Redeem Your Time for Your Family.

By Billy Graham

Let us take time to get acquainted with our families. All the wealth which we are accumulating is not substituted to children whom we have no time to caress. We are not machines; we are not robots. The art of living and the secret of a happy home is for the members of the family to learn to give and to receive love. When we are gone, our families will remember us jot for our business sense, or for our wealth, or for our cleverness, but for our love: “now abideth faith, hope, and love; but the greatest, and the most abiding, is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Let us take time for family devotions. Too many families have left all matters of religion to the church; but the greatest, the most lasting, lessons of faith are learned when a mother’s or father’s voice is lifted in reverent prayed to God. Prayer together at the close of the day will make sleep come easier and will absolve the little hurts and harsh words of the day.

Grandparents.

Now there’s evidence based on interviews with children and grandparents that children need their grandparents and vice-versa. The study shows that the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is second in emotional power and influence only to the relationship between parents and children. Grandparents affect the lives of their grandchildren, for good or ill, simply because they exist. Unfortunately, a lot of grandparents ignore the fact, to the emotional deprivation of the young. Of the children studied, only five percent reported close, regular contact with at least one grandparent.

The vast majority sees their grandparents only infrequently, not because they live too far away, but because the grandparents have chosen to remain emotionally distant. These children appear to be hurt, angry, and very perceptive about their grandparents. One of them said, “I’m just a charm on grandma’s bracelet.” Positive roles that grandparents play are caretaker, storyteller, family historian, mentor, wizard, and confidant, negotiator between child and parent, and model for the child’s own old age.

When a child has a strong emotional tie to a grandparent, he enjoys a kind of immunity—he doesn’t have to perform for grandparents the way he must for his parents, peers and teacher. The love of grandparents comes with no behavioral strings attached. The emotional conflicts that often occur naturally between children and parents do not exist between grandparents and grandchildren.

Parents and Children.

A Godly parent is a child’s best guide to God.

The character of your children tomorrow depends on what you put into their hearts today.

What we leave in our children is more important than what we leave to them.

We shape tomorrow’s world by what we teach our children today.

A parent’s love never ends.

A parent’s life is a child’s guidebook.

Give God your best

By Rick Warren

Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:17 (NLT)

God shaped you for a purpose and he expects you to make the most of what you've been given. He doesn't want you to worry about or covet abilities that you don't have. Instead he wants you to focus on talents he has given you to use.

When you attempt to serve God in ways that you're not shaped to serve, it feels like forcing a square peg into a round hole. It's frustrating and produces limited results. It also wastes your time, talent, and energy.

The best use of your life is to serve God out of your shape. To do this you must discover your shape, learn to accept and enjoy it, and then develop it to its fullest potential.

The Bible says, "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." (Ephesians 5:17 NLT) Don't let another day go by. Start finding out and clarifying what God intends for you to be and do.

Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities. Take a long, honest look at what you are good at and what you're not good at. Paul advised, "Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves ...." (Romans 12:3b NLT)

Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Tell them you're searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment. Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others.

If you think you are gifted to be a teacher or a singer and no else agrees, guess what? If you want to know if you have the gift of leadership, just look over your shoulder! If no one is following you, you're not a leader.

Ask questions like these: Where have I seen fruit in my life that other people confirmed? Where have I already been successful?

Tomorrow we'll look at another way to determine your gifts and abilities.

A Slave of Jesus Christ

There is a faith and most precious thing that Paul meant by “a slave of Jesus Christ”. He meant that he had the highest and most honored and kingly profession in all the world. Men of God, the greatest men of history, have always been called “the servants of God”. It was the highest of honor. The believer’s slavery to Jesus Christ is no cringing, cowardly, or shameful subjection. It is the position of honor – the honor that bestows upon a man the privileges and responsibilities of serving the king of kings and Lord of Lords. 

Moses was the slave of God.

Deuteronomy 34:5  

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.

Psalms 105:26  

He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

Malachi 4:4  

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

Joshua was the slave of God.

Joshua 24:29  

After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

David was the slave of God.

2 Samuel 3:18  

Now do it! For the LORD promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”

Psalms 78:70  

He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;

Paul was the slave of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:1  

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

Philippians 1:1  

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

Titus 1:1  

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—

James was the slave of God.

James 1:1  

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

Peter was the slave of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:1  

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Jude was the slave of God.

Jude 1:1  

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

The prophets were the slaves of God.

Amos 3:7  

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Christian believers are said to be the slaves of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:18  

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

1 Corinthians 7:22  

For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.

Ephesians 6:6  

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

Examples of answered Prayer

Aaron

Psalms 99:6  

Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them.

