God's Formula For Success--Part 7

August 30, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 7

Scripture Reading--James 1:22-25

As you read this devotional, determine which words in the text

are the most important.

A family bought a major appliance they'd  never had before.  They desperately tried to figure out how to install it and to make it work.  No matter what they did, they were unsuccessful.  They called neighbors and friends, trying to get help.  Nothing worked.  Finally, someone asked them if they had read the instruction manual that had come with the appliance.  Guess what?  They hadn't even looked at it!  They followed the directions.  Before long, the appliance was properly installed and working great.  Isn't human nature something?  Our approach is often, "If all else fails, read the directions."

God's Word is our instruction manual for life.  Within its pages is everything we need to know to be successful Christians.  We spend so much time trying to figure life out and making it work, but nothing helps.  We struggle along, making mistakes and getting discouraged, until we're ready to quit.  Then somebody asks us, "Are you studying your Bible?"  And our answer is, "No."  Somehow we think we can pull life off on our own.  Then, if all else fails, we might read the directions, God's Word.

In today's Scripture, James indicates that our problem isn't information.  We know what the Bible says.  Our problem is application; we just don't do what God tells us.  He pictures God's Word as a mirror that shows us how we look from God's perspective ( vv. 22-25 ) and tells us what we need to do.  If we're "doers of the word," God will bless us with success.  But if we're "forgetful hearer[s]," we're only deceiving ourselves; and we will fail.

ACTION POINT:  Has God been speaking to your heart about an area of truth?  Have you failed to respond to Him in obedience?  After today's lesson, what do you think you should do about your disobedience?  Are you willing to obey God?

--Jack Palmer--   

  

God's Formula For Success--Part 6

August 29, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 6

Scripture Reading--Luke 6:47-49

Again, in this passage of Scripture, Jesus teaches the importance of a solid foundation.  He indicates that those who hear what He says and obey His Word are laying a rock-solid foundation on which they can safely build.  Whether life, marriage, family, ministry, or business, God's Word must be our foundation.  

A family built a lovely new home and moved in.  But their happiness was short-lived.  After several months, a large crack appeared in the living room ceiling.  The man of the house, assuming the crack was the builder's fault, called and asked him to return immediately and to fix the crack.  The builder fixed the problem, and the ceiling looked good as new.

The family was happy again but only for a few months.  The ugly crack returned.  The builder found the best "crack fixer" in town.  The gentlemen examined the crack and took a walk around the house, but he returned with bad news.  "Sorry folks," he said, "but I can't fix your crack."  Of course, the family wanted to know why.  "The problem isn't your ceiling," he said, "It's your foundation!"  Due to a bad foundation, the house had settled.  The settling had caused the cracked ceiling.

Take a good look at your family.  Do you see "cracks" in your ceiling?  Many Christian families go to extremes, trying to fix "cracks" when they should be checking their family's foundation.  If your family is building on the solid foundation of God's Word, you won't find any "cracks."  However, if you're building on the sinking, shifting sands of this world, you're going to be in trouble.

How do you repair a faulty foundation?  Go to the Bible, discover what God says, and follow Him instructions.  That's God's formula for success.

GET REAL AND GET RIGHT:  Be willing to be honest with God and with others.  Acknowledge any areas of your family life that aren't  built solidly on God's Word.  Confess your failure to God, accept His cleansing and forgiveness, and commit yourselves to build only on God's foundation, the Bible.

--Jack Palmer--    

God's Formula For Success--Part 5

August 28, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 5

Scripture Reading--2 Timothy 3

Find the apostle Paul's advice to Timothy

about success in the "perilous times"

that characterize the last days.

Hard times are the greatest test of our Christian faith and where many of God's people fail.  But faith is like muscle.  To become strong, we must exercise it.  According to Romans 10:17, God's Word gives us the ability to trust.  "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  During difficult times, we must depend on the Bible to carry us through.  Sometimes God's Word is all we have.  During those times, we will discover that God's Word is all we need.

Paul wrote two letters to young Timothy to prepare him for the "perilous times" he would face.  In the third chapter of his second epistle, Paul gave him the secret.  "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned...And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures" ( 2 Tim. 3:14a, 15a ).  Timothy's godly grandmother, Lois, and his godly mother, Eunice, had taught him God's Word.  They had laid a solid, biblical foundation in his life.  On this foundation everything stood.  In verse 16, Paul reminds Timothy that the Bible is divinely inspired and "is profitable for doctrine [ to teach us what's right ], for reproof [ to teach us what's wrong ], for correction [ to teach us how to get right ], for instruction in righteousness [ to teach us how to live right ]."  

