Value: January 22, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2016.

VALUE

DEFINITION:

Relative worth or importance; monetary or material worth; the worth of something.

SCRIPTURE:

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

God is all knowing, all powerful, our creator and the creator of the world and has everything He needs. So what is valuable to God? God puts great value on the soul of every person He created even though in comparison to God we are nothing. God wants us to understand value from an eternal prospective.

Jesus taught the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 12:12-13. He said that if a shepherd owns 100 sheep and one gets lost he will leave the 99 and look for the one that is lost. Jesus tells us in this parable that the shepherd is happier with the one sheep when found than with the other 99. We need to understand that this is the value that God puts on us and like the shepherd He does not want to lose any one of us and He will go to great lengths to find us.

Look what God did for us to show us the value He puts on each one of us. He sent His only Son to live on this earth to teach us many things about how we should live. He had His Son die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and then Jesus was resurrected and taken back to heaven to prepare for us an eternal home if we accept Him as our Savior.

When you study the scriptures you can see God’s perspective on the value of things of this world. He talks about the value of His people who love and serve Him, the value of life, the value of money, the value of the lost sheep, the eternal value of a soul, the value of giving even if it is small like the widow’s mite, the value of an eternal inheritance and the value of faith in Him, just to name a few.

If you have a concern understanding these values let us suggest the following. If you do not understand the value of a healthy life, go to a children’s hospital and visit several rooms. If you are comfortable financially and do not recognize the value of God’s blessing on your life that makes it possible to go visit a poor family in the slum area of your town or a homeless section and talk to a man or woman who has to sleep on the street every night. We all need to be reminded from time to time about what has lasting and important value.

God has put great value on your life. He has offered to adopt you and make you one of His children. What greater value can you ask for? Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to come into your heart so that you will have God’s gift of eternal life. Nothing has greater value than spending eternity with our heavenly Father who has prepared a home for us in His glorious Kingdom.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:8.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the value You have placed on my life. I praise You for being my God, my Savior and Lord. Thank You for being all powerful, all knowing and sovereign. Keep me growing spiritually daily so that I will not be one of those lost sheep that You have to search for.

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Witnessing: January 21, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 21, 2016.

WITNESSING

DEFINITION:

Testifying to what is known by personal presence; testimony giving evidence from personal experience.

SCRIPTURE:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world. Acts1:8.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Most people when they hear the word witnessing think of someone who has just seen an accident or one who is sitting in a court of law ready to express his or her point of view of the issue at hand.

A person that knows Jesus as his or her Savior has a different definition of the word witnessing. Witnessing basically is the words and actions that we share with others about our faith in Jesus. It is the giving of evidence as to how Jesus has changed our lives. We are testifying to what we have personally experienced as a result of our accepting Jesus as our Savior.

It is very difficult for many believers to meet someone and start the witnessing process. It may be because of fear of not being able to answer questions or it may be the fear of being ridiculed and even losing friendship. No matter how we might react it is commanded of God for us to be His witnesses to the world around us. Note the verse we put above. Where it refers to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the world in those days it means for us our home town (Jerusalem), our county and state (Judea and Samaria) and the world as we know it today.

We mentioned above, words and actions. Witnessing goes beyond what we say to people. It includes how we act. As believers we need to be reminded that our actions include such things as where we spend our time, what we do, who we consider our friends and much more.

The story is told of a woman (and it could have been a man) who every morning pried the jaws of her dog open and forced some liquid vitamins down his throat. She would always think that the dog just did not know what was good for him and needed to be forced to take the vitamins. Then one day the bottle of liquid vitamins fell over and spilled all over the floor. At the same time she lost her hold on the dog. The dog sniffed at the liquid and then began lapping it up. He actually loved the vitamins but simply objected to being coerced.

There are some people that force their testimony on a person and they feel coerced. Many people do not respond to the “in your face” type of confrontation. Unfortunately such action usually drives that person away from ever wanting to listen to another Christian’s testimony.

The apostle Paul reminds us in the verse we have put above that when our Lord taught His disciples to witness, He first made a promise. He promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and would give them power to be effective witnesses.

Our responsibility is to share the gospel with those around us. It is not our responsibility for someone to accept or reject Christ. It is not our job to convict someone of sin. That is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Witnessing is about testifying about what God has done for us, not trying to show what we can do for God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:8.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

PRAYER:

Make me a faithful witness and help me to learn to let the Holy Spirit work through me and convict the heart of the person that I may be witnessing too. Give me new opportunities each day and then give me the words and actions to be an effective witness to those I have the opportunity to spend time with.

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Think: January 20, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2016.

THINK

DEFINITION:

Form a mental concept of; hold as a belief or opinion; exercise the mind; to employ one’s mind rationally in evaluating a situation.

SCRIPTURE:

For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Much of our actions and our desires are controlled by the way we think. Our thoughts motivate us as to what we do. We have some thoughts to share with you that we feel if they become part of your daily thought life they will motivate a change in your attitude. Allowing these principles to guide your daily thought process will soon help you develop a positive Godly mental attitude.

