JULY ARCHIVES
July 1st
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Psalm 78:38 & 39 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
GETTING
THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Israel seemed to be bent on destruction at times as they marched across the desert. They had no way of taking care of themselves, no land that they at that time claimed as their own. No jobs to fall back on in case they needed a change in life. No groups of people around the area to move to, as most of the surrounded nations hated them. And so the only source of supply they had was God. God, who gave them food from heaven when there was no food. God, who supplied water for millions of people from a rock. God, who opened the Red sea for them to escape their captors from Egypt, and this same God closed the waters upon Pharaoh and his men and destroyed them. God, who made their clothes and shoes to last over and above what any normal clothing should have lasted. God, the one who was their only leader for forty years as they wandered aimlessly through the deserts hot elements. And yet over and over again we read that these people who so much needed to rely on this God continually made Him angry. Challenging His authority and the authority of those He selected to be their leaders. Challenging His laws that said no other god’s. Challenging His way of worshiping, causing two of Aarons sons to be killed because they thought, we can just do it any way we want to. Challenging his provisions by complaining to Moses about what they did not have rather than to be thankful for what they did have. Challenging God’s direction as they cried, it would have been better for us to stay in Egypt. Not knowing how wonderful the promise land really was going to be. And yet through it all God did not destroy them. But forgave their iniquities because He remembered they were flesh. Not perfect, not gods, not immortal and not all knowing. I wonder how many times God has had to remember I was flesh as I have complained over what I don’t have or questioned His leading? I wonder how much of His wrath He withheld when I tried worshiping my way instead of His? I wonder?
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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July 2nd
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Psalm 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Paint the walls, clean the carpet, get new furniture, put pictures and ornaments on the walls get the curtains up, and double check to make sure everything is right. What has just happened? Either someone has remodeled their house or just moved into a new home. Everything is clean and new and great looking. Nothing else has to be done. It is as perfect as you can make it. What is next? You invite in friends and relatives to see what you have done with the place. You can’t wait for them to ooo and ahhh over the renovations. That is what David was telling God about his heart. He said God I am cleaning house. You have given me another chance after my sins were exposed and forgiven; I am going to be a different man. I am going to do my best not to let that happen again. If you read the entire chapter you hear him tell God I am not going to look at anything wicked in verse three, I will not speak of sinful things in verse four, I will not listen to people that are hateful, slanders, gossipers and liars in verses five through seven, and I will keep them away from my house in verse eight. Sort of the see no evil; speak no evil; hear no evil chapter in David’s life. In verse two David sort of invites God to check him out. He is saying, God I am going to use all of my wisdom to live as perfect as I can. When are you coming over to see? I am doing this in the hardest place of all God. Come and see. David knew it was easy to act religious at the temple. It was not so hard to act Godly in public. But the real test is at home. How was he going to act at home? He said, God, come and see for yourself. Here is an open invitation to check me out in my home at anytime. I have cleaned house and can’t wait for you to see it. Friend, the truth is whether we ask God to look upon us or not, He still sees us. And not only God, but our neighbors, friends and most of all our family see us. What are we telling them about our faith in God by what we listen to, watch and talk about? We are the ones that remodel our life. What do they see?
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Have you ever thought of doing a hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil check on your own life? Try it today. See what kind of things God reveals to you about what is filtering through your life. To make it more interesting, invite God to join you in everything you watch, listen to and talk about. It may just change your day. And life!
