WORDDEVO: "The Weekly Word with Raul Ries" [11-18 thru 11-24] DEVOTIONALS
Seven Days of Devotion
The Weekly Word is a Collection of Devotionals to be read on the Day Listed and presented freely as a service to and for the Body of Christ and Believers throughout the World that We may Hear God Speak to us as the Spirit of God gives us ears to hear and eyes to see what God would have for us daily in relationship to Him.
Parents’ Responsibility
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
I talk to people everywhere I go-in the market, at the bank, in the gym-and what has truly grieved me is how I see the family unit falling apart in our country. We have become a computerized society. With all our technology, have we truly advanced? I do not think so.
We cannot rely upon the television, video games or computers to teach our children the most important thing in life-the Word of God. Father and mothers, you need to teach your children. You must check up on what your children are learning. What is being put into their minds?
The responsibility in the home is for the man to be the spiritual leader: to pray with his wife, to pray with his children, to read them the Word of God and to oversee his house, so that no one gets contaminated.
Do not let the world into your house. You need to remove as much leaven as you can from your home, so your house and your children can be safe. And then, God can bless it.
Children miss nothing in sizing up their parents. If you are only half convinced of your beliefs, they will
quickly discern that fact.
-James Dobson-
MONDAY
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Do we truly understand what the Apostle Paul is telling us in this verse? He is looking forward, not dwelling on the things of the past, but always looking forward to what God has in store for us. I believe President Lincoln had no doubt what Paul is referring to in this verse.
President Lincoln led our country during a very dark and troublesome time in history. We were not in a war against an outside aggressor; we were at war with ourselves. We were divided as a nation, and Lincoln had many issues to face: ending slavery, ending a war, uniting a nation and rebuilding a struggling economy.
Many men would have thrown up their hands or tried to accomplish these goals in an aggressive manner. As a man of God, he took on Christian principles to work through the problems of our nation and heal the wounds of war.
President Lincoln pressed toward the upward call of God. He showed grace and mercy towards his enemies and brought unity to our nation. He fulfilled the call God put on his life, in spite of the many obstacles, and became a great example to generations to come.
Let us each press toward the goal to fulfill our individual calling, looking forward to what God has in store for our lives.
With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to
bind up the nation’s wounds.
-Abraham Lincoln-
TUESDAY
God’s Word
Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,
And lay up His words in your heart.
Job 22:22
Today, when you go to Israel, at the wall in Jerusalem, you will see a table on the men’s side. Often, you will see a young boy surrounded by adults. The boy is probably 12 years old and he is getting ready to recite the Torah. The Orthodox Jews memorize the Torah, the first 5 books of the Old Testament, and when they are 12, they have to recite the entire Torah by memory.
Do we have the same reverence for the Word of God? Do we, as Christians, realize the importance of knowing God’s Word? We need to teach our children the Word of God and have them memorize verses.
As a child, Pastor Chuck Smith’s mother would have him read the Bible and memorize Scripture. He learned how to read by reading his Bible, not grammar books. All around his parents’ house, there was Scripture on the walls. He grew up surrounded by the Word of God. That is why Pastor Chuck is so knowledgeable on the Word of God. He knows God’s Word. He learned it, he memorized it and it became a part of his life.
Pastor Chuck’s parents recognized the importance of God’s Word and used it to teach their children how to read, so the first thing they learned was of value.
No man is uneducated who knows the Bible, and no
one is wise who is ignorant of its teachings.
-Samuel Chadwick-
WEDNESDAY
Past, Present, Future
Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as
commandments to them.
Deuteronomy 1:3
Moses was going over the commandments of God with the children of Israel because God knew what they were going to face when they entered the Promised Land.
While it was the place God had prepared for them, there were pagan people in the land. They were not going to enter in and have peace. The inhabitants of the land were not going to just turn everything over to them.
The children of Israel were going to face enemies. They were going to face trials and temptations. They would have to choose the living God over the idols of the land.
Prophetically, God was speaking to them of their past, their present and their future. He was reminding them of all God’s promises and where they had come from.
It is real important to remember-if we do not learn from the past in our present, we will not have a future.
Unless there is within us that which is above us, we
shall soon yield to that which is about us.
-P.T. Forsyth-
THURSDAY
Faithfulness
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says
the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
The children of God were tested in their faith during their time in the wilderness. And yet, time and time again, instead of faithfulness, they showed unfaithfulness. God’s never failing faithfulness has always been there, not only for them, but for us, to give principles for guidance and hope for the future. God did not lead them into the wilderness and then leave them on their own.
In the same way, God does not leave us on our own—He is faithful to give us guidance for our lives. While He is so faithful, if we look at our own personal lives, how many times do we fail God? It is amazing how God works. Even though we are unfaithful, God remains ever faithful. That is simply His nature; He cannot be unfaithful like we are.
Think about your life and the purpose to which God has called you. Not only is God teaching you, leading you and guiding you, but think of all the trials you have faced in the past and are facing today. Only God knows what is in the future. God has seen you through the trials of the past, He is with you now, and His faithfulness will meet you in your future trials.
It is only with God we have hope for our future.
God does not give us everything we want, but He
does fulfill all His promises . . . leading us along the
best and straightest paths to Himself.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer-
FRIDAY
Be Alive
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because
the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to
the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening
of the prison to those who are bound.”
Isaiah 61:1
We read the Bible, but are we learning from the Bible? Is God really speaking to you from His Word? I know what God has called me to do-preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have had the privilege of speaking to an infantry battalion on their way to Afghanistan, at Camp Pendleton, to the Marines at Twentynine Palms and new recruits at MCRD.
I surf three days a week, and I have seen how God is touching the lives of all the guys at the beach-without preaching to them.
I want to encourage you. I think every one of us is called to share the love of Christ. Be a child of God, be a witness, be a light, be alive, do not be dead. Be excited about God-what He is doing, what He has done, what He wants to do in your lives. You will blow your minds on what God wants to do, if you really and truly put your mind to it and allow God to direct your life.
No candle which God lights was ever meant
to burn alone.
-J. C. Ryle-
SATURDAY
God’s Chastening
My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son
in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:11-12
We are in the Old Testament, and the children of Israel are making an 11-day journey in 40 years. Why 40 years? It is because God wants to take an inventory of their lives. He wants to take an inventory of every person’s life.
Once God takes an inventory of my life, He either keeps me or chastens me. God chastens me because He loves me and He wants to use my life. If I do not learn, He removes me.
Not only does God chasten me, but He has written the Old Testament and the New Testament as examples for me. These are the things God does in order to bring my life into alignment with His will.
We need to learn from God’s chastisement and from the examples in the Bible.
It is like the class I am teaching, when I give a test and the students do not pass it. I am not going to give them diplomas until they pass the test.
That is what God does. Every time you fail, you have to retake the test. Pass the test, so you can be used greatly by God.
We are always in the forge or on the anvil; by trials
God is shaping us for higher things.
-Henry Ward Beecher-
THE WEEKLY WORD WITH RAUL RIES
Can be found here:
http://theweeklywordraulries.blogspot.com/
