Ability: August 11, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 11, 2017.

ABILITY

DEFINITION:

Having the means or power to be or to act; intelligence; competence; skill; giftedness.

SCRIPTURE:

And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. Matthew 25:15

If anyone speaks he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves he should do it as with the strength which God provides so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. I Peter 4:11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It is a great concern to us today that we see so many young people with great abilities that basically seem to be lazy and not doing anything to use their God given abilities. The same is happening with older people. Where is the drive that so many people had in the past to succeed?

When we think of the word ability we are reminded of three distinct types of people we have known and worked with over the years.

There was a person that comes to mind that worked with us in the ministry God had blessed us with some 30 years ago. This person was not doing the job that was expected of him and other people in the ministry thought, as we did, that he could do much better. But after several conversations with him and additional training that we offered him, he never improved.

The reason he did not improve became very clear to us. He was happy in his comfort zone coming to work every day and doing just enough to get by and then going home. He had great ability but never seemed to have the desire to take advantage of the abilities God gave him. Do you know people like this?

Secondly, we have known others that seemed to us to have limited ability. They worked hard at every task given them and made sure that what they did was done beyond what was expected despite of their limited ability. These people were a joy to work with because they always gave 100% and did their very best.

And finally, we have also worked with people that always had the attitude that they could do anything and do it better than others. Many times, they overestimated their ability and could not produce what they said they could. These people never would agree that they did not produce what was expected of them. In their mind, they had excelled.

We have shared with you three types of people. Those that have great ability and do not use what God has given them. Those who may have great ability or little ability but they always work over and above what was expected of them and excelled in what they accomplished. And finally, you have the person who talks the talk, saying nothing is impossible for him to accomplish, but cannot walk his talk. Those who talk big often accomplish little.

In the verse we have put above from Matthew we read part of the parable that Jesus preached about talents. It was very evident, as you read this parable, that Jesus knew that there were those that had more ability than others. In this parable Jesus makes it clear that He expects us to use wisely whatever talents He has given us to the best of our ability. What counts with God is not how much we have to offer Him but about how well we serve Him with what we have.

In his writing to the church at Corinth (II Corinthians 8:3) Paul commended the church at Macedonia for their sacrificial giving in spite of their deep poverty. They did not have much but they gave according to their ability and YES, they gave beyond their ability. We learn from this that it is pleasing to God when we give back to Him beyond our ability.

Some people say they have no abilities or special talents that the Lord could use. This is not true. Everyone has some ability. In I Peter 4:6-11 Peter lists things that everyone has the ability to do. We all can show love to one another, be hospitable to one another, serve one another and speak the Words of God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Chronicles 16:25:

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

PRAYER:

Thank you for the abilities You have given me and help me to be faithful in using them to show love to others on Your behalf. Help me to be able to train my children to love You and use their abilities in serving You.

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Self-Rejection: August 10, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 10, 2017.

SELF-REJECTION

DEFINITION:

The feeling of not being wanted as imperfect or unwanted; a low self-esteem.

SCRIPTURE:

Therefore accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Romans 15:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Having watched on television and hearing on the radio as well as reading in newspapers of the mistreatment of children in the world today, we realized that many children, youth and adults are dealing with self-rejection because they have been rejected by their families. With that thought in mind we want to share a few thoughts with you today from God’s Word.

It is a known fact that children wounded by abuse when a child can be scarred for life. Even mild hurts can fester and affect relationships and one’s self-image. Self-rejection can usually be traced to being felt unaccepted and unloved by someone close at a young age.

There are several evidences to look for in a person who is suffering from self-rejection. When a person has difficulty accepting himself as important they have a tendency to criticize others. Innocent comments are often misconstrued as personal attacks on the person feeling rejected. Feelings of inferiority often lead to fear of failure and criticism which can lead to procrastination and lack of drive.

Another outcome of self-rejection is unpredictable anger. People who are hurt or feel rejected find themselves easily frustrated. They become loners and are constantly overly concerned about others’ opinions.

One may ask how to conquer the feeling of self-rejection. The scriptures give us several solutions for us to consider.

First, we need to develop a sense of belonging as is written in Romans 8:15-17. Christians are members of our heavenly Father’s family. Since we are a member of God’s family we are told that God will never desert us nor will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5).

