Purity: March 4, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY MARCH 4, 2016.

PURITY

DEFINITION:

Free from anything that pollutes or contaminates; uncontaminated without evil; guiltless and undefiled.

SCRIPTURE:

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield and without hypocrisy. James 3:17.

He who has clean hands and a pure heart; he shall receive blessing from the Lord. Psalm 24:4-5.

I stir up your pure minds by way of a reminder that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken by the holy prophets. II Peter 3:1-2.

Holding the mystery, revealed truth, of our faith with a pure conscience. I Timothy 3:9.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Most people today are concerned about how they look on the outside. It is mind boggling to think of all the money, time and effort people spend to make themselves look good.

What we should be more concerned about is how we look on the inside. Please understand that we are not saying you should forget how you look on the outside. Although we look on the outside and show concern if we are not looking “good,” we need to remember that the Lord looks at the heart. The verse in I Samuel 16:7 tells us, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Believers should spend time and effort on making sure they are pure and uncontaminated on the inside. God wants us to be pure. In II Timothy 2:15 it says that, “everyone who names the name of the lord must turn from wickedness.” There is no inherent purity in any of us because we are all sinners. To be pure we must go to the only source of purity. That source is God.

James gives us, in the verse we have put above, the distinctive characteristics of God’s wisdom is that it is first pure and then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield and without hypocrisy. God is without sin so we are assured that His wisdom is pure and perfect. If we seek God’s wisdom it will change us from the inside out.

Purity requires a change in the believers’ heart. The verse from Psalms (above) reminds us that if our hearts are pure our hands will be clean and uncontaminated by evil deeds. A pure heart will lead us to do pure deeds and think pure thoughts. In the verse above from II Peter we are told that if we, believers, obey God’s Word we will keep our minds pure. God’s Word has convicting power to keep us from sinning. God’s Word is truth and teaches us what is truly pure.

A pure conscience enables us to discern right from wrong. When we sin we will no longer have a pure conscience and we will feel the guilt of our sin. There is a peace and joy that comes when we have a pure conscience. A pure conscience is affirmation that we are living in obedience to God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:18.

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

PRAYER:

Help me to live a pure life today, honoring You with my thoughts and my actions.

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Providence: March 3, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 3, 2016.

PROVIDENCE

DEFINITION:

God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny; the foreseeing guidance and care of God over men or things; God’s guidance in directing human affairs.

SCRIPTURE:

The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. Psalm 145:17.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Take a moment and put yourself in the place of one who is not a believer in Jesus and live in this world we live in today. Non-believers cannot understand how wonderfully comforting it is to live with the assurance that God is not only looking out for you but that all things are under His control.

In the verse above from Psalms the Lord is extolled for His goodness and for His righteousness in all of His works and ways. Certainly these are the qualities we want in the one who is in control of this world and who is guiding our destiny.

We can be certain today, as believers in Jesus that we have divine guidance watching over us every moment of every day. Providence is God in control. Those things that happen in this world is by providence. Providence is the sustaining power of God at work and His ever present hand guiding our destiny.

Divine guidance in a clear term means God taking care of those known as His believers. The scripture tells us to cast all of our cares upon Him and He will care for us.

In Psalm 103:19 we are told that the providence of God is universal. It extends far beyond our world to the whole universe. The Lord has established His throne in heaven and His kingdom rules over all. Psalm 9:4 says that the Lord’s rule is righteous and just. In Psalm 9:7 it says He rules forever. God in His providence works all things to accomplish what is right and just and for our eternal benefit.

In Daniel 4:35 we read that it is impossible to fight against the providence of God. Nebuchadnezzar is quoted praising God by saying, “No one can restrain God’s hand or say to Him, what have you done?”

In Nehemiah 9:6 God’s providence is manifested in the way He preserves the world. It reads, “You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven and earth and everything on it and You preserve them all.”

We need God’s care, His providence, upon our lives daily in everything we do. We need it when we travel by car, when we are at home, school, work or church. We also need Him when we are in crowds in a store or at an event. There is no place that God’s providence cannot reach us.

