Opening the Word Archives - Page 19 of 36

Promise of a Universal Gospel
Promise of a Universal Gospel

Promise of a Universal Gospel

Read Isaiah 60:3-7
“And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (v. 3).
As an insect is drawn to light, the conversion of souls is described here as they fly to Christ, to the Church, and to His Word. As we embrace the wonderful light of salvation, we become a lighthouse for the gospel. The gospel message is universal, reaching around the globe to extraordinarily transform lives for God's glory. Sowing seeds for the Master will always result in a harvest. His Word is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” God's Word assures us that when we are busy doing His work, He will give an increase, an abundant harvest (Isa. 55:11). God is no respecter of persons. As He has faithfully dealt with us through conviction, He will speak to those for which we pray. He created us and knows the best way to get our attention! We can confidently bring our burden for lost souls to Him. He will break down language barriers whether we are in China or Chinatown. We can pray on the continent of Asia, and He can answer our prayers for someone in Europe. Prayer is the original WiFi connection available 24/7. The gospel has no boundaries as its followers carry the good news throughout the world. (Beverly Tatum)

Bear the good tidings all over the world,
Let the bright banner of love be unfurled,
Wherever sorrow and sin shall be found,
There let the news of salvation resound.
— Eliza Edmunds Hewitt

Let Him shine brightly through you!

This devotional is the Thursday, June 8, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-06-07T09:23:00+00:00June 7th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Gospel|0 Comments

Lord of the Atonement
Lord of the Atonement

Lord of the Atonement

Read Hebrews 9:11-15
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (v. 15).
He had messed up. Now the police were involved. Next came the court appearance. He entered a guilty plea, and a hefty fine was levied. The fine was more than he could pay, but a friend offered to pay the balance of the fine for him. That is the way atonement works. We messed up. The correct terminology is we sinned. Declared guilty in the court of heaven, the penalty for our sins was much more than we could pay; we deserved to die. That is when the best friend we could ever have stepped to our side to represent us. More than paying a fine, our best friend, Jesus, died for us. His sacrificial, substitutionary death satisfied God's righteousness and holiness and atoned for our sins. Only by faith in the offering that Jesus made for us can we find forgiveness of sins, cleansing of the sinful nature, and the new and eternal life that Jesus provides. Who could plan such an atonement! Only God could do it. While it is beyond our comprehension, this atonement was planned for us before God created the world. In the person of Jesus Christ, the atonement was completed at Calvary. (Mark Avery)

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. — Robert Lowry

*Jesus made atonement for my sins and yours.*

This devotional is the Friday, June 2, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-05-30T09:10:00+00:00May 30th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Atonement|0 Comments

A Citizen's Duties
A Citizen's Duties

A Citizen's Duties

Read Ecclesiastes 8:1-5
“I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God” (v. 2).
“Oh, I don't get involved in politics,” she said to me, punctuated with an attitude that this somehow made her holier. But God's Word is clear regarding our duties of citizenship. Foremost is the responsibility to intercede to the Father on our country's behalf. But there are also practical duties of a citizen. Do you know what they are? The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website lists the responsibilities of all citizens, including the following:

Support and defend the Constitution;
Stay informed of the issues affecting your community;
Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws;
Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others;
Pay required taxes honestly, and on time;
Serve on a jury or as a witness when summoned;
Defend the country, if the need should arise;
Participate in the democratic process by voting and/or running for office.

It would be well for those of us who live in America to express our gratefulness for the opportunity to live in a free and prosperous nation by enthusiastically embracing the responsibilities of our citizenship to this country. If you do not live in the USA, check to see what responsibilities your immigration service outlines for new citizens. (Faith Trussel)
Thy Name we bless, Almighty God, for all the kindness Thou hast shown To this fair land, the pilgrims trod, this land we fondly call our own. — Alfred Woodhull
This devotional is the Monday, May 22, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-05-24T09:00:00+00:00May 24th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Citizenship|0 Comments