Secondly, we must develop a sense of self-worth. God created us and what God creates is never worthless. Not only did God create us, but He loves each one of us so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Our value does not change with circumstances. Our value is based on God’s infinite and unchanging love.

And finally, we must have a sense of competence. Romans 8:11 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. We cannot live a successful Christian life on our own. But when we are obedient to God’s Word the Holy Spirit guides us and enables us to be victorious in all things. We can trust Him to give us the victory over all feelings of self-rejection.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Chronicles 16:25:

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

PRAYER:

Help me to overcome all my feelings of self-rejection in my life. Help me to develop a sense of belonging to Your family, a sense of worth based on Your unchanging love and a sense of competence by the assurance the Holy Spirit is guiding my every step.

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Trouble: August 9, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 9, 2017.

TROUBLE

DEFINITION:

Annoy; disturbed mentally or physically; worried; discomfort; distress; a cause or source of affliction.

SCRIPTURE:

The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead. Proverbs 11:8.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. Psalm 22:11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Life is not without its trouble. Even good people, yes, even those who are following the Lord are not exempt from problems and troubles. Many people today are running from some sort of trouble. Most of the trouble that they are running from was caused by their own actions. We cannot forget that we are living in an evil society where so often anything goes in life.

In life we have the opportunity to choose one of two paths. The first choice we have is known as the path of righteousness. The second choice is the path of wickedness. Neither path is trouble free. To walk the path of righteousness you have to make a choice to follow Jesus. To walk the path of wickedness you need not do anything. Choosing not to follow Jesus keeps you on the path of wickedness. Since we were all born in sin we will walk in sin until we meet our Savior.

In Proverbs 34:18-19 it reads that the Lord is close to the broken-hearted. A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord is able and willing to deliver him from them all. The wicked because of their own sinful ways bring more and more trouble upon themselves.

David was no stranger to trouble and suffering even though he was righteous. In Psalm 22:11 (above), he recognized that God was the one and only one that could deliver him from trouble. He called on God to be near to him because he recognized that no one else could help him.

When you make your decisions based on what you want to do, you will find that there is no right or wrong. Everything you choose to do will seem right in your own eyes. This is how trouble begins in one’s life.

There are so many troubles that we face in life and the only way we can overcome these troubles is to count on God being our source of help. When troubles overwhelm us our faith can waver and we may even begin to doubt God. This is just what Satan wants us to do. To strengthen our faith we must keep our eyes on Jesus and focus on His power and not on our own inadequacies.

Psalm 60:11-12 clearly states the promise given to us by God, “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain victory, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Real help in times of trouble comes only from God. When a situation seems out of control from a human perspective we can trust God to do mighty things if we call on Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Chronicles 16:25:

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

PRAYER:

My prayer is that You will stay close to me and give me victory over the troubles of this evil world. Thank You for the assurance from Your Word that You will be with me in times of trouble and that You have the power to deliver me from trouble.

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Risks: August 8, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 8, 2017.

RISKS

DEFINITION:

A hazard or dangerous chance; exposure to the chance of defeat, injury or loss.

SCRIPTURE:

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. Joshua 1:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the first chapter of Joshua God has given one of the greatest, if not the greatest, pep talk in all of scripture. Moses had just died and Joshua was very concerned if he could handle the leadership of the Children of Israel especially entering the Promised Land in a military action that would surely involve significant risks. Joshua knew from Moses that the Children of Israel were stubborn and rebellious and difficult to lead. But Joshua was God’s choice thus the pep talk to Joshua and what God said to Joshua is so good for us today.

Joshua was unsettled about facing a strong hostile army. But the Lord knew that Joshua could handle the responsibility and spoke words of encouragement to him that still rings true today.

First of all, have you ever thought what would have happened if Joshua had refused this assignment given to him by God. The nation of Israel possibly would have continued just wandering in the desert with no one to lead them and nowhere to go. There was also the possibility that they would turn back and return to Egypt to live in slavery. But Joshua was a man of great faith and courage, and he boldly responded to the call of God and took up the responsibility that God was giving him.