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July 3rd
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July 4th
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July 5th
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July 6th
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July 7th
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July 8th
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July 9th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Psalm 132:12 If
thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them,
their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
There is a game we have played for years in youth groups. You have played it or seen it played. It goes like this. The first person in a circle is given a piece of paper with a simple phrase on it like “I love dark chocolate candy bars” They then whisper only once in the ear of the person next to them that phrase. That person whispers it to the next person and it continues until it gets all the way around the circle. Even in a small group it almost always it ends up with something like “Eyes of Dark Chalk can break bars.” In large circles you might end with “Dog bark at the moon.” The idea is that we don’t always hear exactly what’s being said or don’t remember it well enough to repeat it word for word. In the verse today the claim is made that if the children will keep the commandments their children they will sit upon the throne. But what if down through the years they get it wrong? What if it began with “Love the Lord thy God” and in just a few generations became “Love the land and gods”? Big difference. Huge mistake. So how did God prevent this from happening? He always told them over and over “write it down.” When the people in the circle were done repeating the phrase we always went back to the written paper that was originally handed out to read exactly what the statement was. When the Children of Israel got off track what brought them back was a reading of the Words written. If we really want our homes and families to survive and thrive after we are gone we can’t just leave them with what they think we said. We need to leave them with a written promise. The Word of God. Couples need to find truth out of God’s word for their life and home and build on it. Parents need to teach their children not only what God’s word says, but where they can find it for themselves. A truth is no good if it’s not repeated correctly, can’t be found or forgotten altogether. Jesus not only said I am the way but He also said I am the TRUTH. John chapter one and verse one says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the Truth and the Word. We can never go wrong pointing people to Him and the writings and promises in His word, the Bible.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
To open your heart and receive the Word is eternally important to you. To open your heart and let it spill out on others is eternally important to them. Open up today.
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July 10th
R - Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Psalm 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
From 1989 to 1998 there was a sitcom on TV called Family Matters with a character on there by the name of Steve Urkel. One of his more popular catch phrases was “Did I Do That?” or “Did I Say That?” With a comedic silly look on his face whenever it was said it made people laugh. Later on other shows we have heard people say things like “Did I say that out loud?” after uttering some embarrassing comment. All of that is funny if you have comedic writers to put it in the right context. The problem is in life, we don’t have writers for our daily conversations. And often what floats out of our mouths in a moment of anger or hurt we wish we could take back. But once it is out, it can not be retrieved. We need to be very careful what we say to our loved ones and others. For example, if you and your partner are having one of those interesting conversations at the top of your voice (we all know you don’t argue) and in the midst of that conversation you say something like, “you are so stupid, you always say the dumbest things, do you really have a brain in that head of yours?” Later when you have calmed down you may ask for forgiveness and the other person may sincerely forgive you. But the words that have flown from our lips often replay over and over in the minds of the offended. The next time you are having a discussion and it is not loud or angry but you reply to a comment of theirs with don’t be silly, what they will hear is “you are so stupid, you always say the dumbest things, do you really have a brain in that head of yours?” It would be better for us to utter the words of this Psalm before anything else comes out. “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” To be a guardian of the hearts of those around us, we must also be a guardian of our lips.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
When anger arises, and it will, take a moment to say these words. Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. But friend you won’t remember them then if you don’t memorize them and practice this phrase today. Write this one on a three by five card and begin memorizing this verse soon. These words coming from your lips will never hurt anyone.
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July 11th
E - Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Psalm 144:11-12
Rid me, and
deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our sons may be as
plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones,
polished after the similitude of a palace:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
In the mid
70’s there was a made-for-TV movie called “Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” The
movie was inspired the life of David Vetter, who lived in containers that
protected him from germs of any type since his body had no effective immune
systems. Any contact with unfiltered air or germs could potentially kill
him. In the movie to protect the boy the parents built a protective room
where he lived everyday of his life. His food was passed through sterile
passages and all items that he would ever touch had to be completely free of
all life threatening germs. By the end of the movie they had made a space
suit for him to walk around in. He goes to school, falls in love, and
finally is told he has built up enough immunity to live outside the suit and
bubble. So he and his girlfriend ride off together to live happily ever
after. David Vetter, the young boy who was the inspiration for the movie had
the opportunity to view the film. He commented on how un-sterile the
spacesuit was. He laughed at the idea of being able to take a germ covered
spacesuit into his sterile chamber without contaminating it. In the real
life story of young Vetter, at the age of twelve a failed operation caused
him to come out of his sterile environment for a brief time and he died. To
live meant keeping as many impurities away from him as possible and taking
medication for anything that slipped trough. In our verse today David is
almost asking God to do the same for him. To keep away those who spread lies
and live in self destructive ways. He goes on to say that if he could be
free from them his children would grow up and be absolute pillars of the
community. The problem back then and today is that we do not live in a
vacuum from sin. It is all around us. So we need to take something for what
does infect us. The blood of Jesus is the only thing that destroys and keeps
the infections of sin from killing us. Knowing that changes nothing.
