Monday, March 31, 2008

Selah Moment

SELAH MOMENT
Psalm 24:10
"Who is the Lord God of glory? The Lord Almighty--He is the God of Glory. Selah."

What do you say when you want to get people’s attention? “Heah!” Kids learn early when starting school to raise their hands to get the teacher’s attention. Yelling out will get the wrong attention. But the written word is different. David, the author of many Psalms in the Bible, used the term “Selah” to get attention.

The meaning of this term is unsure. It is thought to probably be a musical term, like a musical interlude. The Psalms were often written to music. Biblical scholars suggest other possible meanings such as: “silence”, “pause”, “interruption”, “accentuate”, “exalt”, or “end”.

These meanings seem to give us a correct interpretation to the word. How many times do we get to take a moment to appreciate the fullness of God? This is clearly a worship term. When meditating on the incomprehensible, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, infinite, eternal God, is a worship pause too short or insignificant? God doesn’t waste anything. He loves our appreciation of His Glory.

It’s refreshing to take a Selah Moment several times each day. Pausing from hectic schedules allows us some time. A moment. How many times do we say, “Where did this day go?” Interruptions during the day cleanses our minds, shutting our mouths long enough can allow us to listen for Him. Highlighting the joy of His provision with thanksgiving pleases Him. Ending days with a spiritual shower carries sweet dreams into our tomorrows.

Take Home Nugget
David wrote “Selah” at the end of several Psalms to get our attention. I love this example of showing me how to worship God throughout my day. Does this work for you?

“Who is this King of Glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
Selah.”
Hallelujah!

J.D. Griffith

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Between Eternities

BETWEEN ETERNITIES
Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 11:1, 8-10
Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

From the moment of birth, we’re traveling pilgrims. We live in a world that has no lasting peace as we travel from one day to the next into our future. So, in a sense, we’re traveling between eternities while alive on this plane. We seem to be locked in our moment, taking forever to get to our destination. But we’re sojourning towards a future, hoping for promises as yet unseen.

One day we will be in the promise of eternity. This is sure. Jesus, who is Master of eternity, offers us a better country that is heavenly. A place where we are not ashamed to claim God as our God; where He welcomes us into the city is preparing. The question is, where will you spend eternity after your life here is done?

The road we travel to get to this promise is a hard road, though. It is narrow and veers over cliffs threatening to plunge us into an abyss. By keeping our eyes focused on Christ, we will navigate safely into our promised land of eternity in Heaven. We achieve the prize at this road’s end by committing to Him, living in dependence, sacrifice and trust. This is the ONLY road that carries reconciled- to-God travelers through the small entrance to Heaven.

There is an alternate road that leads to a different entrance. This entrance is wide and easy, as is the road leading to it. Most people choose this road. This road requires few commitments, almost everything is acceptable. People live the way they feel like living, with few restraints where rules are challenged. They live self-indulgent lives, and do whatever they feel like doing. This sounds like the most fun road, but the joy experienced on this road is short-lived, with no lasting value.

Take Home Nugget
While we are locked into this now, the hours, days, weeks, months, and years seem to drag by. We are anxious about our future, but our time is spent navigating through this eternity. This seeming eternity is not what we long for. One day, we will be in the promise of heaven for the real eternity. We’ll be one with our Creator, Lord of Heaven and Earth, and that is eternal joy.

While life seems hard and the days long,
We know this is but one second in God’s eyes.
There is only one eternity; we know heaven’s our song.
Stay strong, fight and win through; Christ is watching from the skies.

J.D. Griffith
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Monday, March 24, 2008

Imagine

Imagine
Luke 23:43, Acts 1:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:8, 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelations 21:1-7
Luke 23:43: "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.'"


He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah! One day, we too will rise from the dead.

We don’t need to wonder what to expect after our own death. The Bible is clear about many things; let’s take a journey to explore, allowing our minds to imagine what will come to pass.

First thing to know is: at the moment of death, believers are present with the Lord. (Luke 23:43, 2Corinthians 5:8). Jesus told the thief who was crucified next to Him who asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His kingdom. Jesus said, “Today thou shall be with Me in paradise.” So, this is the first thing—we’ll be with our King the moment our hearts stop beating.

But…will our resurrection combine our bodies with our spirits to be with God and other departed saints? Listen to this: We’ll hear a trumpet blast and the archangel Michael will call the saints to assemble. We’ll see Jesus descending from Heaven to meet with the saints in the air—both departed and living saints. WOW!