Joshua had a lot on his plate. Between the Israelites and the Promised land stood two formidable obstacles, the Jordan river and the fortified city of Jericho. Humanly speaking, to surmount these obstacles would put their very lives at great risk.

Joshua, first of all, had to get all the Israelites (scholars calculated there were at least 2.5 million people, including women and children) and in addition all their livestock and belongings safely across the Jordan river. Then he had to conquer the large city of Jericho whose walls were 25 feet high and 20 feet thick.

With God’s help, Joshua led the people across the Jordan river, conquered not only Jericho but the rest of the Promised land. Joshua was successful because he trusted God and obeyed all that God told him to do.

Like Joshua, we face daily obstacles that seem to push our faith to the breaking point. But it seems that when we face adversity at its strongest, God strengthens our faith (James 1:2-4). When we refuse to follow Him into risky situations, the results can be devastating to our spiritual growth. Consider these 5 consequences of disobedience:

•    You will never become the person that God wants you to be.
•    You limit your usefulness to the Lord.
•    You will live a life of rationalized disobedience.
•    You will be governed by fear rather than by faith.
•    You risk not only losing rewards in heaven but also blessings on earth.

The Lord is trustworthy and we need to be careful not to refuse God’s call. Whatever His plan is for your life, be assured He will see you safely through every ordeal just like He did for Joshua, but we must trust in God and be strong and courageous in our faith.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Chronicles 16:25:

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

PRAYER:

Teach me not to limit what You want me to accomplish for Your sake. Help me to be a risk taker for You. Enable me to be strong and courageous as I step out in faith to be obedient to Your Word and do all You command me to do.

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Why: August 7, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 7, 2017.

WHY

DEFINITION:

For what cause or reason.

SCRIPTURE:

You of little faith, He said, why did you doubt? Matthew 14:31

He said to them, why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your mind? Luke 24:38.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

“WHY” is a question Jesus asked His disciples. Jesus, who knows all of our thoughts, knew when His disciples had doubts and He asked them the question, “Why?” “Why” is a good question and serves a good purpose: it makes us search for truth and God is the source for all truth.

We ask you today, “Why do you waver in your faith?” and “Why do you doubt?” Many wonderful people who are believers are up one day and down another day when it comes to the strength of their faith. That is not what God desires for believers in Him. Genuine faith is the confident conviction that God will do what He promised and He promised to be with us at all times, so “WHY” waver and doubt?

When we take our eyes off of Jesus and start looking at our circumstances, our confidence in our Lord will start to wobble. Let us assure you that all of us will face times when our faith will wobble because the Lord will test our faith in order to make it stronger.

When we start doubting, we are driven and tossed about like the surf of the sea. In the first chapter of James it reads that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. To be double-minded is to go back and forth in our thinking. We may begin a day full of confidence in the Lord but when we are faced with a difficult situation and our faith wavers. The question is WHY? Or are we only willing to trust God for the little things?

For some people, this is doubting and for others questioning. Questioning is seeking to gain further information and knowledge that enables us to understand what we are hearing from the Lord. Doubting, on the other hand leads us to believe God can only do what we think is possible based on our own limited abilities and experience. Doubting makes us forget how great is God’s power. God’s power is not limited by our small perspective of what is humanly possible. We must remember that with God nothing is impossible. Matthew 19:26

There are reasons we doubt. Threatening conditions cause our faith to waver. Sometimes we allow our feelings to overcome our faith. Or we listen at times to negative counsel that goes against our faith in God.

We also may be ignorant of God’s ways because we are not reading the scriptures and praying, so how can God communicate with us? We also may feel so much guilt over our past sins that we consider ourselves hopelessly lost in sin. Doubt causes us to listen to the devil. Doubt is Satan’s tool. He used doubt to entice Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden Genesis 3:7.

When you begin to waver in your faith and wonder why, ask yourself these questions: Where does my doubt come from? Has God ever failed me in the past? Didn’t the Lord in Philippians 4:19 promise to meet all my needs, not just some? Didn’t God promise me in Hebrews 13:5 to be with me all the time? And finally, is there anything too difficult for God?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Chronicles 16:25:

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.

PRAYER:

I pray that You would increase my faith daily and keep me from doubting or wavering in what I believe. Teach me to grow in my love for You and my understanding of Your Word.

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