Good Works: January 27, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 27, 2017.

GOOD WORKS

DEFINITION:

A good thing done; a good act completed; useless human efforts to gain acceptance by God.

SCRIPTURE:

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. Titus 2:7

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Titus was a Greek and most likely was led to Christ by Paul. Titus was taught and nurtured in the truth of the gospel by Paul. Titus accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He worked with Paul in Crete and when Paul had to leave he left Titus there to oversee the church and to disciple the people in the church.

The degenerate culture in Crete and the crude conduct of the people had a bad influence on the new believers. The false teachers were undermining the church with false doctrine.

Paul knew that he left Titus with a tough assignment. Paul was always concerned about his churches and about the young pastors like Titus. He continued to support them with advice and admonition. The book of Titus was his letter of exhortation to Titus.

Paul was teaching the young men (verse 6) to show integrity in their leadership role as teachers in the church. Paul was exhorting Titus that he had a special obligation to exemplify the moral and spiritual qualities of a true believer by being a model of good works.

The words “good works” appear five times in the book of Titus. While it is not good works that brings us salvation, God intends that our salvation results in acts of service. Paul was teaching Titus that he must live according to the sound doctrine that he had learned from Paul and was teaching to others so he was above criticism. These words are a warning to him. If he preaches sound doctrine it is meaningless if it is not backed by good works.

This is a warning for us as well. If we are going to instruct someone about how they are to act, we had better make sure that we are living that way ourselves. We all must examine ourselves and ask ourselves, “What does my life teach others about God and the genuineness of my faith?”

Paul gives Titus a description in 1:16 of those who are “unfit for doing anything good.” They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. In Chapter two Paul tells Titus to set an example by always doing good. Paul then several times exhorted Titus to communicate to the believers their responsibility to do good deeds, as Christ did and as the Word of God commands us to do.

As members of a civilized society we keep trying, by our power, to change the way people are and the way we behave. We hear this from many who read our devotionals. Society tries to effect change in people, and we set tougher laws and boundaries, but people are people and human nature is the same. Someone once said that you can bring a pig into your house but it will not change the pig but it will certainly change your house.

And that is the problem. You cannot within your power change the behavior of your spouse, your children, your friend or anyone at all. You have to change the heart and this can only be done by God. If you want someone to change the way they act, you must lead by example by the way you live.

Our way of living and our conduct speak volumes about what we believe and what we value. People judge the integrity of our words by the good works we do. We can’t change people but by our example, we can be a witness of God’s love and saving grace. In God’s perfect timing a heart will be changed.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:18.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

PRAYER:

Help me to realize the way my good deeds can be used by You to change the heart of someone. Help me to be used to bring someone into a right relationship with You. Help me to be faithful in living a Godly life so that my good deeds will be a testimony to others of God’s love and grace.

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Alone: January 26, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 26, 2017.

ALONE

DEFINITION:

Apart from or the exclusion of others or things; solitary; separate.

SCRIPTURE:

I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. Psalm 102:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The Psalmist in the verse we have written above is expressing that he is feeling like a solitary bird thinking that he has been abandoned by both God and man. These are the thoughts of an afflicted man that feels completely alone and feels that no one cares, even God.

The writer of this Psalm is unknown but it is apparent that it was written when he was going through a troubled time in his life. Psalm 102 tells us that he was in great distress, so much so that he couldn’t eat and he couldn’t sleep. When we are in great distress we often feel deserted and that no one understands. This is how the Psalmist felt.

In verse 7 (above) he pictures himself as just a little sparrow all alone on a housetop. He feels so insignificant that he wasn’t sure God even saw him or heard him. He cries out to God and asks God not to hide His face from him and to turn His ear to him. As he prays for God’s help he feels reassured that God still sits on His throne and that He will respond to the prayer of the destitute.

Every day we receive emails from people that read our devotionals and many of them share with us that they are distressed, frustrated and feeling helpless and alone, just as the Psalmist did. Being alone can be devastating for most people because they have literally no support in this life or do not know where to turn for support. They are truly lonely and alone. They feel no one cares. We can, however, be assured that God cares and that He understands how we feel when so very lonely.

Just think how alone Jesus must have felt hanging alone on the cross. He cried out to God, “Why hast thou forsaken Me?” He endured separation from His Father in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Yes, because of God’s great love for us, He sent Jesus all alone to the cross. Both Jesus and God, our Father, understand what it meant to be alone.

When you, as a believer in Jesus, begin to feel alone you have comfort that an unbeliever does not have. Knowing that you are a child of God, you have Jesus to turn to in prayer and you have the assurance that He is right by your side to comfort you and to encourage you. Those that do not know Jesus as their Savior are truly alone when they face struggles and loneliness.

