Barometer: August 25, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 25, 2017.

BAROMETER

DEFINITION:

Things wished or longed for; want; a longing for something to be obtained that will bring satisfaction.

SCRIPTURE:

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

One of our favorite passages in the Psalms is found in Psalm 37:1-8 and we will share a few thoughts from this passage with you today.

Verse 4 gives us an awesome promise. “He will give you the desires of your heart if you delight yourself in the Lord.” Many Christians do not read the verses around verse 4 as to the conditions God gives us to receive them. To understand the scope of the Lord’s awesome promise, it is important for us to explore the conditions He set for us in these few verses.

In verse 1 God instructs us not to fret about “evildoers” or envy them. Clearly said we are not to be consumed with the success of unrighteous people. God will deal with them. Our responsibility is to watch our own actions and stop worrying about what others are doing.

In verse 3 God instructs us to trust in the Lord, do good and to cultivate faithfulness. God desires that we grow and mature in our faith and put our trust in Him to be responsible for everything in life that is important to us. Trusting in the Lord means submitting our lives, our families, our jobs and all our possessions to His control and guidance. We must let go and let God be in control.

In verse 4 we are clearly told to delight in the Lord. We are to seek His desires. If we truly follow and pursue God’s good pleasure our own desires will fall right into place with God’s purpose for us. We will desire to read His Word. We will desire to pray. We will desire to worship Him and sing praises to Him.

In verse 5 we are told to commit our way unto the Lord and trust Him. When we focus our steps on His path we will know we are heading in the right direction. God will not bless our sinful missteps. Our purpose is to seek His will for our life and faithfully follow His path.

And finally in verse 7 God calls us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. God’s timing is perfect but constantly we try to rush ahead of Him. When it comes to your desires are you frustrated by God’s seemingly lack of response? Psalm 37:1-8 will bring you into line with what He desires for you if you read it, remember it, live by it and wait on the Lord. God desires only what is best for you.

In summary if you want God to give you the desires of your heart you must not fret, trust in the Lord, delight in Him, commit your ways to Him, and rest in Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

PRAYER:

Help me to learn not to fret but instead to trust in You, delight in You and to commit my ways unto You. And then help me to rest and wait on You knowing that in Your perfect timing You will meet my every need.

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Barometer: August 24, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 24, 2017.

BAROMETER

DEFINITION:

An instrument that indicates or measures changes in atmospheric pressure; It can be used to predict weather.

SCRIPTURE:

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with the childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. I Corinthians 13:11-12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

A barometer is a fascinating instrument to many people. A good barometer enables meteorologists to forecast short term changes in the weather in advance. When the barometer pressure drops it is an indication of rain. Rises in barometer pressure indicate improving weather conditions.

From time to time we need to measure our physical maturity. There are tools to measure many things in life. We can check our weight with a scale and our height with a tape measure.

We also need a barometer to measure our spiritual maturity. When someone becomes a child of God, making their decision to accept Jesus as their Savior, he or she becomes a new born babe and like a child must grow to maturity. As a child we think and reason like a child. The same thinking and reasoning comes to one who is a new believer in Jesus. He is like a new born child and must grow in his or her knowledge of God.

As we grow in our Christian life we should be maturing in our understanding of God and His Word, the Bible. The apostle Paul tells us in his second book to the Corinthians that we are to aim for perfection in the spiritual maturing of our faith.

There is no barometer to measure our spiritual maturity. There are, however, three things we can look at in order to take a measurement of our spiritual growth in our new-found faith.

First, what are our desires? Do we look at the pleasures of this world as we did before we accepted Jesus as our Savior? What about our hunger to read and study God’s Word?

Secondly, what is our understanding concerning the spiritual things in our life? Do we see life from God’s perspective as it is written in the Bible? Do trials and temptations that come our way become opportunities for spiritual growth and service for our Lord or stumbling blocks that trip us up and cause us to backslide into our old way of life?

Finally, what is the status of our selflessness? Are we submissive to the Lord when He speaks to us and do we listen to our conscience when it warns us of what is right and what is wrong? Do we pray and ask for God to show us what He wants us to do? Are we more concerned about others rather than ourselves?

Christian maturity requires us too thoughtfully and prayerfully to measure the disciplines of our daily Godly habits. These disciplines should include a time that we increase our knowledge of God by reading the Bible and drawing close to Him by communicating to God through prayer.

We can be sure that Satan will test the strength and endurance of our faith in the Lord with trials of many kinds. We don’t really know the depth of our faith until it has been put to the test. James says in James 1:4 that the testing of our faith develops endurance and makes us mature and complete.

We need mature faith to endure the trials and temptations that come our way. Remember, ENDURANCE REQUIRES PATIENCE!

