"Now fear the Lord and serve him with faithfulness.........But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve................But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24: 14-15 NIV).
In this passage of the Bible, Joshua had led the Israelites to the promised land and had given them an ultimatum. The Israelites had a history of serving the Lord and then worshiping idols. It was a cycle that repeated itself. Joshua told the people that they needed to stop worshiping the idols of the other lands and that they should serve the Lord. They all agreed and because of Joshua's declaration that his household would serve the Lord, the Israelites followed the Lord during his whole lifetime. That is quite a testimony for a man who stood up for God and lived it all of his life. This should be an inspiration for us. It is not enough to go to church on Sunday. It is so important that our households see Christ in us in every aspect of our lives. Otherwise, they will view our faith as only going to church. It is so much more than that. It is trying our best to be what Christ would want us to be every day. I have written in my Bible this phrase. "I will do the best I can for Jesus' sake today where I am." Reading the Bible and seeing how Jesus lived can help us with this. His life is so full of examples of how we should live. He showed us how to have compassion for those less fortunate, to love one another, to forgive those who wrong us, just to name a few. He was in constant prayer to his father and obeyed him even to the point of death on a cross so that we can have eternal life. What are you doing to show others that your faith is genuine? Maybe it is time to take a look at what you truly believe and be the example Christ wants you to be so that your household and the generations that follow you will serve the Lord. It only takes one person to make a difference.
Dear Lord,
Help us to take the stand to follow you and serve you the way you want us to. We know it can be difficult, but we also know that you have promised us that you will never leave us or forsake us as long as we do your will. Fill us with your wisdom so that we can help our household to serve you also.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Educator's devotion by Ann E. Broughton
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you are also doing…We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone” ( I Thes. 5:11,14 NIV).
Do you remember the last time someone encouraged you? It seems that God has always put people in my life who are encouragers, and I’m so very thankful for their loving ministry to me. I have gotten cards with such wonderful words of encouragement from a teacher at school. Those words helped me see how Christ can use me in my work and that with His help I can accomplish what He wants me to do. I think all of us need that encouragement from time to time. We have a tendency to get all caught up with the needs in our jobs and family, that we fail to see the needs of our friends and co-workers. When was the last time you spoke or wrote a word of encouragement to someone who you knew was struggling? Paul tells us in this passage, or should I say orders us, to help each other out. We are to build one another up so that those who are outside of Christ will see our good works and seek the Lord. My challenge to you is to encourage someone this week. I would like to encourage the teachers in my life right now. I read in a magazine how a man was changed forever by two teachers who cared about him. “As a child, Ned Hallowell, MD had a bipolar father, an alcoholic mother, and two disabilities—ADD and dyslexia. He was sent to boarding school where he attached to two teachers who took him under his wing. He says, “They saved my life.” Today he’s a prominent psychiatrist, happily married father of three and author of a dozen books about the value of what he calls “human moments” --- our meaningful connections to other people.” November 2007, Prevention magazine.
Teachers, I hope this is an encouragement to you. You may never know what an impact you have made in your student’s lives, but it surely is worth the effort. We must believe that our influence on these students’ lives goes way past the grade level we teach. We can make a tremendous impact on a student’s life just by using encouraging and positive words. Many of our students come to us with problems and need someone to care and believe in them. We can be that person who saves their lives just like teachers did for Ned. What a wonderful profession we are in.
Dear Lord,
Help us to be encouragers this week. Help us to seek out those who need help and show them your love by being the encourager you would have us to be. Help us to always be seeking ways to show your love to others.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Do you remember the last time someone encouraged you? It seems that God has always put people in my life who are encouragers, and I’m so very thankful for their loving ministry to me. I have gotten cards with such wonderful words of encouragement from a teacher at school. Those words helped me see how Christ can use me in my work and that with His help I can accomplish what He wants me to do. I think all of us need that encouragement from time to time. We have a tendency to get all caught up with the needs in our jobs and family, that we fail to see the needs of our friends and co-workers. When was the last time you spoke or wrote a word of encouragement to someone who you knew was struggling? Paul tells us in this passage, or should I say orders us, to help each other out. We are to build one another up so that those who are outside of Christ will see our good works and seek the Lord. My challenge to you is to encourage someone this week. I would like to encourage the teachers in my life right now. I read in a magazine how a man was changed forever by two teachers who cared about him. “As a child, Ned Hallowell, MD had a bipolar father, an alcoholic mother, and two disabilities—ADD and dyslexia. He was sent to boarding school where he attached to two teachers who took him under his wing. He says, “They saved my life.” Today he’s a prominent psychiatrist, happily married father of three and author of a dozen books about the value of what he calls “human moments” --- our meaningful connections to other people.” November 2007, Prevention magazine.
Teachers, I hope this is an encouragement to you. You may never know what an impact you have made in your student’s lives, but it surely is worth the effort. We must believe that our influence on these students’ lives goes way past the grade level we teach. We can make a tremendous impact on a student’s life just by using encouraging and positive words. Many of our students come to us with problems and need someone to care and believe in them. We can be that person who saves their lives just like teachers did for Ned. What a wonderful profession we are in.
Dear Lord,
Help us to be encouragers this week. Help us to seek out those who need help and show them your love by being the encourager you would have us to be. Help us to always be seeking ways to show your love to others.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)