Paul concludes the chapter by listing three ways God's Word blesses our lives.  It enables us to be spiritually mature, spiritually complete, and spiritually productive.  In other words, even in the worst of times, God's Word will accomplish God's purpose for His glory.  If you have a solid foundation based on God's truth, you can be successful when others are failing.  Again, we see that the Bible is God's formula for success.    

BRINGING THE TRUTH HOME:  As a family, how are you learning and growing through obedience to God's Word?  Is the Bible ruling your lives?

--Jack Palmer-- 

God's Formula For Success--Part 4

August 27, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 4

Scripture Reading--Matthew 7:24-29

What are the differences between the wise man and the foolish man?  We live in a world of foolishness.  Whatever happened to wisdom?  God calls "the wisdom of this world" foolishness ( 1 Corinthians 3:19 ).  Today's Scripture describes a wise man and a foolish man.  One was success, and one failed.

Verses 24 and 26 tell us they both heard the Word of God, and each was building a house.  One house had a rock-solid foundation; the other was built on sand.  Each responded to what God said.  One obeyed; the other didn't.  The same storms of life came upon both of them ( vv. 25, 27 ).  The result?  The wise man weathered the storm, and the foolish man lost everything.  What is the lesson of this parable?  To be successful, we must build upon the rock-solid foundation of God's Word.

In a seacoast village of New England, a lighthouse stood on the rocks near the village.  A storm hit, and the light in the lighthouse went out.  The villagers were terrified to think of the ships that would know nothing of the dangerous rocks without the light.  A volunteer stood on the rocks in the worst of the storm and waved a lantern to warn the ships.  The next morning, after the storm had passed, the weather-beaten man returned to the village as a hero.  Someone asked, "Weren't you afraid standing out there in the midst of the storm?"

He replied, "No!"

"Why not?"

He responded, "Because the rock never moved!"

Each family will face storms.  Some will be mild, but others will be severe.  When your family stands on the solid rock of God's Word, you can successfully weather the storm--and even be better afterwards.  But families who face the storms with no foundation are often swept away, losing everything.  The key is knowing what God says and doing it.  That's wisdom, and that's success.

DISCUSS:  As a family, share together about "storms" you've faced.  How did God's Word bring you through?

--Jack Palmer--         

God's Formula For Success--Part 3

August 26, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 3

Scripture Reading--Psalm 1:1-6

Compare the blessed man

to the unrighteous man.

Every Christian desires God's blessing in his life.  Every Christian couple longs for the blessing of God on their marriage.  Every Christian parent pleads with God for His blessing on his children.  Yes, the blessing of God is important to us, and we all desire to experience it.

However, we need to realize that God's blessing is often conditional.  God has certain requirements before He will extend His blessing.  But never forget that every blessing of God is because of His grace.  Someone has said that "grace is God giving us what we could never deserve."  Even if God requires certain things and we faithfully meet those requirements , it's still because of His amazing grace that He would ever bless us.  What a glorious God we serve!  

Psalm 1:1-3 lists three conditions of God's blessing:  separated from the world ( v. 1 ), saturated with the Word ( v. 2 ), and situated by the waters ( v. 3 ).  In speaking of God's blessing, we must keep in mind that success and blessing are synonymous.

Some folks never want to hear anything negative--like the man who came home after a bad day at work and told his wife he didn't want to hear any bad news.  After thinking a moment, his wife said, "I have good news.  Jimmy only broke one arm!"  Psalm 1:1-3 lists both the negative and positive commands because that's where the power is.

Those who seek God's blessing must recognize and reject the "counsel of the ungodly" by comparing it to Scripture.  Then they must "delight...in the law of the Lord; and in his law...meditate day and night."  Verse 3 says, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."  That's success!

Again, we see that God's formula for success is His Word.  Saturate your family with God's Word, and He will bless you with success.

ASSIGNMENT:  Memorize Psalm 1:1-3 and let it saturate your family.  Let it help you recognize and reject  the "counsel of the ungodly."