Do you lie awake at night feeling like a sparrow all alone on the rooftop? Or do you lie down and sleep in peace because you have put your trust in the Lord? It is the Lord alone, nobody else or nothing else, that brings peace and allows us to dwell in safety.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:18.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

PRAYER:

Help me to remember that as a child of God, You are with me at all times. May I be an encouragement to someone today who is alone and feels no one cares. May the joy of knowing Jesus shine out through my words and deeds.

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Prejudice: January 25, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017.

PREJUDICE

DEFINITION:

An opinion, often unfavorable; formed without adequate reasons; bias; unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes; partiality; favoritism.

SCRIPTURE:

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. Acts 17:26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Prejudice is a serious problem in our world today. Prejudice can be based on race, on the color of one’s skin, one’s culture, on one’s social standing, on one’s financial status, talent or treasures of others, on education, on religious belief and any of a number of other things that sets one person apart from another.

God’s Word has made it clear that prejudice of any kind is not acceptable. Prejudice grows out of pride and causes people to look down on others they consider inferior to themselves.

In the verse above we are reminded that all men and women today are created equal in God’s sight since all came from one man --- Adam. This teaching was a real blow to the national pride of the Greeks, who believed that all non-Greeks were barbarians.

Likewise, the Jews thought they were superior to others. In Bible times the Jews despised the Samaritans. The Samaritans were the mixed race that came from Jewish and pagan mixed marriages during the years of captivity after the Assyrians invaded Israel. The Samaritans were considered unclean by the Jews. The Jews were so prejudiced toward the Samaritans that they, the Jews, would go miles out of their way to avoid going through Samaria.

Jesus was not like the Jews of that day even though He was a Jew. In John 4:3-4 we read that Jesus left Judea after observing the Passover in Jerusalem and went back once more to Galilee and had to go through Samaria. The Jews would not walk through Samaria but Jesus did. While at a well in Samaria Jesus met a Samarian woman of low reputation and gave her the gift of Salvation. No Jewish man would ever have spoken to her, but Jesus did.

The Greeks and the Jews had a very hard time accepting this message of our Lord because of their pride and prejudice.

In the verse (above) the writer of Acts says, “Having determined their appointed times and their boundaries of their dwellings.” God’s sovereignty determines when and where we are born and thus who we are. In God’s sight, we are all equal.

We live a life of obedience if we are a true child of God. Jesus commanded us to love one another. Prejudice destroys love and love destroys prejudice. In James 2:1-6 it is written that there must be no partiality, no prejudice in a believer’s life. If a person is prejudiced against another person for any reason he or she is not a true follower of Jesus. As believer’s we are to love one another.

Jesus died on the cross for all because God so loved all of us (the world), that He gave His only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We cause real sorrow to others when we dishonor and debase others through prejudice or bigotry. Every human being is created in the image of God and worthy of honor and loved by God. When by our own prejudice we demean someone we will wound another human being at the deepest level. We are all of the same family, the family of God. God expects us, as His children, to be treasured and cherished by one another. He desires us to show respect to all people because everyone was created by God in His very image.

The sad fact about prejudice is that it is usually passed from parent to child. Children learn from their parents. As believers, parents have the responsibility to make sure they do not have prejudice against others. If they do they can be sure their children will pick up on it.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:18.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

PRAYER:

Continue to remind me daily that all of Your creations are rare treasures but You created man (and women) in Your very own image. Thank You for creating me in Your image and help me to be obedient to You and to always show respect, honor, and love without prejudice.

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Poverty: January 24, 2017

TODAY'S WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 2017.

POVERTY

DEFINITION:

Lack of money; great need; the state of being poor; lack of means to provide for material needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

SCRIPTURE:

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. Proverbs 14:31.

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 19:17.

He, who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, will also cry himself and not be heard. Proverbs 21:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Do you understand that it offends God, our creator when we neglect the poor? This is because they are part of His creation and He cares for them. All of our married lives we have had the privilege of working to help the poor. It began for us in South Korea after the Korean War where we set up over 140 orphanages for World Vision.

These orphanages were needed to house and care for the poorest of the poor children in Korea. They were the victims of the war and we knew that God loved them and needed others, including ourselves, to make sure they had places to live so He could care for them.

Since then we have reached out to help the poorest of children in over 100 countries of the world.

Statistics help us to share with you the problem we face in our world today. We are told that last year over 16 million people, mostly children died in our world from hunger. Also last year over 10 million children died before they could celebrate their fifth birthday.