Meeting Our Neighbor's Need

Read Isaiah 58:6-11
“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day” (v. 10).
An everlasting impression was pressed into my memory as a child. In the days of my childhood, we had homeless people who were at times seen in various parts of my hometown. It was rumored that if they got help from a resident, the common practice was to mark the property with an “X.”
Evidently, we had a big “X” somewhere in our front yard. My godly mother was not one to turn away from what she considered to be a genuine need. She also loved to cook. Back then, the homeless made house calls. When one of them came to our home asking for money for food, she would tell him to sit down on the porch while she prepared a plate of food. She did not settle for a sandwich and chips. Neither did she warm up leftovers. She cooked a full-fledged hot meal and served it on our good plates. I cannot help but think that God smiled and nodded His “head” in approval.
Isaiah is not just talking about helping the needy in our scripture reading. After discussing fasting that comes from the wrong motive in verses 1 to 5, he turns to describe the type of fasting that pleases God. Interestingly enough, fasting is more than going without food. Properly practiced, it means to adopt a life style in which self-satisfaction and greed are spurned while being replaced with compassion for the poor and needy. This pleases God and leads to His blessing, a truth my mother seemed to understand. (L Gayle Woods)

Fasting means to spurn self-satisfaction and greed and replace it with compassion.

This devotional is the Monday, May 15, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-05-17T09:00:00+00:00May 17th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Need|0 Comments

Considerate Living

Read Galatians 6:9-12

“Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (v. 9).
Leaving the cemetery where my parents are buried, I was awed and comforted when I noticed that one car on the six-lane highway had stopped. Within a few minutes, all of the cars coming in both directions had stopped, showing respect to the dead and recognizing the grief of a fellow human being. There was no funeral procession or policeman directing traffic. Just my car was exiting the cemetery. That act of kindness is one I will never forget!
Considerate living is a choice or habit we must nurture on a daily basis. If not, Benjamin Franklin’s famous saying, “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle,” might sadly apply to our lives. Considerate living is not a natural way of life, as our own problems seem to stare us down and grab our attention. Reaching out to others helps put personal issues in perspective, definitely acting as a boost to our spiritual morale. Considerate living causes us to stop and ponder how we might help others, ultimately pointing them to Christ and His love.
When we endeavor to lift others, we reap the reward of bolstering our own Christian stamina. If we ask God to lead us today to the one that needs His help and our Christian love the most, He will faithfully guide us. (BKT)

Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home,
When life’s toils are ended,
And parting days have come;
Sin no more shall tempt me,
Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,
If Thou’lt only lead me, Father,
Lead me gently home.
— Will L. Thompson

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p style="text-align:center;font-style:italic;">Considerate living is making daily choices to point others to Christ.
This devotional is the Monday, May 8, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

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The Christian Home Is Founded On Right Choices

Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20
“In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it” (v. 16).
Making the right choice is the focus of today’s scripture reading. Verses 15, 16, 17, and 19 refer directly to the decision to be made. The other two relate the consequences of the pathways that we choose.
Remember Alice in Wonderland? She came to a fork in the road she was following. Unsure, she lifted her eyes upward and saw the Cheshire cat leering at her from his perch in the tree above. “Which way should I go?” blurted Alice. “That depends,” said the cat, fixing a strange smile on her. “On what?” Alice managed to reply. “On your destination. Where are you going?” queried the cat. “I don’t know,” stammered Alice. “Then,” said the cat, with a grin spreading wider, “it doesn’t matter.”
Alice’s dilemma seems to be the condition in too many families today. Unless a husband and wife decide where they are going and determine to take the road to that destination, their lives and those of their children will be aimless. All too often, people simply wander through life, sampling its pleasures and delights. For such people, it doesn’t matter which road they choose.
A Christian couple chooses to journey to the land that God has promised. The path that they follow does matter, for them and their children, time and eternity. (Steve Hight)

Right choices send us in the right direction.

