Question for the day: Is being offended a choice?
What can we pray for YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
Today in God’s Word
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009
Please join your brothers and sisters
studying and praying with us today…
Proverbs 4
(New International Readers Version)
LISTEN AT
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Wisdom Is Supreme
1 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,
4 he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, [a] get understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor."
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
11 I guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make level [b] paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.
27 Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
AND
Luke 14
(New International Readers Version)
LISTEN AT
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Jesus Eats at a Pharisee's House
1 One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat in the house of a well?known Pharisee. While he was there, he was being carefully watched. 2 In front of him was a man whose body was badly swollen.
3 Jesus turned to the Pharisees and the authorities on the law. He asked them, "Is it breaking the Law to heal on the Sabbath?"
4 But they remained silent.
So Jesus took hold of the man and healed him. Then he sent him away.
5 He asked them another question. He said, "Suppose one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day. Wouldn't you pull him out right away?" 6 And they had nothing to say.
7 Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table. So he told them a story. 8 He said, "Suppose someone invites you to a wedding feast. Do not take the place of honor. A person more important than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come to you. He will say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be filled with shame. You will have to take the least important place.
10 "But when you are invited, take the lowest place. Then your host will come over to you. He will say, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 Anyone who lifts himself up will be brought down. And anyone who is brought down will be lifted up."
12 Then Jesus spoke to his host. "Suppose you give a lunch or a dinner," he said. "Do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you to eat with them. So you will be paid back.
13 "But when you give a big dinner, invite those who are poor. Also invite those who can't walk, the disabled and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed. Your guests can't pay you back. But you will be paid back when those who are right with God rise from the dead."
The Story of the Big Dinner
15 One of the people at the table with Jesus heard him say those things. So he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in God's kingdom."
16 Jesus replied, "A certain man was preparing a big dinner. He invited many guests. 17 Then the day of the dinner arrived. He sent his servant to those who had been invited. The servant told them, 'Come. Everything is ready now.'
18 "But they all had the same idea. They began to make excuses. The first one said, 'I have just bought a field. I have to go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five pairs of oxen. I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master.
"Then the owner of the house became angry. He ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town. Bring in those who are poor. Also bring those who can't walk, the blind and the disabled.'
22 " 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done. But there is still room.'
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads. Go out to the country lanes. Make the people come in. I want my house to be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my dinner.' "
It Costs to Be a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and spoke to them. He said,26 "Anyone who comes to me must hate his father and mother. He must hate his wife and children. He must hate his brothers and sisters. And he must hate even his own life. Unless he does, he can't be my disciple. 27 Anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow me can't be my disciple.
28 "Suppose someone wants to build a tower. Won't he sit down first and figure out how much it will cost? Then he will see whether he has enough money to finish it. 29Suppose he starts building and is not able to finish. Then everyone who sees what he has done will laugh at him. 30 They will say, 'This fellow started to build. But he wasn't able to finish.'
31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. And suppose he has 10,000 men, while the other has 20,000 coming against him. Won't he first sit down and think about whether he can win?
32 "And suppose he decides he can't win. Then he will send some men to ask how peace can be made. He will do this while the other king is still far away.
33 "In the same way, you must give up everything you have. If you don't, you can't be my disciple.
34 "Salt is good. But suppose it loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again?35 It is not good for the soil. And it is not good for the trash pile. It will be thrown out.
"Those who have ears should listen."
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
August 4, 2009
I Choose NOT to be Offended
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)
Devotion:
What did she mean by that?
Why does she always hurt my feelings?
Why does she treat me that way?
Do any of these phrases sound familiar to you? It took my 15-year old daughter to show me that these words played through my head on a continual basis. She ended many of our conversations over the last few years with, “Why do you get your feelings hurt so easily?” or “Gosh, Mom, we are always hurting your feelings.” Or, “Mom, you’re so sensitive.” At first, her words angered me.
Over time, I finally began to hear what she was saying. God used my daughter to teach a powerful truth to me. For years, I allowed people’s words to hurt my feelings. In turn, I harbored anger for those words. The anger took root. Satan fed the words to me over and over again. I replayed them in my mind. Each time I replayed them, the anger grew deeper roots.
I would find myself sitting in church listening to a sermon and saying, “I wish ______ was here. They really need to hear this sermon.” I never heard the sermons for myself because the words of others consumed by thoughts and stole my time.
About this time, God called me to teach a Bible study on the book of Proverbs. I spent days and weeks absorbed in this amazing book of Wisdom. One afternoon, God brought this verse across my path, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 18:11). Wow! It leapt off the page and into my heart.
I had a choice here. Up until now, I received people’s words, jumped to a conclusion, and chose to be offended. God’s Word spoke and said, “Wendy, you have another choice...choose to look past their words and not receive them with an offended heart.” I discovered that I needed to LISTEN objectively and ask: What is driving their words? Do they have a valid point? Do they have a deep hurt? Do they need something I am not giving? Are they someone who is just plain mean and negative?
The responsibility was on me to stop the words from entering my heart and taking root.
I discovered in this process that I NEEDED the approval of others. Yet, God’s Word clearly says that He is the only One whose approval I need. When I accepted this, my heart changed.
Yes, it took time, and I am a work in progress. But, now when someone speaks a hurtful word, I check it at the door of my heart. I hear the words, I recognize my issue, and I speak Truth over my heart. I literally say, “It is to my glory to not receive this as an offense.” God is pleased because I honor Him with this choice. It is a win-win for everyone because I do not ruin the rest of the day by pouting and making it all about me. I do not soak in self-pity. I let the words go.
Heavenly Father, thank You that I am created in Your image. Thank You that in You I find my identity. Thank You that it is only Your Words and Your opinion that matters. Lord, give me Your ears to hear. Help me not to be easily offended and easily angered. Help me lay down any offenses to which I am currently holding. Let me live in the freedom of Your love and forgiveness. Help me live not in my flesh, but supernaturally in the fullness and freshness of Your Spirit. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, amen.
Application Steps:
Over the next week, listen to your conversations. I encourage you to journal what you hear and what you learn.
After a week, ask yourself if God has God placed people in your life as He did in mine to point out a spiritual Truth. With a humble and contrite heart, invite God to help you be free from being easily offended and angered by the words of others.
Reflections:
Read 1 John 1:8-10 and meditate and reflect on its meaning in relation to what you have learned through this devotion.
Power Verses:
Ephesians 4: 26-27, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (NIV)
Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
Round 3—Death of Firstborn;
Round 4—Bible
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Slavery, sin, death--Satan does all he can to destroy God's people and God's Word. But it's a losing battle, as Woodrow Kroll explains today...
Series: The Long War Against God
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
GDLC Message: http://www.gdlc.org/worship/sermons.aspx
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead him to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN
Pastor Bob is doing so well that he gave his testimony about his accident and road to recovery at St. Mark Lutheran Church in
Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29th and the biopsy results showed a cancerous condition. He will be undergoing chemo & radiation treatments and will need the Lord’s Hand to overcome his anxiety as well as the cancer.
Please lift before the Lord our friend, Teri, who is facing an extremely large personal challenge. Pray that she will seek Jesus’ Face and strength, and the power found in strong Christian relationships, before it is too late for her to do so. Thank you, George and Sidney
Please pray for strength and patients as I feel under attack for trying to do God's will. Thank you and God bless you for helping me, Anonymous
Derek Lutz was in a car/bike accident on Friday night. He is in the ICU at Covenant with some serious injuries, including head trauma. Please lift Derek in prayer.
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http://georgeandsidney.blogspot.com/
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