Hypocrisy: November 27, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2015.

HYPOCRISY

DEFINITION:

The false profession of desirable or publically approved qualities, beliefs or feelings; a pretense of having virtues, moral principles, or religious beliefs that one does not really possess.

SCRIPTURE:

For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautifully outwardly, but inside are full of all uncleanness. Matthew 23:27.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

You might wonder why we picked the word HYPOCRISY to talk about the day after Thanksgiving. Our response is simple. We wonder how many people give thanks to God for their blessings received from Him. We are concerned that all across the world we live in that people are turning away from the Biblical principles outlined for us in the scriptures. For example, here in America statistics were just released telling us that more people are going to churches today than ever before but a much smaller number are considered what we might call evangelical -- one that believes and teaches that Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, rose again and is in heaven today preparing a place for us to spend eternity.

Thus, we must make the conclusion that these church attenders are hypocrites because they want to give the impression they believe in God but leave the church and live anyway they want too.

Simply said, hypocrisy is saying one thing and doing another. Hypocrisy is rampant today. One example is the political leaders here in America. They campaign to win their office promising all the right things that people want and then win and do the things that benefits their own interests and not the people that elected them into office.

But even worse is the hypocrisy we see in some Christian leaders and many who claim to be Christians. In Matthew 23, Jesus called out the spiritual leaders of that day on their hypocrisy. Three times Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”

Many Pharisees took pride, in Jesus day, in showing off their spirituality in public. Jesus knew, as did many others, that on the inside they were guilty of many secret sins. Because of their hypocrisy, Jesus compared them to “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are unclean (Numbers 19:16).

We are often tempted to cultivate a false image for others to see in our lives. But we need to remember, we may fool our family and friends but we will never fool God. God does not look at our outward appearance, He knows our heart. When hypocrisy begins to seep into our lives we, as believers, need to open our heart to God’s Word, read it and then pray, confessing our sin so God can, through His Holy Spirit open our heart and conform us to His image. Remember, you can hide your hypocrisy from others but you cannot hide it from God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 26:2:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. 

PRAYER:

It is my prayer that You will daily lead and guide me in all of my words and deeds so that others will see You in my life, not in just what I say but in what I do. May I be an example to those who are living a hypocritical life so that they will be drawn to You for leading and guidance in their lives.

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Thanksgiving: November 26, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2015.

THANKSGIVING

DEFINITION:

The act of giving thanks; an expression of thanks especially to God.

SCRIPTURE:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Psalm 100:4.

Be joyful always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica (above verses) that we are to, “in everything give thanks.” This does not mean that we have to be thankful for everything like in bad circumstances or difficulties. What Paul is saying is that our praise and thanksgiving to God should not depend on our circumstances or our feelings. Even when we aren’t feeling joyful and thankful, God is forever worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.

God’s will is for us is to be joyful always, pray continually and to give thanks to God in all circumstances. When we do what God wants us to do, He will work in our heart and life. Our circumstances may not change but our perspective will. We will always have abundant reasons to be thankful to our Lord who will supply all of our needs. Even in the worst of circumstances God works for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

When the American colonies were being developed, one man told the pioneers that they were spending way too much time on their problems. He said that it was time for them to get focused on their blessings. Thus the first Thanksgiving Day took place.

As believers we need to take time not only today, but every day, to focus on our blessings and not on the problems we might be facing. If we do this God will give us a joyful spirit and a thankful heart.

Ungratefulness is a problem and a temptation for many people today. If our endeavors are successful we need to stop and thank God and give Him the glory. Most people do not do this. They quickly forget the source of their blessing and forget to thank Him. They wonder why God is not blessing them. We do not need more to be thankful for in our lives we just need to be more thankful.

To encourage you to be more thankful, read these verses:

•  I Corinthians 15:57 tells us to say thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
•  II Corinthians 2:14 says we are to give thanks to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.
•  II Corinthians 9:15 says, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.
•  Hebrews 12:28 reads, let us be thankful, and so worship God.

Our prayer for you today is for you and your family to be thankful to God for His many blessings to you. HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 26:2:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. 

PRAYER:

I thank You for the many blessings in life that You have given me and my family. My prayer is that You may continually bestow upon us Your blessings and we in turn will honor and worship You for who You are and for all You have done for us.

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Impossible: November 25, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2015.

IMPOSSIBLE

DEFINITION:

Incapable of being or happening; unable to be performed or affected; sure not to happen; can’t be done; utterly impracticable.

SCRIPTURE:

For with God nothing is impossible. Luke 1:37.

But without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

How many times have you faced situations that you felt impossible to conquer? When this happens how do you react? Some people start searching for an answer or a way out of the situation. Others just curl up in defeat and hope by ignoring it that it will go away.

As believers, when we face situations that we think are impossible, we need to ask ourselves the right question. Many people will pray and ask the Lord, “What am I going to do?” The problem with asking the Lord this question is that even though we are asking the Lord’s guidance, the focus is on our actions. Therefore we limit our response to our abilities, resources and understanding. When we start to develop in our minds solutions it soon turns to manipulation and maneuvering to fix the problem.

