Month of December
Knowing What Is Important
~Mary~
Scripture: Luke 10:42
But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
Lesson Objective: To understand the importance of truly worshipping God.
Many people go to Church for the wrong reason. They may go to hear the choir sing or they may go to see friends that they had not seen for the week. Others go to be entertained by the preacher. There are even those who go because they have an obligation to serve on an auxiliary such as the usher board. All of the above reasons may be acceptable to some but must not ever be paramount. The primary reason for attending Church is to worship God. We worship and praise God for who he is. This should be a celebration of God and how we have the opportunity to live with him in eternity. We must go with the spirit of praise and worship.
Thought for today: Everything we do should be to worship Christ so that others can see him in us.
Following God
~Matthew~
Scripture: Matthew 9:9
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.
Lesson Objective: To understand what it means to follow God.
I was talking with an acquaintance the other day at lunch and he was sharing with me how he became employed by his employer. It was very interesting. He stated that he met the owner of the company who asked him to come to work for him. He asked the owner if he would be paid more money and the owner replied no and probably less. He asked if he would have to work less hours and the owner said no, he would have to work more hours. He asked if he would have better benefits and the owner said no, that he could not match his present benefits. The only thing the owner would suggest to him is that they were of like mind and ambition and that together they could grow the company. 25 years later he is still with the company.
Thought for today: Christ never said that it would be easy or that we would gain riches here on earth, He simply says, trust me, believe on me and follow me.
Discrimination ~Miriam~
God Worthy of Praise
A
Scripture: Numbers 12:1
Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Lesson Objective: To understand that there is no place in the Church to discriminate against anyone for any reason.
It has been said that the most segregated day in the United States is on Sunday when we all go to our respective Churches. There is some truth to that. We have used the Bible to support discrimination or slavery and this is completely against the teachings of the Bible. The Bible on numerous occasions has demonstrated the fact that discrimination, because someone is “different” is not consistent with the example of Christ. The parable of the Good Samaritan and the story of the women at the well who was a Samaritan are examples of how Christ dealt directly with the issue of differences of ethnic groups.
Thought for today: Christ said to love your neighbor as yourself. He did not say only love those who look like you.
Anger Management
~Moses~
God Knows Best
Scripture: Exodus 32:19
So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
Lesson Objective: To understand that we have to learn how to control our anger.
I have a friend who has always said that she does not understand why God treated Moses the way that he did in that he did not allow him to go into the Promise Land. In fact she says that will be the first question that she ask God when she gets to heaven. The fact is that Moses consistently got into trouble because of his temper. He killed because of his temper, he broke the original ten commandments because of his temper and he disobeyed God because of his temper when he struck the rock rather than speak to the rock as God had instructed. Moses failed to change. We must be willing to change or suffer the consequences of our actions.
Thought for today: We just work to change our shortcomings so that we can truly witness for God.
The Good Parent
~Naomi~
Scripture: Ruth 3:1
Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?
Lesson Objective: To understand role that parents can play in guiding their children.
We as good parents always seek the best for our children. We want them to have all the things that we did not have and we do not want them to suffer the pain and heartbreaks that we suffered. Regrettably we sometimes forget that it is those material things that we lived without and those pains that we did suffer that made us who we are today. We cannot nor should we shield our children from those things that will keep them from understanding the need for a true relationship with God. The security that we seek for our children must not be the security of the world than can be lost in a flash, but the security of having Christ in their lives. That is truly the greatest present that we can give our children.
Thought for today:
A good parent does not shield their child from all their troubles, but teaches the child how to handle the troubles.
God’s Spokes Person
~Nathan~
Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:17
According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
Lesson Objective: To understand that we have to say things that will not be popular.
I, like many other people struggle when it comes to giving evaluations. It appears that no matter how one tries the one being evaluated is never really satisfied with the evaluation. This is especially true if the evaluation is one that is not so good or even worse is a bad review. However, the reality is that the evaluation must be given. The same goes for the one being evaluated. We are quick to recognize faults in others and not so quick to see faults in ourselves. This was certainly so for David for when he was approached by Nathan he immediately pointed the finger toward another even though Nathan was talking about David. No matter how uncomfortable Nathan may have been, he delivered the word of God to David.
Thought for today: If one is truly speaking the word of God, then we need not be afraid to speak.
