What Is Jealousy?

- Deuteronomy 32:16

INTRODUCTION

Historically, the word jealous is connected to the word zeal rather than to envy. Unfortunately, the world has perverted man’s understanding of jealousy by likening it to a detestable sin. The Bible student recognizes that jealousy cannot always be sinful because God says that He is a jealous God (Nahum 1:2
) and God does not sin. A scriptural study proves that jealousy can be righteous, or it can be wicked depending upon the intent of the one in whom this jealousy originates. In a very basic sense, jealousy is the unwillingness to share or allow anything to rival the object of one’s desire. Since man has sinful desires, jealously is often viewed as sinful and can lead to other sinful practices. In the Lord’s case, His righteous desire to be man’s only true and living God drives Him to just judgment and godly jealousy.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): God will not share the glory or praise due to Him with anyone else (Isaiah 42:8
  ). When we want our own way, we place ourselves ahead of Him and tell Him we are more worthy and important than He is. This is idolatry and should be avoided at all costs (1 Corinthians 10:14
  ; 1 John 5:21
  ).
• (For everyone): Why is it important to learn scriptural definitions of words found within the Bible? How could it mislead you if you accepted the common thinking on jealousy?
• Is God’s jealousy a just response? If so, why? Can man’s jealousy be just? In what ways could jealousy be right and just in men? How can one know the difference?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to give you a scriptural understanding of jealousy.
• Ask the Lord to teach you when it is acceptable to be jealous.

HYMN

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

Click on the link below to read the July '17 Edition of The StarLight News...
https://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/

The Purity of Hope

- 1 John 3:1-3

INTRODUCTION

A man who loses hope loses his primary motivation for doing right and living holy. The Bible reveals what men do when they have no hope: “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32
). If there is no hope in a resurrection, man sees no reason to cease to go after his strange gods (Jeremiah 2:25
) or follow “the imagination of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:12
). If there is no judgment after death, or if the Lord is not soon returning, then the greatest impetus for living the Christian life is lost. Man needs a special motivation to help him to live a life of purity. He should live in purity because He loves the Lord. Yet, the answer lies in the fact that the Lord is coming soon, and man will stand before Him to give an account, and all those who have this particular hope will purify themselves, “even as he [Jesus] is pure.” Hope makes all the difference!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Paul told Titus to teach the people to live right because the Lord is coming back (Titus 2:11-15 ). Peter warned of the same thing (2 Peter 3:3-4 , 9-11, 14). We would not want to be ashamed when He comes (1 John 2:28
  ).
• (For everyone): Have you given up on the Lord’s return? Are you expecting Him to return today? How has your hope, or lack of hope, changed how you live your life on a daily basis?
• What happened in Acts 27:20
  when the people on the ship lost hope that their lives would be spared? How could this be applied spiritually to your own life?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to allow hope to purify your heart.
• Ask the Lord to strengthen your hope in His return.

HYMN

MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE

The Happiness of Hope

- Psalm 146:5

INTRODUCTION

Increasingly prevalent today, it seems more than at any other time in history, man continues to experience a sense of emptiness. Every day, people expend an enormous amount of time, money, and energy in hopes of obtaining this ever elusive goal of being happy. How can a people so desperately intent upon finding happiness find happiness so unreachable? The answer is quite simple. Happiness is not found in entertainment, money, one’s appearance, social acceptance, careers, achievements, spouse, or any other number of things where men continually search for this happiness. Instead, the Bible points out that happiness is attainable for the man “whose hope is in the LORD his God.” Hope can keep a man going when all other wells have run completely dry. Regardless of man’s circumstances, hope can put a song in a man’s heart and praise upon his lips.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): True joy comes when we hope in what God has done for us and what He has promised in the future. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9 and 2 Corinthians 4:8-17 . Nothing else will satisfy like knowing God and having hope of being with Him (Psalm 17:15
  ; Psalm 107:9
  ).
• (For everyone): Are you happy? If not, why not? Have you searched worldly means in hopes of finding happiness? How has the world disappointed you?
• How can hope keep a man happy? How does a lack of hope cause sorrow (i.e., 1 Thessalonians 4:13
  )? Which would you rather experience on a daily basis?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Thank the Lord for the hope we have in Him.
• Ask God to show you whether or not you are truly happy.

