November 26, 2009

ATTITUDE

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude." -- Clement Stone

A turtle gets nowhere until it sticks its neck out.

A tea kettle is up to its neck in hot water, but it still sings.

A kite rises against the wind, not with it.

Adversity is the refiner's fire that burns the impurities from our souls. Everybody encounters difficulties, but few approach their problems with a proper outlook. What happens to you is not nearly as important as how you respond. you can learn to maintain a good viewpoint regardless of what happens.

Attitude is an inward feeling expressed by your behavior. People can often detect your attitude, even if you don't speak a word. The most important decision you make each morning is what kind of attitude you will have during the day.

David was discouraged when he penned, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquited in me?" ( Ps. 42:5a ). He asked himself, "Why am I discouraged? Why am I so restless?" David spoke to his own soul.

People often think that talking to themselves is a bad sign. But on occasion, we need to look ourselves square in the face and talk to ourselves. David said, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?...hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance" ( Ps. 42:5 ).

If we wouldn't think of sitting around all day and listening to trash talk on TV, then we should stop listening to trash talk coming out of our souls! "Nobody cares about me." "So and so was ugly to me, so I'll be ugly to him!" "Nobody knows all the trouble I've known." We must put a stop to garbage self-talk. When we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we should preach to our own souls. We should stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves like David did.

CONSIDER THIS: Talk about the importance of attitude.

--Harold Vaughan--

November 25, 2009

CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

TAKE THE PROPER STEPS

The day when I asked God to reveal anyone I had offended was a life-changing day for me. As God revealed those people, I went to them one by one and asked them to forgive me for my offenses.

After completing the task, I sensed a freshness and a freedom in my relationship with God I'd been lacking. An indescribable freshness and joy came to my life and ministry.

I then made a commitment to maintain short sin accounts with God and with others. I didn't want anything to hinder my relationship with God or with others and realized that maintaining a clear conscience was hard work. As Paul says, it takes "exercise" ( Acts 24:16 ).

As I sought a clear conscience before God and man, God challenged me with three steps.

1. I made a list of those from whom I needed to seek forgiveness. I listed them in order of importance. The most important one was God, then family, then authority figures, then friends.

2. The scope of my confession was only as big as the scope of my offense. What do I mean? If I offended one person, I went only to that one person. If I offended others, I went to them. If I offended a group of people, I went to the group. If my offense was only toward God, then I went to God alone!

3. I needed to have a sincere, humble, and repentant attitude. I couldn't say something like, "I'm sorry for my part. Are you sorry for yours?" Or "I'm sorry IF I was wrong." No! I had to say, "I was wrong when I ______. I'm sorry! Will you forgive me?"

Why do you think God tells us us not to "let...the sun go down upon...[ our ] wrath" ( Eph. 4:26 )?

READ AND DISCUSS: Acts 24:16 says, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." Discuss this verse as well as 1 Timothy 1:18-20 and Hebrews 5:11-14.

--Craig M. Scott--

Our Family Time with God

November 24, 2009

CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

SHORT SIN ACCOUNTS

"Don't sweat the small stuff!" Does this statement accurately describe how we should handle issues with God and with others?

Does God ever tell us only to be concerned about "big" sins? No. He doesn't! Every sin, whether big or small, is an offense to our holy God. That's why we must keep short sin accounts with Him.

Every time we sin, we must apply 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Notice the little word sins. Separate sins! Little and big ones!

If I'm going to have a clear conscience before God and others, I must learn to confess every sin, whether big or small. Sins of attitude. Sins of action. I need to keep short sin accounts with God!

Acts 24:16 is so important for us to understand. "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men."

We must confess "little sins." Like making a rude, cutting remark to someone. Like being disrespectful to an authority figure. Like lying, stealing, or cheating. Every one of these sins is big to God. To have freedom of spirit in our relationship with God, we must maintain a clear conscience.

A teen guy came up one day. "Pastor, I need to ask your forgiveness for chewing gum."

I thought, Good night. Why ask forgiveness for chewing gum?

He explained that someone had donated new carpet for our bus and requested that the teens not eat candy or chew gum on the bus. I made this a rule. This young man didn't think chewing gum was a sin, but the issue was that he'd disobeyed his authority. In so doing, he'd disobeyed God.

APPLICATION: How about you? Are you concerned about the "little sins" as well as the "big ones"? Ask God to point out any unconfessed sins in your life.

--Craig M. Scott--

Our Family Time with God

November 23, 2009

CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

LEAVE YOUR GIFT AT THE ALTAR

In the Old Testament times, an Israelite brought his gift of sacrifice to the court of the Israelites. He waited with his gift at the rails of the altar separating the place where he stood from the place where the priests stood in a separate courtyard. He waited until the moment when the priest approached the Israelite with outstretched hands to receive the sacrifice.