In Proverbs 3:6 we are reminded to, “In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:18.

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord for always being with me and leading and guiding my every step. Help me to put my complete trust in You so that I may receive all that You have for me. Bless my family and may they put their trust in You as well.

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Prodigal: March 2, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 2, 2016.

PRODIGAL

DEFINITION:

One who spends money with wasteful extravagance; a spend thrift.

SCRIPTURE:

And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. Luke 15:20.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The message that is at the heart of Luke 15 is that we are lost and separated from God. But the message does not end there. It continues by assuring us that God in His great love for us is seeking for us to return to Him.

Jesus was teaching His disciples and soon a crowd of people came around Him as He spoke. Along with those who believed in Him, the crowd included Pharisees, Scribes, tax collectors and sinners. They were all lost. Jesus often used parables to help people understand His message so He spoke three parables to them: the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

In the parable of the lost son, known to us as the parable of the prodigal Son, Jesus has given us five stages in the prodigal son’s life that we can learn from and that will help us understand God’s plan of salvation.

We first see a wayward son who was selfish, hard-hearted, independent, stubborn, and worldly. He was the son of his father by birth but did not belong to his father in heart, mind and spirit as God wants us to belong to Him. The son demanded from his father his inheritance even though he had not earned his portion or even deserved it. He showed arrogant disregard for his father’s authority as head of the family. He was not entitled to any of his inheritance while his father was alive. He was only thinking of himself and did not take into consideration how it would hurt his father’s estate. He was in a stage of rebellion.

Secondly, we read that the son wasted his life in riotous living. He rebelled, revolted and journeyed into a faraway country (verse 13). Now he was in the stage of revelry. But he finally came to a day when all began to go wrong for him. He had been living a worldly life, living for the pleasures of this world only. When his money was gone he was left with the fruits of his life of sin: poverty, bondage, enslavement, suffering, no friends, dissatisfaction, emptiness, destitution and hunger. He was alone, broken, humiliated, and facing starvation. You see, when one gets into the position that he was in, without the support and safety net of a caring father, he had no one to turn to who would help him. He had rejected his father and was left with nowhere to go.

Thirdly, the young prodigal son sees himself as he really is. He came to himself and snapped out of his insanity and remembered how good life was in the home of his father. He constantly thought of his father and the enormous provision that he had given him. He evaluated what his life was like now. No man would help him. His life had been reduced to feeding swine and eating what the swine ate. Through this he finally came to the recognition that he needed to humble himself and confess his sin and unworthiness to his father. He had come to the state of recognizing his sin.

Fourthly, he responded to the conviction in his heart and took action He got up and began the long journey to see his father. When the father came running to meet his son he repented and confessed his sin and unworthiness.

And finally the fifth stage of restoration. We see a restored son, forgiven by a loving father. When the father saw his prodigal son he had already forgiven him, even before the son had a chance to give his confession of sin. The father not only accepted the son’s repentance and forgave him, but he restored him to his place in the family.

What a lesson there is for us in this parable. We are the prodigal son. We have turned and left God to live a life of sin. When we leave God, our Father, we are like the prodigal son with no one to help us. Our Father is waiting for us to repent and return to the loving embrace of His arms and the forgiveness of our sins. He wants to restore us to our position in His family as one of His children.

In verse 31 we read that the father said to his son, “You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” That is what our heavenly Father says to each of us. That is the God we serve. He is an awesome God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:18.

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

PRAYER:

Thank You that You are my Father and with me every day. Help me to realize how awesome You are and keep me close to You in all that I do.

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Problem: March 1, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 1, 2016.

PROBLEM

DEFINITION:

A source of distress, vexation or perplexity; any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty or difficulty; a question proposed for solution.

SCRIPTURE:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (problems), knowing that testing of your faith produces patience. James 1:2-3.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7.

