MAY ARCHIVES
May 1st
R – Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles 1:1-4 Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Sometimes people feel insignificant. They get the woe is me syndrome. In fact
just the other day as I was talking with someone I care very much about and they
said something about “all the people that are somebody.” I told them, “you are
somebody.” They said, “I mean somebody that people would miss if they were
gone.” I quickly said that I would miss them if they were gone. To which the
reply was, “I mean someone who makes a difference, someone who people would
really miss if they were gone like a president.” I said that even a president is
replaceable and that he was no more important that they were. Well, as you can
imagine this discussion went back and forth for a bit and I am still not sure
they understood what I was trying to say. You do not have to be a president or
famous to be important. In the list of names in the first four verses of first
Chronicles is a list of names. We recognize Adam right away. He was the first
man ever alive. He is mentioned twenty seven times in the Bible as is his son
Seth. But what about Enosh, which is also written as Enos? Or Kenan, who is also
written as Cainan? They are both in the Bible eight times, six of which are in
Genesis chapters four and five where they tell of them being born, being
fathers, and dieing. Another man you might look at is Lamech the father of Noah?
You would think that this man would be in the Bible a bunch. He is the father of
the man that built the Ark. NOPE! Only seven times and five of those are in
Genesis five when it tells of him being born, fathering Noah, and dieing. But
think on this for just one second. If any of these three men did not exist,
Enosh also called Enos, Kenan also called Cainan, or Lamech the father of Noah,
You would not be reading this. Why? Noah and his family were the only ones God
spared from the flood. Without these men there would have been no Noah. Sure,
there are no glaring stories of their lives and no books named after them. But
they are very important to all of us. Just as you are to so many others and also
to God.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
The next time you are getting to feeling like you are not worth much and nobody cares remember these men. Also remember this. God sent His son Jesus to die just for you and your sins. You matter very much to God. And He matters most.
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May 2nd
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
In the midst of our reading today we have what is considered now to be a famous prayer. Referred to as the Jabez Prayer. Oddly enough there is very little known about the man that said the prayer. All of what the Bible tells us is written in these two verses. There is one other verse in First Chronicles chapter two verse fifty-five which calls a city by this same name. And we are not sure if that city was named after him or before him as the Bible also gives us no real definite indication of his date of birth or time in which he lives. We believe because of where it is in the Bible that we have an idea. But it is all speculation. So what do we know of this man? He lived and he died. How do we know that? This verse says he was born. And no one on earth today is recorded as being thousands of years old. He believed in the one true God. How do we know that? That one and only God answered his prayers. He was also considered to be an honorable man as it says in verse nine. There seems to have been some sorrow associated with him. Whether this sorrow was in the birth of Jabez or the environment in which he was born we don’t really know. He could possibly have been born in captivity which brought about sorrow. We also know he believed in the power of prayer. This now famous prayer was not only offered up to God, but somehow was recorded in a book that was meant to keep records of royal lineage. That is some powerful praying. We also know he desired to please God and to be a blessing to others by what he prayed for. There is possibly more that could be written about Jabez, but that was not the purpose of this devotion. So what is the purpose you might be asking? It’s simply this. If your best friend was going to describe you in seventy two words, what would the world know of you in two thousand years from now?
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
What we think of Jabez today is wrapped up in the God that he called on and the answer he received. Oh that our life might be measured by our relationship with God.
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May 3rd
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles 6:31-32
And these are they whom David
set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark
had rest. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of
the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD
in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their
order.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
I heard someone once say, You should not have to plan a real worship service. If it is real worship then it should just come from the heart and happen. Sounds good, seems like that would make for a great worship service. But what if your heart wants to sing while my heart wants to preach. What if you feel it is time to give praise and testimony while others sense a time to quietly pray to the Lord. All these things have a place in worship. Prayer, testimonies and praise, the preaching of Gods word, and singing. But the Bible also says in First Corinthians fourteen verse forty that all things should be decently and in order. Planning a worship service that creates an atmosphere of worship in which the Holy Spirit can work in is no accident. If you are enjoying a time of personal praise and worship, you can allow the Spirit to lead you as you desire. But for corporate worship it takes careful planning. David made such plans here in the Old Testament as he assigned people to sing in the temple. Later we hear of others that had different ministries within the worship of the Lord. Having a plan or a vision for what is to come does not forbid the Holy Spirit from working and moving within the congregation. Nor does it block out the Lord from working in your personal life if you make plans. I plan every morning to get up and spend some quiet time with God. Occasionally God will have other plans for my morning, but most often He meets me right where I planned to be with Him. Planning only shuts out God when we leave no room for Him or plan things that He can’t bless. When we go places or do things He would not be part of our fellowship with Him is hindered. Plan your days with Jesus and let Him plan your life.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
If you were to look at tomorrow’s schedule, do you have any pre-planned time that you have already set aside to spend with God? If yes, wonderful. If not, why not give this a try. It will make your days, weeks, months and even years go better than you ever could imagine.