No Shame in Hope

- Romans 5:1-5

INTRODUCTION

Every person has done sinful things for which he was ashamed even prior to salvation (Romans 6:21
). Some of those things are so wicked that the apostle Paul would not even mention what they were (Ephesians 5:12
). The life of a Christian was never intended by God to be that way. According to verse 5 above, the Christian life is to be a life void of shame. This type of fulfilled life is only possible when hope is present for “hope maketh not ashamed.” Yet, every Christian must come to understand that hope is the outcome of a sometimes lengthy spiritual process. Here is the biblical sequence. If one properly endures tribulation, he learns to have patience. Patience, in turn, brings experience, and experience brings hope. All these things work together in the life of the believer to keep him from living a life of shame. There is truly no shame in a life lived with hope!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Paul had hope in the resurrection and knew he would give an account of his life to the Lord (Acts 24:14-16 ; Romans 14:12
  ; 1 Corinthians 4:4
  b). We will never be ashamed when we hope in God's word (Psalm 119:4-6 ).
• (For everyone): Are you saved? If so, you will stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day. How important will it be in that day that you had hope in the Lord and His word?
• Think of some times when you hoped in the Lord. Think of some times when you claimed a Bible promise. Have you ever been ashamed in those times?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Thank God for the blessings of hope.
• Ask God to help you hope in His word.

HYMN

THE SOLID ROCK

I Hope in Thy Word

- Psalm 119:147

INTRODUCTION

The saint of God is to have one chief love—the word of God. One of the primary reasons the scriptures were written was that believers “might have hope” (Romans 15:4
). The world wonders why anyone would desire to read about the lives of those who lived thousands of years ago. This so-called archaic book has no appeal to them. Yet, the testimonies found in scripture concerning God’s provisions continue to provide hope for anyone today willing to look into that book. Multiple times in Psalm 119 the psalmist declared his hope in the word of God (Psalm 119:49
, 74, 81, 114, 147). The truth is, man’s hope for the coming of Christ, his hope in a heavenly home, and his hope in eternal life is all founded solely upon the words recorded in the pages of the Bible.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Peter knew who Jesus was (John 6:66-69). He had witnessed many events. But in 2 Peter 1:16-21 , Peter tells us the scriptures are even more sure than the miraculous things he saw. We can have hope in them too.
• (For everyone): In what truths have you placed your hope for eternal life? Where are those truths recorded? What could happen if your authority for these truths was prone to error?
• What are some things you are looking forward to in the future? How did you learn of these things? What has convinced you that these things are true?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to strengthen your faith in His word.
• Ask God to help you please Him by hoping in His word.

Hope Pleases the Lord

- Psalm 147:11

INTRODUCTION

Mankind’s list of rules for pleasing God has become increasingly invasive upon the lives of those affected by such man-made decrees. Yet, the reality is that God most desires for man to trust Him in the present (through faith) as well as in the future (through hope). The Lord is well pleased when an individual chooses to place all of his hopes solely upon the Lord and upon His word. Simply put, man was created for only one purpose—to please the One who brought him into this world in the first place (Revelation 4:11). This single purpose is impossible to fulfil without faith (Hebrews 11:6
) and hope in the Lord (Psalm 147:11
). The Lord promised that He would one day return for His church. Placing all of one’s faith and hope upon that promise (of the Lord’s return) demonstrates an unfailing love for the Lord!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): The centurion had hope in the Lord and His word. He knew Jesus could heal his sick servant but wanted Jesus to just speak from where He was instead of coming to his house. Read the compliment that Jesus gave to him (Matthew 8:5-10 , 13).
• (For everyone): Why is it that hope is so important to the Lord? What message does hope send to the Lord? What does it suggest when a believer loses hope?
• Do you desire to please the Lord? Look up some Bible verses that talk about pleasing God. What did you learn from those verses?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to teach you the importance of hope.
• Ask God to help you to please Him.

HYMN

IS YOUR ALL ON THE ALTAR?

No Hope in the Law

- Hebrews 7:19

INTRODUCTION

Most people do not understand or recognize that the law and grace are polar opposites. The law emphasizes man’s responsibility to God, while grace emphasizes God’s efforts toward man. The law’s purpose shows man his sin and points him to God for help (Romans 3:20
). Additionally, the law condemns man and sheds light upon the fact that he has no hope. Interestingly, the first five books of the Bible (commonly called the books of the Law) make no reference to the word hope. Some might ask why? Because the law simply reveals that man has no hope apart from God. As such, the Lord Jesus brought in a “better hope . . . by the which we draw nigh unto God.” Any man who places his hope and trust in what he can do or must do for God has lost sight of what God must do for him.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): What does a teacher help you do? The Bible says the law is a teacher. Its main purpose is found in Galatians 3:24
  . Our only hope is in the Lord (Galatians 2:16
  ). No one can keep all of the commandments (James 2:10
  ).
• (For everyone): Where is the first place in the Bible that you find the word hope? Why is this significant? Why would it be missing in the previous books? Why would it first show up in this particular book?
• Did you ever think you could find hope by doing good things? How did your attempts leave you? Did this work to draw you to Christ?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to remind you from whence hope comes.
• Thank God for the hope you have through grace.

