DAY 1 – August 10, 2009
TITLE: “GODLY JEALOUSY”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “…I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” II Corinthians 11:1-2
The
term godly jealousy sounds somewhat contradictory. When most of us think of the
word jealousy, we think of a non-Christian emotion. Yet this is a term that is
used to describe the characteristics of God. Jealousy does not refer to an
emotion so much as to an activity. It is
not seen as intolerance, but exclusiveness.
This characteristic springs both from the uniqueness of God (who is not
one among many) and the uniqueness of His relationship to
Paul states he had a godly jealousy for God’s
people. He loved the people with God’s love and was dedicated to present them
to God as a pure virgin. Paul believed God wanted a pure and faithful people.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote,
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the
word, and to present her to himself as
radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless.” Ephesians
5:25-27. Paul was committed to presenting
to the Lord a pure and faithful people.
Beth Landers tells the story of a farmer who went each week to the Farmers' Market to sell, among other things, the cottage cheese and apple butter made on his farm. He carried these in two large tubs, from which he ladled the cottage cheese or apple butter into smaller containers the customer brought.
One day he got to market and discovered he'd forgotten one ladle. He felt he had no choice but to use the one he had for both products. Before long he couldn't tell which was which. The purity of the product was lost.
With godly jealously, Paul wanted what God wanted. He was dedicated to presenting a people that were pure and faithful before the Lord. He was committed to teaching and equipping God’s people to live holy and pleasing lives to the Lord through God’s power. Paul understood the importance of being a pure and holy people. Peter expressed the same commitment when he said, “…What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live a holy and godly lives.” II Peter 3:11
DAY 2 – August 11, 2009
TITLE: “DECEIVED”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” II Corinthians 11:3
Bob Harris, weatherman for New York TV station WPIX-TV and the nationally
syndicated independent Network News, had to weather a
public storm of his own making in 1979. Though he had studied math, physics,
and geology at three colleges, he left school without a degree, but with a
strong desire to be a media weatherman. He phoned WCBS-TV, introducing himself
as a Ph.D. in geophysics from
Forty years of age and living his childhood dream, he found himself in public disgrace and national humiliation when an anonymous letter prompted WCBS management to investigate his academic credentials. Both the station and the New York Times fired him. His story got attention across the land. He was on the Today Show, Tomorrow Show, and in People Weekly, among others. He thought he'd lose his home and never work in the media again. Several days later the Long Island Railroad and Bowie Kuhn announced they would not fire him. Then WNEW-TV gave him a job. He admits it was a dreadful mistake on his part and doubtless played a role in his divorce. "I took a shortcut that turned out to be the long way around, and one day the bill came due. I will be sorry as long as I am alive."
He deceived a lot of people for a considerable amount of
time. The enemy has been deceiving people from the time of Adam & Eve. Just
as Eve was deceived, the enemy has been deceiving people through the centuries.
James warned, “Don’t be deceived, my dear
brothers.” James 1:16. Deceit can be an onramp onto the wrong road.
This was true for Eve, and Paul is afraid that the
Through the centuries people have been deceived. Paul does not want the church to be deceived. Guard your heart and mind so that you will not be deceived by the master deceiver. Stay in the word of God and in prayer and be alert to cunning ways of the enemy of your soul.
DAY 3 – August 12, 2009
TITLE: “LED ASTRAY”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” II Corinthians 11:3
A few years back now I was walking on the County Fair Grounds when I felt a little hand reach up and grab my hand. I kept on walking for a second and looked down at the child to whom the hand was connected only to discover that this little hand did not belong to my child. Another little child had taken my hand. When the child looked up at me and realized that I was not his daddy he quickly let go and begin to look for his daddy. Soon he was reunited with his dad who had actually been walking in a different direction. If the child would have kept walking with me, he would have been farther and farther away from where he needed to be. I would have led him astray.
Who is leading you?
Paul is troubled that the
Let go of the hand of all that may lead you away from pure devotion to Christ today. The Lord who leads us beside quiet waters and guides us in paths of righteousness is the one who is ready to lead today. By faith you can take hold of the hand of your Heavenly Father who will never lead you astray.
“He leadeth me: O
blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom, sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,
by waters still, o'er troubled sea, still 'tis his hand that leadeth me.
Lord, I would place my hand in thine, nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see, since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
And when my task on
earth is done, when by thy grace the victory's won,
e'en death's cold wave I will not flee, since God through
He leadeth me, he
leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me;
his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.”
William B. Bradbury, 1864
DAY 4 – August 13, 2009
TITLE: “THE REAL JESUS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “For if someone comes to you and peaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough..” II Corinthians 11:4
Who is Jesus? Billy Sunday, Evangelist of years gone by said, “There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.”
Gregory of Nazianzus who lived A.D. 381 wrote of Jesus,
“He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.
Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.”
Who is Jesus to you? It has been recorded that Preacher, D.M. Stearns was
preaching in
Paul is concerned that the
DAY 5 – August 14, 2009
TITLE: “WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING UP WITH?”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” II Corinthians 11:4
Have you ever said to someone, “I am not going to put up with it any longer?” This phrase can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used by the person with a dirty car who comes to the point that they can not stand it anymore, so they washed the car. The phrase can be used by someone in the house who becomes so tired of a full or disorganized closet that they clean it out because they are not going to put up with a disorganized or messy closet any longer. The phrase can be used by parents who have come to a point where they are not going to accept the behavior of a child any more and call firmly for a change of behavior. I am sure that you can think of a variety of examples of how the phrase, “I am not going to put up with it any longer,” can been used.
The
Through the years people have learned to live with problems, habits, influences, and issues in their lives instead of putting a stop to them. Car Maker, Henry Ford once observed, “Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.” Are there things in your life that you are putting up with that you should not be? Perhaps it is an attitude in your heart that you are putting up with though you know it is not right in the eyes of the Lord. Possibly there is a habit or sinful behavior in your life that you are putting up with that you know needs to be conquered through the power of Christ.
Through Christ you don’t have to put up with things that hinder
you and are not pleasing to Him. Paul reminded the church at