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May 4th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles
9:2
Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were,
the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
In this verse the people are just beginning to come back to dwell in Jerusalem after their Babylonian Captivity. They are divided into four classes of people. You have the priests. They were Israelites that were Levites that had been called out from them to be the priests. You also have the Levites. Although all the priests were Levites, all Levites were not priests. The tribe of the Levites was all treated differently than the other tribes. But we know that every Levite was not a priest. Then you have the Israelites. These were all God’s chosen people, but not all Levites. God chose them as a nation to be His people that represented Him, but He chose the tribe of Levi to be the Priesthood. And out of that family certain were chosen to be priests. Then the last group would be the Nethinims. As far as we can tell, they were temple servants and possibly not all Israelis at all. Not of God’s chosen people, but included in the people that returned. Four groups of people. The commoner or servants, the chosen people, the chosen tribe and the chosen priest. Yet all of them were important in what they did and all necessary to God’s overall plan. Also all recorded in the pages of His book, the Bible. I find it interesting that the groups of people were not broken down in God’s eyes by the amount of wealth they had, but rather their position in service to the Lord. The priests although considered highly, were not considered wealthy. They owned no land and few earthly belongings. You see it was not about money with God. It was about service. And even today, it is the same. God is not interested in how much you can collect here on earth. He is much more interested in how much you send on ahead to heaven.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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May 5th
R – Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles 10:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Respect for the position of Royalty was profound in those days. Saul who had committed numerous sins in the sight of God, was now being dealt a death blow at the hand of God. God had allowed the human armies to bring about this final act in Saul’s life. But he had not completely died yet. His fear was that the soldiers from the opposing armies would make sport of his being alive and his punishment would be even greater with death being prolonged. He calls to his armourbearer and asks him to kill him. But the armourbearer refused. The Hebrew people were against mercy killing for one thing. But this was also Royalty. No matter what he had done, he still held a place of authority under God. This armourbearer could not bring himself to do as Saul had asked. So Saul does something that very few Jews ever did. He committed suicide. And in a demonstration of loyalty the armourbearer joined him in death. The position of Royalty was respected to the very end regardless of what the king had done. Why? Because the respect for the giver of the position was held in high authority. It was God that had placed Saul as King and everyone knew that. It was God’s place to remove him from that position and everyone knew that. Even David when he had the chance on a couple of occasions refused to touch who he called “God’s Anointed.” What respect for God’s authority. Did you know if you are living with a believer in Christ you are living with royalty today in your own home? That’s right. The New Testament calls each one of us joint-heirs of God through Jesus Christ our Lord according to Romans eight verse seventeen. So how are you treating the royalty in your home? OK maybe they have done some really silly things, but remember who made them royalty. Can you not at least respect the authority of God?
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Christians are part of a royal priesthood. Let’s make up our mind today to treat each other with dignity and respect as if they were wearing a robe and crown. WOW! Could you imagine the headlines tomorrow if just the Christians really did that?
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May 6th
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1
Chronicles 11:9
So David waxed greater and
greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Unstoppable might be a word they would have used to describe David back then. Seemingly invincible might have been another. It seemed no matter where David went with his armies of men he won. So much so that others decided rather than to fight David they would just surrender to him and join him. It seemed the wiser thing to do. If someone is not able to be beaten and there is a chance they might come after you, then it just makes good sense to surrender to that person and enjoy living with them. And that is what people did. But it was not David that was so great. In our verse today we find that the reason behind David rise to greatness was the fact that the Lord of hosts was on his side. So by surrendering to David and what David desired they were in reality surrendering to God and what He wanted. David was going to ask God what to do, so any orders that came from David were actually coming from God. Wouldn’t it be something if people though of you as Unstoppable and Invincible? You do realize that the very same God that empowered David is the same God that empowers you? God would only empower us if He thought that our reason for desiring such power was to glorify Him and not ourselves. But the same God that defeated all the people around David is the same God that can defeat your greatest trials today. The same God that caused people to bow before David and ultimately before Himself, is the same God that can bring to nothing your greatest fear and trial. In fact we could re-write this verse with your name in it. So _______________ waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him (or her)
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
What a mighty God we serve. The bible says there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He truly is the Lord. Why wait? Do it today.
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May 7th
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May 8th
R – Roles and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1
Chronicles 19:13
Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves
valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do
that which is good in his sight.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we had a play by play rundown of what we are suppose to do? I know that we preachers are always saying that the Bible has the answer for every situation. And I do believe that is true. But it’s kind of like football. There is a rule book that tells how to play the game. And every team is required to play by the same rules in order to have a good season. But every team is not given the same play book. They make up their own. All the play books must be in line with the rules of the game or they can not use it. For example they could not say on a certain play that every member of the team should run from the sidelines out onto the field. There is a rule about how many people can play on the field at one time. Our Bible is the rule book for our lives. But God allows us to make up some of our own plays in life. Our roles as parents and spouses and church members are all laid out for us. But how we work within that framework will determine what the outcome will be. The free will that God gave to us is a wonderful gift and also our greatest downfall at times. I like what these two men said to each other in today’s verse. They sort of said, lets just go out there and be a good testimony for our families, our nation and our God, and then let God decide what He wants to have happen. Sort of like tossing the ball back in God’s court so to speak. What a wonderful idea for us all.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Let’s live in a way that our family would be proud of us. Live our lives so others would want to be part of the greatest nation on earth. And let our testimony glorify our God above. And then we will just have to be patient daily to see what God has in store for us all.
