Speak: April 1, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 1, 2016.

SPEAK

DEFINITION:

To utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; to communicate vocally; to converse.

SCRIPTURE:

If anyone speaks, he should do so as one speaking the very words of God. I Peter 4:11.

But Jesus remained silent. Matthew 26:63.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We all learn, often the hard way, that there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent. When Jesus was taken before the high priest and getting close to what He knew would be His trial, they wanted testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death. In Matthew 26:63 (above verse) we are told that Jesus kept silent and answered nothing. Here in America when someone is being asked to testify they claim the Fifth Amendment and do not answer any questions so they will not incriminate themselves. This was not why Jesus did not speak but by not talking Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah (53:7).

We are not told in the scriptures why Jesus kept silent but Jesus, for sure, had a reason and a purpose to keep silent. Jesus knew God’s plan and the purpose of His trial and he also knew the hearts of His accusers. Jesus knew if He responded to the charges it would have been futile. The Jewish leaders were intent on having Jesus killed. Jesus also said that it was only by dying on the cross that He could fulfill the will of His Father.

There is a time for all of us to speak and a time for us to keep silent. Some people just like to hear themselves talk and do not know when to keep quiet. There are others that talk because they like to argue just for arguments sake and love to have the last word.

In the verse we have put above from I Peter we are told that when we speak, we are to speak as one speaking the very words of God. What this means is that all of our conversations should honor God and be in keeping with the laws of God as written for us in God’s Word. For example, in other words we should not falsely accuse others, lie, criticize, argue, exaggerate, tell shady stories, or speak in anger but speak in a manner that benefits others and brings glory and honor to God. This will be difficult for most of us to do but it is the way God wants us to speak. Our goal should always be to honor God.

Early in the ministry of Jesus He often rebuked the Pharisees because He wanted to expose their wrong thinking and motives. He spoke when He needed to because saying nothing when wrongdoers talked would infer He agreed with them.

John wrote I John to correct false teaching in some of the churches so that believers would be properly warned. The apostle Paul was always concerned about what he spoke and how he spoke. His first priority was to speak the gospel message, the very words of God. He not only wanted to speak the words of God but to speak them boldly. In Ephesians 6:19 he asked for others to, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”

We are told in the New Testament that Paul often used the word “boldly” to describe his preaching. In Acts 18:26 it says Paul “began to speak boldly in the synagogue (in Ephesus). In Acts 14:23 Paul was in Iconium “speaking” boldly for the Lord.

In I Timothy 4:12 Paul was instructing Timothy to set an example for the believers by his speech. God wants us to speak His Word, speak kindly at all times and speak boldly about our faith. Proverbs 15:1 reads, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” Remember silence can be valuable so do not break it unless you can improve on it.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

Help me to learn when to speak and when to remain silent. May I also always speak boldly at every opportunity You give me about my faith.

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Sought: March 31, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016.

SOUGHT

DEFINITION:

Go in search or quest of; attempt to discover or obtain.

SCRIPTURE:

And they shall be called the Holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called sought out, a city not forsaken. Isaiah 62:12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

There is a difference between seeking something with little value and seeking out something with great value. Most of us from time to time lose items in the house. We forget where we put them and for the most part they are items of little value. When the item is of great value and is something that is not easily replaced, we go to no ends of trouble and effort in seeking out the item.

It is this kind of seeking that God has done for each one of us. It is very clear in the scriptures that God not only sought us but sought us out. We were lost but because of God’s great love for us as one of His own children, He earnestly and diligently sought us out, just as we would diligently seek out a very valuable item that we had lost.

Before we knew Christ we were lost. We were wandering in the darkness of our sins and wallowing in the filth of our wickedness. In God’s sight we were like a precious piece of gold that had fallen into a sewer. Gold is precious but we are to God more precious than gold and therefore we are sought by Him. In His mercy He came to us while we were wandering and lost in sin to bring us the good news of the gospel. We were lost sheep, desperately lost, as though we had wandered into another country.

