GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY JUNE 7, 2014.
PROVERB:
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4: 18-19
PROMISE:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12.
PRAISE:
You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
Psalm 18:28.
June 8, 2014
Missions: June 6, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JUNE 6, 2014.
MISSIONS
DEFINITION:
A group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, especially evangelism in foreign lands and often to establish schools, orphanages, churches and hospitals; also short term programs to assist missionaries and national leaders; and mission projects in their own city or neighborhood.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Christian missions are unique in the aggressive movements of history. Christianity in its pure form has no “axe to grind,” no system to foster, and no profit motivation. Its job is simply to “seek and to save that which is lost.”--- Nothing more, nothing less---. The word missionary means, “One who is sent.” The word missionary, one who is sent, is from the Latin. The word Apostle means the same and is from the Greek.
Typically people think of missionaries as those who God calls to set aside their personal ambitions to go to a foreign land in order to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
The words recorded in Matthew 28:19 (above) were Jesus last commandment to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. These words of Jesus are called the “Great Commission.” Even though it was spoken to His disciples this commandment is for all believers down through the centuries.
We, as believers, have a responsibility to be involved in missions. When we find Jesus as our Savior we have several responsibilities. These include glorifying God in all that we do and to “seek and save that which was lost.” So our mission responsibility is to reach out to those in the world we live in that do not know Jesus and share with them the good news of the gospel.
Our mission field is where we are. Some may go to the deepest jungles of the Amazon and others will be on Main Street in your home town. Whether it is next door or to the farthest corner of the world, we are to go and make disciples. It is not an option but a command to all who call Jesus “Lord.”
We are to share the greatest truth there is with others --- Jesus loves me. We are to be sympathetic to the greatest problem that people face today --- fear. We need to be able to communicate answers for the greatest need that families have today --- love. The exciting news, the greatest promise we have as believers needs to be communicated to all – the return of Christ. And the greatest need that people want answers for today is – security (for today and for eternity).
Our text book is the Bible. The New Testament is a book of missions. The Gospels tell of the mission accomplishments of Jesus. The Acts tell of the missionary endeavors of the Apostles. The disciples were launched into the world, after they completed their training with Jesus, by the power of the resurrection.
Today the need for missions is greater than ever. The world is shrinking in size but expanding in population. We live in a world of conflicting, confusing beliefs and complex problems. But most important is that we live in a world of a dire spiritual need.
On a personal note, several of our grandchildren have gone on short term mission trips. In fact three of our grandchildren will be going with teams this summer. One is going to Ecuador. Two of them are in Dominican Republic, as you read this devotional, sharing the Gospel message in obedience to the Great Commission.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Father, help me to be a shining light in this world of darkness, ready for each and every opportunity to share Your love with those whose spiritual needs are great.
MISSIONS
DEFINITION:
A group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, especially evangelism in foreign lands and often to establish schools, orphanages, churches and hospitals; also short term programs to assist missionaries and national leaders; and mission projects in their own city or neighborhood.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Christian missions are unique in the aggressive movements of history. Christianity in its pure form has no “axe to grind,” no system to foster, and no profit motivation. Its job is simply to “seek and to save that which is lost.”--- Nothing more, nothing less---. The word missionary means, “One who is sent.” The word missionary, one who is sent, is from the Latin. The word Apostle means the same and is from the Greek.
Typically people think of missionaries as those who God calls to set aside their personal ambitions to go to a foreign land in order to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
The words recorded in Matthew 28:19 (above) were Jesus last commandment to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. These words of Jesus are called the “Great Commission.” Even though it was spoken to His disciples this commandment is for all believers down through the centuries.
We, as believers, have a responsibility to be involved in missions. When we find Jesus as our Savior we have several responsibilities. These include glorifying God in all that we do and to “seek and save that which was lost.” So our mission responsibility is to reach out to those in the world we live in that do not know Jesus and share with them the good news of the gospel.
