For What Price?
~Judas~
God For Those Who Seek Him
Scripture: Matthew 27:3
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
.
Lesson Objective: To understand that Christ paid for us, so why should we take anything else.
We live in a world that is filled with material temptations. Each day there are more and more “stuff” that we may feel that we cannot live without. It was a time when a color tv would be good enough or at least a big screen tv, but now we must have HDTV. We must have capability for 200 plus channels even thought we can only look at one channel at a time. There are times when we can flip through the channels and cannot find even one channel with a decent show to watch. We are never satisfied. We must be careful that we do not spend so much time trying to get “stuff” that we get our priorities all out of whack and lose our way to heaven.
Thought for today: The question is not how much money we make but what do we really do with what we make.
Aid Of Non-Believers
~King Darius~
God Is Great
Scripture: Ezra 6: 15
Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
Lesson Objective: To understand that God works through all types of individuals to accomplish his will.
I remember a song that symbolizes this lesson well. The story line of the song is that a woman lived in an apartment and she needed some groceries so everyday she prayed to God for groceries. There was a man who lived next door who heard her prayers every day and constantly asked her to be quiet. One day after getting tired of hearing her praying, he went to the store and brought her some groceries and knocked on her door and delivered the groceries. He told her that she could stop praying because he brought her the groceries and not God. She responded that God told him to buy the groceries and then she began to praise God.
Thought for today: God’s blessings come in all size packages. Be careful that you do not loose a blessing because you overlook the source.
Our God Is The God
~Nebuchanezer~
Scripture: Daniel 2:47
The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.
Lesson Objective: To understand that even unbelievers can recognize our God.
In a land where we are taught religious tolerance we must be careful that we do not mistake this for being ashamed of our beliefs. There are several organizations that say that they are Christian organizations but in lieu of actual prayers they say words of wisdom or words of inspiration. The concern is that the prayer will alienate those who may be of a different religion. This is far from the truth. Individuals who are of different religious backgrounds understand totally if a prayer is offered and even expects such.
Thought for today: How great is your God that you would place him under a cover and not exalt him and praise him openly?
Scripture: Luke 16:25
But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented,
Lesson Objective: To understand that we must be careful of instant gratification.
Our world is one of instant gratification. We want everything right now and we are willing to give up everything for our desires. There is a commercial where the question is should one invest $30,000 in a car or $30,000 in their college education. We know that the answer should be invest in college education, but how many choose the instant gratification of a car and then allow the car to create a diversion that causes them to flunk out of school. There is nothing that suggests that we must do without any earthly joy, but we must be careful that we do not pay for that joy through actions that will ultimately keep us from eternal joy in heaven.
Thought for today: Long term investments always out shine short term investments.
Love Cannot Be Purchased
~Leah~
God Is Our Shield
Scripture: Genesis 29:32
So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me."
Lesson Objective: To understand that we cannot make others love us, but God loves us just because.
We know the story of many young ladies who in seeking love in the wrong place end up being an unwed mother. They make the mistake of thinking that having a child will cause the boyfriend to change their bad habits and make the boyfriend love them even more. Sadly they find out too late that the child adds nothing to the relationship except an additional strain on an unhealthy relationship and they end up with an unwanted child for whom they cannot care for properly. For some they never learn and continually make the same mistake and for others they do learn and make changes in their lives.
Thought for today: Seek first and always the true love exemplified by Christ and you will never go wrong.
A Simple Thank You
~Leper~
Scripture: Luke 17:15
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God
Lesson Objective: To understand that we have to be grateful for all of our blessings.
One of the first lessons in life is that of gratitude. We must always be thankful for any and all blessings. There are some who never understand this and think that they are owed something. They go through life never satisfied and always seeking something more. These people end up living a miserable life and never really enjoy life. There are others who are thankful for everything and eagerly say thank you before they even know what is in the box or bag. They truly understand that it is not the gift but the thought behind the gift. These individuals go through life expecting nothing, but thankful for every little blessing that they may receive. They exude smiles and happiness in all that they do and say.
Thought for today: We must be always mindful of all of the blessings that we have for which we can never earn but have through the love of God.