Applying it changes everything.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
The Blood of Jesus
cleanses us, the word of God keeps us clean. Psalms 119:11 says “Thy word
have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
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July 12th
V
- Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 2:8,
9 He
keepeth the paths of judgment, and
preserveth the way of his saints. Then
shalt thou understand righteousness, and
judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Once as
a young boy I went with my parents on vacation to Kentucky. My dad’s
family was all from around there and my Grandma lived there. She lived
way out on the side of a mountain away from any real town. There was
this little store down the road that acted as a post office, general
store, drug store and just about everything you could think of. And
another little one room store called Joe Haun’s
General Store. A small grocery store that had about 3 idles in it. But
that and the church were all that were there. Behind my Grandma’s house
was this huge mountain, part of the foothills of the Cumberland
Mountains. One day I decided to go up this mountain and do some
exploring. My dad had taken me before so I felt confident I could do it
alone. Wow, would be the only way to describe it. It was beautiful. You
could see everywhere. The higher I climbed, the farther I could see. So I
climbed and climbed, until I reached the very top of the mountain. I
rested a bit, played around a while and then decided to go back to the
house. Just one problem, I could see miles away, but could not see the
house. I had forgotten how I got up there and how to get down. I started
down the hill on what I thought was the path. I really believed it was
the path I came up. But instead I ended up walking through a thicket of
prickle bushes and brush. When I came out to the road I was about 2
miles away from the house and all scratched up. And even in that I was
lucky. I could have come out on the other side of the mountain, about 10
miles by road to the house. My dad, who was raised there, took me up and
down the mountain several times with no problem. Why? He knew the paths.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
God knows the paths for our life. He keeps our paths and will guide us in them, if we will only listen to Him. But when we go our own way, we end up in prickle bushes of life. Things get rough. Let’s follow Jesus as He leads His dear children along.
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July
13th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 6:1-3 My
son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a
stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with
the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou
art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy
friend.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
Credit was
at one time something hard to get. You had to keep your nose clean and not
have any bad debts at all to even think of getting a credit card or a loan.
Today however, almost anyone, at anytime and now almost anywhere can get a
credit card. Most stores have their own credit cards now. Many of them have
hooked up with a major credit card so you can use the card they supply at
other stores too. Sounds great right? WRONG? The problem is that the
majority of people today have more credit card debt than they can ever hope
to pay off soon. If their creditors were to call and say they were going out
of business and needed them to pay their bill off, a majority of people in
debt do not have the funds or equity to pay it. Even worse, many people are
paying just the minimum payment every month on high interest credit cards.
If you do that you are most likely just barely paying the interest (and
sometimes not all the interest) and will be paying forever. Imagine buying a
television for $250 dollars so your small children can watch cartoons and
paying the minimum payment on your credit card. By the time you will have
paid it off several things will probably have happened. Your children’s
children will have graduated college, the TV will have been replaced twice,
and you will have paid a few thousand for it. Debt is a trap that society
has put us in. Or worse, we jumped in.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
But you say, “How do I get out?” First, QUIT BUYING! If you have an enormous debt, you need to live within your means. Second, PRAY. Ask God for direction and wisdom and self control every day. Next, PAY. Begin to pay extra on the debts and they will one day go away. It will take time, but the freedom is worth it.
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July 14th
R - Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 10:15-17
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is
their poverty. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the
wicked to sin. He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he
that refuseth reproof erreth.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
While
working in the factories the years I did, I noticed something that todays
scripture is trying to teach. When I and others that did not know Jesus as
Saviour, worked a full 40-hour week like everyone else, at the end of the
week I would still be broke. I never seemed to have money for anything. I
looked around and saw some of these guys working 50, 60 and even 70 hours in
a week and still not getting ahead. And even the ones that did seem to have
the expensive toys were not satisfied with them. In fact it seemed they had
to work more hours now to maintain the toys they had worked so many hours to
buy. They always wanted more. When bonus time would come around many of them
would cash those extra checks and hide them from their wives or husbands
claiming that they would not get any of it if they didn’t. No joy in the
money, no joy in the relationship, no joy in life. But when I got saved
things changed. I still had the same job. I did not get a raise for getting
saved. I began tithing right away. That meant I now was taking ten percent
and more out of the check that never was enough before and gave it to the
Lord. But it seemed that life had a new meaning. And somehow my money was
going farther. God convicted me about some of the terrible habits I had
formed and when I quit them and gave them to Him, I had even more money. The
labor of the righteous is just the same as the labor of the un-righteous.