HYMN

CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN

To All the Living There Is Hope

- Ecclesiastes 9:4-6

INTRODUCTION

The world contains far too many wicked people possessing no concern for God, the Bible, and eternity. Sometimes those who know the Lord as Saviour lose hope concerning others coming to a saving knowledge of Christ. Bible-believing Christians must always keep in mind that as long as a man remains breathing there is hope for his redemption. Isaiah told the Lord, “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth” (Isaiah 38:18
). Once death occurs, all hope ceases. The individual’s destination and/or his reward are settled. Yet, up until that point in time, there is hope for salvation, hope for growth, and hope for spiritual change.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 , Paul tells us what will happen to the unrighteous and names some of their wicked deeds. 1 Corinthians 6:11
  should give us hope to keep praying for lost loved ones.
• (For everyone): Are you continually battling with a specific sin? Have you given up hope that you will ever get victory over that sin? How should Ecclesiastes 9:4
  be an encouragement to you?
• Do you have loved ones that you have prayed for without seeing any indication that they want to know the Lord? Have you given up hope or are you still praying?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Pray again for those with whom you had given up hope.
• Thank God for another day of hope.

HYMN

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

The Sin of Misplaced Hope

- Job 31:24-28

INTRODUCTION

The Devil blinds those who have never experienced saving faith by keeping them from being born again. He also distracts the saved to keep them from successfully serving the Lord. Interestingly, the Devil accomplishes both elements using the same means—encouraging men to continue with their misplaced hopes. Job understood that misplaced hope (Job 31:24-27 ) was a sin and acknowledged it as such in Job 31:28
. Some place their hopes in wealth, others in careers, others in family, others in science, and others in physical well-being, but in the end, all of their hopes will be disappointed. Hope placed in anything other than the Lord Himself, His perfect words, and His work on sinful man’s behalf is sin and will eventually leave one with no hope at all.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): God does not want us to trust in anything other than Him (Acts 4:12
  ; Psalm 49:15
  ). Trusting in anything else holds no value (Psalm 49:6-7 , 16-19; Psalm 146:3-6 ; Proverbs 28:26
  a; Jeremiah 17:5-6 ).
• (For everyone): Think of some things in which men place their hope. Why are these hopes misplaced? How are these things unable to offer true and lasting hope?
• How does misplaced hope hinder your life now? How will it affect your immediate future? How could it change one’s reward or destination for eternity?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to keep you from misplaced hope.
• Thank God for giving you a true and lasting hope.

The Hope of the World

- Job 27:7-10

INTRODUCTION

One day, the world’s hope will come to an abrupt end. Although the world (apart from Christ) derives its hope from several sources, their common ground revolves around the fact that their hope is not in God. The Bible points to the results: “the hypocrite’s hope shall perish” (Job 8:13
), “all that forget God” (Job 8:13
) will see their hope “cut off” (Job 8:14
), and the hope of the wicked “shall be as the giving up of the ghost” (Job 11:20
). Unfortunately, the world can only focus upon the here and now. They judge everything by how things are presently taking place. If they gain (riches, health, material goods, promotions), they assume that they have hope, yet they fail to see that there will be no hope when God brings judgment upon their souls (Job 27:8
).

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): In Revelation 21:7-8 , the Bible compares two types of people and what their end will be. Read 1 John 5:4-5 to find out who an overcomer is. Those who do not believe have no hope (Proverbs 14:32
  ; Psalm 52).
• (For everyone): Do you have any loved ones who have not placed their hope in the Lord for eternal life? In what kind of things have they placed their hope?
• Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour? What was your hope before you were born again? How did your hope leave you empty and afraid?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to convict those who have not been saved.
• Thank God for giving you a hope that will not perish.

Hope Defined

Editor's Note: Today begins a series of Devotionals on HOPE thru July 7th...
 
