1Samuel 2;1-11
"It is not by strength that one prevails" (1Sam. 2:9a).
Self- help or God-Help
Many people are into "self-help." Religious self-help books are at or near the top of Christian book sales almost every year. People are always interested in finding a solution that will meet their need in "five east steps." This is nothing new.
People have tried various self-help remedies through the centuries to cure problems, like the infertility Hannah faced. We don't know if Hannah tried any of these remedies before she turned to the Lord in prayer. What we do know is that when God answered her prayer, she could not give the Lord enough praise foe all he had done. She makes her boast in the Lord. This was the Lord's doing.
When you think about it, "self-help" is naturally limited by what "self" can do. Hannah discovered that with "God-Help" there are no limits. His strength and authority are boundless.
We could use more "God-help." It can still be found when we, like Hannah, turn to God in earnests prayer. "Self-help" may bring self-satisfaction and self-confidence, "God-help" will ultimately result in praise, thanksgiving, and increased faith. Then we, too, will lift our hearts and voices in rejoicing to the Lord.
God meets our prayers with the challenge, "Do you believe I am able to do this?" Unless the answer is, "Yes, Lord," we might as well save our breath to blow soap bubbles (W.E. McCumber)
written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
Word Action
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
LETTING GO
1 Samuel 1:19-28
"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him" (1Sam.1:27).
Letting Go
written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
Nora and I took our only child to begin his first year in college. We quickly moved him into the dorm, hugs were exchanged, and we prepared to head home. Pulling away, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him waving. As I waved back, my heart broke. We had crossed a milestone; things would never be the same again. I grieved for the child that had been ours for 18 years, yet knew this was an important step for him to become the man God wanted him to be.
All parents face the pain of letting go. It my be on a college campus, at a military induction center, or that first job and apartment away from home. For Hannah, the moment came very early. We only imagine what she felt as she hugged Samuel one last time and placed his tiny hand into Eli's.
"So now I give him to the Lord" (v.28a). "Give" is such a complete word, one of total surrender. Still, for us who live by faith there can be no better place for our child-- or ourselves.
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him (Ps. 127:3).
Written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
Word Action
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
PRAYING THRIUGH TO ASSURANCE
1Samuel 1:9-18
"Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him" (1Sam. 1:17b).
Praying Through to Assurance
Written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
What a change a night of prayer can make. Earlier Hannah was praying in "bitterness of soul"(v.10), and her tears flowed freely; she would vow anything, even a son, if she would be so blessed. After the prayer, her appetite was restored and" her face was no longer downcast" (v.18). What happened?
Through Eli, God had spoken words of assurance (v.17). This is an example of what some call "praying through." Some have had a busy day, or a night of sleep, interrupted by a strong sense of urgency to pray for a particular need or person, only to discover later that it was at that moment prayer was most needed. Hannah must have prayed before, but that night there was a desperate urgency that drew her to the Lord's temple. Her anguish and grief quickly disappeared, like water poured on desert sands. The answer had come, the burden was gone, God had spoken, and it would be done.
The Holt Spirit can give us this assurance. The very desperation that drives us to God in fervent prayer may be God's method for strengthening our faith and preparing us for the answer that is already on its way.
Until we care enough to keep on asking, we cannot be trusted with God's answer (W.E. McCumber).
Word Action
"Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him" (1Sam. 1:17b).
Praying Through to Assurance
Written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
What a change a night of prayer can make. Earlier Hannah was praying in "bitterness of soul"(v.10), and her tears flowed freely; she would vow anything, even a son, if she would be so blessed. After the prayer, her appetite was restored and" her face was no longer downcast" (v.18). What happened?
Through Eli, God had spoken words of assurance (v.17). This is an example of what some call "praying through." Some have had a busy day, or a night of sleep, interrupted by a strong sense of urgency to pray for a particular need or person, only to discover later that it was at that moment prayer was most needed. Hannah must have prayed before, but that night there was a desperate urgency that drew her to the Lord's temple. Her anguish and grief quickly disappeared, like water poured on desert sands. The answer had come, the burden was gone, God had spoken, and it would be done.
The Holt Spirit can give us this assurance. The very desperation that drives us to God in fervent prayer may be God's method for strengthening our faith and preparing us for the answer that is already on its way.