But somehow it yields more. God seems to multiply it somehow and bless those
that serve Him. Our verses today say: “The labour of the righteous tendeth
to life.” That is what we all want when we get home. We want a real life
with our family and friends. We desire an enjoyable life that we find true
satisfaction in. And in giving my life to Christ He gave me back a real
life. A Great Life in Christ.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
We only get so many years here with our loved ones. It seems a shame that so many people try so hard to obtain so much that they will only have to leave behind. Life is meant to be lived. To have a wonderful life with others, we must find real life in Christ. Live it in Him today.
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July 15th
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
If I told
you that to go to California from Virginia you need to go straight west
staying on land, that would be a true statement. So the statement then is to
go to California you must head west correct? NO! The statement is to get to
California from Virginia you must head west. If you begin in Florida and
head west you will end up in Mexico. So does that make the instructions
wrong? NO! It makes your starting place Important. It is the same with these
proverbs. If you try to apply them to an immoral heart they will not always
work. In fact, they will not always make sense. Our heart tells us, “Live
For Me, Get All I Can, Enjoy Every Moment No Matter The Cost.” The Bible
tells us Live for God, He will supply all you need and your joy will not be
for a moment but for eternity. The beginning of understanding these proverbs
is to understand and believe in the writer of the proverbs. To have a
personal love relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ and be
empowered by the Holy Spirit. If you begin in the right place, you’ll end up
in the right place. This is true in our personal life, our relationships
with others, our business affairs and life in general. Begin with Jesus. Ask
Him to come into your heart if you never have. Resubmit yourself to Him if
you already have. The beginning of knowledge is to have a relationship with
God.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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July 16th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
I saw on the television a while back a raging fire on the west coast of the United States. It was burning almost out of control. The diligent work of the men and women firefighters at this point was actually not an attempt to stop the blaze, although that was their final goal. It had now come to the place that what they were spending most of their energy on was making sure it did not spread too much farther. They had realized it was going to spread and now were busy trying to control the amount of damage it would do. Finally they had to start a controlled fire around the fire large enough to burn everything in its path. Hoping that when this raging inferno reached that point it no longer had anything to burn and the pre-burned controlled area was too large for the fire to jump over. And fortunately that is what happened. In order to control the fire, everything around the fire had to be destroyed.
Sometimes people that believe they are right and will not listen to counsel at all are just like that fire. No matter what the facts say, no matter what the evidence of God’s hand at work says, no matter what might say differently, they know they are right. And it is not until everything around them is destroyed that they realize in their unwillingness to learn they have destroyed themselves. There is no fire left to burn. No one around anymore to complain to. No one to listen to them and their ideas. People will avoid a destructive fire. The word brutish in today’s verse means eaten up or self-destructive. Just as the fire was destroyed by fire, so will people unwilling to receive instruction eventually destroy themselves.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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July 17th
R - Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 14:27-28 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
to depart from the snares of death. In the multitude of people is the king’s
honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
Leadership
can be lonely. It seems that everyone assumes that because leaders have a
number of people that follow them, and that they always seem to have someone
around them, that they could not be lonely. But the truth is if a leader is
a true leader indeed, they will always be out in front of the people carving
a path for them to follow in. Leaders are often walking on dangerous ground
while others are waiting to see if it’s safe. Regularly criticized by those
that follow and those that will not follow for the moves and decisions they
make. Leading is lonely. But it is the only thing a true leader can do. They
know no other skill. In the multitude of people who are led correctly there
is honor. Without people leaders are no longer leaders. They are just
another guy on a hike. But leaders who lead incorrectly leave no followers
for the leaders who come after them to lead. So how can you lead and know
you are leading correctly? What is it that gives a leader confidence to take
a group of people into uncharted areas of their life? Verse 27 answers that.