Complete Change
~Nicodemus~
God Expects Forgiveness
Scripture: John 3:7
Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Lesson Objective: To understand that God requires a complete change in us.
Repentance and forgiveness are two very strong and often misused terms. Sometimes we ask some one for forgiveness just so that we can get past the issue at that time. We do not really feel like we have done anything wrong but it appears to be the right thing at the time. While this may be admirable and even desirable at the time, that is not true repentance. Repentance is when one is truly sorry for their actions and makes a definitive decision not to repeat the action. This requires a complete change of mind and thought relative to this situation. While we cannot change the previous action it must be as if given the opportunity to make the same decision, we will make a different decision that is consistent with the teachings of Christ.
Thought for today:
When we really repent, God wipes the slate clean and we get an opportunity to show if we have really changed.
Following Instructions
~Noah~
Scripture: Genesis 7: 5
And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.
Lesson Objective: To understand the importance of following the directions of God without questions.
If you want to see if a man can follow instructions, give him something to put together. The first thing the man does is begin to put the article together without reading the instructions. After getting half way through the project, he quickly sees that he is doing something wrong. But instead of stopping and reading the instructions, he looks at the picture and then begins to work again to no avail. Now pride begins to enter the picture and he becomes even more stubborn and things get worse and worse. This leads to unnecessary time wasted and the job is still not done.
Thought for today: Just imagine where you would be today if you had just taken the time to read the instructions before acting.
Divided Church
~Paul~
God is Gracious
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:12
Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ.
Lesson Objective: To understand that God is not seeking a divided Church.
In the past when I had time, I would go into the chat room for Christians to have an opportunity to chat with others of like mind. Regrettably more times then not I would see “ Christians” arguing about such things as what is the true Church or what is the proper name for a Church. Instead of sharing praise reports or seeking and giving spiritual advice, they are debating issues which really do not make any difference. No where in the Bible have I read that Christ is coming back for a Baptist Church or a Methodist Church. It says that he is coming back for a Church without blemish.
Thought for today: The only real idea that must define a Christian is one that believes that Christ came, He died, He rose and He is coming back again.
Walking On Water
~Peter~
The Just Can Petition God
Scripture: Matthews 14:29
So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Lesson Objective: To understand that we can do what seems the impossible if we continually look at Jesus for direction.
I often times look at a task which appears to be so vast and daunting that I could never successfully complete the task. I then begin to break it down into a series of smaller task. In doing this I must, however, never forget the main idea of the task. It is the same for all that we do in life. While there may be varied task that may appear insurmountable; however, they are all attainable if we keep our eye on the main thing. The main thing is Jesus Christ. If we take our eyes off of Christ we will surely begin to sink. All task become much smaller when we know why we do what we do and for what purpose. The why and purpose is none other than carrying out the will of God here on earth.
Thought for today: Keeping our eye on the main thing and the main thing is Jesus Christ
Evil Never Gives Up
~Pharaoh~
Scripture: Genesis 5:23
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.
Lesson Objective: To understand that evil never gives up so we can never give up.
I sometimes think that we Christians can be very naive at times. We sometimes underestimate the effort of evil in this world. We often wonder why all of the evil and even go as far as to wonder if evil is destined to win this war of good versus evil. The fact of the matter is that evil will never win against God but we have to be diligent and remain faithful to God. It may seem that things even get worse when we try to make a difference in our Church and community. I can only imagine how Moses felt for Pharaoh had treated the Israelites worse after Moses asked for their deliverance. However Moses persevered and went back to Pharaoh 10 times before Pharaoh relented but even then he followed them into the Red Sea.
Thought for today: The race is won not by the swiftest but to the one that endures until the end.
Love Above All ~Philadelphia~
Scripture: Revelation 3:8
I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
Lesson Objective: To understand the need to holdfast in our beliefs.
Philadelphia means brotherly love. It is interesting that no where in the Bible does it talk about the love of Philadelphia and the book of Revelation gives little insight except to say that they had little wealth but persevered against all odds in serving God. The City still exist today in the modern country of Turkey. I would like to think that the city held fast to God because of the brotherly love that existed in the city. We do know that true love is a value that is exhorted throughout the Bible and especially in the New Testament. What is factual is that of the seven churches in Asia described by John, only Philadelphia and Sardis were commended.
Thought for today: The foundation of any Church that is steadfast is the love that Christ says that we must have for God and each other. It is the Glue.