--Jack Palmer--        

God's Formula For Success--Part 2

August 25, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS--PART 2

Scripture Reading--Joshua 1:1-9

Give special attention to verses seven and eight,

noting what God said to Joshua about success.

Have you ever met someone who wanted to be a failure?  I never have.  We all want to succeed in what we do.  Failure hurts; it's also part of being human.  We all fail sometimes due to a  lack of preparation, a bad decision we've made, the wrong influence of friends, or ignorance.  Whatever the reason, we didn't want our efforts to turn out that way.  That's why we need to know what God says about success.

 As God prepared Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, He told him four times to be strong and courageous ( Josh. 1:6, 7, 9, 18 ).  His assignment was not going to be easy.  Certainly Joshua wanted to be successful, and God shared his desire.  God told Joshua what he needed to know so he wouldn't fail.

In Joshua 1:7-8, the Word of God central.  Twice God says, "Observe to do."  Knowing what God says isn't enough; the key to success is doing what He says.  Obedience is the first step toward success.

God warned Joshua about the danger of distractions when He said, "Turn not from it [ the law ] to the right hand or to the left" ( v. 7 ).  How easy it is for the things of the world to turn us away from God's Word.  A biblical focus is essential for success. 

God then commanded him to "meditate therein day and night" ( v. 8 ).  Scriptural meditation is indispensable for success.  God's Word must condition your thinking.

If you desire to be spiritually successful, you, too, must follow God's plan.  Remember, people in the world have a different standard by which they measure success.  They look at your bank account.  But when God determines success, He looks at your heart.  What does He see?

TALK ABOUT IT:  As a family, discuss the three things God said to Joshua and determine whether you are following God's plan for success.  If not, make whatever adjustments are necessary.

--Jack Palmer-- 

 

    

God's Formula For Success

August 24, 2010

GOD'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Scripture Reading--Nehemiah 8:1-12

Observe how God's people respond

to His Word as a result of revival.

God brought Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to supervise the rebuilding of the wall of that great city.  The people were in reproach and great affliction.  "The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire"    ( Neh. 1:3b ).  It was a sad situation.  In the process, they not only rebuilt the wall in a miraculous 52 days against unbelievable opposition ( Neh. 6:15 ) but also experienced a genuine revival.  One of the most obvious indications of revival is an intensified hunger for God's Word.

Chapter 8 tells how this moving of God was evident.  First, they requested the Word of God ( v. 1 ).  Second, they read God's Word ( v. 3a ).  Third, they received the Word of God ( v. 3b ).  Fourth, they responded to God's Word ( vv. 5-6, 9 ).  Finally, they rejoiced in God's Word ( v. 12 ).  Because God was doing a reviving work, the Scriptures became a priority to them.

What place does God's Word have in your home?  Most Christian families have lots of Bibles, but many fail to prioritize what God says.  Your family needs  to be founded on God's Word.  It must be your final and absolute authority for everything.  You also need to be grounded in the Word of God.  You must teach it to your family daily to provide a solid, biblical foundation for them--one that can weather the most severe storms in life. And your family must also be bounded by the Word of God.

Let God's Word set your family's  spiritual boundaries.  Never forget, God's Word does not merely contain God's formula for success; it is God's formula.  Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts."

APPLICATION:  Discuss ways you and your family can make God's Word you priority.  How can God's Word help you be successful?

--Jack Palmer-- 

Serving in the Family Series

August 23, 2010

HINDRANCES TO SERVING IN

YOUR FAMILY--PART 4

Scripture--Luke 17:7-10

Someone wisely said, "Expectations destroy relationships."  A servant fulfills his duty faithfully without expectation of reward or praise ( see Luke 17:7-10 ).  When our expectations don't come to pass, the result in disappointment; and serving becomes drudgery.

What expectations have you placed on your family?  I would encourage you to place higher expectations on yourself.  The business community has a motto that ought to be in our homes:  underpromise and overdeliver.  Go the second mile in serving your family and watch what happens.  Usually we expect family members to go the second mile in meeting our needs.  When our expectations aren't met, the natural result is bitterness.

Be the type of person who has a reputation for serving his family.  Phebe had the reputation of being a servant in her local church.  "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also" ( Rom.16:1-2 ).  She so faithfully evidenced a servant's heart that others knew her by it.

Paul's attitude was that he was a servant of all.  "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more" ( 1 Cor. 9:19 ).  He wasn't seeking others to serve him; he was committed to serving those around him.

Are you willing to see yourself as a servant--to your spouse, to your children, to your parents, to your brothers and sisters?  Change your expectations from your family serving you to your serving them.

DISCUSS:  Are you a giver or a taker in your family?  If you family took a poll and rated each family member according to his servant's attitude, how would you rate?  Which family member has the reputation of being the best servant?  Why did you select him?

--Rick Johnson--

Seving in the Family Series

August 22, 2010

HINDRANCES TO SERVING IN

YOUR FAMILY--PART 3

Scripture Reading--Colossians 3:23-24

Most people deal with life from the standpoint of assets and liabilities.  They measure everything by how it benefits them.  Their mindset is one of always being involved in a transaction.  This way of thinking is devastating to the development of a servant's heart.  When we serve others, they may compensate us in three ways.  Sometimes they won't give us anything for our service.  Other times they may give us proper compensation or at least recognition for services rendered.  And sometimes they'll give us far more than we ever dreamed.

"Keeping score" inhibits us from having a true servant's heart.  The proper way to serve is to remember that we ultimately serve the Lord, as we see in Colossians 3:23-24 and in Ephesians 6:6-8.  The wrong perspective will make us stingy and bitter when others don't properly compensate us.

God has promised to reward those who realize their service is ultimately to Him.  Because we will rarely receive reward on this earth, we can be tempted to think we are going to be left out of being compensated.  If we fight and claw to ensure that we get our way, we probably will.  But our efforts will reap a temporal reward versus an eternal one.

God promises to reward those who serve with a willing spirit, and His reward will exceed our imaginations.  "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward" ( Heb. 11:24-26, emphasis added ).  God will abundantly reward us when we have a servant's heart.

DISCUSS:  Are you willing to serve even when you don't receive the recognition you feel you deserve?

--Rick Johnson--

Serving the Family Series

August 21, 2010

HINDRANCES TO SERVING IN

YOUR FAMILY--PART 2

Scripture Reading--Ephesians 4:31-32

It's difficult to serve those with whom we've suffered an offense.  Rather than seeing them blessed and desiring to help them, we want them to pay for their wrongdoing.  A personal offense we haven't properly dealt with leads to bitterness.  A bitter person isn't necessarily filled with hate and anger; he's consumed with harbored hurt.  Bitterness is the result of being disappointed with someone.  It causes us to turn inward and to become so absorbed with our own pain and hurt that we can't see the needs of others.

Sometimes children become bitter toward their parents.  A biblical example is the prodigal son's brother.  He became bitter toward his father because of his father's goodness toward his undeserving brother.  Note the bitterness in his words--"And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends" ( Luke 15:29 ).  He was so wounded that he refused to celebrate his brother's return with the rest of the family.

The Bible also warns husbands not to become bitter toward their wives.  "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them" ( Col. 3:19 ).  Of course, it's possible for a wife to become bitter toward her husband and for parents to become bitter toward their children.

The most likely place for bitterness to appear is in the family; because we spend most of our time in our homes, the possibilities of being wounded there are greater.  The only solution for bitterness is a forgiving heart.  Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Sometimes a hesitancy to serve is the fruit of a bitter heart.  Bitterness blinds us to loving service and makes us selfish and sour.

ACTION POINT:  Is there anyone to whom you need to offer forgiveness?

--Rick Johnson--

Serving the Family Series

August 20, 2010

HINDRANCES TO SERVING IN

THE FAMILY--PART 1

Scriptures Reading--John 13:3-6

One reason we fail to experience lasting change in our lives is that we often deal with a problem's symptoms rather than its root issue.  True repentance deals with the cause--not just being sorry about painful results.  Leadership problems in the home stem from failing to serve biblically.

Some fail to serve because of insecurity.  Jesus willingly served the disciples because He had centered His life in accomplishing His Father's will, not in having His own needs met.  True security comes from centering our lives on the Heavenly Father's plan.  If we center our lives on temporal values, we will always be insecure; however, if our lives are centered on eternal values ( God, His Word, and His Kingdom ), we will be secure because these values don't change.

Position-conscious people are not servants.  They are more concerned about image, status, and reputation.  It's obvious that Peter hadn't yet learned the lesson of true servanthood from the Lord.  When Jesus came to wash Peter's feet, Peter resisted ( 13:6-8 ).  His response conveyed the idea of "Lord, leaders don't wash feet!  Servants wash beet."  What was unspoken was his attitude--"Lord, I'm one of the leaders of this group, and others are supposed to wash our feet."  His insecurity and image-consciousness hindered his willingness to serve. 

Others fail to serve because of personal pride.  Arrogance makes us believe we deserve better.  Washing feet--hard and demeaning work--was the task of a lowly servant.

A true servant is willing to do the most undesirable tasks in the home.  Elisha wasn't looking for a position but for an opportunity to be a blessing to Elijah, his leader.  He provided water to wash Elijah's hands ( 2 Kings 3:11 ).  If we are true servants, we won't hesitate to put on the garment of a humble servant ( 1 Peter 5: 5 ) and to do a task we may consider to be beneath us.

DISCUSS:  What responsibilities in your home do you consider to be beneath you?  What is keeping you from serving your family members?

--Rick Johnson--

Serving the Family Series

August 19, 2010

BENEFITS OF SERVING IN THE HOME

Scripture Reading--Acts 20:35

A family that focuses on serving each other experiences two special blessings.  Both are crucial to a meaningful home.  First, service brings joy to a family.  The greatest joy we receive is found in serving.  This joy is infectious.

In Acts 20:35, Paul focused on those who were weak--even laboring to help provide for their needs.  He was not a taker, but a giver.  We find the greatest joy not in receiving but in giving.  "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them"  ( John 13:17 ).

Conversely, selfishness brings misery and unhappiness to a family.  The atmosphere in our home will be transformed when each person is eager to serve others.

When we were on vacation, my son, Jake, bought me a key chain with his own money; the key chain with the word Dad.  His act of service brought joy to my heart and to his.  The greatest joy always goes to the giver, not to the receiver.  Someone once said, "Receivers eat well, but givers sleep well."

A second blessing service brings to a family is the reduction of conflicts and argumentation.  The Bible records conflicts Jesus' disciples experienced because of their desire to be served rather than to serve ( Mark 10:35-41; Luke 22:21-24 ).

When we scheme to get first place, the best, and the most, the home becomes a place of competition and rivalry.  When it doesn't matter which part of the pie we get, there is no conflict or argument; the source of the argument has been removed.  One of God's ways to remove conflict in the home is to foster a spirit of servanthood in the heart of each family member.

It's hard to believe that those involved in a divorce suit were once married!  Usually those involved in a divorce have regressed from a desire to serve the other person to expecting the other person to meet his or her needs.  It has been said, "If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, she won't turn out to be a nag."

DISCUSSION:  How can we serve one another in our homes?

--Rick Johnson--         

Serving the Family Series

August 18, 2010

LEADERSHIP IS SERVICE

Scripture Reading--Luke 22:25-27

What does servanthood look like in a Christian Family?  The primary way is when the leader serves first.  Corporate America typically has a pyramid of service that places those to be served at the top and those who serve under the leader.  This model is unbiblical, Jesus said, "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve" ( Luke 22:26b ).  In God's economy, serving begins at the top.

God gives us authority to use for the benefit of those whom we serve.  Therefore, the best servant in the family ought to be the father, and the choicest servant among siblings ought to be the eldest child.  Leadership is not a position to be enjoyed but a responsibility to be employed.  We express this responsibility through serving first--a truth plainly taught in Scripture.  ( See Rom. 15:1-2; 2 Cor. 12:15: and 1 Thes. 2:7-8. )  The leader serves first.

The second way a leader serves is by putting himself last.  See that the needs of others are met first.  Put yourself last intentionally.  Don't fight for the first or best place.  Seek the lowest place.  The flesh cries out against this because of fear that you will be left out if you don't fend for yourself.

Jesus taught, "When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room....But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room" ( Luke 14:8a, 10a ).  The more we practice this attitude of  servanthood in our families, the less stress we will experience in the home environment.  When everyone is trying to meet needs, a bulk of work isn't left for one person.  Zig Ziglar said, "There's no traffic jam on the second mile."  Leaders rise to the top through their willingness to serve.

ASSIGNMENT:  In you home, how can you serve first?  How can you put yourself last?

--Rick Johnson--