Until we care enough to keep on asking, we cannot be trusted with God's answer (W.E. McCumber).
Word Action
Monday, May 28, 2012
BLESSING FOR THE BARREN
1Samuel 1:1-8
"Hannah, why are you weeping"
(1Sam. 1:8a).
Blessing for the Barren
Written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
Hannah was barren. This led to weeping, loss of appetite, and depression. Her husband tried to cheer her up, but without success. In addition, her mercilessly taunted her. Hannah was miserable, and this went on year after weary year. (v.7)
Barrenness can lead to depression, depression to despair, and despair to faith-destroying hopelessness. Barrenness is nor limited ti the childless, however. Leaders in declining churches, Christian parents of wayward children, and faithful workers passed over time and again for advancement can feel their own brand of barrenness. It is never far from wherever expectations are dashed, hopes deferred, or longings unfulfilled.
Hannah, nevertheless, had resources to battle barrenness. She had a loving husband, she knew how to pray, and, most importantly, she had the Lord Almighty. God had plans that would exceed her expectations. He would turn her barrenness into blessing. We have Jesus' promise: "Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John15:5b, NLT). Fruit comes from barrenness when we persist in faith. Like Hannah, we will discover the answer in God's time, according to his will, and in his Blessed way.
Ultimately, our trust in God has to rise above even our most desperate desires (Robert Branson).
.
Word Action
"Hannah, why are you weeping"
(1Sam. 1:8a).
Blessing for the Barren
Written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)
Hannah was barren. This led to weeping, loss of appetite, and depression. Her husband tried to cheer her up, but without success. In addition, her mercilessly taunted her. Hannah was miserable, and this went on year after weary year. (v.7)
Barrenness can lead to depression, depression to despair, and despair to faith-destroying hopelessness. Barrenness is nor limited ti the childless, however. Leaders in declining churches, Christian parents of wayward children, and faithful workers passed over time and again for advancement can feel their own brand of barrenness. It is never far from wherever expectations are dashed, hopes deferred, or longings unfulfilled.
Hannah, nevertheless, had resources to battle barrenness. She had a loving husband, she knew how to pray, and, most importantly, she had the Lord Almighty. God had plans that would exceed her expectations. He would turn her barrenness into blessing. We have Jesus' promise: "Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing" (John15:5b, NLT). Fruit comes from barrenness when we persist in faith. Like Hannah, we will discover the answer in God's time, according to his will, and in his Blessed way.
Ultimately, our trust in God has to rise above even our most desperate desires (Robert Branson).
.
Word Action
Sunday, May 27, 2012
MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION
Isaiah 44:1-8
"I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants" (Isa. 44:3b)
Making The Right Impression
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
When I was a child and Teenager, I would come home from school or in from playing and hear my mom at the sink praying for each of her children and my dad by name. Over the years I have thought about that sight. There was nothing more important to mom than the salvation and happiness of hr family. That made an indelible impression on me that has lasted throughout my life.
" The Bible tells us to impress the commands of God upon our children-- inculcate his values. Teaching our children is not a collection of clever homilies, but a lifestyle...thousands of individual impressions that shape the values and beliefs of our children" (Patrick M. Morley).*
How do we make those lasting impressions?
+ Be available to your children at home and away.
+ Build their self-esteem.
+ Let them hear you pray; see you read the Bible; attend church with them; allow them to observe your
integrity.
+ Help them to make a decision for Christ.
God loves your children and will love them through you!
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Ps. 34:11).
*Patrick M. Morley, Walking with Christ in the Details of Life
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1972), 278
"I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants" (Isa. 44:3b)
Making The Right Impression
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
When I was a child and Teenager, I would come home from school or in from playing and hear my mom at the sink praying for each of her children and my dad by name. Over the years I have thought about that sight. There was nothing more important to mom than the salvation and happiness of hr family. That made an indelible impression on me that has lasted throughout my life.
" The Bible tells us to impress the commands of God upon our children-- inculcate his values. Teaching our children is not a collection of clever homilies, but a lifestyle...thousands of individual impressions that shape the values and beliefs of our children" (Patrick M. Morley).*
How do we make those lasting impressions?