The bodies and spirits of the departed will be reunited—from the earth and heaven. These new glorified bodies will be perfect. We’ll be imperishable—healthy and strong enough to never wear out for eternity. In glory, we’ll be much like God, reflections of His radiance. Our bodies and minds will be powerful and capable to perform everything the Lord requires of us. We will not be idle. We will not be hindered by sin or rebellion.

Our eternal bodies will be perfectly equipped to continue what we began while on earth—serving the Lord with our whole heart, mind, and strength. Won’t this be magnificent?

Take Home Nugget

Meanwhile, we open our eyes and know we’re still here, with the same problems, heartaches and hopes. This is how we can encourage each other—things won’t always be this way. Remember what the Bible assures us—a new heaven and earth will be our home. We’ll be recognizable, but totally transformed into glory. The best is yet to come!

This is my favorite message from the Bible to study:
Things yet to come: perfect bodies and earth.
I can’t shut up, others need to know the hope
That the best is yet to come-since our birth!

J.D. Griffith

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Friday, March 21, 2008

Paradox

PARADOX
Matthew 28:1-8, John 11:26
Matthew 28:5: "The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crecified. He is not here; He as risen just as He said..."

A paradox is something that doesn’t seem to make sense. CIA means Central intelligence Agency—and many say there is no intelligence the way that agency is run. Other oxymoron statements are obvious opposites that we’ve come to accept. Dry ice, soft ice cream, rolling plains, liquid paper, square round, jumbo shrimp are examples.

The fact that Jesus was born so that he could die so that we could live raises many eyebrows. (Intentional misunderstanding?) Everyone in our culture has heard the Good News of the Gospel. Many choose to not buy it. They didn’t see the empty tomb. Two Marys did, and they believed. The Disciples saw Jesus walking, talking and eating and they believed He’d risen from the dead.

Why is this so hard to accept? The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead is our Easter celebration—why our faith makes sense. Otherwise what would be the purpose? The fact that Jesus had to die so that we could live is no paradox. Jesus was the first resurrection so that we could be resurrected after our death.

Accepting Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not negotiable for Christians. If He wasn’t raised from the dead, then He didn’t triumph over death. Without His victory, no one else could be free from sin and its punishment. Without the celebration of Easter, believers are wasting their time trusting a lying God. God does not lie. He cannot sin. He sent this message of victory to the prophets long before Jesus was even born. Jesus always knew His life’s purpose was to die—and to be resurrected.

You know Jesus walked His preordained path willingly so that He would be obedient to the Father. He knew the prophets, centuries before, had prophesied His birth, life, death, and resurrection. (Isaiah 7:2-6, Isaiah 53:2-12, Isaiah 26:19, Psalm 22:14-23, Psalm 48:14, Daniel 12:2). When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He KNEW He’d come back to life. And live forever. That was Jesus’ slam dunk. He beat death with the victory of life, and cannot die again. Neither will we—His siblings by faith.

He HAD to die so that we would live with Him eternally. If that’s a paradox to others, maybe you could explain how it works.

Take Home Nugget
Christ’s resurrection is a fact of history. We claim that in response to our faith and call Him our King of Kings and Lord of Lords—Hallelujah!

“Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign.”
Lowry


J.D. Griffith

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Monday, March 17, 2008

Communion Covenant

COMMUNION COVENANT
Matthew 26:26-29

It took twelve years before I could go with my family to the altar to partake of Holy Communion. Certainly I was curious—especially about foods called body and blood. Is anyone else curious?

The cup of Holy Communion is just the beginning. Here are words beginning with the letter “c” for your Contemplation: Celebration (Jesus’ last meal with His Disciples was in remembrance of the Passover—when God spared the Israelites’ first born from death in Egypt), Cleansing (Jesus’ shed blood purifies us from sin), Comfort (believers find this support from others in God’s family), Committed (Jesus displayed willingness to die for us), Communion (that in which we believers partake, also called The Lord’s Supper), Connected (the family of believers are linked to each other as well as to the Lord), Consecration (set apart for the Lord), Covenant (most important word of promise in the Bible), Cross (the vertical plank bridging us to the Father intersected with a horizontal plank that bridges all believers together), Crucifixion (the agonizing death Jesus endured on the cross), Cup (symbolizes life when filled with Jesus’ blood—often represented by grape juice or wine).

Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death ushered in a new covenant called Holy Communion. This gift from God the Father to His children reminds us of His gift of salvation. When a believer receives salvation, he is consecrated to the Lord. Not only forgiven of ALL sins—past, present and future—but also indwelt with the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
At times, believers forget “whose they are” and may yield to temptation. The cup and bread, or blood and body of this sacrament remind God’s children what He expects –a commitment to obey. (Jesus showed us how to obey hard commands when He willingly died for us.)
We’re told to observe the Lord’s Supper as a symbol of cleansing, consecration, communion, and commitment. How many more “c” words can you think of?