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

PRAYER:

Help me to continually grow in my spiritual maturity daily. Make it evident to me the things I must change in my life that hinder my spiritual growth. May Your Holy Spirit and Your Word work in me so that I may grow daily working toward perfection in my love for You.

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Abundance: August 23, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017.

ABUNDANCE

DEFINITION:

Plentiful; an over sufficient amount of supply; wealth; overflowing fullness.

SCRIPTURE:

To those who use well what is given them, even more will be given, and they will have abundance. Matthew 25:29.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It is written in John 10:10 that He (Jesus) came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. As Christians we have in the Lord an abundance of wealth to draw upon each day in order for us to have an abundant life. God has given us the promise that if we live according to His standards and guidelines He will give us an abundant life to live.

The Lord has given us through His Holy Spirit the fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And we have an abundance of these fruits available to us if we open up our heart to the Lord and let His Holy Spirit direct us daily. There is no limit to what God can do through us because He is a God of abundance.

We have been so very fortunate because we believe that we have lived in the best of times. God has allowed us to have an “ABUNDANCE OF THINGS” in our lifetime, far more than we have deserved. When you stop to compare what our parents and grand-parents had compared to what we have had it is staggering. Our great grandparents and even some grandparents never had indoor plumbing, running water, air conditioning, automobiles, microwaves, television, or telephones. Then our parents never had computers, cell phones, jet airplanes (until they were older), naming a few. Compared to what many in this world have we are wealthy by their standards.

We were able to accomplish so much more than our parents and grandparents mainly because of all the technology advances. We were given talents just like our parents but because of technology God expected more from us.

We are so much more aware of the needs worldwide than ever before. Television and the internet brings news right into our home as it is happening. The reality of disasters and tragedies that we may never have known about years ago are with us as it happens. Advances in transportation have “shrunk” the world so we are able to get help to those in need in the far corners of the world almost overnight.

God has blessed so many of us with abundance, but with it He has given us the responsibility to use it well. Jesus said in Luke 12:48: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” The more resources and knowledge we have, the more responsibility we have to use it effectively and wisely.

We are thankful for the abundance we enjoy even today. God has blessed us by giving us the mind set to invest our abundance wisely. We have always endeavored to use the talents, time and treasures He has given us wisely. We thank God daily for all that He has blessed us with. We never want it to be taken for granted. We know that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). We encourage you to take the time daily to thank God for the abundance God has given you.

One great example is the computer you have to receive this devotional as well as other helpful information. It was not many years ago that this would have not been possible.

Take a moment today and look at our web site: www.thehungersolution.org and consider partnering with us in one or more of our mission outreaches. We are sure it will bless you as it does us daily.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

PRAYER:

It is my prayer today that You would give me an abundance of the fruits of the Spirit that only You can give through Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for all that You have given me. It is my prayer that I might now use wisely what You give me so abundantly so that I may honor You and spread the good news of the gospel to a hurting world.

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Encourager: August 22, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017.

ENCOURAGER

DEFINITION:

One who helps, consoles, or strengthens. One who instills courage or insurance in another person.

SCRIPTURE:

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them and You listen to their cry. Psalm 10:17

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Discouragement comes to all of us from time to time. When we get discouraged we have a choice as believers. If we focus on our difficult circumstance and negative feelings we can easily be drawn into despair and depression. If we fix our eyes on Jesus in our time of discouragement, God will lift us up and set us free.

Our great encourager is God. A key element in overcoming discouragement is having a personal understanding of who God is and having a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. How does this happen, you may ask? We learn about God through reading the Bible daily and meditating (studying) what you have read and praying daily to your Heavenly Father. Psalm 10:17 tells us that God not only hears our cry but listens to our desire when we are down and out and He will encourage us.

We often listen to Dr. Charles Stanley on television. We also have read several of his books. He has given us a list of ten attributes of God that make Him our great encourager. They are:

•    Merciful: God feels compassion for us and is our Father of mercies.

•    Omnipresent: We are never out of God’s reach. In times of loneliness and rejection, we are not alone.

•    Omnipotent: Our Lord has all power and governs everything so He can handle with ease any problem we may face.

•    Omniscient: God possesses all knowledge. He has all wisdom to handle our every situation. He is able to give perfect guidance.

•    Gracious: We do not deserve His grace but He knows we are not perfect. He graciously disciplines and corrects us so we will not continue on a path that could ruin our lives.

•    Patient: God is willing to wait until we are ready to obey Him. His goal is to give us spiritual growth.

•    Wise: The Lord’s judgments are unsearchable and His ways are unfathomable. He knows the future and what is best for us and will guide us to that point.

•    Faithful: Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful. What He promises He will do. We may walk away from God but God does not walk away from us.