•    Today I will think like a dynamic servant of God because as the scripture says, I am what I think.
•    I am not always what I think I am. I am what I think.
•    I am not what I eat, I am what I think.
•    Clothes do not make the man or woman but thinking makes the man or woman.
•    I will keep my thought processes active and open to the voice of God.
•    God did not call me to a life of failure, but to a life of success.
•    I cannot fail as long as I do His will. I will allow Him to work in and through me, motivating my every thought.
•    Because my God is a great God, I will think with confidence on every issue that comes my way but acknowledging that my thoughts never can be greater than my God’s.

In Isaiah 55: 8-9 it reads: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Make your commitment today to think like a dynamic servant of God by thinking by faith and not by fear. How we think is by choice. We can think to do good or think to do evil. This is your choice but you cannot have it both ways. We really have two options on the way we think. It can be the righteous way which is God’s way, or the unrighteous way which is the world’s way. Keep your focus on the Word of God and open to the voice of God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:8.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

PRAYER:

Help me to be alert so that when my spiritual alarm goes off that I will be quick to think and draw back when tempted with evil choices and be quick to firmly reject them.

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Salvation: January 19, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 19, 2016.

SALVATION

DEFINITION:

Deliverance from the power and the penalty of sin; redemption deliverance from danger or a difficulty.

SCRIPTURE:

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many non-believers in our Savior do not understand us when we ask them if they are saved. Their response will often be, “from what?” But we also understand that there are many that do understand what it means to be saved but they see no logical reason to “be saved.”

What non-believers evidently do not understand is that without “being saved” they face eternal separation from God because of their sin. But many non-believers will even tell you that they are not sinners. They obey the law and try to do what is right by the world’s standard. No matter how good we try to be the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” It also tells us in Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death.”

Salvation is a gift that only God can give. He has given this through His Son Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned through good works as many think. Many people decide that they have no need for God because they are getting along fine on their own. But again we want to remind you that repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus as your Savior is the only way you will be able to spend an eternity with God.

In Matthew 4:17 when Jesus was beginning His ministry here on earth he said: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He did not say to do good works or lead a clean life. Without repentance for our sin there is no salvation and we must pay the penalty. The writer of Hebrews asks the all important question, “How will you escape if you neglect so great a salvation.” Scripture tells us why it is so great a salvation.

It is from God and through His Son Jesus. Jesus paid the penalty of sin for us John 3:16.

It came at a great cost. Jesus gave His life for us.

It is complete and for all time. In I Peter 3:18 it reads “Jesus died for our sins once and for all.”

Salvation is the only way to God and eternity. John 14:6 reads “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:8.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the great gift of Salvation that You have given me and the price You paid by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.

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Prepare: January 18, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 18, 2016.

PREPARE

DEFINITION:

To put in proper condition or readiness; to make suitable for a specific purpose.

SCRIPTURE:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed. II Timothy 2:15.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action. I Peter 1:13 NIV.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As parents we learned fast that we needed to prepare our children for situations they would be facing in life. We recognized that we had the responsibility to train them to face life independently and make them ready not just physically and mentally, but more important spiritually. They needed to realize that all too soon the time would come when they would have to step out on their own to face the realities of life.

One of the ways that we prepared our children was to teach them to memorize each week a new verse from the Bible. This was done to prepare them spiritually so that God’s Word became an integral part of their life. We read the Bible to them and taught them to pray from an early age.

Let us look again to the Children of Israel for an example on being prepared. After God had parted the Jordan River for them to enter the land of Canaan, the children of Israel were anxious to conquer the surrounding nations so they could occupy the land God had promised them. You see the miracle of God parting the Jordan River gave them an attitude that they could conquer anything on their own. God however said, “Time out, not so fast!” God did not want them to rush into Canaan without being prepared.

The first thing that God wanted them to do in preparation was to set up a memorial of twelve stones. God had them do this so they would never forget that it was God who parted the Jordan River and that they belonged serving a God of might and power. God did not want them going in to conquer the Promised Land unprepared spiritually. The setting up of this memorial prepared them by reminding them to keep their focus on God and remember who was their guide and defender.

The second thing that God asked the Israelites to do was to circumcise every male. After God made the covenant (promise) with Abraham that He would make him the father of a great nation, God established that circumcision would be a symbol of cutting off the old life and beginning a new life with God. This was a sign that they were belonged to God.

The third thing that God required them to do was to celebrate the Passover which was a celebration of the night in Egypt that the angel of death passed over the Israelites homes sparing the lives of their first born. God wanted them to remember the mighty miracles of God that He had done in bringing them out of Egypt to the Promised Land.

Through these three steps of preparation God wanted the Children of Israel to understand the importance of putting their trust in Him and worshipping Him. They were to trust in God and in Him alone. They were to recognize that God is faithful and fulfills His promises thus He is the one that should receive the glory for any victory won.

Just as God wanted the Israelites to take time out before any battles and prepare for the challenge, He wants us to take time out daily to prepare for the challenges of the day that we may face. When you are obedient to God’s commandments and begin your day by seeking His guidance, He will lead you in the right direction and you will have victory over your challenges.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:8.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

PRAYER:

Lord, keep me faithful to You every day and keep me mindful of the necessity to spend time with You reading Your Word and meditating in Your Word and praying. Encourage me in my low moments to remember all You have done for me and to take time out to spend time with You so You can prepare me for the challenges I may face daily.

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