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May 9th
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Chronicles 22:5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Some people are good at singing. Other people, well…. Not so good. Some people are great administrators. Others have trouble organizing the toothpaste on their toothbrush in the morning. Some people can build structures that are fit for a king. While others can’t hang a picture without putting holes in the wall they are working on. The key to this is we need each other. David wanted to build a temple to worship God in. But God said no. He had shed too much blood to be the carpenter that would construct such a well known structure. God’s desire was to have a man that was known for saving life build the temple rather than one that was known for taking it. Even though the battles that David had fought were just and called for by God, it made God set him aside for this task. So did David sulk and cry and kick stones and yell at God? No! Instead he did what he could do. If he could not build the building he could at least gather the supplies. People loved him and would be glad to help him. This temple was to be one of the great marvels of the world. For that to happen it would take a considerable amount of manpower and labor. So David got busy and did his part. All too often we want to be the Solomon of the world. The one that actually builds the temple. The one the temple would be named after. When what God has in mind is that we be like David instead. The one that behind the scenes does all the gathering and supplying. The person that gets little credit, but without them the job may not have been done or may not have been as glorifying to God. We all need each other. In the New Testament God said that is the way the church is to be. Everyone with a task, and everyone needed. Also our homes were set up by God the same way. Each with a role, and every person needed.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Sometimes it’s good to be like David. When the applause goes up for a person in the spotlight, the glory better go to God. It’s often easier to give God that glory when you know He’s the only one that knows what you did and the only one saying thanks.
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May 10th
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1
Chronicles 25:1
Moreover David and the captains
of the host separated to the service of the sons of
Asaph, and of Heman, and of
Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with
psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to
their service was:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
“Planning is everything.” I’ve heard that said from everyone from my dad, CEO’s of large corporations, motivational speakers, and even a few Pastors. To succeed you must have a good plan. David was given this wisdom from God. Knowing that he was not going to be around for the construction of the temple, he decided rather to get busy setting up the administration of the service. He found someone for every position he could think of and set leaders over each of them. Knowing that God was a God of order, David’s plan was to be sure every aspect of worshiping God was covered. Someone to play the music and sing. Others to be at the doors to greet and watch over the temple. And some that would prophesy and share the message. David had a plan. There is another saying I have heard said. It goes like this. “Plan your work, then work your plan.” It does very little good to sit down and make out a plan for something if you’re not going to follow through on it. Planning is really not everything. Planning is really only the beginning and a most important beginning. Planning is where things should begin. If we do not make plans for our life, someone else will make them for us. In the marriage and family it is the same way. If we do not plan to make time for one another it will be gobbled up by the world. If we do not make plans to read our Bibles and pray, that time will disappear with someone else’s needs being met instead of your own spiritual needs. Planning is important. But planning really is not everything. It is then the implementation of the plan that makes things happen. It does little good to say I will get up and read my bible if I don’t do it. It is of no effect to tell your spouse or friends that you are going to spend time with them if you don’t ever do it. Begin by planning, continue with pursuit of the plan, and end with the pleasure of fulfilled promises because of the plan.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
God
always keeps His promises. He planned it that way. Plan something special
for yourself and those you love. Be sure God’s in your plans. He’s one you
love, right?
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May 11th
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May 12th
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May 13th
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May 14th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 9:6
Howbeit I believed not their
words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of
the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou
exceedest the fame that I heard.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
People have been filling peoples minds with all sorts of garbage for centuries. Things like; would you like to buy the Golden Gate Bridge? How about a get rich quick program? If you will invest a little money and very little time you can be wealthy beyond measure! Or, take this pill or drink this juice and you can lose all the weight you want and never have to quit eating or exercise at all. There is another saying that sort of fits these comments. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. That is sort of how the Queen of Sheba felt about all she had heard of King Solomon, his temple and his God. But when she got there she was amazed. The people were happy, the temple and city were beautiful and the King had more wisdom than any man she had ever encountered. So much so that she said “behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.” It may have seemed too good to be true, but God had given to Solomon more than could be expected. Wouldn’t it be nice if people were to think the same of us and our relationships? We serve the same God and He has the same abilities. What do people say about you? First of all we need to be what God calls us to be. Next we need to do what God tells us to do. Then we need to give God the glory for all that we are and all that we do. Then when people look at us they will see our God and what He can do. We will communicate to them that we serve an awesome God.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Purpose in your heart from this day forward to be and do all that God asks of you. And also always give Him all the Glory. Then maybe someday someone will say, I heard about your faith in this God, but only half of your faith was told to me. You exceed everything I have heard. Let your good works glorify your Father in Heaven.
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May 15th
R – Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 15:2
And he went out to meet Asa,
and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is
with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you;
but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Asa is not one of the better known kings in the Old Testament. But he had an interesting rule. He destroyed the idols and the places where people worshiped the idols. The Bible says he did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. Not only did he do right, he commanded that those under him also do what was right. Our verse today shares what the prophet came and told him. In short, if you keep doing what’s right and seeking God, you’ll find him. Stop seeking God and He will stop blessing you. And that is exactly what happened. All the while Asa sought God’s will and ways God blessed them with victories in battles and peaceful times. Their worship of the Lord was being done correctly and the items that were to be in the temple were replaced again. Things were going well and God was blessing. Then one day out of fear instead of seeking God’s assistance he sought mans assistance. When he was told of this and that it displeased God instead of becoming humble and asking forgiveness, he became angry and forsook God. So what happened? He became deathly ill. You would think that after he knew how God had blessed his obedience in the past he would have gone to God for help. But even in his dying days, he was rebellious of heart. And God just let him die in his anger and grief. I often see people that were once good church going people become bitter and cold to the church, the word of God, prayer and God Himself. Oh, they will never say they want nothing to do with God out loud. That just sounds rude. But let’s face it, they won’t let him talk to them through the word, they won’t talk to Him in prayer and they want nothing to do with His family the church. If someone treated me that way, I would think they did not like me. And you would too. And then when things begin to go bad they blame everything and everyone except their cold hearted rebellion. Wouldn’t it be better to come humbly before a loving God? After all He always wants what’s best for us. Only Satan deceives us with lies. Never God!
