The scripture for today, December 10 (12/10), is Job 12:10 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”
Let’s talk a moment about teenagers. Many adults joke that their teen is 16 going on 60. What know-it-alls they’ve become! Let’s look at the situation this way. They may have bodies that have grown to that of an adult. But minds grow much slower, and they must give their minds a chance to catch up.
As adults, it is our responsibility to help their minds catch up. Know enough about the Bible that you can apply scriptures to their activities and interests and friends. You may wish to make a list of your teenager’s activities, interests and friends, and then list a scripture next to each. Proverbs is an excellent book to start with. Then when the occasion arises, be ready (even if you have to sneak into the other room a minute to consult your list) to instill some wisdom.
This way, it is not you speaking, but God speaking. God said, “My word will not return to me void” (Isaiah 55:11). And God is older and wiser than all of us.
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The scripture for today, December (12/9), is 2nd Corinthians 12:9 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Oh how much we need to be reminded of this scripture. We all have weaknesses. Do you lament the hand you were dealt? Do you lament the country you were born in, the family you were born into, the physical limitations you were born with, the mental, emotional or physical deficiencies you ended up with?
This is your chance! Those weaknesses! Go around others with the same weakness you have with joy in your heart, gladness on your lips and a continual gleam in your eyes! Let God’s strength shine in your weakness!
When people begin to sympathize with you, interrupt them and tell them how much God loves you, and how much God loves them! Encourage your “encouragers.” Let them go away from you with a new understanding of the blessings of weakness! And perhaps be a little more thankful for their own weaknesses.
Lucky you! You are one of the chosen! He is so proud of you!
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The scripture for today, December 8 (12/8), is Ecclesiastes 12:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
” ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless!’ “
About thirty-five years ago some Christians in England did a sidewalk survey in the downtown of a major city. One of their inquiries was: “What question about your life do you ask the most?”. The answer almost always was, “Why am I here? What is life all about?”.
The entire book of Ecclesiastes is about all the things that the richest and most powerful man in the world did in order to have an enjoyable and fulfilling life: He built palaces and grand temples, he cultivated great gardens, he imported tons of gold and precious stones and fabrics from around the globe, he had numerous wives and mistresses, he built the largest army and navy in the world, he studied every possible subject. At the end of this little book, he said it was all meaningless.
The meaning of our life is that we were born to die. This life is temporary. It is our proving ground. This life is the foyer of the life we will have eternally ~ a life in heaven or hell. We were not put here just to have fun, but rather to save as many people as possible from the clutches of Satan, and take as many people with us to the home of God, our Maker, the Lover of our soul. That is the meaning of life.
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Yesterday I was at a market selling my books. Two different men looked briefly at them, then said, “I’m an atheist.” To the first one, I said, “I understand.” He looked at me a moment with a surprised look, then left.
To the second one, I said, “I understand,” and he gave me the same look but did not leave. I said, “There is so much politics in churches.” He replied, “Yes and it doesn’t give a person a chance to know himself.” I said, “I wish they’d tear down all church buildings. It would get rid of all the vying for positions of leadership and entertainment. Their worship times would be simple again.” He said, “Yeah, that’d be a lot better. Even the atheists are getting organized.”
I tried to sell him one of my INTREPID MEN OF GOD books, explaining that I do not include a lot of doctrine; the books are about the men and what made them tick, what drove them. He said no, but there is always next month.
By the way, when men tell me they are atheists, they say it matter-of-factly. When women do, they say it with bitterness of soul. Over the years, every time I have spoken very long with an atheist I just ask, “What happened?”. They all know what I mean and tell me about some tragedy God caused to happen to them. I remind them Satan also exists and they are so relieved; they want so much to blame someone. Others say God could have stopped it. But (1) God gave everyone free will and (2) if he stopped every bad thing on earth, we would either all be robots or have heaven on earth already.
I always have such interesting conversations with the public when I sell my books at a market somewhere.
Just sharing…
The scripture for today, December 7 (12/7), is Luke 12:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Jesus had just said that God knows every sparrow individually. Amazing! This God of ours, this Creator of ours knows everything that is going on in his world, and knows everyone in his world, regardless of where we are in the world.
Not only does He know everyone, but He knows our name, our likes, our dislikes, our struggles, our joys, if we bump into a door, how much we paid for groceries this week ~ everything. He is with us where ever we go. There is no place we can go that he is not there. We are never alone.