Respect and reverence for God and our Lord Jesus Christ is a fountain of
life. Leading people to Christ and into a greater walk with Him is always
safe. Everything else is a gamble.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Everyone is a leader, like it or not. Someone is following you in the path you are walking. Where are you leading them today? It is also true that you are either leading them closer to or farther away from God. “Oh God, be my guide. Holy Spirit, guard my path. Jesus, be my life. Amen.”
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July 18th
E - Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 18:18-19 The lot causeth contentions to cease, and
parteth between the mighty. A brother offended is harder to be won than a
strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
Decisions, decisions.
They can drive you crazy. Who is going to make them? What makes that
decision right? How do we know its right? Just the thought of two different
ideas and having to decide between them has driven good friends far apart.
Not the decision that was made, but the decision never made because they
could not agree on how to agree. Sometimes it would be better to sit down
and just agree on how a decision will be made before that ever comes to be a
problem. In verse 18 the Bible says that “The lot causeth contentions to
cease, and parteth between the mighty.” In Bible times the casting of lots
was accepted as a fair and just way to decide an issue. It was believed that
God, being in overall control of everything, would then decide the issue
Himself. It was then accepted as the will of God and no man could argue
against that. Today in our Church we do very much the same thing. When an
issue is in dispute, we first search out God’s word for an answer all the
while we pray for clear understanding. Sometimes God will give us clarity of
mind and a decision will be made at that point. If not, we then present it
to the church board. A group of men made up of the Pastors, deacons, and
trustees elected by the church to oversee such matters. If the issue is not
resolved there it is taken to the church membership where every member has
as voice on the matter. We believe that God intervenes and decides the
matter for Himself through the members of His body the Church. And what God
decides in final.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Ultimately, we want God’s
will in all matters. Have you wrestled with something in your life or home
and desire to know the will of God? Pray, read Gods word, seek Godly counsel
and let God decide.
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July 19th
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
Plan your work and
work your plan. Some folks never plan for anything. But proper planning
leads to a pleasant life. There is something rewarding about making a plan
sticking to it and seeing it through to the end. To dream is fine, but to
tell others of that dream without a plan is just a wish. We need to have a
plan in place to accomplish things in life. To make a proper plan takes some
planning itself. One must plan to pray about it. A plan without God is not
well thought out. Only God knows the beginning from the end of all matters.
It would be wise to seek His will in any matter. You must make plans with a
careful consideration of the cost. The Bible tells us to be sure and count
the cost before we begin a project. After you have prayed and planned it is
always wise to ask others to take a look at your ideas. If you know that God
is leading you, don’t let the negative Gus that will come along discourage
you. But find people that will make wise recommendations. Lastly, plan to
get busy. Don’t Dream, Pray, Plan, Discuss and then do nothing. If God has
laid a project on your heart or a plan for life in your mind, by all means
get busy following God’s plan. But be sure to plan.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
What is your plan for life? Some say that is hard to figure out. Ok what is your plan for this year? Still to long? This Month? This week? Do you at least have an idea of what’s happening today? Remember, “The diligent tend only to plenteousness.” Be diligent. PLAN!!
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July 20th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 24: 30-31 I went by the field of the slothful, and by
the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown
over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone
wall thereof was broken down.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
“A penny saved is a penny earned.” “A stitch in time saves nine.” “Making hay while the sun still shines.” You remember these sayings. What did they mean? They meant we were to be diligent with our time and treasures. Using what God has given to us to the best of our ability. Solomon says in the verses today that he went by the field of the slothful and the vineyard of the man void of understanding. Simply put he visited a place where the person who lived there was either lazy or a very poor manager of his time and treasures. And what did he see? He saw a place that was not taken care of. He found a place that had become broken down and was falling to pieces because of lack of attention on by the owner.
Does it say he saw the man? NO! Did he observe him being lazy? NO! So how does he know he is slothful and lacks understanding? He knew by the evidence his life had produced.
When we as Christians are not good stewards of what God has given us, the world not only looks at us in a negative way, but our testimony also reflects on our God. The Bible has told us as Christians and the world “by their fruit ye shall know them.” So they are looking at our fruit.
This can also be
applied to our life in general. Our outward living should display an inward
change. If the outside does not match the inside, then something is wrong.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
What do people see when
they look at us? Is the life we live filled with weeds of the world and
unkempt walls of resistance to sin? Or do they see Jesus in us? What they
see in us reflects the image of our God to them. Let Jesus shine today.
