Believe: March 10, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY MARCH 10, 2017.

BELIEVE

DEFINITION:

Accept as true; to have confidence in the truth, existence, reliability, or value of something.

SCRIPTURE:

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. I John 5:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When we believe in something we have had to make a choice. We make decisions every day to either believe in that something or someone or not to believe in it. For example in a job situation we may come to a place where we have a choice to continue in some way or to reverse what we are doing and go another direction. We make this choice because we believe at that time that a reversal of direction is right.

Many times parents and children have conflicts because the parent believes a certain thing or plan is right and the child does not see it that way. God has given each of us a free will to choose what we will believe.

Every day we have numerous situations that come our way where we have to make a decision as to what we believe and why. It is so easy to make wrong choices in life and we all do. Today we want to talk about spiritual choices we make based on what we believe.

We all have been given the choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We make the choice of believing in Jesus by faith. This is not something we can claim because we were born to parents who believed in Jesus or because we attend church or live in a so-called Christian country. It is something that we must accept by faith personally and then we become a child of God.

In order to be a true believer in Jesus one must believe the precepts to several principles that have been made clear to all of us in the scriptures.

One must first of all have a clear understanding of the gospel message of God’s plan of salvation and recognize it is up to us to accept it or reject it. This is essential in order for a person to believe and receive the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus on the cross was the only sacrifice required to remove us from our sins and to pay the penalty for them, which is death. God offered His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it when He had Christ die on the cross.

Those that say they just can’t believe because they have intellectual reservations about the truth of God’s Word and His gift of salvation are just looking for excuses. It is not that they cannot believe it is that they don’t want to believe. The root of the reason they won’t believe is sin. They do not want to give up their sinful ways. Those that truly believe in God will choose to obey God which means turning away from their sinful way of living.

It is not head knowledge about Christ that makes us right with God. It is what we believe in our heart. In Romans 10:10 Paul writes, “For with the heart one believes and is justified (made right with God), and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

At sometime each one of us must make a conscious decision to either believe in Jesus or not to believe in Him.  People just do not become a believer in Jesus by their good works or just because they are a good person. It does not happen accidently. Faith in Jesus is a conscious and definitive choice. The choice to believe in Jesus defines who we are and determines where we will spend eternity.

When a person makes the choice to believe in Jesus the result is a blessed assurance that comes into the heart of the believer that his or her sins are forgiven and he or she has been made right with God.

Those who make a choice to become a believer enter into a personal relationship with Jesus and surrender to Him. They will desire to embrace the Word of God and live his or her life fully for the Lord. One will no longer want to muddle through the rituals of some religion out of habit but, instead will relish the opportunity of worship and fellowship with other believers. Then one will know what it means to have real peace in their heart and they will find joy in the Lord that will amaze them.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 24:15.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

PRAYER:
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to atone for my sins and make me right with God. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to choose to believe in You. Give me the certainty that I know You and am serving You according to Your will and not mine. Help me to be a faithful child of God who lives for You daily and serves You and loves You with all of my heart.

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Ashamed: March 9, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 9, 2017

ASHAMED

DEFINITION:

Feeling shame, distress or embarrassment by feelings of guilt.

SCRIPTURE:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Romans 1:16.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God. I Peter 4:16

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We very rarely see a believer who knows the Lord communicate to someone about their faith. Some say it is fear of retaliation. Others say that it will affect negatively their relationship with somebody.

There is no doubt that the culture we live in today, the liberal media, the pressure of being political correct and the moving away from our Judeo-Christian principles by America’s leaders is forcing many Christians to live their lives in a “shell.”

Many believer’s today do not want to cause conflict and be ridiculed for their faith and beliefs. When this happens, it tells the world around them that they are ashamed to share their faith with others but being ashamed of our faith is not of God and dishonors Him. Thus, each one of us today need to take a new look as to how we are sharing our faith with those around us every day.

Peter instructs us not to be ashamed of our faith and if any of us do suffer as a result of our faith we are to give glory to God through that suffering.

In Romans, we read where Paul tells us that it is important for believers to understand that the reason we are not to be ashamed of the gospel message of our faith in Christ is because it is, “the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 above). It is through us that God brings His message of salvation to others.

More than at any time in history God is expecting us, as Christians, to stand up for what we believe. One of the reasons we say this is because we have more ways available to us to communicate the good news to others. We have computers, cell phones, mass media etc. God has not promised us that it would be easy and that we would not run into those that disagree with what we communicate. He warns us that some who disagree may even react violently.

God has promised us that if we stay true to Him and keep “Prayed up” he will lead and guide us and enable us to standup for our faith through every tough situation. Often it is just as simple as saying “no” to what we know is wrong in God’s sight, but it means we will have to stand alone.

There is no better way to show that we are not ashamed of the gospel message then to make it evident by example. Paul lists five areas in which we are to set an example;

•    By our speech.

•    Through our conduct, righteous living.

•    With love and sacrificial service to others.

•    By faith.

•    Be pure in our words and deeds.

Do not be ashamed of your faith. Glorify God by living an exemplary life and let others see Christ in you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 24:15.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

PRAYER:
Help me not to be ashamed of You, my Savior who gave me the wonderful gift of eternal life. Thank You for the assurance that I have of eternal life and the assurance that You will be with me every moment of this day. Give me the courage to use every opportunity given me to share my faith with someone. 

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Always: March 8, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 2017.

ALWAYS

DEFINITION:

Throughout all time; uninterrupted; forever; without exception; on every occasion.

SCRIPTURE:

I am with you always. Matthew 28:20

The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalm 24:1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Often, we say the word always but do not think what we are saying. Always infers that it always was back in time and it always will be. Frankly, there are very few “always” in life. We want to share with you several “always” that are of great significance.

Only God always is all knowing, all powerful, all caring, always present and always eternal. There is none other available to us at all times. He is always there for us and always can solve any situation or problem we may face.

The scripture also reminds us that, “Obedience always brings blessings.” What is blessing you may ask? A blessing is divine favor received from God because we have glorified His name.

Noah obeyed God and God blessed him, his family and a world that followed. Obedience to God saved Noah and his family from the flood.

Joshua obeyed God and marched the Children of Israel around Jericho for seven days. God blessed Joshua because of his obedience and the walls of Jericho fell to the ground and it was conquered.

The same can be said about Moses, Abraham, David, Paul and Peter. Because each one obeyed God, He brought blessing to them in monumental ways. Only God can always reward obedience with a blessing.

God sometimes will tell us to do something that in our mind is totally unreasonable from our perspective. We need to listen carefully, read His Word and pray diligently to make sure we understand that it is God talking to us and that we clearly know the direction He wants us to go. Then we must do it. We can be sure that God always has a purpose and a plan when He leads us to do something for Him.

How do you think Noah, Joshua, Moses and Paul felt down deep inside when they received a direction from God that was unreasonable? God asked each of them to do what seemed to be impossible. From a human perspective, they must have thought, “God, You can’t be serious?” Nevertheless, they did just as God instructed them to do, God, who is always faithful and always keeps His word, gave them all victories and success, and blessed them for their obedience. We cannot begin to imagine how great their award will be in heaven. God always brought victory and blessing to them.

Remember obedience is a Biblical principle that God has set down for us. For all who believe in Him, obedience to God is not an option.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 24:15.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

PRAYER:

Thank You that You are always there for me and my family. I am grateful that whether it is a time of need or a time that we just need to talk, that You are there for me. Help me to be obedient to Your direction for my life. Open my eyes and ears so I can see and hear what You desire for me and my family to do.
 

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Gratitude: March 7, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 7, 2017.

GRATITUDE

DEFINITION:

The quality or feeling of deep appreciation for kindness or benefits received; feeling thankful.

SCRIPTURE:

Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Showing gratitude has become a lost art for many people here in America. Many people do not understand what the word gratitude really means. We meet people who do not seem to be grateful for much in their lives.

What causes this lack of gratitude? Possibly we are spoiled and expect much more than we have, or possibly, it is because of the so called “ME” generation that we live in. We have taken our prosperity for granted. We really do not know how blessed we are nor do we acknowledge the one who is the giver of all that we are blessed with. We think we are entitled to it.

When someone does something kind for you, do you say thank you and by saying thank you show gratitude? It is very rare for us to hear someone say thank you after being helped in some manner.

The lack of gratitude is just part of man’s failure that affects our society. In Romans 1:21, Paul gets right to the root of the problem. The first point Paul makes is that it is not sufficient to just be aware that God exists. We must know God. To know God means to have an intimate relationship with Him that God has made possible by His gift of salvation.

When we know God, Paul tells us that, we are to glorify Him as God. This means that we are to acknowledge His sovereignty, His holiness, and His perfection and give Him the glory in all things. God is good and every good thing that we enjoy in life comes from God. We are not just to acknowledge this fact but we are to give God thanks for it (show Him gratitude). When we do not our thinking becomes “futile and our foolish hearts become darkened.”

We in America have had so much given to us by God but we neglect to show Him the gratitude that He deserves. Often those who are less fortunate in life are the ones who show the most gratitude.

