May 5, 2014. FORGIVE, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE!

Monday May 5

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Col 3:13

FORGIVE, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE!

A lady writes: “I found my husband with another woman. Although he begged me for forgiveness, I wanted my pound of flesh, so I filed for divorce even though our kids asked me not to. Two years later my husband was still trying to get me back, but I wanted none of it. He’d hurt me and I wanted revenge. Finally he gave up, married a young widow with two children, and rebuilt his life without me. They’re all so happy, and I’m just a lonely, miserable woman who let bitterness ruin her life.” Now there’s no question that infidelity is wrong. But without forgiveness, what’s left? There’s a point at which anger stops being a healthy emotion and becomes a driving force. Like a drug, you need larger and larger doses. Once that happens, you move even further from forgiveness, because without anger you’ve no energy at all. It’s what drives hate groups and extremists. Without bitterness they’ve no reason to exist at all. If you take bigotry from the racist, revenge from the zealot, and chauvinism from the sexist, what’s left? “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Bitterness is fatal; it kills your soul. So how can you stop yourself from becoming bitter when you’ve been hurt? (1) By looking into the face of the person who hurt you, and seeing instead the face of the One who showed you mercy when nobody else would have given you another chance. (2) By realizing that before the day, the week, the moth or the year is out, you’ll be needing mercy yourself.

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

May 4, 2014. DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (4)

Sunday May 4

“The new wine is found in the cluster.” Isa 65:8 NKJV

DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (4)

The fourth, and perhaps the most frustrating challenge we face when it comes to church growth, is to involve them. Why is that? A message on a bulletin board outside a church gives us a clue. The top line says, “We care about you,” and the line underneath reads: “Sundays. 10 a.m. only.” A cartoon by Erik Johnson puts it another way. At the top in big bold letters is a sign that reads: “The challenge of starting a men’s ministry.” Standing directly under the sign is a group of bored-looking guys. To the right of the group is the pastor, who quips: “So far, the only thing we have in common is an aversion to singing, socializing, and sharing.” People can feel lost and lonely in a crowd, even if it’s in church. Sitting in a pew looking at the back of somebody’s head for an hour and a half doesn’t meet anyone’s emotional, relational, or spiritual needs. As a member of Christ’s body, the church, it’s your job to take the first step and initiate contact with those around you. Jesus went out of His way to love the fallen, the fraudulent, and the faithless-people others wouldn’t have anything to do with. When someone comes into your church and finds Christ, your job has only begun. They are called to serve, and you are called to show them how, when, and where. “The new wine is found in the cluster.” Wine speaks of joy. But you can’t get it out of a single grape, you’ve got to have a “cluster.” Are you getting the idea?

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

May 3, 2014. DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (3)

Saturday May 3

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”            Ac 4:31 NKJV

DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (3)

Inspire them. To be inspired is to feel motivated and excited about what you are doing. The story is told of a little boy sitting in church with his mother. On the platform behind the pastor were three flags; the little boy asked her about the first one. “That’s our nation’s flag,” she said. Then he wanted to know about the second flag. She whispered, “That’s the Christian flag.” Finally he asked about the third flag. Telling him to be quiet, she whispered, “That’s for those who died in the service.” Innocently he asked, “Which service did they die in, the morning or evening service?” Yes, your church should be a place of reverence and order, but it should also be alive with the power and presence of God. A sign on a little country store said it all: “There’s no place anywhere near this place, that’s anything like this place, so this must be the place!” That’s what God wants His church to be. You ask, “What was church like back in the days of the early apostles?” Distinctive! Dynamic! Demonstrative! “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled...was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” According to the latest Barna poll, nowadays a “committed” church member is someone who attends church twice a month. Wow! The New Testament believers went every day. Furthermore, “They were all (every member) filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Jesus is many things-but boring isn’t one of them. So let’s invite people, instruct them, and inspire them!