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
It’s never too late to get our relationship right with God. Unless we die angry first.
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May 16th
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 20:31-33
And Jehoshaphat reigned over
Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah
the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and
departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.
Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not
prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Jehoshaphat’s life is summed up in a few verses. He was thirty-five when he began to reign and reigned twenty-five years. His mothers name was Azubah. It also says that he walked after the ways of his dad Asa. This does not mean that he lived a sinless life, but that he did his best to follow the Lord’s leading right up to the end. And after all the good he had done, there is something said to be wrong at the end of his rule. Back in chapter seventeen, verse six it said Jehoshaphat had removed the high places and groves from Judah. At the beginning of his reign he tried to get people to worship only the one true God. He had taken away the places where they worshiped other gods. He proved repeatedly that his God was the one that truly empowered and protected them. This same God that their forefathers had followed through the desert and brought them into the promise land was still around and still the only real God. After everything he did to direct these people to God, they still desired their idols as well. It was not that they did not acknowledge God. They did! But they wanted that God and their other idol gods that did nothing for them. It just somehow made them feel good to have these other gods. So by the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign, these people had rebuilt their high places and were once again worshiping who knows what. After all he had done, they refused to see the truth about God. But he died knowing the truth and living it. All that is said to say this. The only person we can really make do anything is our self. But we can live in a way that will influence others. Your probably saying wait a minute; these people evidently were not influenced. Maybe not. But one was. Jehoshaphat was influenced greatly by the life of his dad Asa. Always remember someone is watching us.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Live like there is no tomorrow. But live like tomorrow matters. It does.
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May 17th
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 25: 1-2 Amaziah
was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty
and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of
Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not
with a perfect heart.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Doing the right thing is good, but not good enough for God. Amaziah was a man that understood what should be done. He knew how to set up the temple, how to worship, how to organize according to the law of God and put on a good show. But that is not enough for God. God looks for commitment to Him. The verse says Amaziah did that which was right, but with an imperfect heart. Today we would say he’s half hearted in what he was doing. He wasn’t against the worship of Jehovah God, but he could really care less who they worshiped. How do we know that he did not care about God? Well besides today’s verses we see in verse fourteen that after the battle with the Edomites, King Amaziah took the idols of the children of Seir and set them up to be his gods. Half hearted in his faith in God and that cost him. He did not see the need to include God in all of his life. He thought that if he did what the book said in obeying some of the law, that the rest of his life could be lived anyway he wanted. You would think that theses kings in the Bible would have seen by now that when God was included in everything in a king’s life, things went good. God blessed it. But for some reason many just could not see it until it was always too late. And almost every time God would send them a warning saying this is your choice, and they would still choose the world and their desires over God. It just doesn’t make sense does it? And how sadly today we have many people living in this Laodicean age that do good, but not with a true heart for God. Actually they actually have a heart for self and want their own foolish desires and just want God to just bless it. We can see how that God blesses those today that include God in every part of their life. The warnings from God are written in His word and are shouted from the pulpits every week. But people continue to choose their own and world’s plan over God’s perfect plan for their life. It doesn’t make sense.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
When you look down your life’s path, do you see God in ever step of the way?