Our mission field is where we are. Some may go to the deepest jungles of the Amazon and others will be on Main Street in your home town. Whether it is next door or to the farthest corner of the world, we are to go and make disciples. It is not an option but a command to all who call Jesus “Lord.”
We are to share the greatest truth there is with others --- Jesus loves me. We are to be sympathetic to the greatest problem that people face today --- fear. We need to be able to communicate answers for the greatest need that families have today --- love. The exciting news, the greatest promise we have as believers needs to be communicated to all – the return of Christ. And the greatest need that people want answers for today is – security (for today and for eternity).
Our text book is the Bible. The New Testament is a book of missions. The Gospels tell of the mission accomplishments of Jesus. The Acts tell of the missionary endeavors of the Apostles. The disciples were launched into the world, after they completed their training with Jesus, by the power of the resurrection.
Today the need for missions is greater than ever. The world is shrinking in size but expanding in population. We live in a world of conflicting, confusing beliefs and complex problems. But most important is that we live in a world of a dire spiritual need.
On a personal note, several of our grandchildren have gone on short term mission trips. In fact three of our grandchildren will be going with teams this summer. One is going to Ecuador. Two of them are in Dominican Republic, as you read this devotional, sharing the Gospel message in obedience to the Great Commission.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Father, help me to be a shining light in this world of darkness, ready for each and every opportunity to share Your love with those whose spiritual needs are great.
Peace: June 5, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JUNE 5, 2014.
PEACE
DEFINITION:
A state of harmony between people or groups; freedom from dissension; a state of tranquility; serenity; freedom from anxiety and stress.
SCRIPTURE:
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In the verse we have written above, Jesus has promised to give us peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not like worldly peace which is usually thought of as the absence of conflict. The peace that Jesus gives is confident assurance no matter what the circumstances or what storm we might have swirling around us.
It is the kind that enabled Jesus to sleep through a fierce storm. Without this assurance of peace we would be like the disciples who were in the same storm as Jesus was, feeling helpless, scared and afraid.
God wants all of His children to access and experience this inner peace that only He can give. To access this we must meet certain requirements that God has given us.
First, we must receive Jesus as our personal Savior. Before we accept Jesus as our Savior we are opposed to God because of our sin. Our redemption changes that and we become a child (adopted) of God. The Bible says that we now (when we are children of God) have peace with God (Romans 5:10) and are members of His family. We are no longer enemies of God. Fear of death, for example, evaporates as we comprehend the glorious truth that we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
A second condition is to believe in God’s sovereignty. In this troubled world, personal safety is a major concern. To combat the fears in our life, the greatest being death, we must trust that God controls all things. Knowing that He is in charge will relieve our anxiety and give us peace.
The third condition we must understand is that God knows our needs and has promised to meet each one (Philippians 4:19). He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. We may not receive all we want, but He will give us whatever is necessary to fulfill His purpose for us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Thank You for bringing me to the right relationship with You so that I might enjoy the peace that only You can give to me each day. May the peace that passes all understanding be my assurance as I share my faith with those who do not know You as their Father and Jesus, Your Son, as their Savior.
PEACE
DEFINITION:
A state of harmony between people or groups; freedom from dissension; a state of tranquility; serenity; freedom from anxiety and stress.
SCRIPTURE:
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
In the verse we have written above, Jesus has promised to give us peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not like worldly peace which is usually thought of as the absence of conflict. The peace that Jesus gives is confident assurance no matter what the circumstances or what storm we might have swirling around us.
It is the kind that enabled Jesus to sleep through a fierce storm. Without this assurance of peace we would be like the disciples who were in the same storm as Jesus was, feeling helpless, scared and afraid.
God wants all of His children to access and experience this inner peace that only He can give. To access this we must meet certain requirements that God has given us.