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The scripture for today, December 6 (12/6), is 1st Corinthians 12:6 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”
Later in this chapter, Paul explains, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (12:21f). He further explains, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body….” (12:13).
For ambitious people in the church who “fight” for position, this is hard to take. Standing in front with a microphone are the most sought-after positions in the church. Such positions have the potential of making you famous. Sorry, folks. Not to God. To God you are dispensable. The church could easily survive without you. God could easily get along without you. So, get control of your ego. Huh?
Do you really and truly believe this? Those who do the seemingly menial works (the “weaker”) are indispensable to God ~ you who take food to the bereaved, who read the Bible to the sick, who clean the bathrooms, who daily pray for members and the lost, who give a tract to a friend, who share a bulletin with a neighbor, who send a thinking-of-you card to a lonely person, who mow the church building lawn, who pray with someone who has just told you of a problem, who watch the nursery, who periodically quote a Bible verse to a friend in distress ~ such works that are in the background ~ the ones that don’t make it into the “schedule of worship,” the bulletin, the newspaper, the church periodicals, the billboards, are the ones who are indispensable.
To you who are jealous of people who get to have a more public position in the church and stand in front of the congregation and” lead” don’t be. Take heart. God is working more in you than them. Further, public approval by people is their reward. Your reward is from God himself.
You may seem weaker to the others. You are nearly invisible and weak to most people. But to God you are strong. You are mighty. You are God’s pride and joy.
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The scripture for today, December 5 (12/5), is Psalm 12:5 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
” ‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’ “
Notice, in this scripture the Lord says, “I will now arise.” Sometimes God needs you to endure difficulties so bad people who cause such problems can be exposed for what they are, and ultimately so Satan can be exposed for what he is. Sometimes that difficulty will last months or years ~ sometimes even a lifetime.
First Corinthians 3:9 in the New Testament says you are a worker together with God. Ephesians 6:12 says “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly [spiritual] realms.”
You are where God wants you to be. This is your assignment. Are you up to it? Sometimes your job is just to hang on and not give up on God. That’s what Satan is always trying to get you to do, just as he did Job in the Old Testament. God won’t leave you in a situation that is impossible for you to endure. I Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”
So, go ahead and groan in your weakness, beg in your frustration, and cry in your frailty, but hang on. Never let go of God. That’s your part.
As soon as the evil around you is exposed for what it is, you have proven good cannot be conquered by evil, and you have grown spiritually as a result of your experience, Then God will arise. That’s God’s part.
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The scripture for today, December 4 (12/4), is Isaiah 12:4 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“In that day you will say: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.’ “
Do you make known to your part of your nation what God has done for you? When a friend tells you of a difficulty, do you share what you went through that was similar, and that God helped get you through it? Are you ready with an easy-to-remember scripture to prove God cares and God helps? When someone is sick or bereaved, do you let them know that God hurts just as much when they suffer as when he watched his own Son suffer on the cross?
You may live in a country where most people are living immoral and unethical lives. You may live in a country where Christianity is illegal. You can still call on Jesus privately to help a friend in distress. Do not under-estimate the power of “word-of-mouth”. Jesus can build great things out of ashes.
Look back over your life. Make a list of some difficult times you and God made it through. Find an applicable verse and memorize it. Find out what is going on in the lives of your friends, co-workers, neighbors. Then be ready to share your story and what God has done for you. It’s up to each one of us to do this. Thereby God’s name can be exalted throughout the world. Even angels will notice.
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The scripture for today, December 3 (12/3), is Romans 12:3 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
The context of this verse is members of a congregation getting along with each other. He explains that each person is given certain gifts such as serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing and so on (12:6-8).
Within congregations, many disagreements come about because one person has an idea about a good work, and someone else has a different idea about it, and still someone else says some other good work should be done. All sincerely believe their way is the best form of outreach and want a committee to be formed to carry it out. Then egos tend to get involved.
Perhaps the best way to judge whether you are thinking of yourself more highly than you ought, is to ask yourself this: If I moved away or if I died, would this congregation survive without me? Of course, it would. Keep praying, Lord, help me see myself as others do.
It does not matter if you can get a committee formed to help you. If your heart is set on a certain good work, you can always do it alone. You do not need a committee. If your heart is truly set, stop waiting for others whose hearts may be on something else. If your heart is truly set, get out and do it.
Perhaps others will see your results and want to join you later. Perhaps not. Just keep following your heart. Be true to your heart. Be true to the souls that will be helped because you got out there and just did it.
May your prayer be, “Lord, help me see myself as others do.”
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