Daily Treasure

“And so at last the Tabernacle was finished.  The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses…So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses”  (Exodus 39:32, 40 NLT).

The original church house was finished.  It was done exactly to God’s specifications.  It was completed by His people, His priests and workmen.  Every pole, every stitch, every table, every garment—down to the underwear the priests wore—was done as God instructed.

And the result? The result was that all of Israel was drawn in to following God.

Wouldn’t you like to see that happen in the USA?

From what I read, it’s going to take all of us, His children, doing exactly what He says.
Exactly.

No fudging.  No revamping.  No tweaking.  No giving a nod to what would be more fun or entertaining.  No wishy-washy commitments.  No cliques among the church pews.  No pushing aside gathering to worship for other good causes.

If we’re going to reach the lost and dying world, we’re going to have to do church right and with the right attitudes—for ourselves and for the ones God’s wanting us to reach.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that services in your church would honor the Lord today and people would be drawn in and drawn together for worship.

“His disciples asked him what the story meant”  (Luke 8:9 NLT).

Regarding  Jesus’ disciples, one could think they were extraordinary men.  We could assume they were given to unique or outstanding talents or gifts.  We might suppose they had an heir of prestige in their very beings.

Or you could realize they were human. Today’s verse shed light on what set them apart as ones Jesus drew near.

Simple words.  Clear cut information about who they were.  A very good idea for us to follow.

They didn’t assume to know.

They didn’t chalk it up to something they couldn’t talk to Him about.

They didn’t give up when something came their way they couldn’t understand.

They didn’t rely on their own wisdom, but drew on all they knew He knew.

Quite a good example for us to follow, don’t you think?

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Colorado flood victims, especially families displaced by these recent happenings.

“And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased.  And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many touched were made perfectly whole”  (Matthew 14:34-36).

Jesus had just walked on water. Peter had not. Once back in the boat Jesus and the disciples sailed to Gennesaret.  Once people recognized Jesus, word was sent out to the surrounding country. People brought the sick to Jesus. There were many so the sick begged to touch the hem of his garment.The last part of verse 36 states that “all who touched him were healed.”
When we put our trust in the Great Physician, just one touch may be all we need to be made whole.
As we close this week of study, may we see the need to have faith in the One who, in spite of opposition, was never afraid to do His Father’s Will.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that God would give deacons and other leaders in your congregation wisdom in making decisions.

Read John 9: 1-34.
Some of us are familiar with the story of the healing of a blind man at the pool of Siloam.  This man was born blind.  Jesus was out doing the work of His Father. This man’s healing would bring His Father glory. Jesus made a simple clay and applied it to the blind man’s eyes.  He told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man obeyed, and he could now see.

The once blind man was brought to the Pharisees and questioned over and over again. His parents were even questioned. Why?  These religious leaders didn’t want to believe Jesus healed this man. And they were upset that He did this on the sabbath day. In the end, they cast out the blind man and chose not to accept his logical statement, “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9:32).

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that every WAC group would sponsor at least one Central Asian women’s ministry leader’s way to the upcoming leadership training conferences in April 2014. (Monies must be received in the WNAC office before December 31, 2013.)

Read John 5:1-15
Jesus went to Jerusalem to attend a Jewish feast. While there he went to a pool named Bethesda.  Some have said angels would come and stir the waters. The first in the pool after the stir would be healed of any infirmity. Many people suffering with blindness, lameness, and paralysis gathered there in hopes of being healed.  The day Jesus was at the pool of Bethesda he met a lame man lying by it.  He had been lame for thirty-eight years. Christ had compassion on him and asked him if he wanted to be made well. He told this lame man to take up the bed he was lying on and walk. He didn’t question this.  He did what he was told to do. Sadly, Jesus disappeared in the crowd before he could thank Him.
Not everyone was thrilled about the lame man’s healing. The opposition, some Jewish rulers, saw what happened. You guessed it. They were upset with the man carrying his bed on the sabbath day. Then when they asked him who healed him, he didn’t know at first. Later in the temple, he saw Jesus. Jesus told him to stop sinning or something worse  might happen to him.  The lame man was healed body and soul much to the dismay of religious leaders.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for fall WAC district meetings and retreats. Praise God for the many women who attended the first-ever North Carolina/South Carolina WAC retreat.

“And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,”Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?  And they held their peace.  And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;   And answered them saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?” (Luke 14: 1-5).
The Living Bible offers this paraphrase of today’s verses. “One Sabbath as he (Jesus) was in the home of a member of the Jewish Council, the Pharisees were watching him like hawks to see if he would  heal a man who was suffering from dropsy (edema or fluid build up in the body.) Jesus said  to the Pharisees and legal experts standing around, ‘Well, is it within the Law to heal a man on the Sabbath or not?’ And when they refused to answer, Jesus took the sick man by the hand and healed him and sent him away.  Then he turned to them: ‘Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath?’ he asked.  ‘If your cow falls into a pit, don’t you proceed at once to get it out?'”

According to verse Luke 14:6, Jesus left those Pharisees speechless.  Jesus knew He was being set up by the Pharisees.  They were so eager to catch Him doing wrong.  But that was never going to happen, no matter how much they opposed Him.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that home missionaries Brian and Emily Williams (Buffalo, New York) can quickly sell their house in North Carolina. Unable to find a buyer before they moved to New York, the Williams rented it out until recently, when their renter passed away. The house goes back on the market soon.

“And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, They are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed and not on the sabbath day”  (Luke 13:14).

We return to the miracle involving “Miss Liberty.”  By the way, the miracle was performed on the sabbath day.  Before Jesus had to step in and put him in his place, the synagogue ruler just had to speak his mind. A sermon from Russell Smith states “Not only have we been freed from spiritual bondage, but we’ve also been freed from bondage to the law.  The synagogue leader  responds in a  very interesting way.  He doesn’t address Jesus; he addresses the crowd.  He doesn’t refute what Jesus has done; he says, “Here is my teaching.” What we see is a battle of two authorities; the synagogue leader desperately trying to hold on to his control by binding the people to his interpretation of the Law, and Jesus proclaiming freedom—freedom– to follow the intent of the Law.” Smith continues with these words: “The synagogue leader talks about the finer points of the Law while Jesus talks about freedom from bondage.”
Just as Jesus met with opposition as He went about doing good, we may opposition as well. I close with the words from Romans 7:21: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for the Hanna Project team currently working in the still devastated tsunami area. Ask God to continue to give them strength to complete their tasks, safety of travel as they journey home later this week and open doors to share the gospel throughout this time.