- Proverbs 13:12

INTRODUCTION

In a very basic sense, the word hope means desire, yet the true meaning is not nearly as weak as the world presents. The word hope in scripture is associated with the word expectation (Proverbs 10:28
; Proverbs 11:7
). Hope is not simply some type of wishful thinking; it is something that someone trusts in dearly (Jeremiah 17:7
). This type of hope is not something visible to the naked eye of man (Romans 8:24
), but it is believed and held firm by faith (Hebrews 11:1
). All men live their lives based upon hope; however, not all hope is the same. One man’s hope might be that there is no life after death. Another might place his hope solely upon the payment for sin provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Our hope is in God and His word (Psalm 71:5
  ; Psalm 130:5
  ). Read these examples of people who had hope: Paul (Acts 24:14-15 ); Abraham (Romans 4:17-20 ); Job (Job 19:25-27 ). What can you learn from their examples?
• (For everyone): In what is your hope placed? What will happen if you are wrong? What will happen if you are right? How does this affect the strength of your hope?
• Look up some Bible verses that contain the word hope. Write out a definition based upon your findings in scripture. How have your findings helped change your perspective on the importance of hope?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to teach you about hope.
• Ask God to help you have the right hope.

We Can Carry Nothing Out

- 1 Timothy 6:7

INTRODUCTION

Job stated that he came to this world naked with nothing, and he knew that he would leave this world in the same fashion (Job 1:21
). Job would have understood what Paul meant when he said, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Solomon spoke of the vanity of labouring one’s whole life just to leave the fruits of his labour to a fool (Ecclesiastes 2:17-21 ). This was not written to suggest that man should foolishly spend the wealth before leaving this world. It simply serves as a reminder that men should not foolishly amass their wealth for a day that may never come. One must do his part before death because he can carry nothing with him into death.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Saved and lost alike take nothing into eternity (Psalm 49:10
  , 16-17). Read Luke 16:19-26 . Did the rich man take his riches? Did they help him? Why not use wisely what God gives us now as did those in Philippi (Philippians 4:15-17
  ), or Dorcas (Acts 9:39
  )?
• (For everyone): What are some things you can do right now that you will not be able to do when you leave this world? How will your control over your finances change at death?
• Are you foolishly spending your money because you know that you cannot take it with you? How would the Lord have you to change your approach?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God for wisdom on how and when to spend your wealth.
• Ask the Lord to remind you that you can take nothing with you.

HYMN

Have Thine Own Way, Lord!

Ye Have the Poor Always

- Matthew 26:11

INTRODUCTION

World leaders constantly claim that they hold the solution for how to rid the world of poverty. Yet, the Lord stated that mankind would always have a problem with poverty, at least until the millennium. Believers should be willing to help the poor but must keep in mind that they will never eliminate world poverty. According to Deuteronomy 15:11
, “the poor shall never cease out of the land.” In other words, regardless of man’s efforts to give and help, there will always be a group of people who struggle financially. With this in mind, believers should not ignore the physical needs of the poor but should be most concerned with offering the poor spiritual help (Acts 3:6
).

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): God knew the poor would always be with us (Proverbs 22:2
  ). He made specific provisions for them (Exodus 23:10-11 ). He remembered them in times of feasting (Deuteronomy 16:10-11 ; 13-14). Take note that even with all of man’s efforts to end poverty, the poor will still be here in the end times (Revelation 13:16
  ).
• (For everyone): Why is it important to be most concerned with an individual’s spiritual condition? Is it possible to help someone financially only to see them return to the problem of poverty? How is this different from the spiritual help that we can invest in them?
• A person changed spiritually will never be the same. Is it your responsibility to solve the problem of poverty? If not, what is supposed to be your primary responsibility and focus?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God for wisdom to know what you can and cannot do.
• Ask the Lord to remind you that the poor will always be here.

Why It Is Too Soon to Give Up

- #7905

Ten more minutes and my wife would have never been born. The story that changed everything is hope for any of us who love someone who's making some very bad choices. My wife's grandfather, Bill, had given up on life. Trashing a profitable career for the alcohol and cocaine he could not resist. He was labeled with a prison record, he was penniless, he was hopeless and he was suicidal.

And that night, as he walked South State Street in downtown Chicago, he was minutes away from Lake Michigan where he'd decided to end it all. One thing saved him. A mother who had never given up on him. There, on the street, he heard the song, the one his mother used to sing to him. It was coming from the rescue mission he had just passed. Something made him stop and go inside. And there a caring mission worker shared a Bible verse that has probably changed more lives than any other. The worker started, "For God so loved the world that He gave..." Suddenly, Bill finished it. "...His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16). Somewhere in the long-clouded corners of his memory, he could hear his mother teaching him those words.

