Friday

Oops!!  I made a boo boo

Scriptures:  Proverbs 12: 22

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight

Lesson Objective:  To look at some small habits that we may have that will keep us from having a closer walk with God

Too often we condemn people who do what we consider horrendous sins such as murder, child abuse, etc; however, we overlook the fact that sin is sin no matter the sinful act. Somehow we can easily overlook those sins that we consider trivial because we find it acceptable because everyone does it.  We laugh at the story of the lady who tells her child to say that she is not home when the bill collector comes to the door and the child says “ My mother says that she is not home”. The mother has not only sinned but also has taught her child that it is ok to lie and thus ok to sin. Lying is a sin even if it is a “white” lie. Outside of the Biblical reference one should not lie because then you do not need to remember what you said or tell another lie to cover the first one. Another acceptable sin is using the term luck. Luck suggests that things happen by  chance while the opposite approach is that God is in control and blesses us. There is no such thing as happenstance. God had a plan for us and we will be blessed when we follow God’s path. Last but not least is complaining. Complaining is something that we all are guilty of at some time in our lives. We are to praise God always and be thankful regardless of the circumstances.

Thought for the day: Do not let the little things keep us from a closer walk with God.

 

Thursday

Mouthitis—Disease of the tongue

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5: 2-3

 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
³ For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

Lesson Objective: To understand the importance of properly monitoring our tongue and how it can be used for evil and for blessing.

As a young child I remember a teacher once said put your brain in gear before putting your mouth in motion. Simply means think before speaking. As a teacher I find myself sometimes getting impatient when I ask a student a question and they do not immediately give me the answer. Then I remember that the student is just thinking before answering and trying to give the correct answer. The tongue is a powerful instrument as the world was created just by the words of God as the Bible states that God spoke the world into existence. While these were positive results  from the tongue, we often allow our mouth to get us into trouble. We can say things : however, the minute we say it we wish we had not and want to take it back. The problem is that we cannot catch the words in mid-air and put them back into our mouths. This can be done in hatred or in ignorance of the hurt that can come about by our words. Regardless of the reason saying I am sorry does not change the fact that we said it. The question is why did we say it. What we say comes from the heart. Many people would say that it comes from the brain but actually, it comes from the heart. We must get our heart in tune with God. Proverbs 21: 23 “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles”.

Thought for the day: James 1:19 Slow to speak and quick to hear

Wednesday

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S WORD

 

Scripture: Psalms 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path

 

Lesson Objective: Understanding the importance of God’s word- The Bible

 

There are few things as scary as walking into a strange place with little or no light. This can also be true when we enter our own home at night and cannot immediately find the light switch or the electricity is off and we do not have a flashlight handy. Little children are especially afraid of the dark and begin to imagine all kisnds of monsters, etc. This is also true of our christian walk. We can easily find ourselves in situations that are not comfortable at all. Some even dangerous. This is why it is so important that we not walk in darkness but in light. That light is the Word of God for if we follow it we will have no fear and never get lost. We must understand that a lamp is of no use unless it is lit. The Bible is of no use unless we open it and study it. A Bible sitting on the table and never opened is nothing more than a paper weight. There are certain steps that can be taken to facilitate the study. 1. Purposely set aside timeand make an appointment with God in the mornings , afternoons and evenings,but if that doesn’t work for you, find a time that does…even if it’s not every day. Whatever you can do, that’s what you need to do. Just start somewhere and you’ll see the fruit that this time brings to your life! 2. Make preparation for your Bible study and have a place that you enjoy being—a room in your house where you can be alone. Somewhere you are comfortable and like to be. 3. Take the time to meditate. Do not just read as quickly as you can just to be reading. Take time to really understand the story. Not just read the words

Thought for the day. Find your scripture you can remember in your time of darkness.

Tuesday

Grace- What is it and how do we get it?

Scripture: Ephesians 2: 8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Lesson Objective:  To understand the importance of Grace in our lives and what we must do to receive and maintain Grace in our lives

There is an old saying that nothing in life is free. While that is true in most cases there is one thing that cost no money and is worth more than silver and gold. That is Grace. Grace is defined as a :unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b :a virtue coming from God and c :a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance. The word is found about 156 times in the Bible. Grace is not just about eternal life but it is everything that God gives us even though we do not deserve it. I saw it written once as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”. As the scripture says we cannot earn it but it is not “free”. It comes with a cost. The cost is quite affordable. We must have faith and obey God. That is the total cost.

Thought for the day: God’s grace is willingly given by God but the question is are we willing to pay the price to receive it. The price is simply trust and obey.

 

An Attitude of Gratitude

Scripture: Colossians 3:15-17

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Lesson Objective:  To understand how an Attitude of Gratitude can provide each of us an opportunity to really be thankful for the many blessings that God has bestowed on us

This is a natural follow-up to the lesson on Contentment for one cannot be content if one is not truly thankful and grateful for what one presently possesses. Dictionary Gratitude Definition is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  The importance can be found in Psalms 50:23 which states that we honor God through our demonstration of gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 goes further and says “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. There are several examples in the Bible relative to showing gratitude such as the story of the ten lepers where only one returned to say thank you to Christ and he received an additional blessing from Christ. Another example is that of David who danced before God and the ark. He showed his gratitude even though his wife did not understand but David did. When one refuses to show gratitude it can be for one of the following reasons: selfishness, murmuring or pride. All of which will separate us from God.

Thought for the day: Be thankful to God always