence as it relates to our relationship with the Lord. As believers we need to be bold in living out our faith and in defending our faith to those who might question what and why we believe in our relationship with our Lord.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 1:2.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Help me to develop, as the Apostle Paul did, an unwavering trust in You. Help me to be confident in my trust in You. May You equip me, strengthen me, guide me, and never leave me.

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Compromise: August 13, 2015

TODAY'S WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 13, 2015.

COMPROMISE

DEFINITION:

Something intermediate between different things; give and take; accommodation; a settlement of differences by mutual adjustment or modification of opposing principles.

SCRIPTURE:

For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. I Kings 11:4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We are living in a world today that believes that compromise and tolerance are the only reasonable world view to have. This is a popular misconception and ultimately will lead to destruction.

Compromise means giving up something in order to obtain an objective. In some ways that is beneficial and at other times it is disastrous. Compromise that leads to sacrificing one’s moral values and Godly standards of righteousness will have disastrous results. Sadly, this is what we learn from studying the life of Solomon. Solomon’s life shows that compromise was a destructive choice in his life. Read the above verse again that we have put above.

In the early years of Solomon’s reign as King, he was committed to doing right. But later in life he saw the opportunity to promote himself politically through marriage. He ignored God’s command to the Israelites forbidding to marry pagans. God’s command was to protect the nation of Israel from being ruined by the idolatry and immorality of pagan nations. You can read about this in Deuteronomy 7:1-4 and I Kings 3:1.

Solomon chose to ignore God’s commandment. One compromise is usually the beginning of many compromises in our life. Solomon didn’t marry just one pagan wife but married hundreds for political purposes.

Solomon’s compromises led to Israel’s ruin. Solomon became involved in their religions and soon was trapped in sin. His heart was divided between his love for God and his love for his wives. As a result Israel turned from God to idolatry which led to Israel’s destruction.

Solomon’s temptations may be different than what we face today but when we are willing to compromise what we know to be right and break God’s commandments we will be trapped in Satan’s snare just as Solomon was. It will lead to destruction.

Unchecked admiration for someone or something beyond God’s will for our life can convince us to pursue it and the result will be sin and we will fall from loving God. We know when our choices are wrong and it is very easy to be trapped by Satan and to harden our heart against God.

As a believer in Jesus we want to warn you that you must guard against a preoccupation of a person, a place or an activity that puts you in the position of compromise with your Savior. The cost of compromise is the corruption of our soul.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 1:2.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Help our family, dear Lord, to keep your commandments and not compromise on what we believe. May our faith in You be strong in every situation we face in life. May others see in us a consistency that honors Your name.

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Comply: August 12, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12, 2015.

COMPLY

DEFINITION:

To act or be in compliance with requests, demands, requirements or conditions.

SCRIPTURE:

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people to SHOUT for the Lord has given you the city. Joshua 6:16.

When the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. Joshua 6:20.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In everyday life every one of us faces situations where we need to comply with a rule. It may be a child in the home complying with a responsibility given by a parent. It may be at work where a boss asks you to comply with a policy. It can be very dangerous not to comply with rules. Just think of how dangerous it would be to drive a car if there were no rules.

In the scriptures God gives us examples as to how He wants us to comply with His will. One such example is from the adventures of the Children of Israel in their battle to conquer the Promised Land. The Israelites had a difficult time complying with God’s will. From the time God delivered them out of Egypt and freed them from Pharaoh’s rule they were a real challenge for Moses because they would not comply with God’s will for them.

After crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, Israel had set up camp at Gilgal which was about two miles north of the city of Jericho. Jericho was so well fortified that the Canaanites were sure that their city was invincible. It was situated on a hill and surrounded by a double ring of walls. The outer wall was six feet thick and the inner wall was twelve feet thick. Humanly speaking the fortification of these walls was impenetrable. God had pre-determined that Jericho would fall to the Children of Israel but it would be by His plan and under His direction.

God sent a messenger to Joshua to tell him that God would deliver Jericho completely into Joshua’s hands if Joshua and the Children of Israel would comply with what God wanted done. Joshua and his army were to march around the city of Jericho one time a day for six days. They were to be led by seven priests blowing trumpets made of ram’s horns and followed by the Ark of the Covenant.

On the seventh day they were to march around Jericho seven times and on the seventh time when Joshua gave the command all the people were to shout. The loud shout in unison expressed an expectation of God’s action to fulfill His guaranteed promise.

Joshua complied and the people complied and the walls of the city collapsed and the Israelites were able to charge right into the city and take control of it.

Obedience to God and compliance to His laws always brings blessings. In Deuteronomy 28:2 it reads, “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you will obey the Lord your God.” For us today when we read the Bible daily and communicate to God through prayer God will make it clear to us His direction for us in life. You may not hear His voice but the still small voice within you will make you aware of sin in your life that stands between you and God. It was disobedience that stood between the Israelites and the fulfilling of God’s promise to them. You may be fighting spiritual battles in your life but if you comply with God’s commandments, He will give you victory.