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July 21st
R - Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 31:10 & 30 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her
price is far above rubies. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a
woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
To really be romantic we should take time to step back on occasion and reflect on the blessing of God’s gifts to us in our lives. Believing it is God that joins us together, we should regard very highly the gift He has given to us.
Men, it would be a wonderful thing today to just thank God for the blessing He has given us in our wives. They are truly a blessing from God. All the way in the first book of the Bible, God looked at man and said I need to make someone that will complete and help that man, and He began to design the perfect lady for you.
Women, it would be a great time for you to thank God for allowing you to be the completer of your husband. What an awe inspiring task to take on, and yet you do it everyday of your life with him. Whatever and whoever he is has a lot to do with you. Thank God that He did not have you to do this alone but that the Holy Spirit resides in you to help you as you go about fulfilling Gods good pleasure in your relationship.
Singles, thank God
that you do not have to worry if there is anyone for you. God has a design
for your life. And if that includes a mate, He has made someone just for
you. Don’t get in a hurry; wait on the Lord. Thank Him for his design in
life and marriage. Then when you say I Do, be all that God intended for you
to be.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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July 22nd
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
Proverbs 24: 3-4 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by
understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be
filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD
INTO PEOPLE:
Everything needs a
good foundation. Without that it will crumble and fall. This is true of a
house, a business relationship, a family or an individual. But a foundation
is not near enough. Solomon has in just two short verses; given us an
outline for living life that cannot be beat. Nor can it be ignored. For if
we are to ignore any part of this we fall prey to ignoring it all. To begin
with our foundation must be on the unshakeable truths of God’s Word and His
Son Jesus Christ. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Our lives,
families, churches, businesses, everything needs to be filtered through a
Holy reverence for God and who He is. But that is not enough. It is not
enough to know of God and respect who He is. We must establish ourselves in
His Son Jesus Christ. Marriages, business relationships and even lives fail,
knowing there is a God and refusing to commit their lives to Him. You can
build a house on cement 20 feet thick, but if you don’t anchor to it, during
the first wind it will be blown away and destroyed. Once you have the
foundation set and your lives and homes and businesses anchored to it, you
can now walk in His love and truth and enjoy the treasures God has prepared
for His people. Through the wisdom of God’s Word is a home built, and
understanding that Jesus is the only way of enjoying real life establishes
that home to it’s foundation of that Word. There may still be storms
outside, but in Jesus there is peace evermore.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Daily
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For Sunday Reading We Suggest You Read Your Pastors Sermon Passages Today |
July 23rd
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
If you were the
smartest person on the face of this earth would you want to study history? Would
you explore the pages of science? Do you think that poetry would even interest
you? How about Philosophy? If you were the wisest person on planet earth today
would any of these things interest you? Surprisingly the answer would be yes.
Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and in Ecclesiastes one verse
thirteen he says that he gave his heart over to seek and search out the common
things of man on earth. That being wise did not eliminate him from the necessity
of reading and studying subjects he wanted to know about. Wisdom does not
include information. Wisdom is the gathering and the use of the information you
obtain. Solomon goes on in the second half of this verse to say “this sore
travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.” Or another
way of saying it might be just what your parents told you when you were in
school. If you don’t buckle down and study you will not know the answers on the
tests. This sore travail or this very hard task was God’s idea for man to learn.
Why? Because we remember better what we spend time searching for. It is the same
in our relationships with one another. If God wanted to He could have just
imparted everything you would ever need to know about your loved ones. But then
you would just take that for granted. Part of the fun of courtship is the
finding out and revealing of new and intimate things about one another. And if
you’re not married, ask any married person, you never completely figure each
other out. It’s a lifelong study of the maturing life of the other person. If
you’re planning on a committed relationship with someone else, then that should
be your second greatest subject of study. Your first should be a study of the
one that created him or her.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Communication and openness in a marriage is so vitally important as we grow closer to one another and closer to God. Find some time today a re-learn your study skills. It’s not as hard as school was, because you really love this subject.
Daily
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July 24th
R - Roles and Responsibilities
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD: