Tears: July 14, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 14, 2017.

TEARS

DEFINITION:

Drops of the saline watery fluid secreted in the eyes and flowing from the eyes as a result of deep emotion.

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus wept. John 11:35.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Most of us have experienced that strange crossover from laughing one moment to crying the next moment. It is an amazing fact of life that the emotions of both sorrow and joy can bring us to tears. Tears bring physical relief from pent up emotion.

Humor is an integral part of almost every culture. Yes, that is because we were created in God’s image. We can see God’s humor on display in this world He created. Have you ever gone to the zoo and found yourself laughing as you watched the monkeys?

Jesus used humor in His stories and communication to individuals and to the masses, when He was on this earth, to make a point. For example, to show us our hypocrisy in criticizing others he said, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye” (Matthew 7:3).

Jesus had a wonderful sense of humor but He also knew the pain of grief. For example, when His friend Lazarus died, Jesus saw Mary weeping and the scripture says in John 11:33-35 that “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.” A short time later He began to weep.

Yes, Jesus experienced the same emotions we do. The writers of the New Testament record instances of Jesus showing His emotions. Not only are His emotions of love, compassion, and sorrow revealed but also His righteous anger as well.

Examples like this that we run across in the scriptures remind us that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26) and therefore will have similar emotional reactions.

Our ability to release our pent-up emotions with tears is a gift from God. God knows all about us and He knows our every sorrow. God keeps track of every tear we cry. Psalm 56:8 reads, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears and have recorded each one in Your book.”

But the good news is that as God promised in Revelation 7:17, He will wipe away every tear. In heaven there will be no more tears. All our trials, all our tribulations, and all our suffering will be over and left behind. When we get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be!

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 1:8.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, You have made us to laugh, to cry, to yearn, to love and to miss those who have gone before us. Help us to love even more deeply because of the love You have shown for us. Thank You that You know every tear we shed and will one day wipe all remembrance of them away.

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Treasures: July 13, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JULY 13, 2017.

TREASURES

DEFINITION:

Wealth or riches stored or accumulated; anything greatly valued or highly prized; things put away for security or future use.

SCRIPTURE:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust does corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Webster says that “treasures” are accumulated wealth or riches. Many people work hard today, almost every possible free moment, to get as much money as possible so that they can buy all the material things they want just so they will be happy in the moment and possibly put some away for the future.

But unfortunately, things like money, popularity or success do not assure one of happiness.

In Matthew 6:19 Jesus tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” You may ask, “Why not?” Because Jesus went on to say that material things do not last as they are subject to destruction by moths, rust and can be stolen by thieves.

It is a known fact that if money becomes one of our most desired treasures that the result will be that it will consume all of our time and energy. There is nothing evil about money itself. In fact, money is a needed necessity to supply all of our daily needs. The problem is how one looks at money and whether getting it is a major goal in one’s life. The scripture says that it is the LOVE OF MONEY that is the root of all evil.

In Matthew 6:24 Jesus warns us that you cannot serve both God and money (two masters). When money and possessions become all consuming we will have no time for serving God. What Jesus wants is for us to accumulate or store up our treasures in heaven. Everything that we do in life that is in obedience to God and His Word is a treasure that we store in our account in heaven. Simply said, acts of obedience to God cannot be destroyed by moths, rust or stolen by thieves.

God has given us all certain talents (abilities) so that we can build up our treasure in heaven. We are reminded of a crippled lady who could not leave her house. God gave this dear lady the time and the talent of prayer. Every day she spent hours praying for people and missions. Just think of the treasure she laid up in heaven in her account. Yes, God gives us all abilities. He gives some more than others but the important thing is what are we doing with the abilities God has given us?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 1:8.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

Keep me from being tempted to let material things and the pleasures of this world become my treasures. Give me a burning desire to store up treasures in my account in heaven by doing all I can to further Your Kingdom here on earth.

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Relationship: July 12, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017.

RELATIONSHIP

DEFINITION:

A connection or association by blood or marriage; an emotional connection between people.

SCRIPTURE:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. John 1:12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Developing proper relationships in life is very important. By God’s design we are to be born into a home where our first important relationship was with our parents. It may be a godly and wholesome one or an ungodly one. As we get older circumstances around us affect the relationships we choose. Many people choose relationships that conflict with the standards they were raised by which leads to discord and division. Relationships should be chosen wisely.

As a child, we do not choose our parents. We may be born into a relationship we would not choose. But there is a loving God in heaven who wants to have a relationship with us and be our loving and caring Father. You can choose to have that relationship if you want to.

The verse we have written above tells us the way we can have a Father-child relationship with almighty God. It is by receiving Jesus that God gives us the right to become a child of God.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we immediately become a child of God and begin a relationship with God. The relationship with God is one that will last for an eternity and if it is ever broken it will be because of decisions we make and not of God’s.

Relationships we build with our parents, our siblings, our friends and our neighbors are often broken or tested because of situations that arise. Relationships are built on trust and the only relationship we can be certain of is the relationship we have with God through His Son and the Holy Spirit who dwells in us because God alone is trustworthy. He is faithful and true and keeps all of His promises.