First, we must receive Jesus as our personal Savior. Before we accept Jesus as our Savior we are opposed to God because of our sin. Our redemption changes that and we become a child (adopted) of God. The Bible says that we now (when we are children of God) have peace with God (Romans 5:10) and are members of His family. We are no longer enemies of God. Fear of death, for example, evaporates as we comprehend the glorious truth that we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
A second condition is to believe in God’s sovereignty. In this troubled world, personal safety is a major concern. To combat the fears in our life, the greatest being death, we must trust that God controls all things. Knowing that He is in charge will relieve our anxiety and give us peace.
The third condition we must understand is that God knows our needs and has promised to meet each one (Philippians 4:19). He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. We may not receive all we want, but He will give us whatever is necessary to fulfill His purpose for us.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Thank You for bringing me to the right relationship with You so that I might enjoy the peace that only You can give to me each day. May the peace that passes all understanding be my assurance as I share my faith with those who do not know You as their Father and Jesus, Your Son, as their Savior.
Hurts: June 4, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 4, 2014.
HURTS
DEFINITION:
To cause bodily injury or pain; to suffer bodily or mental pain or distress.
SCRIPTURE:
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be compassionate and humble. I Peter 3:8
When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless. Matthew 9:36.
Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry.” Matthew 15:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The age that we live in could not be described as an age of compassion and sensitivity toward the needs of others. Instead we are living in what we might call the “ME” generation where people are only concerned about themselves. So when someone is hurt, no one really cares. We have developed a veneer of hardness to our fellow man.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.”
Much of our world today is calloused and indifferent towards mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that many people have never experienced a new birth. The love of God has never shed abroad in their hearts. One big concern is that many people speak of a social gospel, which we believe is really not what it infers, and totally ignore the redemptive Gospel.
The truth is that there is only one gospel and that is that we must be redeemed, made right with God before we can be sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love our fellow men and have empathy for their hurts as we ought.
As believers we are Christ’s representatives and we are given the mission to spread His message of salvation. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God was making His appeal through us.
An ambassador is an authorized messenger or representative. If we are to effectively represent Christ and carry His message of salvation and reconciliation to those who are lost and hurting we must show genuine concern for them.
To show genuine concern requires more than words. We must act on it as Jesus did. When He saw the hungry He fed them. When He saw the sick and the crippled He healed them. When He saw those in sorrow He comforted them. Just as Jesus had compassion on the hurting so should we.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Help me to feel another person’s hurt and be concerned so that I may shed the light of Your love in a caring way.
HURTS
DEFINITION:
To cause bodily injury or pain; to suffer bodily or mental pain or distress.
SCRIPTURE:
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be compassionate and humble. I Peter 3:8
When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless. Matthew 9:36.
Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry.” Matthew 15:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The age that we live in could not be described as an age of compassion and sensitivity toward the needs of others. Instead we are living in what we might call the “ME” generation where people are only concerned about themselves. So when someone is hurt, no one really cares. We have developed a veneer of hardness to our fellow man.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.”
Much of our world today is calloused and indifferent towards mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that many people have never experienced a new birth. The love of God has never shed abroad in their hearts. One big concern is that many people speak of a social gospel, which we believe is really not what it infers, and totally ignore the redemptive Gospel.
The truth is that there is only one gospel and that is that we must be redeemed, made right with God before we can be sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love our fellow men and have empathy for their hurts as we ought.
As believers we are Christ’s representatives and we are given the mission to spread His message of salvation. He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God was making His appeal through us.
An ambassador is an authorized messenger or representative. If we are to effectively represent Christ and carry His message of salvation and reconciliation to those who are lost and hurting we must show genuine concern for them.
To show genuine concern requires more than words. We must act on it as Jesus did. When He saw the hungry He fed them. When He saw the sick and the crippled He healed them. When He saw those in sorrow He comforted them. Just as Jesus had compassion on the hurting so should we.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Help me to feel another person’s hurt and be concerned so that I may shed the light of Your love in a caring way.
Pessimism: June 3, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JUNE 3, 2014.
