Tithing: April 8, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2016.

TITHING

DEFINITION:

To give or pay a tenth of goods or income for the support of the church.

SCRIPTURE:

You shall tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. Deuteronomy 14:22.

Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will over flow with new wine. Proverbs 3: 9-10.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

One of the important principles that God has given us is to tithe back to our Lord 10% of what He has blessed us with. Tithing is of great significance in the life of those who are believers. The purpose of tithing is to demonstrate that we put God first in our lives and to signify that we are serving and honoring the Lord.

Giving God the first part of our earnings shows what we value most. It is a temptation for many believers to take care of everything else first, all of the bills they owe, and then give the Lord something if there is money left over. If the Lord is not a priority, we cannot expect Him to bless us. Look again at the verse above from Proverbs and see how “your barns can be filled with plenty.”

The Israelites were instructed by God through Moses to give God the first and best portions of their harvest and the best of their flocks to the Lord. It served as a reminder to them that everything they had belonged to God.

Over the years the Israelites forgot what God had told them and they were neglecting giving God their tithe. In Malachi 3:6, we are told that God used Malachi the prophet to rebuke the people for their sins. Malachi asked the Jews this question: “Will a man rob God?” This shocked the Israelites and they asked, “How do we rob God?” God answered them through His prophet Malachi, “In tithes and offerings?”

If you are not tithing have you thought about the fact that you are robbing God? God gave a challenge to the Israelites through Malachi when He said in Malachi 3:10. “Test Me in this. Bring all your tithe into the storehouse and see if I will not pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.

If a tenth seems a lot to you just remember two things. First, all we have belongs to God and secondly, we cannot out give God. We have found that the more we give the more God blesses us. We challenge you to tithe if you do not practice it now. There were times that we struggled whether we should put off tithing because we knew we did not have enough to pay all of our bills. Even though it was difficult we always tithed and when unexpected financial needs came God provided far and beyond our need.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Keep me faithful in tithing to You from all that You have blessed me with. Thank You for providing for our family, without exception, in such a marvelous way when we tithed faithfully to You.

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Sympathy: April 7, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 7, 2016.

SYMPATHY

DEFINITION:

The practice or capacity to share in the feelings of another person especially in times of sorrow and in times of need, compassion; empathy; understanding.

SCRIPTURE:

All of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. I Peter 3:8.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2.

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Do you have a sympathetic heart? How do you react when you see a hungry child, a lonely woman, a sick baby or a homeless family? Most people, when they see such as these, will walk right by showing no concern or interest. All around us today there are people that need someone like you or I to show sympathy because they are in a hurting situation. People are losing jobs, losing their homes, facing economic concerns, need food, a broken marriage or living in a dysfunctional family situation. There are others who are injured, dealing with a dreadful disease or suffering in deep physical pain. And probably the saddest of all situations is the many just lonely people who have no one to talk to, no one to help them in time of need, and no one to share their needs with.

Many people are looking for someone to show them sympathetic understanding and they have difficulty finding anyone that even cares. In I Peter 3:8 (above), Peter gives us five qualities that should be evident in all believer’s lives:

1.    Live in harmony.

2.    Be sympathetic.

3.    Love each other as brothers and as God loves you.

4.    Be compassionate.

5.    Be humble.

If we as believers want to share God’s love with hurting people we need to be able to bear the burdens of other people (Galatians 6:2 above). Burdens are problems and issues that someone must bear. The law of Christ is to love. We fulfill His command by following His example by showing sympathy to those who are burdened down by heartache and trouble.

Read the verse above from Acts that tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We need to learn to be more sympathetic to the needs of those that we meet every day. Our Lord expects this from us and promises us that when we give the blessing will be ours.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Help me to be sensitive to the needs of others and to take the time to show that I care and will help as I can. Keep me mindful of Jesus words that it is more blessed to give then receive.

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Submission: April 6, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2016.

SUBMISSION

DEFINITION:

To give over or yield to the power or authority of another; yielding; obedient.

SCRIPTURE:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. I Peter 2:13.

Wives, submit to your husband as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh to them. Colossians 3:18-19.

You younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another. I Peter 5:5.

One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. I Timothy 3:4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The four verses we have put above is really a complete sermon covering children, young people, husbands, wives and adults. But when you mention the word “submission” to someone today the response will be either a strange look or a sneering remark.

We are all of a mind of our own and desire to do things our way and in our own timing. But God, for example, in the verses above gives us His desire for submission. Our natural desire is not to be submissive to anyone. This is not new. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. First Eve, then Adam, rebelled against submitting to God’s command not to eat the forbidden fruit. That was when trouble began.

Submission to God is Gods first priority for us. Jesus set the example for us by being submissive to the will of God, His Father and was “obedient to death, even the death on the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). How can we do less then to submit ourselves to God, the Father, our Lord and Creator?

The Bible teaches that there must be submission in marriage. Submission is necessary to prevent discord and chaos. In Colossians 3:18 wives are instructed to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. This is not popular today mainly because most people are living in a “ME” generation and they live by their own rules and no others. But it also has been misinterpreted as giving husbands unlimited authority in the marriage. They forget that the Lord commands husbands how to love and treat their wives.