+ Be available to your children at home and away.
+ Build their self-esteem.
+ Let them hear you pray; see you read the Bible; attend church with them; allow them to observe your
integrity.
+ Help them to make a decision for Christ.
God loves your children and will love them through you!
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Ps. 34:11).
*Patrick M. Morley, Walking with Christ in the Details of Life
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1972), 278
Saturday, May 26, 2012
GOD NEVER DISAPPOINTS
Acts 2:37-47
"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39)
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
My in-laws owned a print shop for 40 years. Their quality work permeated the small towns around their business and satisfied their customers. Their first priority was integrity! I thought of them when I read about a printer in a large city who had an impressive trademark on every package he sent out. It read, "I never disappoint." I think that was the motto of my in-laws.
God is like that. Every promise of the Lord ever made to his people has that trademark inscribed into the fiber of life--"I never disappoint."
List some of God's promises to you today. Here are a few to get you started.....
* Salvation: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord" (Ps.37:39,NRSV)
* Guidance: "(God) will be our guide forever" (Ps. 48:14,NRSV).
* Love for Eternity: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John3:16)
* God Cares: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1Pet. 5:7)
"God never disappoints" should become our motto for life.
The future is as bright as the promises of God (William Carey).
"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39)
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
My in-laws owned a print shop for 40 years. Their quality work permeated the small towns around their business and satisfied their customers. Their first priority was integrity! I thought of them when I read about a printer in a large city who had an impressive trademark on every package he sent out. It read, "I never disappoint." I think that was the motto of my in-laws.
God is like that. Every promise of the Lord ever made to his people has that trademark inscribed into the fiber of life--"I never disappoint."
List some of God's promises to you today. Here are a few to get you started.....
* Salvation: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord" (Ps.37:39,NRSV)
* Guidance: "(God) will be our guide forever" (Ps. 48:14,NRSV).
* Love for Eternity: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John3:16)
* God Cares: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1Pet. 5:7)
"God never disappoints" should become our motto for life.
The future is as bright as the promises of God (William Carey).
Friday, May 25, 2012
AN EXPERT WITNESS
Acts 2:25-36
"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact" (Acts 2:32)
An Expert Witness
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
It was the early 1980's I was the pastor of a church in one of the CHICAGO suburbs. When called to the church no one told me that the church was under a lawsuit for an incident that occurred at the daycare seven years earlier. A little girl had been playing under a tree and ran into a branch causing partial damage to the eye. The parents sued the church. The case wound itself through the lower courts and was now headed to the Federal court and jury in downtown Chicago-at Christmas. The beauty of Chicago at Christmas was lost to me in a courtroom for nearly two weeks.
Witnesses for both sides were called, some of them "expert" witnesses. The job of the witnesses was to convince the jury what was true and what was false. At the end of the trail the jury believed the witness for the church and acquitted us from guilt.
Jesus came to give his life for me. When I asked him into my life I discovered that he forgave me of my sins and changed my life. I want to be an "expert" witness for Christ so that others can find the exhilarating joy of sins forgiven!
If a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, (their) witness will not be optional or mandatory-- it will be inevitable (Richard Halverson).
"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact" (Acts 2:32)
An Expert Witness
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
It was the early 1980's I was the pastor of a church in one of the CHICAGO suburbs. When called to the church no one told me that the church was under a lawsuit for an incident that occurred at the daycare seven years earlier. A little girl had been playing under a tree and ran into a branch causing partial damage to the eye. The parents sued the church. The case wound itself through the lower courts and was now headed to the Federal court and jury in downtown Chicago-at Christmas. The beauty of Chicago at Christmas was lost to me in a courtroom for nearly two weeks.
Witnesses for both sides were called, some of them "expert" witnesses. The job of the witnesses was to convince the jury what was true and what was false. At the end of the trail the jury believed the witness for the church and acquitted us from guilt.
Jesus came to give his life for me. When I asked him into my life I discovered that he forgave me of my sins and changed my life. I want to be an "expert" witness for Christ so that others can find the exhilarating joy of sins forgiven!
If a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, (their) witness will not be optional or mandatory-- it will be inevitable (Richard Halverson).