These are all numbers, but they are much more than numbers. Each number represents one person, mostly children that God loves. This is why there are so many verses in His Word that make it very clear to us that we need to reach out and help the poor.

Take a moment now and carefully read the three verses from Proverbs that we have written above. Has the question ever come to your mind, “What can I do about this?” or perhaps, “Why should I care?” Most people will react by saying to themselves something like, “I am too busy.” “I do not have any time.” “I do not have the money to help now.” Some say the need is so great how can anyone meet the needs of so much and so many, but God says we must help. We help those in poverty to show God’s love.

We can show mercy by volunteering at a church feeding center or a soup kitchen. Maybe you can find a job for a father who has lost his job. How about taking a meal to a family that you know is hurting. Ask a few friends and someone will lead you to a family who needs a helping hand.

There are many organizations that are working to help the poor that you can help and work through. Also, you can look at our web site --- www.thehungersolution.org --- and see opportunities that you can pray for and help with financially.

But what is important is for you to act. God depends on all we who love Him to make known His love and mercy to all no matter how rich or poor. Let us know what you decide?

Accepting this responsibility honors God because he is concerned for each and every person in this world.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:18.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

PRAYER:

Help me to have a listening ear for the cry of the poor. Make my heart tender for the needy. Help me to seek opportunities to show your love to those who are poor, both physically and spiritually, to share generously of what I have to meet their needs.

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Adoption: January 23, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 23, 2017.

ADOPTION

DEFINITION:

Take or receive as one’s own; to take and rear another’s child as one’s own; to take or receive into any kind of new relationship.

SCRIPTURE:

We are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Romans 8: 16b-17a.

In love, He predestined us for adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1:5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In ancient Rome, adoption was occasionally used by the emperors to pass on succession to competent heirs. Augustus Caesar was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar so he could be his successor. Emperors Tiberius and Hadrian did the same thing, adopting a capable person to succeed them.

Such Roman emperors had no entitlement to the emporship by right of birth. It was only because of the Roman law of adoption. Under Roman law, adopted children became an heir to their father’s estate. Adopted children under the Roman laws had all the rights and privileges of the biological children. This was different than the Jewish practice that the inheritances were to go to the first born.

Every Christian, a believer in Jesus, is an adopted child of the King of kings. Our adoption comes at a great cost. God brought us into His family through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross. We became a child of God when we asked Him for forgiveness for our sins and accepted Him as our Savior. Although we are adopted children, God has made us joint heirs with Christ as written in Romans 8.

In Hebrews 1:2 the writer tells us that God has appointed Jesus heir of all things. As children of God we have inherited eternal life along with all the riches of God’s kingdom. Think about what this means for us who believe in Him. Every believer is going to receive, by God’s grace, the same inheritance that Christ receives by divine right. Earthly inheritances will perish, but we are heirs to God’s eternal kingdom and its riches which will never perish.

Paul tells us that “Our Lord Jesus Christ though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor so that you through His poverty might become rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). Do you realize that you are rich?

Jesus became poor so that you could be rich. He left His home in heaven and set aside His glory and became poor by coming into this world as a man to do the will of His Father. By the sacrifice of Jesus, He made us rich giving us salvation and eternal life. God is rich and owns everything. As God’s Son, Jesus is rich and heir to all that is God’s. Through Jesus’s sacrifice we are joint heirs with Christ. You became rich when you accepted Jesus as your Savior.

We should feel great indebtedness to Him for all that he has done for us. There is no way to repay Him. In return for our being adopted into God’s family, God wants us to live in a way that a child of God is expected to live.

In Colossians 3:5 the apostle Paul writes that we are to get rid of sin in our lives when we have been adopted by God. He writes, “put to death the sinful ways of your old life; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed and idolatry.”

These are to be replaced by activities and desires that show that we belong to the family of God. In Colossians 3:12, Paul writes for us to “put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.”

Can those that meet you daily see that you are an adopted child of God? We should be able to be seen as such by our walk and our talk. Make sure today, first of all, that you are an adopted son or daughter of God and then make sure your walk and talk will exemplify you are a child of God.

Now is the time to make that decision because God is waiting to adopt you. You need to recognize you are a sinner, ask Him for forgiveness and then ask Jesus to come into your heart. He then will adopt you as one of His children and you will become part of the family of God, and a heir to the Kingdom of God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:18.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

PRAYER:

Thank You for adopting me into Your family. Thank You, that by Your grace I am a joint heir with Christ. Thank You for the priceless inheritance I have in Your kingdom because I am a joint heir with Christ. May all those that I meet today see by my words and deeds that I am an adopted child of God.

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