The husbands are required by the scripture to be the spiritual leader of the family and the wife is to acknowledge his leadership role. A loving and caring husband will not take advantage of his leadership role and be a demanding tyrant. And a wife who loves and cares for her husband will not undermine her husband’s leadership. There must be a mutual submission between a husband and wife. Submission will bring harmony and unity in a marriage.

God also gave us instruction for children. The apostle Paul in Ephesians tells us that children should obey their parents. This is being submissive to their parents. In I Timothy 3:4 Paul also reminds us that God requires us as parents to be overseers of our children.

Peter tells us in I Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people submit to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The Bible also tells us that we must be submissive to those in authority over us. Peter tells us to submit to those who have legitimate authority over us with the exception if obedience to an authority would cause us to be disobedient to God.

It is time that we as believers begin anew to be submissive first to God, then to our spouses, children, parents, family, leaders and the result will be that God will bless us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Help me to control my desire to have things my way and give me a new willingness to be submissive first to You and then my spouse, children and family. May others see Christ in our family as they see our submission to our Lord.

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Strength: April 5, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2016.

STRENGTH

DEFINITION:

Having the capacity for physical endurance; vigor; firmness or courage; power by reason of influence, authority, resources or numbers.

SCRIPTURE:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6.

I will love you, O Lord, my strength. Psalm 18:1.

The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid. Psalm 27:1

He is my strength in time of trouble. Psalm 37:39.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We have put 5 verses above for you to keep near you to read when you feel unable to cope and are need of help and strength. We are confident that almost every day one of these verses will be special to you.

As you know athletes spend many hours working to increase their strength so they can excel in their sport. We have often wondered, as maybe you have, what kind of world we would be living in today if believers would spend as much time working on increasing their spiritual strength by growing their faith and trust in the Lord.

Those who believe in Jesus should have the goal of becoming more like Jesus. That will only happen if we spend time getting to know Him through prayer.

In the Bible the most renowned man for heroic feats requiring great physical strength was Samson. He was a judge of Israel for some 20 years and known for his great physical strength but later in his life for his moral weaknesses.

God promised Manoah, Samson’s father, a son (Judges 13-16) that would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. God instructed Samson’s parents to raise him to be a Nazarite, a person that would be set apart from the things of the world for service to God. A Nazarite was to never use a razor on his hair or drink fermented drinks or eat unclean foods. Because the parents honored God’s request God endowed Samson with great bodily strength.

God gave Samson the strength to be victorious over the Philistines but foolishly Samson yielded to the temptation to use the strength God gave him for his own selfish purposes. Samson was weak spiritually and did not have the moral or spiritual strength to resist the seduction of a Philistine woman named Delilah.

God is the source of our strength and He wants us to rely on His strength not our own. Samson neglected to give God the glory for his strength and broke his commandment to serve the Lord.

Samson had been blessed by God with great strength and if he had lived up to his potential he could have done the great work God had called him to do. He could have wiped out the evil Philistines and set Israel free from their dominion over them. In the end Samson recognized his dependence on the Lord and God allowed him to accomplish one last heroic feat to bring God’s judgement on the Philistines. No matter how badly we have failed in the past it is never too late to call on God to give us the strength to begin anew.

Read carefully again the five verses we have put above and they will give you all the assurance you will need to be sure that God is your strength in all you do when you put your trust in Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the confidence that You have given me that You are my strength for all that I do. Help me to rely on You for wisdom, guidance and strength in my walk and talk today. May I give You all the honor and glory for all that You accomplish through me today.

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Stones: April 4, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 4, 2016.

STONES

DEFINITION:

Pieces of rock.

SCRIPTURE:

I tell you that, if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:40.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It was during Jesus last week on earth that he publically proclaimed that He was the promised Messiah. The time had come for Jesus to make public that He was the Messiah and the King of Israel in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy: “See your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

God’s timing for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was Passover week when the city was crowded with people who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. As Jesus made His triumphful entry into Jerusalem on a donkey the large crowd broke out into joyful praise to God, singing, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”

The Pharisees considered this blasphemy and ordered Jesus to tell the crowd to be quiet. The response that Jesus gave was, “If the people should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” But the question for us today is could the stones cry out? The answer is of course, yes. If God, who opens the mouth of the dumb, should tell the stones to lift up their voice and speak, they would. If they were to speak, they would have much to say in praise of God who created them by the word of His power. They would proclaim in a loud voice the wisdom and power of their maker who called them into being.

If even the rocks recognize their creator, should not we speak well of Him and praise Him, who made us, and not only made us, but made us anew through the power of His salvation. If the stones were to speak, they could tell how He saw that they were taken from the quarry and broken to fit perfectly for the temple. How much greater should be our desire to tell how our hearts were broken with the reading of God’s Word that he might shape our hearts into a temple of worship and mold us into a useable representative of Him as one of His children.

If the stones were to cry out they would magnify the builder who cut them to fit, polished them and set them carefully in the temple. In the same manner we should cry out to all who will listen proclaiming praise to our creator and builder who made us and placed us where He wants us to be.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:17.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:

Thank You for this illustration in Your Word. Help me to realize because of these words that even if the stones could recognize that Jesus was their creator how much more I should acknowledge that You are not only my creator but my Lord and Savior and my Messiah.

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