Thursday, May 24, 2012
World Missions to all People
Acts 2:14-24
""in the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people""
(Acts 2:17a)
World Missions To All People
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
Recently I Googled "all people" and an interesting page caught my attention. It contained some fascinating demographics. If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people here is how the world would look:
+ 60 Asia, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, and 5 United States Citizens and Canadians.
+ 51 percent male and 49 percent female.
+ there are 33 Christians and 67 non-Christians
+ 67 would be unable to read
+ 1 would have a college education and 99 would not.
+ 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation*
According to the website, if you are able to go to church, mosque, or synagogue without fear of harassment, arrest, torture,or death, you are happier then 3 billion persons in this world.
The gospel message is that Christ has come to redeem everyone in the world community past, present, and future. His Holy Spirit has come to unite the world in harmony with the living God. Our task as Christians is to share Jesus and to proclaim holiness unto the Lord! How are we doing with our missionary endeavor?
It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not (Peter Taylor Forsyth)
* Derl G. Keefer, Open Doors (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing, 2001), 55.
""in the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people""
(Acts 2:17a)
World Missions To All People
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
Recently I Googled "all people" and an interesting page caught my attention. It contained some fascinating demographics. If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people here is how the world would look:
+ 60 Asia, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, and 5 United States Citizens and Canadians.
+ 51 percent male and 49 percent female.
+ there are 33 Christians and 67 non-Christians
+ 67 would be unable to read
+ 1 would have a college education and 99 would not.
+ 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation*
According to the website, if you are able to go to church, mosque, or synagogue without fear of harassment, arrest, torture,or death, you are happier then 3 billion persons in this world.
The gospel message is that Christ has come to redeem everyone in the world community past, present, and future. His Holy Spirit has come to unite the world in harmony with the living God. Our task as Christians is to share Jesus and to proclaim holiness unto the Lord! How are we doing with our missionary endeavor?
It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not (Peter Taylor Forsyth)
* Derl G. Keefer, Open Doors (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing, 2001), 55.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Birth of The Church
Acts 2:1-13
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4a).
The Birth of The Church
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
One of the greatest experience of my life was being present when our children were born. It signal significant changes in our lives from those moments forward. These changes have radically impacted us as we watched them grow. Each stage has had its challenges and victories as we have journeyed with them.
The birth of the church on the day of Pentecost was an important event for the people of God. They obediently waited in prayer in an upper room for the next step of the journey in life. Little did they realize how much was going to change, not only for them but in the coming centuries for those who would also place their faith in Christ. The challenges seemed insurmountable: persecution, hatred, imprisonment,and even death. God understood that they would need someone to galvanize their faith. That someone was the Holy Spirit-the Third Person of the Triune Godhead.
The Holy Spirit was sent to be present with Christ's Church and to sustain its existence. He grows the Church by convincing the world of sin, granting new life to those who believe and repent, sanctifying believers, and guiding us into all truth in Jesus Christ.
The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for his people.
(A.W. Tozer).
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4a).
The Birth of The Church
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
One of the greatest experience of my life was being present when our children were born. It signal significant changes in our lives from those moments forward. These changes have radically impacted us as we watched them grow. Each stage has had its challenges and victories as we have journeyed with them.
The birth of the church on the day of Pentecost was an important event for the people of God. They obediently waited in prayer in an upper room for the next step of the journey in life. Little did they realize how much was going to change, not only for them but in the coming centuries for those who would also place their faith in Christ. The challenges seemed insurmountable: persecution, hatred, imprisonment,and even death. God understood that they would need someone to galvanize their faith. That someone was the Holy Spirit-the Third Person of the Triune Godhead.
The Holy Spirit was sent to be present with Christ's Church and to sustain its existence. He grows the Church by convincing the world of sin, granting new life to those who believe and repent, sanctifying believers, and guiding us into all truth in Jesus Christ.
The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for his people.
(A.W. Tozer).
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
OVERCOMING SOUR TROUBLE
Tues. May 22
John 16:25-33
" In this world you will have Trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33b)
Overcoming Sour Trouble
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
My father loved country western music. As a truck driver he was up very early in the morning getting ready for work. Dad cranked up the volume on his record player. In the little cracker box house the sound vibrated throughout every corner, including my bedroom. Pulling the covers over my head I thought I could drown out the sound. Wrong! Country singers "twanged" their nasal songs as the sound snaked under my covers. One of those songs was a Harlen Howard classic published in 1959 with Ray Price belting out the lyrics to a tune titled, "Heartaches by the number." It was about a love gone sour.