But by the power of His unspeakable grace God found us and sought us out to be one of His children. It is beyond our human understanding to understand why God would seek us out. He not only sought us but gave His only Son to die for us thereby giving us the greatest treasure of all, eternal life. Take a moment today and praise the Lord that He sought you out to be one of His children.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

Thank You for seeking me out because I was lost in the depth of an ugly and sinful world. Thank You for the salvation You brought to me so that I could become one of Your children.

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Sorrow: March 30, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 30, 2016.

SORROW

DEFINITION:

Distress of mind; grief; sadness; distress caused by loss; affliction; disappointment; emotional anguish.

SCRIPTURE:

I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow Psalm 6:6.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the verse we have put above the Psalmist David spells out clearly how many people feel when they are in deep sorrow. Sorrow comes to us in many ways and as the definition above says sorrow is distress, grief or sadness that one feels when they experience a great loss or a bitter disappointment or an affliction.

We are not told the cause for David’s agonizing sorrow but whatever it was it kept him from sleep and the tears of his weeping drenched his bed. At one time or another we all will experience this kind of sorrow that comes when we lose someone or something that is precious to us or we experience great disappointment.

David experienced hopeless despair as he struggled with the guilt of his own failures, the attacks of many, and the disappointments of life. The depth of his sorrow drove him to heartache but in his grief he turned to God for the remedy. David’s crushed and broken spirit gave way to assurance of God’s care, prompting him to say, “The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer.” (verse 9) We can be assured in our times of sorrow that God hears our prayers and answers them.

Can you imagine how great God’s disappointment and sorrow was when Adam and Eve, whom He created and for whom He provided a home in a beautiful garden, sinned against God?  Just think of the depth of His sorrow when Jesus, His only Son, was despised and rejected by men and then was crucified on the cross. God knows sorrow and understands our every sorrow.

In our seasons of disappointments and sorrow we can learn from David and we too can find comfort in God, who cares for our broken heart. Remember, as someone once said, “God’s whisper of comfort quiets the noise of our sorrow.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

My prayer is that in my darkest hour of sorrow that I will be reminded to put my total trust in You. Thank You for Your blessing, comfort and loving grace that You give those that love You in their time of sorrow.

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Snail: March 29, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 29, 2016.

SNAIL

DEFINITION:

A slow mover; a mollusk with a spiral shell.

SCRIPTURE:

But we also glory (rejoice) in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We are sure that many who begin to read this devotional today are asking themselves, “WHY SNAIL?” But we hope you will read on because we have good reasons for choosing this word. One of our earliest childhood experiences was watching snails crawl around, so very slowly, in our flower gardens. Even though at times we were fascinated as we watched them we were always taken back as to how slow they were.

We understand that a snail can move at a speed of 40 feet an hour. No wonder we often use the phrase, “moving at a snail’s pace” when we refer to extreme slowness. When I (Ken) was a young child I remember asking my father if the snail made it onto Noah’s ark. I do not remember how he answered me but I do remember his laugh.  In today’s world we have very little patience for anything that goes at a snail’s pace. When things do not come quickly and easily, most people just give up.

We want to discuss today one of the virtues that a snail has. That virtue is perseverance. The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, apparently observed snails because one of his most famous sermons was titled, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” When I (Ken) attended Seminary our class had an assignment to review that sermon and we did. Our conclusion was that the snail continues to persevere at his slow pace until he reaches his goal.

The apostle Paul in the verse we have put above tells us that perseverance in spite of tribulations and suffering is a key component in character development. Paul states that tribulation produces perseverance and upon that building block character and hope are founded.

No one likes suffering yet like Paul we can have reason to rejoice in our sufferings. As believers we can rejoice because God uses the pain and suffering we endure to build our character. Trials and tribulations are part of God’s refining process to remove impurities in our life and teach us patience and endurance and mold us into what He wants us to be, conformed to His likeness.

