Monday, December 27, 2010

Year End Message.....

Thank you all for your year of service to GEMs in 2010.  
We are looking forward to a great 2011 of Serving and feeding the Fire!! 
We wish you a Blessed New Year!!
Amy & Lisa

Weekly Devotion - "WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE?" - Dec 20, 2010

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
GEMS Service Center

Dear Sisters,

Merry Christmas, dear sisters! Joining you as you celebrate God’s love to us through the victorious reign of His only Son King Jesus and waiting with expectation for His second return. He is our Divine Love and Eternal King who sits on the throne! Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:1-3).

The Service Center will be closed from December 23 to 31.

During the month of December our GEMS are focusing on “Serve Others” in their Sparkle and SHINE brightly! Bible lessons. Let’s get in the Word with them.


WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE?

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his (her) praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:5

The Barna Group recently released a report called Six Megathemes from Barna Group Research in 2010. One of the six patterns that were evident in their survey findings is that “Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.” They identified young adults as the driving passion and energy behind community service activities. Their works of justice and acts of mercy have influenced the church. People are eager to serve others! They have moved from apathy to action!

The report then delivers a warning. “Despite the increased emphasis, churches run the risk of watching congregants’ engagement wane unless they embrace a strong spiritual basis for such service. Simply doing good works because it's the socially esteemed choice of the moment will not produce much staying power.”

If our motive to serve is not pure before the Lord, it will die out. Our motives matter! They matter to God and cannot be hidden from Him. For the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9). All of a man’s (woman’s) ways seem innocent to him (her), but motives are weighed by the LORD (Proverbs 16:2).

In her book Breaking Free, Beth Moore says, “Our motivations for reaching out and serving others aren’t always pure. My dear friend Kathy Troccoli, who ministers full time, asked a critical question: ‘Am I ministering out of my need or out of the overflow of my own relationship with God?’ We would be wise to ask ourselves the same question. Do we crave the affirmation of those we serve and do they help us feel important? Or do we serve because Jesus has so filled our hearts that we must find a place to pour the overflow?”

If our hearts overflow is gratitude for all God has done for us we will offer ourselves in service to Him as those who have been brought from death to life (Romans 6:13). Our incentive to do good deeds will be an overwhelming desire that our Father in heaven be praised and pleased (Matthew 5:16, Romans 14:18)! Our service will win over pagans that, though they accuse [us] of doing wrong, they may see [our] good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).

PASSION Step: Why do you serve the way you serve ­– to please God or to please people? Ask God to expose and purify your motives for doing what you do.

The more that churches and believers can be recognized as people doing good deeds out of genuine love and compassion, the more appealing the Christian life will be to those who are on the sidelines watching.
The Barna Group

Weekly Devotion "SHOW LOVE TO GOD BY HELPING HIS PEOPLE" - Dec 13, 2010

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

SHOW LOVE TO GOD BY HELPING HIS PEOPLE

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10

Our season of being foster parents was both rich and rocky. I recall a six-month period when I was physically and emotionally drained. The day-to-day responsibilities of working part-time and caring for five children nearly did me in. Only by God’s grace and the work of His servants did I make it through.

One evening a dear woman from our church 20-years my senior, came over with armloads of food – enough meals to last through the end of the week. She had done foster care when she was my age and she remembered the extra work it entailed. As she stood in my kitchen and encouraged me, I wept. I didn’t know how to thank her.

She said something to the effect that it wasn’t a big deal. It’s just a small thing. What felt seemingly small and insignificant to her had enormous implications to my heart and health. Her work showed love to God by helping His people (Hebrews 6:10).

God delights in using small things: Moses’ rod (Exodus 4:2), David’s sling (1 Samuel 17:40), the small room on the roof that the Shunammite woman and her husband built for Elisha (2 Kings 4:10), a cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42), two very small copper coins that the widow added to the temple treasury (Mark 12:42), the five small barley loaves and two small fish that a boy gave to Jesus to feed five thousand (John 6:9), and the basket that Paul was lowered in through an opening in the wall (Acts 9:23-25). All of them were small, yet significant, because they were used to show love to God by helping His people (Hebrews 6:10).

The Lord chose Zerubbabel to supervise the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:2, 8).  The temple was completed in 516 B.C. according to the command of the God of Israel (Ezra 6:14-15). Yet older Jews were downcast and dismayed. Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing (Haggai 2:3)? Compared to the glory and grandeur of Solomon’s temple, the new temple was small and seemed to lack power and status.

Their reaction must’ve caused Zerubbabel to wonder if bigger is better. Does size trump significance? The Lord spoke truth to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:8-10).

Warren Wiersbe writes, “To the eyes of men, the temple was but a small thing, but to the eyes of God, it was a source of great joy. Do your work to please God and let Him be the final judge.”

PASSION Step: Choose to value your service not by its size, but by its significance in the eyes of God. Show love to God by helping His people.

Faithful to my Lord’s commands,
I still would choose the better part;
Serve with careful Martha’s hands
And loving Mary’s heart.
Charles Wesley

Weekly Devotion ; "SERVE OTHERS" - Dec 6, 2010

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

SERVE OTHERS

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one of you for whatever good you do.
Ephesians 6:7-8a, TNIV

As children my sister and I were infamous for needing to go to the bathroom when it was time to clear the table and do dishes. If we loitered long enough, it gave our mom time to make a significant dent on the clean up. She grew wise to our scheming and either stayed put until we returned or had us wait to use the restroom until we were finished cleaning up. It was amazing, when forced to wait, neither one of us had an accident and typically forgot that we needed a bathroom in the first place. Have you ever gone great lengths to avoid work you don’t enjoy?