Take Home Nugget

The phrase “drink from this cup” has a hidden meaning that most don’t get. While the cup represents the blood Jesus shed that saved us from eternal death, the wafer symbolizes His body that was broken for us. Jesus drank the first cup alone in order to make our salvation possible.

Jesus was separated from God the Father during His death because He had taken on our sin, and God the Father cannot look upon sin. Jesus was ALONE for the first time since the very beginning—eternity past—separated from the Father. (Mark 15:34).
He did this so that we never have to feel this agony of separation from our Father. “Drink from this cup” is our reminder of Jesus’ willingness to die for us so that WE COULD LIVE.

When someone asks what does a cross mean to you,
What will you say, what will you do?
Jesus’ death and resurrection validates our belief
That our eternity is secure—what a relief!

J.D. Griffith
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
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Thursday, March 13, 2008

St. Patrick's Prayer


SAINT PATRICK FULFILLS A NEED
Luke 19:34

“Christ be with me. Christ be before me. Christ be after me. Christ within me. Christ beneath me. Christ above me. Christ at my right hand. Christ at my left. “ Naomh Padraig

Christ has need of you. You may not think that you’re perfect for the job, but you are. Everyone has imperfections., but God still needs us. God wants you just as you are, for He shapes you into someone who can fill His needs.

As the addendum says at the end of this devotion, St. Patrick was needed for the Lord’s work. He said, “Yes” to God’s calling, serving the people by whom he’d been held captive—on their very island.

When Jesus went into Jerusalem the last time before His death, He had a need for a colt. As two of His disciples went in search of a man with a water jug, they untied his colt. When the man asked what they were doing, they replied, “The Lord has need of him.” The man let them go.

When the Lord has a need, He pursues the one who can supply it. When He lays a burden on your heart, He’s calling you. Perhaps His service will be brief—like He needed this colt for one day. He may require from you a task that consumes your entire life. Either way, when your Master calls you Home, you’ll hear these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

How will you answer your Lord? Will being surrounded by Christ make a difference in your answer?

Take Home Nugget

There will always be something for us to do for our Lord. Our job is to be ready when He summons us. We’re to prepare ourselves to be ready when He calls. When we stay in His Word by faithfully reading the Bible, we commit ourselves to His Way every day. He shapes kids and adults alike into Christ likenesses.

Without knowing what your job will be for me
Lord, I stand ready to answer your request.
With Christ surrounding me, I know I’ll be
Perfect for the job while at my best.

ADDENDUM

Naomh Padraig was sixteen years old when he was captured by Irish raiders in the second half of the fifth century. (Around 450 A.D.) After six years of being a slave in Ireland, he escaped. Fleeing home to his family in Britain, he served God by entering the church. The men in his family began this tradition, and he followed in their footsteps. In time, he became a deacon, then a bishop. Then he chose the missionary field. He returned to Ireland and served the people on the North and West side of the island.
J.D. Griffith
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Heart Protection


HEART PROTECTION
Proverbs 4:23, John 14:1


“Bless your heart.” My Aunt said when thanking me for bringing a condiment up from the basement to the dinner table. “You’re welcome” I said with a smile. What’s this big deal about my heart?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23.)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” Jesus said to His disciples after telling them of His upcoming death. Even Jesus talks about hearts.

Throughout the Bible we hear lots of stuff about the heart: faithful heart, forgiving heart, thankful heart, clean heart, hard heart. What is this organ that is at the heart of life? (Pun intended.)

Everyone can identify with a sorrowful heart. Sadness envelopes us when someone discovers some sin that we’re responsible for. God wants His children happy and free. What does it mean to guard our heart?

The most obvious way to guard one’s heart is to walk blameless through life. Then we never sin, never make someone cry, never get caught lying, cheating or stealing. Oh wait! We DO sin. No one is perfect, no one is blameless. Except Jesus.

Some people are good at making fun of others. Some people are always angry. Some people are always looking for trouble. Believers should not seek these people as friends. They bring others down, cause heartache, or pick fights. They are not easy to love, as Christ commands us. We can love them without joining them. We can speak lovingly to them without following them, agreeing with everything they do and say. We can keep our distance from them, so to not be associated with their crowd.

Parents may advise kids, “Don’t hang around with him. He’s not your friend.” They are warning, protecting hearts from breaking when someone has wrong intentions for us. It’s good to trust older people when being advised, especially if they are loved ones. Parents, older siblings, and Aunts and Uncles have seen more and lived through hurt. They recognize signs that harm, and they warn us of danger. It’s wise to listen to advice instead of thinking we know best.