Someone once said that that still small voice within you is your conscience. You know what is right and wrong and when you ask God, read the Bible and pray the Holy Spirit is able to work in your life and direct you away from sin and into compliance with God’s law.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 1:2.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Help me daily to listen to that still small voice that You use to help me to comply with Your will in my life. As I read Your Word lead me to passages of scripture that will direct me down the straight and narrow road to honor Your name.

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Compassion: August 11, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 11, 2015.

COMPASSION

DEFINITION:

A feeling of deep sympathy; sorrow for someone struck by misfortune accompanied by a desire to alleviate suffering.

SCRIPTURE:

For He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them. Isaiah 49:10.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity. Psalm 78:38.

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved to compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless. Matthew 9:36.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Not too many people really understand what it means to have compassion for others. We are living in what we call the “ME” generation because people are concerned only about self. It saddens us to be watching the late news at night and to hear reports that someone was in an accident and they left the scene before the police arrived. Even more heartbreaking are the reports of children being bullied by their peers to the point they have committed suicide because of it. In our world today few people show any concern for others.

When Jesus was on this earth He was very concerned about others. He gave us a standard to live by concerning showing compassion to others. In Matthew 9:36 (above), we read, He went from city to city and synagogue to synagogue seeing the masses of people “He was moved to compassion.

Compassion moved Jesus to action. In the previous verse it says he healed, “every disease and affliction.” Compassion is not just feeling sorry for someone. By definition (above), compassion is not just feeling sorry for someone struck by misfortune but also having a desire to alleviate suffering and then doing something to help.

Jesus gives us an example in Mark 2:1-12 where four men brought a paralytic to Him. These four men saw that their friend was in a helpless condition and their compassion moved them to take action. These men carried their friend to see Jesus. When they got to the house they saw there was no way they could get near Jesus because of the crowd inside and outside of the house. So they carried him to the roof and made an opening in the roof and lowered him down before Jesus.

When Jesus saw the faith of these men and the physical need as well as the spiritual need of the helpless man, Jesus compassion moved Jesus to act. Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven and then healed the man and told him to get up and walk. These men showed genuine compassion for their friend. What they did to get their friend to Jesus took time and considerable effort on their part. It cost them something.

God’s compassion for us surpasses all human understanding. He knew our need for salvation from the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was because of His great compassion for us that He sent His only Son to die on the cross paying the penalty for our sins. It is because of the compassion of Jesus for us that He was willing to pay such a heavy cost to give us salvation.

True compassion leads to taking action. In Luke chapter 10 we are given the account of the Samaritan who came across a man who was beaten by thieves and left to die. Two men came across him and walked on by showing no compassion, but the Samaritan stopped and helped this man and out of compassion acted to save his life.

All around us today are many people who are in situations that should move anyone to compassion. There are people living in the worst of poverty, families losing their houses because they cannot pay the rent and single mothers without food for their children. There are many losing their jobs and families divided because of drugs and other evil programs. There are people suffering from illnesses, people who are handicapped and unable to care for themselves. There are so many who need to be shown compassion. Jesus calls all of us to love one another and show compassion just as he has shown compassion to us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 1:2.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Give me today a compassionate heart. May I be alert to seeing the needs of others around me. Help my family to be alert to the needs of others and develop in them a strong desire to show compassion to the hurting and hungry people in our world. Help me not only to feel compassion but to be moved to action to show my compassion to others.

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Comfort: August 10, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 10, 2015.

COMFORT

DEFINITION:

To sooth, console or reassure, to encourage, help, and strengthen; relief in affliction; consolation; a feeling of relief.

SCRIPTURE:

For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13

For this is what the Lord says: As a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:12-13.

If you have any encouragement from being unified with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit accord and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

None of us go through life without being in need of comfort. We all experience sad and hurtful times when we are in need of comfort and reassurance. In those times we need someone who is close by, always available and who we can turn to and receive love, compassion, and support.

Many believers, as we have often, have reached out to help others in need because of a difficult circumstance. For us it has been friends with health issues, death of a loved one, broken home problems, hard to handle teenagers and now so many living in third world countries facing persecution and even death because of their faith.

We so often feel helpless to know how to comfort those who are suffering and sorrowing. Humanly speaking we are limited in what we can do to comfort others. But the bottom line is that when one is facing concern and needs comfort the only real comfort comes from our Lord.

The Greek word translated “comfort” portrays the Lord coming alongside us and speaking words of encouragement and tender counsel in our ear. That is a picture every believer should forever keep before them.

As believers, God gives us strength to carry on. In the depth of our concern He gives us assurance of His love and provides peace and uplifting hope.

Paul instructs us in Philippians 2 that we as believers have the responsibility and privilege to comfort others, especially members of the body of Christ. At times our Lord will let us go through a crisis in our lives so we can be prepared to comfort someone in their time of need and despair. God will comfort us beyond any comfort anyone else can give us. The comfort that God gives us is sufficient for every situation, every need and every hurt we may face in life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 1:2.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Thank You for being my Father of compassion and my God of all comfort. Thank You for the comfort you give to me and my family in our times of concern. Make my joy be complete as I comfort others who are in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from You.

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