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

May 2, 2014. DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (2)

Friday May 2

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hos 4:6 NKJV

DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (2)

Instruct them. “Go...make disciples...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20 NKJV). When your focus is on not only winning people to Jesus but making them disciples of Jesus, He promises, “I am with you” (v. 20 NKJV. Today we are raising a scripturally unenlightened generation. In a survey conducted in New York City, nine out of ten people couldn’t repeat one of the Ten Commandments or name one of the first four books of the New Testament. One man thought Dan Beersheba were husband and wife! Another thought an epistle was the wife of an apostle! We smile, but it’s a deadly serious issue. God said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Jesus said, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures?” (Mk 12:24 NIV). Many of the problems we seek counseling for could be resolved, and in some cases avoided altogether, if we took time each day to get into God’s Word. The reason many of us are spiritually sick is not because the medicine failed, but because we don’t take it. Basically, we’re all motivated by reward. So read this: “The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Jos 18 NKJV). Do you want to be strong spiritually? Get into the Scriptures. Do you want to succeed in life? Get into the Scriptures.

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

May 1, 2014. DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (1)

Thursday May 1

“And the Lord added to the church daily.” Ac 2:47 NKJV

DO YOU WANT YOUR CHURCH TO GROW? (1)

            God doesn’t mind your church having small attendance. What He objects to is your church having a small vision, for that limits what He can do through you. The story’s told of a tourist visiting a small English village. He asked an old gentleman, “Is there anything special about this place?” The old man smiled and said, “Yes, you can start here and go anywhere else on earth.” In Acts chapter 5 verse 28 the New Testament church was accused of “turning the world upside down.” What impact! God has a plan for church growth, and you have a part to play. You are called to:

            Invite them. You say, “Isn’t that my pastors’ job?” No, your pastor is a shepherd. Shepherds don’t give birth to sheep; sheep do that. When was the last time you brought someone to church? If you discovered a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s, wouldn’t you share it? Jesus said, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant...to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready’” (Lk 14:16-17 NKJV). When the invited guests started making excuses as to why they couldn’t come in, that my house may be filled’” (v. 23 NKJV). Not the words “compel them to come.” Pick them up in your car, arrange breakfast before church or lunch afterwards. Get creative, but whatever you do, bring them to church!

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

APRIL 30, 2014. WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND?

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30

“A good man leaves an inheritance.”  Pr 13:22 NIV

WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND?

Paul probably didn’t leave any money or real estate when he died, but he did leave a legacy--a superior one! His legacy was his writings, those he won to Christ, those he mentored, and his enduring influence. Every day your life touches other lives in unseen ways. You don’t have to know someone personally in order to experience the blessing of their legacy. Like walking into an empty room and catching a whiff of someone’s perfume, your impact can continue to be felt long after you’re gone. Usually we associate legacies with dying, and we don’t particularly like the topic. Or we assume since our legacy won’t be revealed for years, we don’t need to start investing in it now. In some cases we feel like we’ve little or no control over what we leave behind anyway. Not so: “A good man leaves an inheritance.” What will yours be? More importantly, what’s it going to cost you? Since the best gifts aren’t always handed down in your will, why not try for something more meaningful--something that points to who you were? It’s one thing to measure success by the money in your bank account, the size of your real estate holdings, and the value of your stock portfolio. It’s entirely another to measure it by intangibles like being a faithful marriage partner, raising great kids, building God’s kingdom, and leaving your light burning brightly when you go. All great legacies come with a price tag. To move beyond mediocrity, you must invest every day in the accounts of those who follow you!

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional

APRIL 29, 2014. THREE OBSTACLES

TUESDAY APRIL 29

“Remove the obstacles out of the way.”  Isa 57:14 NIV

THREE OBSTACLES

In Bible days marathons weren't run on smooth tracks, but over pathways filled with obstacles that could cause a runner to stumble and lose the race. Here are three obstacles you need to look out for as you run your life’s race: (1) An unforgiving attitude. “If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trepasses” (Mk 11:26 NKJV). When the mention of someone’s name triggers resentment, stop and pray, “Father, I forgive them as You’ve forgiven me. Whatever I ask for myself in blessing, I ask for them in double measure.” When you retaliate, you deny God the right to show mercy and deal with the situation His way. Don’t play God. You’ve received mercy--pass it on! (2) An unhealthy relationship. Paul writes, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Co 15:33 NLT). On the journey of life you get to choose your traveling companions. If you give your time to those who aren’t worthy of it, you’ve no right to complain. Become more selective. Choose your friends from among those who share your values, understand your God-given purpose, and strengthen you. (3) An undecided heart. Paul writes, “I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize” (Php 3: 13-14 TLB). A decided heart is the result of a made-up mind. It’s what separates winners from the losers. Pour your life into something more than self-interest; commit to a purpose that will outlive you!

Taken from the Word for You Today Devotional