Hell: May 26, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 26, 2017.

HELL

DEFINITION:

The place of punishment of the wicked after death; the abode of evil and condemned spirits; any place or state of torment or misery.

SCRIPTURE:

The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God. Psalm 9:17

Then He will say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The verse above from Psalms says that the wicked shall be sent to Hell. It is most important for us to tell you that if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord then we can say with total confidence that you are on the way to Hell. Hell is not fictional. Hell is a real place for real people who reject the only true God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Making no decision about Jesus is saying no to Jesus and no to an eternity in heaven. God's Holy Word, the Bible, makes this very clear.  John 3:36 states, "Whosoever believes in the Son has eternal life, and whosoever rejects the Son will not see life." There are no alternatives available.

PLEASE LET US EMPHASIZE - UNLESS YOU KNOW JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR YOU ARE HEADED FOR HELL! There is no compromise and the decision is yours and yours alone.

In Acts 1:25 we are told that hell is the sinner's own place of torment. After Judas betrayed Jesus and saw that Jesus was condemned to die (Matthew 27:3), he was remorseful. He returned to the chief priests and elders and tried to make restitution. The scripture says that after he threw down the 30 pieces of silver, he received for betraying Jesus, at the feet of the chief Priest, Judas went out and hanged himself.

As a result of his own transgression, Judas went to "his own place." Judas had chosen to team up with Satan (Luke 22:3) and turned against Jesus, so he had chosen his own fate. He chose a place in hell with Satan, rather than a place in heaven with Jesus.

In the verse above from Matthew we see that hell is an eternal place that God prepared for Satan and his angels. They are anti-God and have no choice but to go to hell. We have a choice. We can choose Satan's prepared hell or the heaven which God has prepared for those who believe in Him.

The day before Jesus died on the cross He said to His eleven disciples: "Let not your heart be troubled, I go to prepare a place for you." That place that He is preparing for us is in His "Fathers house," which is heaven. The choice we have is either hell, which is prepared for Satan, his angels and those who follow him, or Heaven, the place in God's house that Jesus has prepared for those who follow Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction (death in hell) and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, (heaven) and only a few find it." Jesus is the only way to heaven.

You have a choice either to follow the many on the broad way that leads to eternal hell or you can join the few and follow Jesus on the narrow road that leads to eternal life in heaven.

When people are angry with someone we often hear the words "Go to hell." People do not think how awful that statement is. Hell is a place of eternal fire, a place of darkness and a place of torment. In Matthew 13:50 we are told that those that are in hell will weep and gnash their teeth. People gnash their teeth when they are in pain. Hell is eternal and when one is once there, there is no escape.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 6:9.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

PRAYER:

I am so thankful that You for preparing a place in heaven for me. Thank You for sending Your Son to this earth to pay the penalty for my sins. And thank You for the assurance that I have in my heart that Jesus is preparing a place for me for eternity. Give me a new dedication to serve you and help me to use every opportunity to tell others that Jesus loves them.

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Boldness: May 25, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017.

BOLDNESS

DEFINITION:

Courageous; brave; fearless; undaunted; self-assured.

SCRIPTURE:

Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. II Corinthians 7:4.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness. Acts 4:29.

And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. Acts 4:31.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

“Political correctness” is a term heard frequently these days. It is becoming increasingly difficult, because of this “so called political correctness” concern, for Christians to speak out with boldness about their faith. Prayer is no longer allowed at many public events because it might offend someone and be “politically incorrect.” Even the display of religious symbols such as crosses, manger scenes, and the Ten Commandments are considered “politically incorrect.”

This is intimidating to believers and makes them more concerned about what the world thinks than obeying God’s command for us to be witnesses to a lost and sinful world. We feel that for some believers it is an excuse. We hope that bringing this to your attention will be a wake-up call for all believers to boldly speak about their faith in Jesus Christ. But still we realize that “political correctness” will be an excuse for many.

Take a moment with us and read what God’s Word has to say. Some of the most powerful passages of scripture in the Bible are the Apostle Paul’s accounts of his journeys and imprisonments. Paul’s words are powerful because he wrote with conviction about what he personally had experienced. He never bowed to the so called “political correctness” of the day.

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi that he was not ashamed to have been serving Jesus. Paul also wrote that it was a privilege to suffer for Jesus. Paul looked for every opportunity to speak with boldness about Jesus and sharing with others God’s plan of salvation. He was not ashamed to speak boldly of his faith regardless of the consequences or the feelings of the world around him.

Paul knew the reality of persecution for the first century believers. Before his conversion, he had been a persecutor of Christians. And then after he became a believer he was beaten, stoned and thrown into prison because of his faith. Paul did not let any of that persecution stop him from preaching with boldness. Even while in prison, Paul spread the good news of the gospel by writing letters to the churches he had helped establish.