When we were in Manila, Philippines we visited a large garbage dump. We went there because we were told that more than 100,000 people lived on top of the garbage. These dear people search through garbage scraps, dumped by the garbage trucks, for food and anything that can be salvaged and they sell what they find and use the money just for items of survival. They live in shacks that look like they will collapse with any wind.

We mentioned the following story in a prior devotional but we want to repeat it now because it really expresses gratitude. We were walking on this dump being led by a missionary that we worked with. We came upon this lean-to shack with an open front and saw a little 10 year old girl sitting by a box, the only thing in the room, and on that box was a Sunday school daily vacation Bible school picture booklet.

We were introduced to the little girl and soon we asked about the book. Her eyes lit up and she said that someone a year before had given her that book and she read through the pictures every day. She said that she had never had a gift before and this was the best thing she ever had. Her gratitude moved us to tears.

We recognized the Sunday school book as one of the books we had sent several years prior in a large 40 foot sea container to the missionary who was leading us on this tour to the dump. He did not even know that this young girl had this book. She was still showing her gratitude for what God had given her.

Another example was when we visited one of the churches in Kenya where we sponsored the pastor. The people had very little in earthly possessions. When the offering was taken, we saw the offering box being passed around and it was filling up with fruit, vegetables and even a chicken. These people were showing their gratitude to God for all they had by giving a portion of what little they did have back to Him.

Do you express your gratitude to God for all that He has given you? Do you express gratitude to your spouse, your children, your parents, your family or your friends for who they are? And do not forget when we express our gratitude to God we are acknowledging that He is the one who gives us all that we have and that He is the Lord of all. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17).

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 24:15.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

PRAYER:

Lord, I acknowledge that You are the giver of every good thing that I have. Thank You for Your mercy and grace in saving me from my sins and giving me the greatest gift of all, eternal life. Thank You for all Your many blessings that You have given me and continue to give me every day.
 

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Gladness: March 6, 2017

TODAY'S WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 6, 2017.

GLADNESS

DEFINITION:

The feeling of joy or pleasure; emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.

SCRIPTURE:

Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100:2.

You have put gladness in my heart. Psalm 4:7.

I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, my body will rest secure. Psalm 16:8-9.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Gladness is defined as an emotion of joy evoked by well-being. Gladness does not come from laughter or pleasure that comes from outward experiences. Gladness comes from a satisfied heart and feeling content independent of our circumstances.

God puts joy and gladness in the hearts of those who love Him.

David recognized that the gladness he felt in his heart came from the Lord and that is why he said, “I have set the Lord always before me.” His heart was glad because knowing the Lord was with him he could rest secure.

Those who love Him serve Him with gladness and desire to be obedient to Him.

The scriptures tell us about angels who serve God with joy not with groans. A murmur or a sigh would be mutiny in the ranks of the angels.

The Lord looks at our heart and He can see that obedience that is forced and not voluntary is really disobedience.

Our service to God coupled with gladness and cheerfulness is true heart service and is what God wants from us. Cheerfulness and gladness is the support God gives us through the work of His Holy Spirit in us that comes as a result of our faith in the Lord. Knowing Jesus as our Savior brings peace with God and fellowship with Him. In the joy of the Lord we have real gladness.

The joy of the Lord in our lives acts as a remover of difficulties. It is like what oil is to the wheels of a railroad car. Without oil the axle gets hot and accidents occur. We need the gladness and cheerfulness of the Lord in our lives. The gladness and cheerfulness of the Lord act to oil our wheels. The man who is cheerful in his service to God shows the people of the world, non-believers, that it is a delight and joy to serve the Lord our God.

Gladness in serving the Lord is what the people of Judah experienced when Hezekiah became King and reopened the temple in Jerusalem for worship. His father Ahaz had shut the temple doors and led the people of Judah into idol worship. In the first month of his reign King Hezekiah opened and repaired the temple doors and brought back the priests to consecrate and purify the temple. When the temple was ready the people came and the “whole assembly bowed in worship. They sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped.” II Chronicles 29:28-30.

We encourage you to worship and serve the Lord with gladness. When you attend church and see someone who seems sad and is missing the gladness of worshipping the Lord, take a moment to pray for them and ask God to give that person a heart of joy and gladness. When you pray for someone, God may give you opportunity to say a word of encouragement to them.

You will often find out as you talk to people the heavy burdens they are carrying. When you show you care, you will experience gladness in serving the Lord.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 24:15.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

PRAYER:

Fill my heart today with gladness that You alone can give. May others see me as one who serves Jesus with gladness.
 

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