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May 18th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Chronicles 26: 5 & 16 And
he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions
of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper….. But
when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he
transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD
to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Let me start by asking a question today. When God blesses you once, does that obligate God to continue blessing you the same way forever? The obvious answer is no. And yet so often that is how we live our lives. And it’s nothing new. People have been living like that for thousands of years. King Uzziah did the same thing here in our verses today. He began his rule of the kingdom good. He sought God’s wisdom and desired God’s visions to be fulfilled. Verse fives says that God made him to prosper. In the next ten verses of this chapter you find God delivering victories and wealth into king Uzziah’s hands. Uzziah built things for the nation and God and people loved him. Men were willing to fight for him, plant fields for him, and tend to his livestock. The king provided what may be considered the best amour and weapons available for his armies at the time. Uzziah was also a developer of defenses. He had found men that were good at inventing and asked them to develop better weapons of defense to protect the people. This is the first mention of great weapons that could fight off attackers at a distance. No longer did the men have to wait to be attacked and fight hand to hand combat, but they could now defend themselves by shooting arrows a great distance away. They could now fire great stones like cannonballs farther than the best archer could shoot. God had been so good to the king. And then something terrible happened. The king forgot that he was not the one that did all these things. He began to think, look what I’ve done, I’m great. So great, I can do and live any way I want. And he went into the temple to burn sacrifice which only the Priests could do. And God destroys him and his rule in minutes. All that God had blessed him with was lost to leprosy that day. He was not going back to the palace and his reign was over. Why? He took God’s blessings for granted.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
The blessings of God are good. But the God of the blessing is not to be forgotten
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May 19th
R – Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 31: 21 And
in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the
law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart,
and prospered.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
How much do you want someone to love you? Come on, answer it truthfully. If someone like a husband or wife or maybe a father or mother says they love you, what do you want that to mean? Do you want it to mean I love you when you do good things for me, but when you stop I don’t love you anymore? How about I will love you on Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday and Thursday I have someone else to love on. Or maybe I will love you as long as you act right and look good. But if you get old and ugly, then I quit. OK all of those things sound ignorant and childish. Why? Because they are. There is no way we want anyone to love us with any less than their whole being. With everything that they are. I don’t just love my children when they are good. I love them even when they disrespect me and do not listen. Why? Because they are my children. They have to do nothing for me to love them. I just do and always will. I often do not like what they do and on occasion have had to either discipline or refuse to help them in order for them to realize their own peril. But I never stopped loving them. That’s the way my parents were with me when I was out there in the world. They loved and prayed for me. And that’s the way God has always been toward me and you. In our verse today we find the king prospered. I believe it was because he sought after God with all his heart. He sold out to God. It says in every work he did and every service he provided he sought God. In his worship and study, he sought the one true God. For him it was simple. To live right meant to live with his heart totally given to God. Now friend that is what real love is. You don’t love to get. You don’t love if. You love because you do. Learn to love people as God loved you. Love because they are worth it and so are you. If we are not always looking for conditions to love but just opportunities to love, it will make our loves a lot less stressful.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Seek to love your spouse, friends, family, and neighbors just because God created them. And it may be said you sought God with all your heart and prospered.
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May 20th
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Chronicles 32:7-8 Be
strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria,
nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than
with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to
help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the
words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
The bills are piling up, I don’t feel well today, one of the children are in trouble again and the neighbors don’t act as though they like me. The lawn needs to be mowed, the car needs some repair, my job is no fun anymore and now it may not be secure either. The excitement of youth has seemed to escape me. Like I heard another man say one time, “my get up and go has gotten up and went, and it left me behind.” Have you ever felt like this is your life? Or maybe you are feeling that way today. Well let me just tell you this. If you know Jesus as your Saviour, your God is bigger than all of that. King Hezekiah was telling his men the same thing in today’s verses. If the song had of been out back then he probably would have sang, “Don’t worry, be happy.” He said the same thing. The King assured them that all the other kings had is what flesh and blood could give them. But they had the Lord God almighty on their side and He would help them. Guess what? You have the same God. Although the people were facing earthly peril at the time, they took comfort in the words of the king when he reminded them of the Lord. Why do you think the words comforted them? It was because they had seen what this God was capable of doing if they would only put their faith in Him. So they did. Sounds too simple I know. But that is what God says for us to do. Proverbs three verse five and six tell us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways we are to acknowledge Him and then He will direct our paths. Now you must remember, God strengthened them for the battle, but there was still a battle. God will provide for all you need, but he may just do that by securing your job and giving you some overtime. God never promises to get you out of every situation. But He does promise to see you through them.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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For Sunday Reading We Suggest You Read Your Pastors Sermon Passages Today |
May 21st
O- Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
There is a song that says “God is good, all the time.” And I understand the meaning of the song. In fact Jesus said in the New Testament there is only one good and He is God. But the idea that God is good all the time could leave a person believing God may overlook sin, allowing people to do as they please with no punishment for wrongdoing. Maybe we should say God is JUST all the time. Or God is FAIR, RIGHTEOUS and SOVERIGN all the time. And although He is a good God, He is also a Holy God that cannot tolerate sin nor let it go unpunished. It’s not like we have not been warned. Just as the children of Israel were warned over and over, so we too have been put on notice of the justice of God. Just as the Israelites saw God’s blessings during times they obeyed, so we too have seen His blessings poured out from a gracious God when we live in accordance to His loving direction. But sadly after all the warnings and after the blessings of God had been displayed the children of God still turned from God. And the verses today sadly end with “till there was no remedy.” They had hardened their heart until there was no remedy for their sin other than the judgment of God as He had promised. Had God not punished them, He would have been untrue to His word. But first He gave them every chance to repent. An opportunity to heed His loving guidance for an abundant life. They refused and instead wanted their own way. They received what God had promised. The question today is, how far will God let us go? How much clearer can He make His word than to write it down in a book for us to read? Implanting it in our heart by the Holy Spirit? Preaching it from the pulpits every Sunday? How long will God allow us to go before our life’s chapter ends with “there was no remedy?”
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Remember God is good, pure and holy. Sin is bad, filthy and evil. The two cannot be one. So God made it possible for us to come to Him through the righteousness of His Son Jesus. That doesn’t mean He welcomes our sin. When we forsake it He forgives it.