We often have said in these devotionals and to those that we talk to that Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a relationship --- a relationship that one builds from the time one decides that he or she is a sinner and then asks God for forgiveness. God began that relationship with us by sending His Son to this earth to die and pay the penalty for our sins, because He loved us and gave His Son to die for us.

In the verse we have written above from John 1:12 we are reminded that when we put our trust in Jesus we will become one of His children. Thus, we begin to build our relationship with God as a child of God by praying daily to Him through Jesus the mediator that God gave us and through the reading of the Bible, His Word. Daily communication builds our relationship with God

When we talk to some people about their relationship with God, the answers are varied and many. Some will say that they go to church, they live an honest life, they pray when they face a problem and ask God to help from time to time.

Others say they will act later concerning having a relationship with God. But later may never come. Others say that there is no way that a loving God would send anyone to hell, especially anyone that lives a good and so called honest life.

People can believe what they choose, but the only relationship that gives us eternal life is our personal relationship that we have with Jesus.

We also want to remind you that there are other relationships in life that we all need to work on after we have begun our relationship with God. But these other relationships will fail if God is not put first in your life. There is a relationship needed to be developed in marriage. A marriage is a commitment needing communication and demands that both husband and wife live a Christ-like life.

There is a relationship that needs to be developed with children, families and friends. But again, these relationships will fail if we rely on our own strength. Our relationship with God is vital for all that we do in life as we prepare for an eternity with Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 1:8.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

Give me the strength today to build a stronger relationship with You. Help me to be a guiding light to my spouse, my children, my family and my friends that they will see through me what a true relationship with You really means.

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Wisdom: July 11, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY JULY 11, 2017.

WISDOM

DEFINITION:

The ability to make good use of knowledge; the power of forming a sound judgment in any matter; the ability to recognize right from wrong.

SCRIPTURE:

Get wisdom! Understand! Proverbs 4:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

How many times in your life have you done something and then reacted by asking yourself, why did I do that? Was it just a mistake or was it a lack of wisdom? No matter what we conclude we really did not use wisdom in our decision making.

The verse above from Proverbs is a command to us. We need to learn how to have wisdom in dealing with our everyday situations. We do this, as James tells us in the above verse, by asking God to give us wisdom. We need a daily relationship with God and then as we talk to Him (Prayer) He will respond and guide us with His wisdom. As we read His Word He will speak to our hearts and open our minds to the truth found in His Word.

Many are the trials and troubles we will face in our life. We need wisdom to be able to discern the source of our trials. Is our trial sent by God to teach us a lesson or from Satan to tempt us to move away from God. No matter what the source we need to understand that the Lord is always sensitive to our pain.

Wisdom is needed for us to understand the purpose of the trouble we might be fighting. The Lord does use suffering to accomplish His will in our lives. When we understand what God is trying to accomplish in our lives we are able not only to rejoice but we are able to bless other people around us by sharing with others how we have seen the Lord work in our own lives.

We can rejoice when we know that God is in control of our lives. We need to understand that God always has a specific purpose in everything He does. He uses life’s ups and downs to build a Christ-like character in us and mold us into what He wants us to be.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 1:8.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

I praise Your name today that through faith I can know You and that You will give me the wisdom to live my life today honoring You in all that I do.

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Passion: July 10, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JULY 10, 2017.

PASSION

DEFINITION:

An intense and compelling emotion; strong feeling about a person or thing; love; enthusiasm.

SCRIPTURE:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The apostle Paul in the third chapter of Philippians writes about believers needing to live a life with a passion to know God. Passion is a motivating force in our life. It creates enthusiasm, excitement and desire for a person, a thing, or a belief.

The apostle Paul made it very clear what his passion in life was. In Philippians 3:8-9 he says that he considers everything a loss to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus. So great was his passion for the Lord that he willingly gave up all things to gain Christ and to know Him. So important was his relationship with Christ that he considered everything else “rubbish.”

We can only imagine what a different world we might have if everyone who claims to be a Christian had the same passion that Paul had in really knowing Christ.

As Christians, our passionate desire should be centered on knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ. What does this kind of ardent passion look like? We first must have an eagerness to know our Savior.

Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and the True Vine. He is the good shepherd who cares for us, guides us and protects us (Psalm 23).

Jesus is the Bread of Life, the bread from heaven that satisfies our spiritual hunger and gives us eternal life (John 6:48-51).

Jesus is the True Vine. He is the one who nourishes us and makes us fruitful (John 15:1-5). He invites us to discover who He is in each of these aspects of His character.

If we have a true passion for the Lord we will demonstrate through our words and deeds a steadfast commitment to our Lord. This enduring dedication will have a strong influence on our finances, workplace activities, friendships, and of course our home and family.

A true passion will be making our top priority knowing Christ and loving Him. When He has first place in our lives, quiet times with Him will be regular and our days will be structured on receiving and obeying instructions from Him.

Finally, any desire that interferes with or supersedes our longing to know the Savior better will be laid aside. Turning away from ungodliness and worldly pleasures will appear to be a small price to pay for the blessings one will receive while walking with God with a passion to know Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 1:8.

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

Help me to have an enthusiastic desire and a firm commitment to know You, my God, with a genuine passion. Help me to keep You in first place in every area of my life. Help me to replace my desires with Yours.

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