We read in I Peter 1:6-9 that no matter what our trials are, when we persevere and our faith endures, we have the sure hope of the outcome of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls and the sure reward of spending eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior or like the snail we are to persevere until we reach our goal.

The original Greek word translated “perseverance” means steadfastness, consistency and endurance. It is used in the scriptures referring to believers who endured in their walk and faith with the Lord. They persevered in spite of their many painful trials.

Jesus warns us as recorded in John 15:20 that, “If they persecuted Me they will persecute you also.” So it is clear to us that believers in Jesus today will not get through life without suffering in some way for their faith. We must all be prepared. We must ask ourselves, “Am I ready and willing to persevere in my walk with the Lord in spite of suffering?”

God does not ask us for a quick start or a fast finish. He expects from all of us a consistent persevering pace even if it is a snail’s pace. Great achievement in life demands great perseverance. Victory in our spiritual life demands perseverance in our trials and tribulations.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

Thank You for teaching me that I can expect tribulations in my life but these troubles and sufferings will produce perseverance. Keep me steadfast in my faith and give me the fortitude to be the leader You want me to be with my family, friends and neighbors.

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Simplicity: March 28, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 28, 2016.

SIMPLICITY

DEFINITION:

The condition of being simple, not complicated; plain; pure; absolute; unaffected and humble.

SCRIPTURE:

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God. II Corinthians 1:12.

But I fear, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, that your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. II Corinthians 11:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Most people live a very complicated life today and get overwhelmed when they face the issues of life. It is so easy for a person to make a simple issue very complicated. For example: How do I pay all these bills? How do I handle my child? Why is my spouse upset at me? How do I get all this work done that my boss expects today? Do these questions relate to you?

People our age often reflect back on the so called “good old days” and remember life as being so much simpler then today. With the invention of so many innovative devices designed to save time and labor it would seem like life would be easier and simpler. Instead for most people the opposite seems to be true. People are busier than ever and life is anything but simple.

Busy schedules cause us to neglect our relationship with the Lord and that is disastrous. In the first verse we have put above we read that the apostle Paul lived a life uncomplicated by worldly distractions. He did not live by worldly wisdom but by the grace of God. He was concerned for the believers in Corinth because he had heard that they were complicating the simplicity of the gospel message by listening to false teachers and following their teaching.

False teachers can be very convincing and persuasive. Their message may sound good and even make sense to some people. The reason for this is that the false teachers say what the people want to hear. Their message usually is about having prosperity and victory in life. But they add human ideas and standards that are inconsistent with God’s Word and the simplicity of the gospel. One of the big errors is that these false teachers make God’s love something to be earned rather than something to be freely accepted from God.

God did not make receiving Jesus into our hearts complicated. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (above verse) speaks of the simplicity of our salvation. Paul taught the same clear and simple plan of salvation that Jesus gave us, as written, in John 3: 2 to 9 when Jesus explained it to Nicodemus. Jesus responded to Nicodemus by saying, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus did not understand what it meant to be born again. In the scriptures Jesus made it very clear by saying that one must first realize that they were born a sinner and must pay a penalty, the debt, for his or her sins. Secondly, one must ask God for forgiveness and then ask Jesus to come into his or her heart which acknowledges that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.

We are born into this world with a sinful nature. We are born corrupt and must be made new creatures if we want to spend eternity with our Lord. When we accept Jesus as our Savior a great change is made in our heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the work of the Holy Spirit we are made new creatures. We are born again.

The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” There is no alternative in order for us to escape God’s condemnation of our sins.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Ephesians 6:1.

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

PRAYER:

We thank You for the freedom we have to worship you in such a simple way in spirit and in truth. Help me to be courageous and bold in defending the simple message of God’s love and our faith in Jesus who gave His life to save us from all of our sins.

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