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KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When you have an extended conversation with someone today almost without exception a problem will be brought up. Many problems concern family, the economy, employment and even friends. Some people feel the best way to solve their problem concern is to just deny they have one. For others they are such a great issue that they become ill with worry.

The first chapter of first Peter was written to encourage believers that were going through trials or facing problems. Peter wrote in I Peter 1:6-7, “So be truly glad, there is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials (problems) for a little while.” Trials test us as to how genuine and how strong our faith really is.

Peter goes on to say that trials or problems test our faith like fire tests and purifies gold, though our faith is far more precious than mere gold. Just as gold is made more valuable when it is put through fire, we are made more valuable to God because we are strengthened by the problems and trials we go through. When your faith remains strong through a problem, it will bring much praise and glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

Peter warns us to expect problems and many of us ask ourselves why we are having so many problems. In I Peter 4:12, Peter tells us, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you.” God allows us to have problems to test and define our faith. How we cope with these problems depends mainly on our attitude.

The apostle Paul tells us in the verse we have written above from Philippians that first of all we need to admit we have a problem. Then we need to turn that problem over to the Lord through prayer. Face the problem straight on and do not let it linger. God will give us strength to endure the problem when we turn it over to Him. Remember problems do not come our way because of God but because we live in a sinful world. Yes, we will all have problems but there is no limit as to what God can do in solving your problem if you seek His help.

Many people today when they face a problem divert the problem to a person. We need to learn to attack the problem not a person. Let go and let God take care of every problem you face in life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:18.

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

PRAYER:

Help me today to face life with an attitude of wanting to please You. Help me as I go through any problem today that I will turn that problem over to You in prayer and then watch You lead me and guide me. Use the problems I face today to strengthen my faith so that I can glorify Your name in all that I do.

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Pollution: February 29, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY FEBRUARY 29, 2016.

POLLUTION

DEFINITION:

To make foul or unclean; to make impure or morally unclean; to defile.

SCRIPTURE:

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and over-come, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. II Peter 2:20.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. Proverbs 25:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

You may wonder why we picked a word like pollution for our devotional of the day. To begin with we must all understand that much is being said today about pollution and for many it is a great concern. Water pollution, air pollution and even soil pollution are all threats to our physical health.

The Bible speaks of pollution referring to the pollution of our minds and bodies caused by what we dump into them. We must all feel that we are living in a polluted world both environmentally and spiritually but most people are more concerned about the environment than the spiritual pollution of their mind and moral values.

James (1:27) advises us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. In today’s world that is not easy. The world we live in is full of infectious sin. Just like a toxic pollutant being put in a river, sin spreads. Christians are in a constant battle with the pollutions of evil influences in our world.

In the verse above from II Peter we read that even after someone has been freed from the sinfulness of the world by accepting Jesus as their Savior, they can become entangled again in sin and be overcome by sin’s polluting power. By returning again to a sinful life after we have known the truth is to reject the truth and Peter says we are worse off than before. It is one thing to know God’s plan of salvation and live by it and quite another to know it and then reject it.

The more we reject Jesus the deeper we sink in sin and the harder it is for us to turn away from sin. We become so hardened to sin that we no longer see it as sin.

Both Paul and James address another form of pollution, the evil that comes out of our mouth. James tells us that the tongue corrupts the whole person and Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29 to let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Corrupt words are verbal pollution such as criticism, backbiting, gossip, bitterness, anger to name a few.

The apostle Paul called on believers, in Ephesians 4 to the kind of decisive action that would remove the things that pollute our life. We are to put off the old self and its conduct that grieves the Holy Spirit and put on the new self that builds up others and encourages them to come to the Lord. We can change by asking God’s help and growing in the knowledge of the Lord. Knowledge of God’s Word has the cleansing power to remove the pollutions of the world from our life. God’s Word helps us to see sin as sin.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:18.

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

PRAYER:

Help me to eliminate any corrupt words from my speech that would affect my testimony and my relationship to others. Help me guide my family to clean up any words of criticism, jealousy and gossip. Make our words and deeds be an example for Your glory in all that we do today.

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