Samuel

1 Samuel 10:22  

So they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

David

2 Samuel 21:1  

During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

1 Chronicles 21:28  

At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.

Psalms 138:3  

When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.

Jesus

John 11:41-42  

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Meanings to lifting up on hands.

A habit in prayer

1 Kings 8:22  

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven.

1 Kings 8:38  

And when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple—

1 Kings 8:54  

When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.

Psalms 28:2  

Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Psalms 88:9  

My eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you.

Isaiah 1:15  

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood;

An act of seeking God.

Psalms 68:31 

Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.

Psalms 143:6  

I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

An act of obedience.

Psalms 119:48  

I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

What happens to sins?

When you trust Christ, what does God do with your sins?

He takes them away:

                                               

John 1:29  

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Forgets them:

                                               

Hebrews 10:17  

Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

Washes them away:

                                         

Isaiah 1:18  

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Blots them out:

                                               

Isaiah 43:25  

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Wipes out like a cloud:

Isaiah 44:22  

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”                                      

Pardons them:

                                               

Isaiah 55:7  

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

And buries them in the depths of the sea:

                                               

Micah 7:19  

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Christ will come back.

The whole Bible emphasizes over and over the fact that Christ will come back. For example, in Isaiah (66:15) we are told that “the Lord will come with fire.”

In Jeremiah, we are told that at the Lord’s coming Jerusalem will be made the throne of His glory and nations shall be gathered in representation. There shall be a mighty disarmament conference in Jerusalem, far greater than any the world has ever seen.

Ezekiel tells of Jerusalem which is to be restored, a temple which is to be rebuilt, and a land which is to be reclaimed and filled with prosperity.

Daniel saw Him in visions, coming as the Judge and King of the earth.

Hosea says that in the latter times when the Lord shall return, Israel shall accept Him as Lord and King.

Joel describes the world’s armies arrayed in the last day against the host of heaven.

Amos reveals the new throne of David established again in Jerusalem.

Obadiah issued serious warnings in view of the coming again of the Prince of Princes.

Micah announces the cessation of all wars when swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks

Nahum tells of the mountains quaking beneath His feet and the very earth burning with presence of Christ.

Habakkuk shows the King measuring the new Kingdom with a measuring rod and all the hills bowing unto Him.

Zephaniah gives us the new song that He will teach unto Israel and describes the overthrow of the false Christ.

Haggai tells of the shaking of all things and only the things of God remaining.

Malachi closes the Old Testament story of the coming Prince by showing Him as refiner’s fire and as a fuller’s soap, and as the rising sun filling the whole earth with His glory. The Old Testament is brimming with accounts of the second coming of Christ.

In the New Testament the predictions His coming are even more vivid and couched in even clearer terms. Matthew likens Christ to a bridegroom coming to receive his bride.

Mark sees Him as a householder going on a long journey and committing certain tasks to his servants until his return.

To Luke, Jesus is a nobleman going into a far country to transact certain business and leaving his possessions with his servants in order that they might trade with them until he comes.

John quotes Christ as saying, “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself.” In Romans we see Him at His coming placing all things beneath His feet.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells of the Lord’s coming to awaken and raise the dead; 2 Corinthians describes the new house we shall have when this earthly house is dissolved.

Colossians (3:4) says, “When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, them shall ye also appear with Him in Glory.”

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells us to wait for God’s Son from heaven. 2 Thessalonians gives us the glorious picture of the Lord coming with His saints.

In Timothy, we find these words, that the Lord will reward all those who “love His appearing.”

Titus talks about the “blessed hope.”

Hebrews tells about His coming the second time apart from sin.

James urges his readers to be patient unto the coming of the Lord.

Peter says that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night.

John gives the great promise to all believers, “Now are we the sons of God and it do not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Jude says, “Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints.”

And the whole Book of Revelation is given over to the teaching of the coming of Jesus Christ.

So, friends, it is not important that we know the exact time of His coming. What is important is that we live our lives in such a way as to be ready for it any moment!

How Do You Develop Self-Control?

By Rick Warren

God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.

It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:

Successful people master their moods.

They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28).

Successful people watch their words.

They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths: “Those who control their tongue will have a long life . . .” (Proverbs 13:3).

Successful people restrain their reactions.

How much can you take before you lose your cool? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11).

Successful people stick to their schedule.

If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Successful people manage their money.

They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20).

Successful people maintain their health.

That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements: “Control your body and live in holiness . . .” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).

Now, where do you need to develop self-control?

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself.

 Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

Things through Jesus Christ

Peace

Romans 5:1  

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 6:11  

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Eternal Life

Romans 6:23  

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanks for Salvation

Romans 7:25  

Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Boasting

Romans 15:17  

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

Victory

1 Corinthians 15:57  

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heir ship

Galatians 4:7  

So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

God glorified

1 Peter 4:11

 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Salvation

2 Peter 2:20  

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.