As he waited in a lonely place during his last imprisonment, he wrote the church at Philippi asking them to pray for him that as he stood trial he would in no way be less bold than he always had been for Christ. Paul’s desire was to have a bold testimony whether he lived or died. In Paul’s own words (1:20) he wanted Christ always to be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death.

There are not too many Christians today that are bold in declaring their faith in Jesus. Some of the boldest that we have seen are children. Recently in Northern Iraq we received a report from one of the pastors that receives our daily devotionals. He told us of the ISIS terrorists coming into his village and taking the children from the homes and asking them to renounce their faith in Jesus. Not one child wavered and all were then killed.

How many people in your family are bold enough even to ask their friends whether they know Jesus? It is not easy to be outgoing and bold about our faith. We believe the Lord wants us to be courageous in living our faith and consistent in upholding our moral standards so others will see that we are living a consistent Christ honoring life. Then when someone asks you about seeing something different in your life, you can respond with boldness about your faith.

We must live boldly and we must speak boldly regardless of the consequences. When we lack courage to speak boldly we can pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to speak boldly. We can be sure the Holy Spirit will enable us to speak boldly as He enabled Peter and John and the believers in the early church in Jerusalem. Time may be running out because Jesus may be returning at any time.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 6:9.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the examples that are in Your Word concerning my need to be bold about my relationship with You. Help me to learn by these examples and then to respond to every opportunity that comes my way by being bold about my salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and my desire to serve and honor Him above all others.

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Servant: May 24, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 24, 2017.

SERVANT

DEFINITION:

One who performs tasks for another person. One who works for or is in subjection to another.

SCRIPTURE:

When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35-36.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

There is a natural desire within us to be great or to be the leader. People desire greatness because others look up to those who achieve something great.

The disciples were just ordinary people but they had egos. Each desired to be greater than the others. One day as they were walking to Capernaum they began to argue about who was the greatest. When Jesus asked what they were arguing about the disciples were too embarrassed to answer. Jesus did not need the disciples to answer because He knows all of our thoughts.

We can only imagine the look on their faces and how they must have felt when Jesus said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last and the servant of all.” Their egos must have been crushed. This was a far cry from the disciples’ idea of greatness.

Those who would be great in the kingdom must humbly serve others. Jesus lived by example and by what He taught.

When Jesus left His home in heaven to come to this earth, He came to serve. As His disciples, we have been put on this earth to serve a lost and hurting world. The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-9 gives us several Christ-like qualities that we need to develop in our lives if we are to serve as Jesus did.

First, we must be aware of what is happening around us and who might need our help. Zacchaeus was perched in a tree and even though there was a crowd around Jesus, Jesus stopped and took notice of this man because He knew he had a need. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and very rich. The people literally hated him but Jesus was very much aware of his need.

Secondly, we must be available. Jesus was headed to Jerusalem to fulfill the most important act in human history, our redemption, but He still took the time to have dinner with a spiritually needy man.

Finally, we need to show the quality of acceptance. Jesus did not say to Zacchaeus to clean up your act and then I will come to your house. We are called not to fix people but to share the transforming gospel of Christ.

When we are called to serve, by our Lord, it means that we need to first die to our selfish attitudes and motives. Only then can we live to glorify Christ. Jesus told us, as recorded in Matthew 27:37-39, that the greatest commandment is to love God wholeheartedly and then to love others as ourselves. Ironically, it is only when we humbly serve others that we experience God’s fullness in our lives.

In Revelation 22:12 we are told that we will receive a reward for serving Him, every man according to what he has done. All service, large or small, done in His name will be blessed. Some rewards will be given in Heaven; other blessings can be experienced now on this earth. We know great joy in our hearts when we allow God to bless others through us and we should have great satisfaction in realizing that we are pleasing Christ when we choose to be a servant to others.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 6:9.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

PRAYER:

Give me a servant’s heart with a desire to serve others. Open my spiritual eyes to see all the needy people around me. May I be attentive to Your voice so that I do not miss opportunities to serve others today.

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Riches: May 23, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY MAY 23, 2017.

RICHES

DEFINITION:

Abundant and valuable possessions; wealth.

SCRIPTURE:

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. I Timothy 6:17.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We began early in the lives of our children to teach them to be responsible with their money. We are grateful to our Lord that He provided just enough riches to us to provide our children what they needed. But we were not always able to provide the "wants" they would have liked to have. It was an important lesson for them to learn that having everything we want is not what is important in life. There is a big difference between need and want and when parents and children learn this it will make a huge difference in attitude.