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May 22nd
R – Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Ezra 4:2-3 Then
they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto
them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do
sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought
us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the
fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an
house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God
of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Anyone who has ever been
involved in a building program of any size knows it is hard to turn down
free help. Whether that comes in the form of free labor, a donation of
materials or financial support, free is still free. I’m sure back in the
days of Zerubbabel that was still pretty much true. And maybe even more so
as if someone said they would help they may end up carrying thousands of
pounds of stone from one place to another. Probably not lots of volunteers
for that job. But Zerubbabel knew something about these men that others
might have overlooked. They said they sought after and sacrificed to the
same God just like the Zerubbabel and his men did. But he knew these men did
not only sacrifice to his God, but to many other gods as well. If you read
the first verse you know that they were not really interested in helping
build but rather were adversaries. Zerubbabel was given the role by God and
the king of Persia as guardian over the work of the Lord. His position was
to guard not only the rebuilding but the purity of rebuilding as well. His
watchful eye and dedication to God’s call kept him from making the mistake
so many have made today. Joining in with everyone that says they call on the
name of God. As leaders in the church and heads of our homes and families we
all need to be like Zerubbabel. Taking our God called role seriously and
standing for the purity of God’s church and home. Even Jesus said in Matthew
7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.” How can we know if someone is real or not? Watch to see if
they are doing God’s will according to His Word. And stand guard on your
heart.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Everyone that is not saved is not a bad person. By that I mean everyone that is lost is not visibly mean and evil. But we need to be careful that we are not unequally yoked with unbelievers. In marriage, business and religious relationships.
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May 23rd
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Ezra 8:15 And
I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we
in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there
none of the sons of Levi.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
I can recall times of taking the teens from our church on extended trips away from home. Whenever we would go to a store or an event, when we got ready to leave we would always count to see if we had the same number of people we arrived with. Can you imagine us counting and coming up with twenty and saying well we came with twenty two and lost less than ten percent. Not bad for the time we have been gone, so let’s just go. It really would not have mattered who it was that was left behind, it would have caused total havoc in the group forever. The parents of those children would be frantic when we told them we just did not want to look for their children. And can you imagine any teen wanting to go on our next trip? They would live in a fear that we might leave them next. It’s important that everyone knows they are important. In our verse today it is realized that the sons of Levi were not there in the group. So! What’s the big deal? He evidently had some from the tribe of Levi as he had priests with him. But none that were simply Levites. So why did he need these other Sons of Levi as well? The Sons of Levi as they are referred to here, which were not priests, were believed to be those that were teachers of the law. Ezra knew that the people would desperately need to know the law, the word of God, if they were going to succeed in this return from exile. Everyone was important. Today when we live in an era where self esteem may at times be over exaggerated, we also live in a time where recognition for a job well done or letting someone know they are needed is under emphasized. People need to know they are important in the family. And that includes the family of God. They need to know that God needs them. If He did not need you He would have taken you off the earth the moment you got saved. But He needs you to be a willing servant in sharing the gospel. He needs you to use your gifts to exhort the church. Could He find someone else? Maybe! But why should He have to, He has chosen and called you for this privilege.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
We should not think to highly of ourselves. The Bible makes that clear. But we should not think to lowly of ourselves either. After all, you were important enough for Jesus to die for. I think that makes you pretty valuable.
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May 24th
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then
said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem
lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned
with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no
more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon
me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let
us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
For people to plan to do something they need to see something needs to be done. If they don’t see the need they will never desire to do anything. Also they must see it can be done. Even if it entails a lot of work, if people realize something can be done they will want to get involved. It’s when people feel a sense of hopelessness in a project or that it serves little purpose that you have trouble getting people involved. Nehemiah had gone, surveyed the land and saw what needed to be done. He had already secured the permits you might say for the materials and building rights, and now he comes to the people. He comes with a workable plan and a vision of a completed project. First he reminds them of the need by pointing out their circumstances and that their homeland lay in ruin. Next he tells how it can be done by God already opening the doors and provided the means with which to do this. All they needed to do was get busy and do it. All the negativity of being captives turned to positive power as the people now had a vision of a better life. A life filled with hope. All they had to do was follow the plan and God’s leading, and that is just what they decided to do. Our lives are just the same today. We have never gotten ourselves so far gone that God cannot or will not rebuild our lives if we follow His plan and leading. First you must see a need to make a plan. As in every instance if we don’t plan our life, someone else will. It’s been said if you have no goals you are bound to reach them. We must plan our spiritual, physical, financial and relational lives. Once you see a need ask God to help you with the plan. Then do it.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
We only get one life to live. If we live it all by accident then we have no one to blame but ourselves for the outcome of that accident. God has a plan for your life. You should too. Seek God’s wisdom in planning your future. Don’t let Satan rob you of one more minute.
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May 25th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Nehemiah
5:7-9 Then
I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said
unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great
assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have
redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will
ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they
their peace, and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that
ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach
of the heathen our enemies?
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
How easy it seems life can get out of order. The people had been so busy building that they did not have time to tend to their own crops. Since they had no crops they had nothing to earn money with so they began to mortgage their homes and land and even their children for food. And as always there is some that are going to take advantage of that situation and that is where the problem came in. People were loaning money and charging high interest on it. Nehemiah was upset. So he calls them together and says what are you doing? We are here to help one another and get our lives back and you are trying to destroy each other. What had happened? They had forgotten what their main goal was and went into survival mode. Every man for himself. I heard a preacher say it once like this. People want to get what they can, can what they get, sit on the can and poison all the rest. In all that we do as Christians we need to be wise in our investments and practical in our spending. But we should never forget a few things. All we have came from God. It is really His. If we misuse it He has every right to remove the finances from us, or us from the finances. What we are suppose to be doing here before going to heaven is reach people for the Lord, Help those who are saved and also raise up families that will go out and repeat the process. When we get our eyes off that we lose focus of the real joys in life. God never said we had to be poor. He did say we had to be good stewards of what we have.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Money is not evil. It is the love of money that is evil. Why? Because we put something else before our love for God. He wants to be first. And just think about it, doesn’t He deserve to be first place in our lives? He gave us our lives to begin with.