At that moment, about to present himself to the priest and to God, asking for forgiveness and mercy, if the Israelite remembered that a brother had something against him, he left his gift at the altar and made things right with his brother. Then he returned to the court of the Israelites and presented his sacrifice to the priest.

Jesus teaches the importance of restoring relationships in Matthew 5:23-24. "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

In the early church, believers followed the common practice of resolving offenses and disputes with brothers and sisters in the Lord before partaking of the Lord's Supper.

On one occasion, I remember being challenged to ask God if there was anyone in my life, past or present, that I had offended. I bowed my head and asked God to reveal these people to me. Immediately, four people came to mind. I promised God that I would do everything within my power to seek forgiveness from those individuals. Within days, God brought me in contact with each one of those people.

Word cannot express the joy and freedom that came to my spirit when I made things right with them.

ASSIGNMENT: Look up and discuss Acts 24:16. Can you think of anyone in your past you've offended and with whom you've not made things right?

--Craig M. Scott--

November 22, 2009

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

READY TO SPEAK OUT FOR CHRIST!

A young lady said to me, "Pastor, I've recently gotten my life right with God, and I really want to do right! I want to go back to my friends and take a stand for Christ."

"That's tremendous!" I said. "I'll pray that you'll be able to do so."

Hanging her head, she said sadly, "I want to take a stand, but I can't.

Whenever I get ready to say something about the Lord, "I feel like my mouth is taped shut. I can't speak." I asked her to explain.

"The moment I start to say something about the Lord," she said, "something inside me says 'Don't talk yet! Wait 'til they've observed your life for a few months. If you say something now, they'll think you're a hypocrite.' Pastor, What can I do?"

She expressed what many Christians feel after they've made things right with God. They feel so guilty that they can't speak out for the Lord.

What would you say to this young lady?

Here's what I told her. "Have you considered that the reason you don't have the freedom in your spirit to speak out for the Lord is because you've been a bad testimony to your friends? Consider clearing your conscience with them. Let them know that you've been a bad example and that you've recently made it right with the Lord and want to make it right with them. Then ask them for their forgiveness for not being the kind of Christian you needed to be."

In 1 Peter 3:15, God tells us to "be ready always to give an answer to every man." We need to be ready to take a stand for what the Word of God says.

Why do we fail to read verse 16a? "Having a good conscience." Here's the thought: If we want to take a stand for Christ, we must have a good conscience.

READ AND DISCUSS: Acts 24:16

--Craig M. Scott--

Our Family Time with God

November 21, 2009

CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

VICTORY OVER SIN

"I just can't get victory over this sin in my life! I try and try and try and keep falling. What is wrong with me?

Two men in the Bible allowed something to happen in their lives that caused great damage to their relationship with God and with others. They were once spiritual leaders in the church, but something devastated their spiritual lives. The apostle Paul says they "made shipwreck" in regard to their faith.

Their names were Hymenaeus and Alexander. In relation to their faith, they allowed their consciences to be violated. The apostle Paul says he had to kick them out of the church. See what God says about them in 1 Timothy 1:19-20. "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."

I don't know what happened. Maybe they became bitter because of something that happened or toward someone who hurt them. Perhaps they became involved in some kind of sin and never made it right with God. Whatever the case, we know they failed to clear their consciences before God and others. As a result, they "made shipwreck" of their faith. Their relationship with God was devastated.

Having a clear conscience means we know that no unconfessed sin is hindering our relationship with God. No one can point a finger at us and accuse us of a wrongdoing we have not made right.

What can we learn from these two men? We learn that if we allow sin to go unconfessed in our lives, we will make shipwreck of our faith. We learn that we can't have victory in our lives until we have a clear conscience.

ASSIGNMENT: Acts 24:16 says, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." What does God say in this verse about a clear conscience? Look up 1 John 1:9 to see how to get a clear conscience.

Our Family Time with God

November 20, 2009

BUT I FEEL SO

GUILTY!

Have you ever experienced a guilty conscience? Have you felt so guilty that you lay awake at night thinking about it? You lost your joy, and you wanted to crawl into a hole and forget about everything and everyone.

What happened to you ? You suffered from a guilty and violated conscience. You did something wrong, and your conscience--God's alarm system--blared inside you like a fire alarm.

How do we get a clear conscience? How did King David get a clear conscience? Notice what he prayed to God. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness....Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me....Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." ( Psalm 51:7-8a, 10, 12 ).

What caused David to lose his joy and gladness? What caused him to have a dirty heart and a bad spirit? One thing--sin. He had disobeyed God. He had sinned with Bathsheba and had not properly dealt with his sin before God.