This devotional is the Monday, May 1, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-05-03T09:00:00+00:00May 3rd, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Choices|0 Comments

Timothy’s Home

Read 2 Timothy 1:3-6
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (v. 5).
A young man told my husband, “If my mom were the only Christian I knew, I never would have become one!” How important is it to have the real thing? In most areas of life, it matters not one whit whether you have “a cheap knock-off” instead of the “genuine article.” If the lesser one works, no problem!
This is so-not-true when it come to our spiritual lives. The ones we are closest to, the ones we are around the most will know if our faith is real. Someone said that even sinners know how a Christian should act. This doesn’t mean a Christian will always have a godly reaction to every situation, but a faithful Christian will ask forgiveness, make restitution, and seek God’s help to change a character flaw or mistake.
If you desire your faith to be passed on to the next generations of your family, they must know without any doubt that you are genuine. If changes need to be made, make them immediately with God’s help. Get rid of anything fake in your walk with God. It is most likely people know if you are not genuinely walking with God anyway and will consider you and your faith a fraud. (Wanda Skeen)

I would be true, for there are those who trust me.— Howard Walter

Be the real deal, true blue through and through.

This devotional is the Monday, April 24, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-04-26T09:00:00+00:00April 26th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Family|0 Comments

Return Blessing for Reviling

Read 1 Corinthians 4:11-16
“And labor, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it” (v. 12).
At the local grocery store one day a pastor was noticed by a man who had just entered. Very loudly, the man addressed the pastor telling a story, equating preachers with Adolf Hitler's fanaticism. The pastor listened politely and went on his way. Later, this man apologized to the pastor saying that he had not meant to intimate that all pastors were like Hitler. The pastor responded graciously but the libelous words still hurt. Another time a pastor was accosted by an alcoholic who proceeded to rail and rant against one of his church members for half an hour. The pastor attempted to listen politely, while holding the accusations in suspension of belief, seeking some way to minister to the hurting man. It hurts when the world shouts accusations and works to harm God's people, even though we may be able to dismiss the accusations as false. What really hurts is when God's people turn on us, accusing us of evil motives. Yet we are called to bless even when we are reviled. (David Woods)
Is there someone who has spoken evil of you recently for whom God would have you say a prayer of blessing?
This devotional is the Wednesday, April 19, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-04-19T09:00:00+00:00April 19th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: blessing|0 Comments

Checking for Evidence
Checking for Evidence

Checking for Evidence

Read Matthew 28:1-7
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (v. 6).
Our governmental system makes provision for the solving of disputes in a court of law. After all the evidence has been presented, the jury will retire to deliberate, and after a time will return to present their decision to the judge, who will hand down the final verdict. Today we are going to look at some of the evidence that Jesus truly arose from the grave. First of all, the stone was rolled back, and the tomb was empty. Jesus' body was nowhere to be found. Second, many eyewitnesses have left us their testimony of seeing Jesus alive again after His death. Many Bible scholars feel that there are ten post-resurrection appearances. Here are few of them:
Mary Magdalene, in the garden (John 20:11-18)
Women returning from the tomb (Matt. 28:9, 10)
Two disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:13-32)
The eleven and 500 more at Mt. Tabor (Matt. 28:16-20)
After all the evidence is presented, and the eyewitnesses give record, we may know with certainty that Jesus arose from the dead. (Steve Gifford)

One of the greatest evidences of Jesus' resurrection is a changed life.

This devotional is the Sunday, April 16, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-04-12T09:00:00+00:00April 12th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: resurrection|0 Comments

The Attitude of Giving
The Attitude of Giving

The Attitude of Giving

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
“Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (v. 7).
Giving — proportionately, purposefully, willingly, even exuberantly: there is nothing like it. It is true that we are commanded to care for our own; I doubt that anyone disputes that. Watch for the needs of your family, those that are closest to you. When you are incapable of helping a particular need, ask God for the faith to believe in His unending care for His own. Then set your eyes on heaven and eternity; keep in mind the “recompense of the reward” to those who are faithful. Ask God to help you see, really see, needs. We have a special obligation to the local church — the “storehouse.” Give consideration to the outreach to the Native Americans, the inner cities, overseas missions, our Christian day schools, and Bible colleges. Joyously support traveling evangelists; give to local charities, those who are working with addicts, in prison ministries. Help sponsor a scholarship to a local Christian school or a Bible college. Don't be a grouch about giving back to God, for He loves a hilarious giver. (Leonard Sankey)

Give of your sons to bear the message glorious;
Give of your means to speed them on their way. — Mary A. Thomson

This devotional is the Sunday, April 9, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-04-05T09:00:00+00:00April 5th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Giving|0 Comments