There are a lot of heartaches in this life. Some have to do with love gone sour, others about losing a loved one, jobs. broken relationships, disillusioned dreams, and more. Satan uses emotion, experiences, and emptiness to destroy our relationship with each other and with God. On the other hand, God's love never goes sour. Jesus flatly said that there would be heartache and trouble, but the one constant is him. He has come to shoulder the loss or load with us.
Let Jesus help you overcome the disappointments in life.
Afflictions color your life, but you choose the color
(John Maxwell)
John 16:25-33
" In this world you will have Trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33b)
Overcoming Sour Trouble
written by: Derl G Keefer
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
My father loved country western music. As a truck driver he was up very early in the morning getting ready for work. Dad cranked up the volume on his record player. In the little cracker box house the sound vibrated throughout every corner, including my bedroom. Pulling the covers over my head I thought I could drown out the sound. Wrong! Country singers "twanged" their nasal songs as the sound snaked under my covers. One of those songs was a Harlen Howard classic published in 1959 with Ray Price belting out the lyrics to a tune titled, "Heartaches by the number." It was about a love gone sour.
There are a lot of heartaches in this life. Some have to do with love gone sour, others about losing a loved one, jobs. broken relationships, disillusioned dreams, and more. Satan uses emotion, experiences, and emptiness to destroy our relationship with each other and with God. On the other hand, God's love never goes sour. Jesus flatly said that there would be heartache and trouble, but the one constant is him. He has come to shoulder the loss or load with us.
Let Jesus help you overcome the disappointments in life.
Afflictions color your life, but you choose the color
(John Maxwell)
Monday, May 21, 2012
The Fraternity of Joy
Monday May 21,
John 16:17-24
"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:22b)
Written by Derl G. Keeper
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
Charles Swindoll entitled one of the devotionals in is book, Seasons of Life, "The Winsome Witness." He suggested that the following fraternity of the sour first got started in the crowd of stuffed shirts called the Pharisees. They made life miserable for everyone around them and their cantankerous actions and rigid lifestyle. The Lord's harshest words were reserved for them. Their pickle juice expressions probably sickened Jesus.
John 16:22b gives us insight into Jesus. He understood grief, concern, and worry, but in the middle of it all, he also wanted joy to trump the downers. His33 years of life and 3 years of public ministry reveal Jesus with abundance of joy. He was the author of experiential joy along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said,"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (Jhon15:11). With inner presence of Christ, we should be able to have a hearty laugh, a fun filled life,total transparency, plain honesty, mixing in playful humor and amusement. Purposely plan to start today with a happy thought, a smile, laughing out loud, and encouraging someone. Join the joyful fraternity of happy people!
Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ (William Vander Hoven).
CONTACT YOUR WORDACTION PROVIDER TODAY
John 16:17-24
"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:22b)
Written by Derl G. Keeper
(District Superintendent,
Wisconsin District Church
of the Nazarene)
Charles Swindoll entitled one of the devotionals in is book, Seasons of Life, "The Winsome Witness." He suggested that the following fraternity of the sour first got started in the crowd of stuffed shirts called the Pharisees. They made life miserable for everyone around them and their cantankerous actions and rigid lifestyle. The Lord's harshest words were reserved for them. Their pickle juice expressions probably sickened Jesus.
John 16:22b gives us insight into Jesus. He understood grief, concern, and worry, but in the middle of it all, he also wanted joy to trump the downers. His33 years of life and 3 years of public ministry reveal Jesus with abundance of joy. He was the author of experiential joy along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said,"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (Jhon15:11). With inner presence of Christ, we should be able to have a hearty laugh, a fun filled life,total transparency, plain honesty, mixing in playful humor and amusement. Purposely plan to start today with a happy thought, a smile, laughing out loud, and encouraging someone. Join the joyful fraternity of happy people!
Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ (William Vander Hoven).
CONTACT YOUR WORDACTION PROVIDER TODAY
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