Drops

 “Let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do.”  Psalm 90:17, The Message

Anger. It’s a peculiar yet predictable emotion. It begins as a drop of water. An irritant. A frustration. Nothing big, just an aggravation. Someone gets your parking place. A waitress is slow and you are in a hurry. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Yet, get enough of these seemingly innocent drops of anger and before long you’ve got a bucket full of rage . . .

Now, is that any way to live?

Anger never did anyone any good.

 He is near

 “He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  Isaiah 53:12 NIV

God is in the thick of things in your world. He has not taken up residence in a distant galaxy . . . He has not chosen to seclude Himself on a throne in an incandescent castle.

He has drawn near. He has involved Himself in the car pools, heartbreaks, and funeral homes of our day. He is as near to us on Monday as He is on Sunday. As near in the school room as in the sanctuary.

It’s Not Too Late

 “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”  Luke 5:10, NASB

Christ . . . doesn’t abandon self-confessed schlemiels. Quite the contrary, he enlists them . . .

Contrary to what you may have been told, Jesus doesn’t limit his recruiting to the stout-hearted. The beat-up and worn-out are prime prospects in his book, and he’s been known to climb into boats, bars, and brothels to tell them, “It’s not too late to start over.”

Shepherding

 “‘I will feed my my flock, and I will make them lie down,’ says the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 34:15, NKJV

What the shepherd does with the flock, our Shepherd will do with us. He will lead us to the high country. When the pasture is bare down here, God will lead us up there. He will guide us through the gate, out of the flatlands, and up the path of the mountain.

                                                                                                                                    …. By Max Lucado

Responding to God’s Discipline

By Dr.  Charles Stanley

Read : Hebrews 12:5-7

Sin always leads us away from God and hinders His work in our lives. The Lord will not allow sinful patterns of behavior to continue without divine correction. The purpose of His discipline is to train us in personal holiness (Heb. 12:10).

Some Christians equate the word discipline with punishment. But Scripture tells us that Jesus took our punishment upon Himself at the cross. He paid the required price for all sin and experienced God’s wrath on our behalf so that we might be forgiven. Once we receive Christ as Savior, we are a new creation and no longer under condemnation (Rom. 8:1).

Discipline by our heavenly Father is corrective, not punitive. He uses trials and circumstances to turn us away from unholy practices and teach us the way of godliness (1 Tim. 4:8). So when experiencing His discipline, we should understand that we have sinned, examine our wrongdoing with the Holy Spirit’s help, and take His correction seriously. Instead of losing heart, recognize that the Lord is treating us as a loving Father would—looking out for our best interests and disciplining us for our own good. Instead of fighting the process, we are wise to cooperate with God and keep our eyes fixed on the promised harvest of righteousness and peace.

Not all hardships are a result of sin; they can also derive from natural disasters, mental or physical illnesses, or someone else’s actions. But if your troubles are a result of your own ungodly actions, then confess them and accept the discipline of a loving Father to His precious child (Isa. 43:4).

Walking with each other

By Rick Warren

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

"God hates loneliness, and community is God’s answer to loneliness. When we walk alongside other people, we find a community where we learn how to love. "

The Bible often compares life to a walk, because life is a journey; we’re not sitting still. Throughout the New Testament, we are told to walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. We’re told to walk as Jesus walked. We’re also told to walk alongside other people. Here are three reasons to walk with other people:

It’s safer. Have you ever walked alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road? It’s a little scary. But if you have another person with you, you immediately feel safer.

It’s supportive. Life is not a fifty-yard dash; it’s a marathon. Walking with other people gives you the energy to keep on going until the end.

It’s smarter. You learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If you’re walking alone in the wrong direction, you may never realize it. But if you have a friend alongside you, one of you is likely to recognize you’ve veered off the path and need to find the right direction.

We also learn some important lessons when we walk alongside other people. We learn how to get along with others, how to cooperate.

We also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 tells us, “It is not good for the man to be alone”(NIV). God hates loneliness, and community is God’s answer to loneliness. When we walk alongside other people, we find a community where we learn how to love.

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Walking alongside other people also teaches us hospitality. 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”(NIV). What’s your grumble? What’s your excuse for not opening your home to friends?

Maybe you’ve said, “My home is dirty!”

Well, clean it up!

Or perhaps your excuse is: “My home isn’t big enough.”

Can you put three people in it? Jesus says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20 NIV).

Everybody has a longing for belonging because God made us for relationships. When we walk alongside other Christians in community, we find that longing satisfied