And that night - minutes away from ending his life - he found life. The kind that verse talked about. "Everlasting" life. He would later say, "I walked out of that mission, not a reformed man, but a transformed man!" He never touched or wanted alcohol or drugs from that night on. And he spent the rest of his life bringing the hope he'd found to forgotten people across the country. And now three generations Bill never met are here, and they're living and spreading that same hope because of one man's choice that night.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why It Is Too Soon to Give Up."

The story behind the story is told in the inscription on the back of a photo of young Bill. His mother wrote, "O Will, every night when I read my Bible, I look at this picture and I ask God to keep you and somehow seal your heart with His love. You may see this after I'm gone and you'll know that I never ceased to pray for you. Mother." She did live ten years after the night God answered those prayers.

Even as her son's life got darker and darker, this mother was hanging onto a powerful but easily-forgotten truth. That's one that I, too, have hung onto - even today. Because so much of my life's work has been trying to love and rescue people who just keep spiraling downward. It's a hope-preserver for all of us who grieve and who pray for broken, prodigal people.

Never forget the difference between a chapter and a book. See, many a book with a happy ending has some very dark chapters. A loved one's seemingly unstoppable rush to the edge of the cliff? That's not the book. It's a chapter. If we lose that wide angle lens perspective, we're going to lose hope. But the Bible urges us in our word for today from the Word of God in Galatians 6:9, "Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest...". And Jesus said that we "should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).

That's what Bill's mother did. She wept over many chapters. She never lost sight, though, of the ending God could write to the book of her son's life. She just kept loving, praying and believing. And the final chapters of Bill's life were more glorious and more miraculous than she could have ever dreamed.

If we can remember, in the darkest hours of a loved one's heartbreaking journey, that this is a chapter, then hope can win when despair is strong. Even as I write this, there are young men and women whose life-eroding choices I grieve for. But I know there is a relentless Shepherd who came (He said) to "seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). He says, "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays" (Ezekiel 34:16). He will do whatever it takes to bring them home. Even when it meant a cross.

So, as long as there's breath, there's hope. I know, because Bill's beautiful granddaughter told me.

Is Jesus Really Enough?

I received a peck on the cheek as I hugged a small, frail woman. "Welcome beautiful visitor," she said.

She brought small bowls of rice to feed the children who gathered outside her tiny nipa hut nestled in the rural areas of the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

In the midst of the humid, scorching heat, she fed them. They sang songs, and then she nourished their souls with Bible lessons.

Fighting mosquitoes and wiping sweat beads off my forehead, I listened and observed her joy, her passion, and patience with those little ones. As we were about to leave and head to our next stop in our missions trip, I hugged her. "I admire you," I said. "You have so little and give so much."

She gave a shy giggle. "When you have Jesus, you have enough," she said.

Can that be so? Can Jesus really be enough?

Here are three questions to determine if He's truly enough for us:

1. If we lose all we value, can we still declare we believe and trust in Him?

2. If our plans fail, our heart is broken, and our future looks bleak, will contentment still fill our hearts?

3. If His ways contradict ours, will we still embrace joy?

And if we had nothing, can we repeat what Habakkuk 3:17-18 declares? "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

No matter what you're facing today, can you still rejoice in Him?

Janet P. Eckles

God’s Power Perfected In Weakness

By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

To Paul was committed the greatest revelation of all time. He was divinely commissioned to proclaim the glorious all-sufficiency of Christ’s redemptive work. He made known God’s offer of salvation by free grace to all who trust in Christ, along with their heavenly position, blessings and prospect in Christ.

Lest he should become puffed up by the glory of these great truths, God gave him what he called “a thorn in the flesh,” an aggravating physical infirmity of some sort. “For this thing,” he says, “I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me” (II Cor. 12:8). But the Lord knew better than Paul what was good for him:

“And He said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (Ver. 9).

How right God was! Every Christian knows that with brimming health and “good fortune” comes the tendency to forget our need of Him, while infirmity causes us to lean harder and to pray more, and this is where our spiritual power lies. Every believer should acknowledge this and say with Paul:

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong” (Vers. 9,10).

Infirmities of the flesh are common even among God’s choicest saints. What satisfaction there is, then, in resting upon God’s Word: “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”