PESSIMISM
DEFINITION:
Tending to see only what is disadvantaged or gloomy; to anticipate the worst outcome; a philosophy that evil will ultimately triumph over good.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Pessimists are gloomy. Cartoonists draw a gloomy person with a dark cloud over their head. This is just how it is for pessimists. They only see the dark cloud and miss the silver lining. Pessimists anticipate and see only bad outcomes.
Modern writers depict the pessimism of our time and many of them just throw up their hands in despair and say, “There is no answer to man’s dilemma.”
When we go back a few generations and look what writers were saying, we are reminded of Hemingway saying, “I live in a vacuum that is lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead and there is no current to plug into.” For our generation that would be like the TV cable going out.
Eugene O’Neill in the book, “Long Day’s Journey into Night” typifies the philosophical attitude of his day when he wrote, “Life’s only meaning is death.”
Godlessness generates pessimism. Pessimism is the philosophy that evil ultimately triumph over good. That is certainly a gloomy thought. Thanks to God, our loving Father who created us, there is a silver lining. God, who is only good, will triumph over evil and the source of all evil which is Satan, the great deceiver.
Satan only has power temporarily. He will meet his doom. Just as we must read the last chapter of a book to find out the ending, we have only to read the last book in the Bible to find out Satan’s fate. Revelation 21:10 reveals that what waits for Satan is that he will be “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” and “will be tormented day and night forever.”
Jesus triumphed over sin and death for us so that all who believe in Him by accepting Jesus as their Savior will be forgiven of all their sins and have eternal life. This is the hope we have as believers and it is an anchor for our soul that is firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).
We say to these two men, Hemingway and O’Neill who have already passed on, that there is more to life than death. There is more to life than a radio tube that needs to be plugged in. Jesus taught us the dignity and importance of being a person not being controlled by pessimism. We have often heard that a pessimist looks at a half glass of water and says it is half empty. An optimist will say it is half full. What do you say?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Your love for me, heavenly Father, transcends the hopelessness of this life that so many face and gives me a purpose to live that I so desperately need.
PESSIMISM
DEFINITION:
Tending to see only what is disadvantaged or gloomy; to anticipate the worst outcome; a philosophy that evil will ultimately triumph over good.
SCRIPTURE:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Pessimists are gloomy. Cartoonists draw a gloomy person with a dark cloud over their head. This is just how it is for pessimists. They only see the dark cloud and miss the silver lining. Pessimists anticipate and see only bad outcomes.
Modern writers depict the pessimism of our time and many of them just throw up their hands in despair and say, “There is no answer to man’s dilemma.”
When we go back a few generations and look what writers were saying, we are reminded of Hemingway saying, “I live in a vacuum that is lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead and there is no current to plug into.” For our generation that would be like the TV cable going out.
Eugene O’Neill in the book, “Long Day’s Journey into Night” typifies the philosophical attitude of his day when he wrote, “Life’s only meaning is death.”
Godlessness generates pessimism. Pessimism is the philosophy that evil ultimately triumph over good. That is certainly a gloomy thought. Thanks to God, our loving Father who created us, there is a silver lining. God, who is only good, will triumph over evil and the source of all evil which is Satan, the great deceiver.
Satan only has power temporarily. He will meet his doom. Just as we must read the last chapter of a book to find out the ending, we have only to read the last book in the Bible to find out Satan’s fate. Revelation 21:10 reveals that what waits for Satan is that he will be “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” and “will be tormented day and night forever.”
Jesus triumphed over sin and death for us so that all who believe in Him by accepting Jesus as their Savior will be forgiven of all their sins and have eternal life. This is the hope we have as believers and it is an anchor for our soul that is firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).
We say to these two men, Hemingway and O’Neill who have already passed on, that there is more to life than death. There is more to life than a radio tube that needs to be plugged in. Jesus taught us the dignity and importance of being a person not being controlled by pessimism. We have often heard that a pessimist looks at a half glass of water and says it is half empty. An optimist will say it is half full. What do you say?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.
To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
PRAYER:
Your love for me, heavenly Father, transcends the hopelessness of this life that so many face and gives me a purpose to live that I so desperately need.
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