We also taught our children that 10% of all money earned or received as a gift belonged to the Lord. God has proven to all of our family over these years that He will bless us if we honor this commitment to Him. We encouraged our children to spend their money on their "wants" after they gave their tithe to the Lord.

Although our budget was at times tight, we tried to show our children, by example, the importance of first giving to God His share and then sharing with others a portion of what God blessed us with.

Money in itself is not evil. It becomes evil when the desire for it becomes all consuming and the driving force in one’s life. In I Timothy 6:10, Paul describes the “love of money as the root of all evil,” and he warns that the love of money causes people to wander from their faith.

Riches and money are powerful forces in the world we live in today. Despite the evidence that money cannot buy happiness most people still believe it will so they put their trust in money, rather than God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Trusting in wealth and using it to gain power clogs our spiritual arteries and spiritual development.  We are told in Deuteronomy 8:17 and 18, "You may say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. But you shall remember the Lord your God, it is He who has given you power to get wealth." Our hope is not to be found in riches but in the Lord.

What matters to the Lord is not whether we are rich or poor but rather what is our attitude about riches. The apostle Paul tells us in I Timothy 6:17 (above) that those who are rich in this world should not be conceited about their wealth because worldly riches are temporary and cannot be taken with us when we die. Paul also tells us not to put our trust in uncertain riches. He infers in this verse that it is very hard to have riches in this world without having to put some measure of trust in those riches, therefore it is important for us to remember that riches can be quickly lost.

With riches comes responsibility. God expects us to use wisely what He blessed us with. In verse 18, Paul tells us that if God does bless us with riches that we should be ready to give and willing to share. When you use your riches, God wants you to use them to do good. By doing this you will be laying up treasures in heaven (verses18-19).

God wants us not to put riches first in our lives nor put our trust in riches. We are to recognize that all riches come from God and we should be thankful for what we have. It is He who will supply all of our needs. Riches are a blessing only to those who make them a blessing to others.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 6:9.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

PRAYER:

Give me the right attitude about riches. Help me not to be jealous of those that have riches. Help me to be the steward of any riches You give me in a way that honors Your name.

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Morals: May 22, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 22, 2017.

MORALS

DEFINITION:

The principles of right conduct; distinguishing between right and wrong based on ethical grounds and not on legal; ethics; standards.

SCRIPTURE:

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (motives).
Proverbs 16:2

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many people today feel that they can set their own moral standards. They do not understand that God is the source of morality. In His Word he has given us His standard for morals. As a result of our sinful nature man likes to do what he wants to do. We can rationalize that almost anything is “OK” and then proceed in doing it and feeling that is all right and justified.

The writer of Proverbs in the verses above tells us that the way man sees it is, “every way of a man is right in his own eyes.” and “all the ways of man are pure in his own eyes.” The writer tells us that God sees it differently. God sets the standards of what is right and wrong and He will judge us accordingly. We can be certain that if our way does not measure up to God’s moral standard, as given in His Word, that our way is not right. Man can be self-deceived but we cannot deceive God. God knows our real motives and he is the sole judge of whether we measure up to His holiness.

We are living in a world where people live for their own self-interests and could care less about their morals if they stand in the way of what they want to do. They prefer to be popular with the world than to be right with God. Integrity seems to be more and more lacking in the lives of people.

There is a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln that we read recently, that we would like to share with you. As you read this compare it to what we seem to read and hear about our friends, neighbors and leaders.

“My desire is to so conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall have at least one friend left, the friend deep down inside of me. I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing that until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all wrong then a legion of angels swearing that I was right will make no difference.”

Abraham Lincoln was willing to do the right thing no matter what the cost, even if it meant he lost every one of his friends. He left us a heritage to build upon and unfortunately, as a people today, we have departed from that heritage. He always trusted God for the wisdom that God alone could give to make the correct moral decisions in life. In the eyes of many, slavery was all right. Abraham Lincoln recognized that in the eyes of God it was wrong and must be abolished.

An army officer recently told of his first night in a tent on the battlefield. Most of the troops were swearing and telling filthy stories. Finally, the officer spoke and said to all in the tent; “I have heard your rough talk but now I am going to talk to God. Out of respect to Him I ask you all to please be quiet.” The place grew quiet; the officer prayed alone and never again had to contend with immoral talk in that tent.

We share these stories and quotes with you to encourage you to stand firm in honoring God in all you do. Take a look at your morals and see if they measure up to God’s standards.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 6:9.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

PRAYER:

We are grateful for the heritage that Abraham Lincoln left us in that we are to do the right thing at all times no matter what the cost is. More importantly we thank You for giving us Your Word, the Bible, so that we have a guidebook to show us what is right and wrong in God’s eyes not man’s.

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