Take Home Nugget

Not protecting one’s heart is as careless as not loving self. Just as self love teaches us to approach God as Abba, Father, protecting one’s heart shows others that we are worthy of God’s love. Don’t allow confidence to let down your guard. This will throw you off balance, and your heart becomes the open vulnerable target of the evil one. Remain vigilant, watching out for others as well as yourself.

Holy Father we find it hard to choose between friends.
Teach us discernment to avoid involvement
With people who don’t regard us highly.
Good people are the ones to whom our heart bends.

J.D. Griffith
A personal, private Lesson Experience with our Staff
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Friday, March 7, 2008

Self Worth

SELF WORTH
Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:34-40, Galatians 5:13-14


“She’s so stuck up.” “Yeah, and he thinks he is God’s gift to girls.” Kids often hear and speak words like these. Adults remember them, too. People try acting like they think they’re not better than others—specifically to avoid such labels. But how should we view ourselves, really?

The Bible is clear, but two different passages seem to conflict. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26). Don’t take this passage out of context.
Jesus was saying that allegiance to Him must be absolute—even when that loyalty is costly to us or to those whom we love. He wants first place in our lives, and He deserves that; He paid a high price for us. He willingly went to the cross to save us from eternal death.

Now that we understand, we can agree to put God first in our lives. So what about others, what about ourselves?
Every person has value to God. Jesus also said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Here’s the conflict. God is first, who is next in our lives?
Love your neighbor as yourself makes “yourself” a high priority. God first. Self next. Everyone else same as self. Matthew 22:37-39 is clear. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. AND love your neighbor AS YOURSELF. God, you and all others next.

Don’t allow self-appreciation be mislabeled as egotism, conceit or pride. Reverencing self is different from selfishness or self-centeredness. We’re to care for our own body mind and spirit as treasured possessions. Honoring ourselves is honoring Christ, who died for us. No one can love others without first loving himself.

A believer’s self worth stems from our relationship to our creator. As a child of God, we’re to protect ourselves for all that has been given to us: salvation, indwelt Holy Spirit, unique talents. Love of self is essential to God’s plan for every believer.

Take Home Nugget
God cannot set us on the path of achieving His goals for our lives until we recognize our worth and love the person He created us to be. Our Father has a special plan for each of us. We’re to use our God-given abilities to the fullest extent in reaching these goals. Our goals and God’s goals for us mesh as one.

In humility we seek other’s needs before our own.
That does not mean we’re not to hold our head up high.
Loving others like self maintains a level zone
Where we all work towards our goals in the sky.

J.D. Griffith

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Monday, March 3, 2008

I Love You

I LOVE YOU
1 Peter 3:8, 1 John 4:18, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Corinthians 12:25-26


Sometimes embarrassing, sometimes sweet to hear, the words “I love you” stir up different emotions in people. Depending on the ages of the speaker and listener, these three little words evoke pleasure or anxiety.

Love begins with the author of life. It begins with God. “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.” (Psalm 139:13-16).
God loves us so much that He personally formed each of us in our mother’s womb.

He numbers every hair on our heads, knows every day of our lives. He planted skills and talents in our being. He has a unique plan for each of us. Is this news to you? This sure makes us humble, doesn’t it? This tells us that our Father cares so much that He wants a personal relationship with each one of us.
How many friends do you have?

But love doesn’t stop there. Jesus commanded that we love one another. Gulp!

“All of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.” (1Peter 3:8). We’re to support each other so completely that each person feels safe inside our group. (1John 4:18). This safety means we can show our humanity in the open; our joy, our ups and downs, our victories, defeats and our pain.

God challenges us to create a Christ-community where we love like our lives depend on it. (1Peter 1:22). We’re to give each other the same uncommon safety Christ gives us—to be sad, messed up, confused and yet loved.

We’re to weep together, celebrate together, and care for each other equally. (1Corinthians 12:25-26). Can you say that you love your friends unconditionally?

Take Home Nugget
We show tender hearts when we allow each other to:

Have a bad day.
Be Tired.
Admit mistakes.
Confess being scared.
Grieve a loss.
Doubt, be confused, cry.


We exhibit humility when we can:

Be happy when another gets a great new bike.
Be cool when someone has more money.
Celebrate when someone wins the starting place on our sports team.
Admire how someone looks in a new outfit.
Shout “Hallelujah” because God’s presence in your life makes you feel blessed.
It’s OK for these things to happen because our joy is sincere for another’s blessings. Life becomes a celebration, shared by all.

J.D. Griffith
A private, personal Lesson Experience with our stafff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
For FREE Online Bible Study Resources click here.
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