This Week’s Theme: The Source of Real Joy – by Ken Turner, May 4, 2018
Psalm 126:5
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Thought for today…
Don’t let weeping hinder sowing. Children of God are often carrying burdens of others, suffering with others in calamity, and fighting their fair share of spiritual battles. Know this promise… there will be a joyful harvest for faithful service to God.
This Week’s Theme: The Source of Real Joy – by Ken Turner, May 3, 2018
Psalm 51:12
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Thought for today…
When we sin against God, it steals away the joy of our salvation. A Christian’s true source of joy in life is rooted in the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. When we repent of our willful disobedience, God will restore the joyfulness of our salvation. Sin makes us weak, therefore God restores our strength through His free spirit.. a “freeing” spirit that frees us from the burden and bondage of sin.
This Week’s Theme: The Source of Real Joy – by Ken Turner, May 2, 2018
Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Thought for today…
When we fail God and deserve His anger… His anger is so brief. His forgiveness comes as quickly as we confess our sin. His anger is brief but His forgiveness is everlasting.
If you took the net worth of all the people of the world it would be over $241 trillion dollars. If all 7 billion people on earth sold everything they had and paid all that they owe, the remaining money left would be their net worth. Imagine all the people you know standing in the street with no possessions… just the left-over money from selling everything. If you divided all the money… $241 trillion dollars, evenly among just the adult population it would be around $51,600 dollars per person. If you converted the $241 trillion into a cube of gold and divided the cube into equal parts all worth $51,600, each adult would end up with a cube of gold about the size of a golf ball!
When God sent His son Jesus to die on a cross to pay the debt for your sins, He was saying that you are worth more than the value of the whole world. It’s fair to say that Jesus understood that the value of your soul… your one soul… is worth more than $241 trillion dollars to God. Since God owns everything, He would place a value on your soul even higher!
If you choose to exchange the value of your soul and live your life exchanging a personal, authentic relationship with Him with the trappings of the world… you can be sure you’ve made a bad deal.
Here’s a real question every person should answer, “What will it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose their own soul?” You may get everything the world has to offer but in the end it will all be a loss if you don’t pursue an authentic personal relationship with God.
Here’s something else to consider. When you accept Christ as your Savior you are bought with a price and you are choosing Him and His gift of Salvation. You are now bought with a price and you are not your own. An authentic Christ-follower understands this spiritual exchange and moves forward living in the new reality that my life is not my own… I belong to Christ and now choose to listen to His voice and follow Him.
Mark 8:36-37, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
1 Cor. 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are BOUGHT with a PRICE: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
*I want to thank my good friend Wally Anderson from Indiana for the inspiration for this devotional. Wally volunteers with our outreach ministry to high-risk youth in Indiana and has led many youth to Christ.
How has God been at work in your life. Post a comment or share your thoughts with others on this topic. Call us and share your thought s or topics you’d like to see covered at 423-381-0018.
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
How has God been at work in your life. Post a comment or share your thoughts with others on this topic. Call us and share your thought s or topics you’d like to see covered at 423-381-0018.
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
When Charlie Wilson went to bed on June 12, 2008, his life was pretty good. He was a successful financial manager in the UK and had a wonderful family. He took good care of his wife and two daughters and had enjoyed twenty years of marriage. But when he woke up the next morning something wasn’t right. The room was spinning and he quickly ended up in the hospital after suffering a serious stroke. When he woke up he remembered nothing of his 45 years of life. When his wife and two daughters came into his hospital room, he had no idea who these “strangers” were. The weeks, months and years ahead were quite a challenge, trying to reconnect with his loved ones, learn from scratch how to make a living and start all over.
No one wants to experience being “forgotten.”
Have you ever heard some friends talking about how much fun they had only to realize no one bothered to call and invite you along? When you brought it up everyone felt bad but admitted they just forgot to call and invite you.
Forgotten birthdays, forgotten mother’s days and father’s days, forgotten anniversaries… never turn out well.
In Psalm 106, God addresses the issue of “forgetfulness” with the children of Israel. He had done some incredible things to guide, protect and provide for them. He literally parted the Red Sea so they could escape their enemies and flooded the path as soon as they crossed to destroy the enemies who were pursuing them. He had done many miraculous works to take care of them and defeat those who were against them.
In two verses the mood shifts from singing His praises (in verse 12) to forgetting His miraculous works (in verse 13).
How’s that even possible? But wait… you and I have done this too and if we don’t stop to correct the issue in our own life we are going to experience a downward spiral in many ways.
If you read Psalm 106:12-48 you will notice the effects of the downward spiral of forgetting God’s goodness.
Here is how forgetting God’s goodness affected them.
It’s time to take seriously how we’ve benefitted from God’s blessings, His protection and His provision in our lives. Sit quietly and take some time today to write a list of the ways God has “shown up” in your life and done great things. Don’t let those things go to waste… use them for His glory. Remember them often and share them often with others. It will show God that you really do appreciate what He has done and it will encourage and inspire others to trust Him more!
You might know how awful it feels to tell a teacher you forgot an assignment, or tell your mom you forgot to buy her a Mother’s Day card, or tell a friend you forgot their birthday… but trust me… it’s even more serious to move forward in life forgetting the ways God has cared for you!
How has God been at work in your life. Post a comment or share your thoughts with others on this topic. Call us and share your thought s or topics you’d like to see covered at 423-381-0018.
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