Now, after a year of suffering with a guilty conscience, David took the proper steps to gain a clear conscience. Notice what he prayed. "For I acknowledge my transgressions" ( Ps. 51:3a ). David called sin what it is; he was honest before God. "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" ( v. 4a ).

David knew that the one he had offended the most was God. He wanted to make sure things were right between him and God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" ( 1 John 1:9 ).

1. What must I do when I sin?

2. What is God's response to my confession?

ASSIGNMENT: Read and discuss the following verses Psalm 51:3-12; 1 John 1:9.

--Craig M. Scott--

Our Family Time with God

November 19, 2009

CLEAR CONSCIENCE--

SIN

God called King David "a man after mine own heart" ( Acts 13:22 ). David had a special relationship with God and "behaved himself wisely" ( 1 Sam. 18:5 ). God used him to rebuild the nation of Israel after King Saul destroyed and divided it. David was a successful and spiritual man.

When David was older, he decided not to go to battle with his army and stayed home. His sinful relationship with a woman named Bathsheba devastated his personal relationship with God. As a result of David's sin, he lost his joy, his kingdom suffered, and his family was never the same.

We never sin and get away with it. Moses told the children of Israel, "Be sure your sin will find you out" ( Num. 32:23b ).

What is sin? Sin is anything that violates God's Word and will. The word sin comes from an archery term. It means to miss the target and to hit the wrong target. When I sin, I miss the target of God's holiness as spelled out in the Word of God. I hit a target that is against God's Word and will.

The most miserable person in the world is a Christian who harbors unconfessed sin in his life. Sin hinders our relationship with God because God is holy and hates sin. Sin causes us to lose our joy and devastates our lives.

David described his misery in Psalm 32:3-4. "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah."

APPLICATION: Read Psalm 51 and discuss how David dealt with his sin.

Psalm 51:2-- "Wash me...and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:3-- "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." Psalm 51:10-- "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

--Craig M. Scott--

Our Family Time with God

November 18, 2009

GOD IS GREAT IN HIS PROMISES

Scripture Reading--Psalm 95

Give special attention to verse 11.

Parents must learn the value of being true to their promises. If they promise a bicycle, they had better be prepared to fulfill that promise. If they promise a spanking, they must fulfill that promise, too. Most promises are made sincerely, but some are foolish. That's why we must be careful about making promises.

God's Word is a book of promises. When God promised blessing, He blesses. When He promises judgment, He judges, as we see in verses 10-11 of our text. God is always true to what He promises. If God promises something, you can count on Him to follow through. Second Peter 1:4a says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises" ( emphasis added ). Second Corinthians 1:20 is another good reminder of God's promises. "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" ( emphasis added ). Too many of God's people are sitting on the4 premises or leaning over the precipice when they should be standing on the promises.

I heard about some folks who agreed to do a job for a fellow for a certain amount of money. It was a difficult project. Finished, they went to the homeowner to collect their pay. Would you believe it? He looked them right in the eye and said he wasn't going to pay them what he'd agreed. That poor fellow knew nothing about keeping a promise. Though it was hard for the Christians to accept his broken promise, they trusted the Lord and learned a valuable lesson. People can break promises and think nothing of it, but God will never break His promises.

ACTION POINT: Have you made promises to God or others that you haven't kept? If so, be willing to ask forgiveness and to make a commitment to be true to your word. If you made a promise you can't possibly fulfill, ask to be relieved of that promise. That's how to maintain a clear conscience.

--Jack Palmer--

Our Family Time with God

November 17, 2009

GOD IS GREAT

IN HIS PROVISION

Scripture Reading-- Psalm 95

Give special attention to verse 7.

In John 10:11, Jesus describes Himself as the "good shepherd." According to His teachings, the shepherd must protect his sheep and provide for their needs. One of the greatest promises in God's Word is in Philippians 4:19. "But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" ( emphasis added ). In today's Scripture reading, we read, "For he is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand" ( v. 7a emphasis added ). In Psalm 23:1, David wrote, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" ( emphasis added ). Our God is in the need-meeting business!

My dad, Dr. George Palmer, became a pastor in the early 20th century. God blessed him and my mother with eight children. In the early years, they lived on a meager salary and often had no money and nothing to eat. Mother brought the family to the table so Dad could pray for the meal God was going to provide. A man of great faith, Dad loved to tell about times when he was praying and someone brought food for the family. He would pray again, giving thanks for the food God did provide, and Mom would prepare the meal. Was he merely presumptuous of God? Absolutely not! He believed with all his heart that God was great in His provision and would be true to His Word. With that kind of faith, no wonder God gave him a worldwide ministry.