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May 26th
R – Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Nehemiah 8:10 Then
he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send
portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto
our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
When it all comes down to it, people just want to live a joyful, peaceful life. Sure all the little toys along the way are nice. But mostly people would be satisfied with real joy and a sense of peace in their heart. Not just knowing things are OK today, but that our future is secure. We can have that if we do as the children of Israel did. They had all got together, pooled their resources and talents and built a wall in which they could now live safely. But they remembered that there was a wall there before and it did not keep them safe. So they went to the one thing they knew as a source of strength and safety, the Word of God and God himself. As the priest read the words from the law the people began to cry as they realized they had not lived that way. They had not sacrificed nor worshiped or taught their families to worship as they should have. It broke their heart to realize how far they were away from God. But Nehemiah says, wait, this is not a day of mourning, this is a holy day, a day to rejoice. The laws read today are to be our strength for the future, not a burden from the past. Go, live your lives. Eat, enjoy life and rejoice. These words are our strength. When we live according to God’s standards our lives are under His care. The wall they had just built was not their protection. It did not protect them while they built it, God did. God was their strength, their protection, their joy, their life. If we could get that truth through our hearts and minds today we would have more peace and joy than we ever did. Sure there are wars going on all over the world, but God can be your safety. Sure the price of things continues to rise and jobs may seem uncertain. But God is truly your provider in feast or in famine. Do you want to live a joy filled life? Then do this. Read God’s word and don’t dwell on the past. Live for today and look toward tomorrow and love the one that keeps you there in His hands. God!
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Today take a moment to read God’s Word. Find comfort in it. If you come to a convicting passage, go to God, repent, ask for forgiveness and believe He really forgives. Now you’re ready to keep moving on with peace and joy no man can give or take away. And that will bring peace and joy to every relationship you have.
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May 27th
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Ezra 1:1 Now
in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the
mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of
Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth;
and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in
Judah.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Who will be in control of
world politics this next election? Which party do you believe will be
running the details of government? I can tell you. No I do not have a
crystal ball, nor do I believe in them. God has not come down and given me
special revelation that He kept from you. He does not do that. So how do I
know? Just read today’s verse. It says the LORD stirred up the king’s spirit
that he made a proclamation. So who will be in control? God will. I believe
He allows presidents, kings, dictators and world leaders to make some good
and some foolish decisions. I never blame God for the mess we are in. We
either did that, or did nothing to stop it. Either way we are responsible
for the messes in the world. But ultimately God is in control. He has an
overall plan for this world and for you. The LORD can cause anything He
wants to happen. So does that mean we should not vote? The answer is no. We
must have a Christian voice in the government or the world will elect the
more evil of the bunch so they have their sinful way. Should we not worry
about what they do? Nope, don’t worry, but be involved. Worry, gossip, and
hatred fix nothing. But God can use you if you will step up and get
involved. However we can rest our lives on the fact that God is in control.
The king of Persia began to believe that he was over everything. If he sent
these Jews back to their land they would pray to their God for him and for
his gods
which reportedly were
Bel and Nebo. He had dreams of building these strong states around his
kingdom that would be loyal to him. And God used his pride and arrogance to
bring about the rebuilding of the walls for the Children of Israel. God can
do anything.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
When it seems life may be out of control, realize it may be out of your control, but never out of Gods. God can do anything. Seek His will and pray for it.
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May 28th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Nehemiah 9:2 And
the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and
confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Openness about past failure is always hard. And the more public the failure is, the harder it may seem to feel truly forgiven. Society wants to beat you up over your past sin. Real Christians desire to help you move on. Our verse says they separated themselves from all strangers. We found back in the book of Ezra that they had already done so once. But when they arrived here they found more that did not truly worship the one true God. To open up and share their sins publicly, they needed to know that everyone in the group was in the same boat so to say. No one was going to be able to look down upon another because they all realized they had all sinned. Maybe to various degrees the world might look at one sin being worse than another. But when true reconciliation is desired, any sin that stands between you and the one you are reconciling with is the same. It becomes a road block or stumbling stone in the path to real repentance. The children of Israel bore their souls before one another and God. They were searching for true forgiveness and cleaning. A new beginning that included God’s blessings. Not only did they confess and repent of their own sins, but they openly acknowledged the sins of their parents. Not to dishonor their parents, but to view their sin as what caused this situation to begin with. And now that everything is on the table, all sin, theirs and that of there forefathers a new covenant is made. The world will mock your sin. Satan will torment you with past sin. But God will forgive your sin. And the children of God should help one another to remember not to repeat those sins. Openness is the key to reconciliation. If that be with God, then be totally honest with God. If that be with a spouse, or loved one or friend, then be completely open with them. Without that openness and trust true relationships will always suffer.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
If you feel you have hurt someone or sinned against them, pray for wisdom and forgiveness from God first. Seek his wisdom on what to do. Separate yourselves from all others and ask them for forgiveness as well. Next it is time to move on. Make a new covenant. Find ways to remind yourself not to repeat this indiscretion. Ask them or others for help. And stay close to God and His Word. He will see you through.