In Acts 6 some of the growing pains of the new church come to light. The Grecian Jews were complaining against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:2-4).

Serve tables. Do we wholeheartedly serve when the task at hand is miserable and messy? There is no such thing as unimportant work when we serve the Lord! Seven men were chosen to wait tables and organize the food distribution program. They were called to the work because they were full of the Spirit and wisdom and they were set apart for the work when the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6). Their willingness to do what some may have deemed insignificant was instrumental in helping the word of God spread (Acts 6:7).

Serve like Jesus. Do we wholeheartedly serve or wholeheartedly look for ways to be served? Jesus said, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). Kingdom service looks backwards to a world that seeks prestige and honor. We must serve like Christ who did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Serve the Lord. Do we wholeheartedly serve as if Jesus were our supervisor? Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23). True servants serve with all their hearts – no matter what the task and no matter who may or may not be watching.

PASSION Step: What seemingly insignificant tasks need your attention at home, work, your church or community today? Identify one and work at it with all your heart.

There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord; but few of us are willing to do the little things.
D.L. Moody

Weekly Devoation - "MEMORIZE THE WORD" - Nov 22, 2010

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager


MEMORIZE THE WORD

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Two questions:
  1. Do you believe that memorizing Scripture is important?
  2. Do you regularly memorize Scripture?

For more years than I’d like to admit, my answers to those questions conflicted with one another. Yes! Scripture memorization is important! But, do I do it? Well . . . I know the theme verses we’ve studied at GEMS over the years, and Psalm 23, but faithfully memorizing large chunks of God’s Word? Not so much. Rick Warren said, “You only believe the part of the Bible that you actually do.”

A missionary visited our congregation and invited us to join brothers and sisters from North America to Central Asia to be part of The Psalms Project. It’s a seven-year commitment to memorize the Psalms. Year one includes putting 21 Psalms to memory. I signed up, knowing I needed accountability in a spiritual discipline I had sorely neglected. It’s been hard work with rich rewards. My lone regret is that I didn’t do this sooner.

Why should we memorize Scripture? There are many reasons. Here are three:

  1. To know God. In the field of education, professionals tell us that we retain 10% of what we hear, 25% of what we read, 50% of what we study, and 80% of what we memorize. Let’s translate that to knowledge of God. Ten percent of what we know about God will come through what we hear (sermons, seminars, and schooling), 25% through what we read in the Word, 50% through studying the Word, and 80% by memorizing the Word! Do you want to know God more? Then memorize His Word!
  2. To triumph over sin. How can a young man [this applies to young women at heart, too!] keep his [her] way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:9, 11). When we memorize Scripture the Holy Spirit has quick and immediate access to the Word that gives clear direction to His commands and equips us to stand firm in Christ.
  3. To imitate Christ. As Christ’s disciples our deepest desire must be to follow Him and to incorporate His actions and words into our lives. To imitate Him, we must abide and remain in Him and His words must abide and remain in us (John 15:7).

PASSION Step: Choose a passage of Scripture that you will memorize before January 1, 2011. Begin memorizing today.

Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.
Dallas Willard

Weekly Devotion - "GO TO THE WORD" - Nov. 22, 2010

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager


GO TO THE WORD

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105

Within his book, Spiritual Rhythm – Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes, “I have reached a point of holy impatience about this: when someone comes to me and tells me their marriage is crumbling, or their anxiety is skyrocketing, or their addiction is spiraling, or (fill in the blank), I first say,  ‘Tell me what God is saying to you in His Word.” His direct question either elicits blank stares or a bunch of excuses for not reading their Bibles.

Amos writes, “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD,“ when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men [women] will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). My Bible study notes read, “Because of their apathy, God said He would take away even the opportunity to hear His word.” Because of our apathy, we neglect our opportunity to even read the Word!

Are you discouraged? Go to the Word. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope  (Romans 15:4).

Do you feel isolated or weak? Go to the Word. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him . . . But David found strength in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6).

Sometimes our questions are found in the Word, and His answers are clear. Should I steal? No (Deuteronomy 5:19)! Should I seek revenge? No (Leviticus 19:18)!

Sometimes our questions aren’t found in the Word, but make no mistake His answers are there! A dear friend of mine was praying through a significant decision: Should she purchase a home? She needed to let the realtor know by Monday. On Saturday as she was doing her normal daily Bible reading (she’s going through the Bible chronologically) she said to the Lord, “God, if there is anything you can encourage me with right now, I’m all ears.” She then proceeded to read Ezra chapter three as allotted on her schedule. The passage is about rebuilding the temple and the phrase “the house of the LORD” was repeated often. It talked about resistance (which she was feeling) and then came around to God making everything work out according to His plan. On Sunday, she read Haggai and put a little note in the margin by chapter 2, verse 7,  “’I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.” She bought the house and His glory is on display!

PASSION Step: Need to make a decision today? Go to the Word. Ask God, “What do You have to say about this issue?”

The study of God’s Word, for the purpose of discovering God’s will, is the secret discipline that has formed the greatest characters.
James Waddel Alexander