•    Good: He is the giver of good things and He is the one that determines what is good. He allows trials because He uses them to change us and then mold us to conform to Christ’s likeness.

•    Unchanging: The God of the Old Testament is the same One we worship today. He is just as faithful to us as He was to Abraham.

God encourages us through His Word, through prayer, through songs of praise, through other believer’s and with His presence no matter where we are or what we are doing or how deep we have fallen into despair. Be encouraged. You are not alone. God is always by your side to lift you up and encourage your troubled heart.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

PRAYER:

Keep me encouraged every day so I can acknowledge and appreciate all the good things You provide for me. Thank You for the assurance You give us in Your Word that we are never alone for You will never leave or forsake those that love You.

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Deceit: August 21, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 21, 2017.

DECEIT

DEFINITION:

Misrepresentation of the truth; intentional concealment; fraud; cheating; misleading; untruthful.

SCRIPTURE:

He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in My presence. Psalm 101:7

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When you carefully look at the definitions of the word deceit, as we have given above, you will see that it includes the misrepresentation of the truth and the intentional concealment of a wrong.

For many people today misrepresenting the truth and concealing a wrong is a way of life and they never consider this to be a sin against God. We need to remind you, dear friend, that when you misrepresent the truth or conceal a wrong it is deceit and in God’s sight a sin.

The ninth commandment of the Ten Commandments reads, “You shall not give false testimony.”

Breaking any of God’s commandments is a sin. As a result of the sinful nature in all of us, deceit runs rampant in our society. Think about what you say and do every day. Are you honoring God by your words and deeds? The only way a believer in Christ can conquer some of the deceit in their life is to study God’s Word daily and live according to His commandments. For many it is a complete change of life from before they had accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Take the time to evaluate what you see and hear every day from those you make contact. Are their words and actions not true or true? How does that affect your opinion of that person? Then go back and think about yourself. Is there cheating, misleading, lying and fraud in your life? And if so do you think that it affects people’s opinion of you?

If you have any doubt whether there is deceit in your life or in your family’s lives, then take just one day and watch and weigh every one of your words and actions. Then take the time to listen and watch your family, friends and neighbors. You will be surprised to see how much deceit, cheating, misleading and untruthfulness surrounds you every day. It is so commonplace that people just accept it without giving it much thought.

What is hard to understand is that we, as believers, all know when we are not being truthful so any act of deceit is often done deliberately and consciously. Our hearts, even as believers, can become hardened to the sin of deceit.

In addition, when you watch television, read the magazines and newspapers all that you will see and hear is an undercurrent of lies, cheating and evil things. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in.

Parents lie to and mislead their children. Children lie and mislead their parents. Teachers and bosses lie and spouses lie to each other. Some might say that they do not lie but that they just stretch the truth a little. Some say it is just a little white lie. But in God’s sight there are no little white lies. Even stretching the truth is a lie in God’s sight. God does not color code our lies. A lie is a lie in God’s sight whether it is large or small.

Lying is deceitful and misleading and basically happens when one is either trying to cover up a mistake, a failure in life or just making oneself look good. Living, as we all do, in this “ME” generation today, people will do and say what they think puts them in a more favorable position with no consideration of anyone else. Thus, a lie or some deceitful comment in order to complete a task or to make one just feel better seems to be in order and considered proper, until one gets caught.

Unfortunately, there are those that call themselves Christians who are deceitful. They perform the same way as a non-believer because they are not in tune with God. In God’s sight this is sin and not acceptable. The Psalmist in the verse that we have written above makes it very clear as to how God feels about deceit. God is truth and deceit and truth cannot dwell together in God’s kingdom.

When a person has a deceit problem they will not dwell in the house of the Lord and will not be in the presence of God. The Psalmist also tells us in Psalms 32:2 that, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” God blesses those who are truthful and who have confessed their sins and received God’s forgiveness for their sins.

Being deceitful in God’s sight has very serious consequences. The scriptures tell us that if we are deceitful we will not dwell in HIS HOUSE! WOW! This is serious because it affects one’s whole eternity. We need to understand that our deceit hurts God and it is not acceptable in His sight.

It is also written in Proverbs 12:20 that “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.” As Christians we can have joy in our hearts if we do not practice deceit. It is impossible to live a life of joy and be deceitful. When we lie we have to live with stress because of our concern of being caught. It is important to be honest in all that we do. We will often fail and when we do we need to ask God at that time to forgive us.

Our children are watching us along with our family, neighbors and those at our workplace and church. What kind of an image do you leave in their minds? Is God being honored through your truthful words and honest deeds?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:1

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

PRAYER:

Help me today to get rid of any deceit in my life. May others always see Christ through me and take away from me all thoughts and actions that may be dishonest, misleading or deceitful to You as well as to those we see every day.

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