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May 29th
R – Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Esther
1:15-16 What
shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not
performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And
Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not
done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the
people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Ego,
Pride, Selfishness, and Drunkenness, All these are called to account on this
day. First you have men sitting around and getting drunk. Alcohol makes you
STUPID. I know some don’t like the word stupid. But if you ask me, these men
are being stupid. Not calling them stupid makes me stupid too. Drunkenness
has broken more homes and ruined more lives than any other drug. OK, some of
you are upset I called alcohol a drug. But it is a drug. It was used for
years by doctors to drug a person before surgery. So now these drunken men
want to parade the king’s wife around like a trophy. Instead of the King
enjoying the fact this beautiful woman would be his queen he now wants her
to be the show for his drunken friends. When she refuses, the drunks now
decide to make law. WooHoo almost sounds like today huh? Talk about making a
mountain out of a molehill. One drunken friend named Memucan stands up and
says this is not only a personal problem for the king, it’s a National
Catastrophe. Their Ego, Pride, Selfishness, Drunkenness is about to kick in
as the brain takes a holiday. He says all the women in the region were going
to know of this. How is that going to happen? If the King locks her up, the
only way that could happen is if some drunk wanders back to town and tells
the all women of the area. Who might that be? I know some are thinking that
the Queen was disobedient to her husband, and for that something had to be
done. And you’re right. The queen might have handled it differently and had
the King summons off to the side and explained the situation. But the King
is the one in the wrong here. He did not show love for his wife. And when
given a chance to go and speak with her about it, he chooses to allow others
to decide the fate of his family. Satan uses every tool he can to break up
happy homes. And ego and pride are great tools in his hands.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
The Bible says Husbands love your wives. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command. So do it and see what God does with it.
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May 30th
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Esther 6:6 So
Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man
whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom
would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
In today’s market there
are many different ways that people pamper themselves. Pedicures, manicures,
health foods, and not so healthy foods, massages, specialty coffee shops,
hot tubs, saunas, health clubs, bubble baths, movies and the list goes on
and on. I typed in the words “how to pamper yourself” on an internet search
engine and it said there were one million four hundred and forty thousand
results to that one question. Why is it we do all these things for
ourselves? And mind you I am not saying they are wrong, but they are
indulgencies. Things we like but truly do not need. Why? The answer is easy.
We really like ourselves. We like being pampered and waited on. We like
someone else taking care of us. In our verse today Haman was asked by the
king what should be done for someone that the king would like to honor.
Haman immediately thought that must be me. So he gave the king a list of
things that he would like done for him. Nice clothes, expensive
transportation, expensive jewelry, brought by a person of fame and dignitary
and a parade in his honor so everyone can see. Little did Haman know he was
going to be the one to deliver this to the man he despised the most,
Mordecai. But what is interesting is that it took him no time at all to
think of how he would like to be pampered. He did not ask the king for time
to think about it or consult with his wife or friends as he had been doing.
He knew what would make him feel special. So quickly answer this, what
pampering would make your special someone feel special? Opps, now we need
time to think, to mentally run through the possibilities. And yet if that
special someone is your spouse the Bible says we are to be one flesh.
Husbands are told to dwell with their wife in knowledge of who they are. The
idea is this. Everyday we need to try and get to know our loved ones better.
Know what makes them happy. Think on what they enjoy. Listen as they admire
someone else do something and ask questions about what they might like to
do. Then when the opportunity arises you can be just like Haman. You’ll know
what makes you happy by making them happy.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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May 31st
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
I am told that there is no
greater sorrow than to lose a child. Thankfully up to this day I have not
had to endure such grief. But I have sat with countless parents that have.
And the range of emotions vary from being angry with God to thanking Him for
the moments they had. From asking God why would you do that, to accepting
His sovereignty in everything. You might say well if it happened to me this
is what I would do. I say to you, you do not know until that day may occur.
It’s easy for us to look back at Job’s wife and be hostile toward her, but
how do you know that you would not react as she did. The pain and suffering
of delivering and raising 10 children had been taken from her in a moment’s
time. All her financial security was gone. Her husband was diseased and open
wounds covered his body. All that God had given to them was now apparently
gone. And she really had no way of knowing that what she was telling Job to
do when she said curse God would have fulfilled exactly what Satan had
predicted he would do. This woman was broken hearted, and like too many
others that have tragedy in their life she wanted to blame someone. So she
blamed God. When Job really needed comfort, the one person besides God that
he loved most was now asking him to turn his back on the God that he trusted
for all that he had in the past. And Job says to his wife in essence if God
gave all this to us, then really it is His to take away. Just because things
are not going as we want, does not mean we should curse God. In fact later
Job tells his friends I will retain my integrity until death. As we plan for
the future, we must always remember that all that we have belongs to God.
Whatever He decides to do with it is right. I recognize another thing
here…Job never lost his wife. The two were one flesh and although hurting,
she stayed there to see God’s blessings later on.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Patience in adversity is a hard lesson. Getting through it alone is agonizing. What you need is a solid support system while times are good. So when the dark clouds of life come around, they are there to exhort and encourage you. You need a church home.
Daily
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