We should ask God, “What are You going to do?” Can you see the difference? Now you have changed the focus of your concern to Almighty God with whom nothing is impossible.  God blows out the sides of any box that confines us. He untangles any situation that may be baffling to us. He has the power to carry out His plan which is perfect and will bring Him the glory and us peace of mind.

When we face these impossible situations we must first pray and ask God the right questions. And then read God’s Word because what we will read is practical and contains answers for any and every concern we may ever have. Impossible situations for us are opportunities for our Lord to teach us valuable lessons that we would have never learned any other way.

One of the best illustrations that we can read in the scripture about how God wants us to handle impossible situations is found in John 6. Jesus called on Philip to get bread to feed the multitude that had come to listen to Jesus. From a human perspective both Philip and Jesus knew that it was an impossible situation.

Philip began calculating the cost. He knew that it would take over eight months of wages to pay for enough bread for this crowd so in Philip’s mind what the Lord had asked him to do was impossible. He made this assumption based on his limited resources. But what he soon learned was that limited resources are more than sufficient when given to Jesus. Jesus took five small barley loaves and two fish and provided more food than was needed for everyone.

When God asks us to do what seems impossible we must not let our estimate of our own resources hold us back from doing what God wants us to do. Remember, “With God nothing is impossible” and “without faith it is impossible for us to please God.” Although it is hardest to have faith in a situation that looks impossible, that kind of faith is most pleasing to God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 26:2:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. 

PRAYER:

Help me today to surrender all my plans into Your hands so when impossibilities comes my way I can ask, “What are You going to do, Lord?” I am so grateful that You can solve all my impossibilities that I turn over to You. Help me to learn the lessons that You want to teach me when I am faced with situations that are overwhelming to me.

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Help: November 24, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2015.

HELP

DEFINITION:

To provide what is necessary to complete a task or satisfy a need; to contribute strength, means or effort.

SCRIPTURE:

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20.

I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When we feel we need an extra touch or help from God, we read Psalm 46:1 which says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  The first part of verse two then says that “Therefore we will not fear.” There are many people today who feel that they can conquer their daily activities without the help of anyone. They feel that help only hinders what they do and they can do the things they are doing better than anyone else.

But there will always come a time in everyone’s life when they will find they really cannot do what needs to be done and they want help and do not know who or what to turn to. When one who believes in Jesus needs help they can read what the Psalmist says in Psalm 121. He asks the question: “Where does my help come from?” and then gives us the answer: “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

In the first 8 verses of Psalm 121 we are given four assurances. They are first, God is our helper. Secondly, God is our keeper. Thirdly, God is our protector and finally, God is our preserver. How wonderful it is to have such an all-powerful God who not only loves us but is always there to help us and watch over us.

In II Samuel 8:6 we read that because David put his total trust in God, despite his many failures, “the Lord helped David wherever he went.” Do you have that assurance that wherever you go or whatever you do, the Lord is with you and that He is your helper and your protector?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 26:2:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. 

PRAYER:

Help me to understand fully what it means to rely on You for help in all that I do. Help me to be an example to those I associate with this day, by my words and deeds, as to how they can rely on You as their helper, keeper, protector and preserver.

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Ignore: November 23, 2015

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2015.

IGNORE

DEFINITION:

To refrain from noticing or recognizing; to refuse to pay attention to.

SCRIPTURE:

He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. Psalm 9:12.

How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It is very easy for us to ignore things in life that we do not want to deal with. We are all guilty of ignoring someone or something at one time or another. Children ignore parents when they hear something that they do not want to hear. Parents ignore children mainly when they are just too tired to respond.

It is true that some people have the ability to shut the outside world out of their mind when they are concentrating on an important project or they are involved in something that deeply interests them. But there are others that are in the same situation and they hear but do not want to admit that they are listening. There are many ways and many times we ignore things. We do because we choose to.

We are so fortunate to have a loving God who does not ignore us even though day by day we might continually ignore Him. You may ask the question, “How do you ignore God?” You ignore God when you do not read the Bible daily which is His Word. You also ignore God when you do not take time daily to pray to God. How else can you communicate with God if you do not pray and read His Word? When you do not pray and read the Bible you are ignoring God.

Ignoring God is dangerous. It leads us into disobedience and sin. It is through God’s Word that God confronts us with our sins and teaches us what is right. It is through His Word that God shows us His will for us.

We read in Luke 19:10 that the Son of man came to seek and to save those who are lost. God seeks us daily but the majority of people choose to ignore Him.

In Matthew 13:13, Jesus warned the crowd that He was speaking to that some of them, “though hearing they did not hear.”

Many people hope that by ignoring something or someone that it or they will just go away. But some things in life will not go away no matter how much you ignore them.

We want to remind each person today that is reading this devotional to read the verse from Hebrews that we have written above. After reading it, ask yourself the question in the verse. The bottom line is that no one will escape God’s punishment for their sins if they ignore the wonderful gift of salvation that God has provided for us through Jesus Christ. God will hear our cry of repentance and will not ignore our cries.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 26:2:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. 

PRAYER:

Thank You, O Lord, for Your great gift of salvation. Open the ears and eyes of those that have not accepted Your gift so that they will hear Your message of love and forgiveness and accept You as their Savior.

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