Do you have the faith to take God at His Word? Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Real faith thanks God for His provision even before He provides. God allows us to experience special needs so we can experience His great provision.

COUNT THE COST: Allow God to test your faith with a special need so you can experience His great provision. You may need to wait awhile because God is never in a hurry, but He's always on time.

--Jack Palmer--

Our Family Time with God

November 16, 2009

GOD IS GREAT

IN HIS POWER

Scripture Reading--Psalm 95

Give special attention to vv 4-6.

Years ago, we purchased a modular home for our lot. The foundation was built, the house arrived, and a special crew came to set the house on its foundation. The house came in two pieces, 68 by 14 feet each. We wondered how the workers were going to move those sections from the trailers to the foundation. A huge crane arrived, and workers attached cables to each section. Our stomachs were in our throats as the crane lifted the house onto its foundation with ease. We sighed in relief! Because the crane was so powerful, the job wasn't a problem.

In the Book of Jeremiah we read, "Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power....Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing to hard for me?" ( 32:17, 27; emphasis added ). We often encounter life situations that are too big for us. We can't imagine how we'll ever get through them. That's when we need to remember that our God is great in His power and to allow Him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

A missionary offered a native man a ride in the back of his truck, The man was carrying a load of firewood on his shoulders. Accepting the offer, the man climbed into the back. When the missionary looked in the mirror, he noticed the native still carried the wood on his shoulders. Stopping the truck, the missionary asked him to put his load down.

The man replied, "No, you have been kind to give me a ride, but I wouldn't think of asking you to carry my wood too." Dear friends, the good news is that when God carries you, He carries your load, too. And He does so because He is so great in His power.

APPLICATION: Discuss Scripture passages that describe God's demonstrating His great power. Encourage your family to see that nothing is too big for God to handle.

--Jack Palmer--

Our Family Time with God

November 15, 2009

GOD IS GREAT

IN HIS PRESENCE

Scripture Reading--Psalm 95

Give special attention to V. 2

Though much has changed in the 21st century, children still love to play "hide and seek." It's fun to close our eyes, count to 50 while our friends go and hide, and look for them. That game is as old as time itself. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve played the first game of hide and seek when they tried to hide from God. Before they sinned, they enjoyed sweet fellowship with God. But after they sinned, their perfect innocence was gone. They feared God's presence and hid from Him, covering themselves with fig leaves. To their surprise, they discovered they couldn't escape from God's presence ( Gen. 3:1-13 ).

The Book of Jonah describes someone else who tried to flee from God's presence. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and to preach against their wickedness. "But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord" ( Jonah 1:3a, emphasis added ). He boarded a ship to Tarshish, thinking he'd escaped God--only to discover he was wrong. God is great in His presence. No matter where we go, He's there. Have you ever tried to play hide and seek with God?

Psalm 139 offers tremendous verses about God's presence. David asks, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" ( v. 7, emphasis added ). He enumerates the many places people go in their attempt to avoid God ( vv. 7-12 ). His conclusion? It's impossible!

Practicing the presence of God is key to a successful Christian life. If we understand that God is with us everywhere we go, this truth should have a life-changing impact on our lives. Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, said in Genesis 16:13, "Thou God seest me." That's a powerful truth to remember.

DO THIS NOW: Read Psalm 139 and discuss the dangers of playing hide and seek with God.

--Jack Palmer--

Our Family Time with God

November 14, 2009

GOD IS GREAT IN HIS PERSON

Scripture Reading: Psalm 95

Once one of my sons and I went to a local park because he had issues regarding God's existence we needed to talk about. It was a dreary, overcast day. Clouds hung low, and the sun was absent. As we talked, he asked me how I could believe in a God I couldn't see. As an airplane passed overhead, I said, "There's no airplane up there."

"Yes, there is," he said. "I hear it."

"But how can you believe there's an airplane up there when you can't see it?"

"Because I hear the motor."

His answer was all I needed to explain the fact that we can believe in a God we can't see because we observe the evidence of His existence everywhere we look. I talked to him about the importance of basing faith on the truth of God's Word and on the wonders of creation. That's all the evidence we need! Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" ( emphasis added ). By faith, we believe in God's existence and in what He's like. Our talk helped my son understand the person of God.

Verse 3 of today's Scripture says, "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods" ( emphasis added ). When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and sent him back to Egypt to deliver His people from bondage, Mosed asked what he should say when the people asked who had sent him. "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" ( Ex. 3:14 ). In that statement, God declares Himself to be the eternally existing God; or, as the psalmist put it, "From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" ( Ps. 90:2b, emphasis added ).

APPLICATION: Share evidences that help you believe God is great in His person even though you can't see Him.

--Jack Palmer--