Daily Treasure

“Meanwhile the apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.  And the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.  No one else dared to join them, though everyone had high regard for them”  (Acts 5:12-13 NLT).

Maybe you’ve invited your friends and family members to church until you’re blue in the face.  Quite possibly your neighbors known your worship service times as well as you, since you’ve asked them to attend for the past several years—weekly.

But you still don’t see them in the crowd on Sunday morning?

Trust God.

The apostles had to.  They had to believe God was working behind the scenes, even when they saw no evidence of it.

You do, too.

Your commitment level is noticed by those not committed to Christ.  Your dedication to your house of worship is affecting others.  Your dedication to God and His ways has a ripple effect that goes far beyond the walls of your house.

People notice.  They observe your faithfulness and sense your concern. And when they come to Christ?  They’ll be wishing they’d have listened to you sooner.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that ministers would sense God’s power as they speak today in their congregations.

“Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.  We are no longer slaves to sin”  (Romans 6:6 NLT).

As a child of God’s, sin has no power in my life, if I read the verse correctly.

As a believer in Christ’s saving grace, I am no longer a slave to sin, if I understood the meaning of this verse.

As a Bible-believing, blood-washed, faith-filled, sticking-with-God-no-matter-what kind of gal, who I was has died and I’m a new creation, according to the Scripture jumping off the page at me this morning.

Satan, sins, demons and temptations are powerless in my life.  Unable.  Incapable.  Handcuffed.  Helpless.  Paralyzed.  Weak.  Hog-tied.  Impotent.

What will I do with that knowledge?  How will my living look different?  What will I accomplish, defeat or rise above knowing what I know now?  Knowing what He’s done for me through His crucifixion?

What will you do/be/achieve/accomplish?

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that believers in Chelyabinsk, Russia will seize opportunities to comfort their neighbors and share the message of hope in Christ in the aftermath of this week’s meteor hit upon this city.

“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3).

In Bible times, orphans were often treated unfairly by their oppressors. God commanded justice for them, but the wicked didn’t see justice as God did.  The Living Bible states “God is more pleased when we are fair and just than when we give him gifts.”   What good are sacrifices when our hearts and motives are not pure?

We find the following in 1 Samuel 15:22  “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

If  those who mistreated the fatherless could only have caught a glimpse of God’s view of justice, maybe they would have chosen to protect, restore, and care for those “near to His heart.”  Next week we will see how God used a Jewish orphan to restore His people.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray justice for perpetrators of human trafficking and mercy for young women worldwide (particularly female orphans) trapped within this web.

“This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to when they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of his fathers.  Neither shall the inheritance remove from tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.  Even as the Lord commanded Moses; so did the daughters of Zelophehad” (Numbers 36:6-10).

God’s command was fair and just for the orphan daughters as well as the children of Israel.  A compromise was reached, not to abolish what had already been established, but to amend it.  Those orphan girls would marry within their tribe. They accepted this compromise that would restore to them what was rightfully theirs.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: On this Valentines Day, pray that Christian couples would seek to improve skills for godly compromise within their marriages. Pray specifically for ministry/missionary marriages—prime targets of the Enemy.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: those shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. And thou shall speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man dies, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter”  (Numbers 27:6-8).

God responds to Moses with words that would change a general law. It would be like making an exception to the rule.  This would change the lives of five orphans who were now entitled to an inheritance of their father.

God will always be there to provide for those “near to His heart.” He sees their plight and hears their cries.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray about impending laws that would change the course of our moral fabric. Pray also for elected officials, both those promoting and those opposing these changes.

“Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son?  Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.  And Moses brought their cause before the Lord” (Numbers 27:4-5).

In the days of Moses, if a man had sons, they would receive inheritance when their father died. However, what if a man died and only had daughters?  There was no provision made for this in the Law. A man named Zelophehad had five daughters and no sons.  He was a godly man who had died in the wilderness. Why shouldn’t his daughters receive an inheritance?  Those orphans deserved an answer to this question.

The Living Bible states this about our verses: “Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no son? We feel that we should be given property along with our father’s brothers. So Moses brought their case before the Lord.” We will find out tomorrow how the plea of the orphan daughters of Zelophehad did not fall on deaf ears.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: What hard questions or concerns plague your life today? Use this time in prayer for personal needs—bringing your questions and requests to the Lord who sees and hears and knows all.

“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicke.” (Psalm 82:3-4).

This week we will see another aspect of God’s care for the orphans and fatherless.  He will always make sure they are protected, and, whatever they are entitled to, they will receive.

The NIV Study Bible states this about today’s verses: “In the Old Testament a first-order task of kings and judges was to protect the powerless against all who would exploit or oppress them.”  A cross-reference to our verses is found in Jeremiah 22:3: “Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.”  God made it pretty plain—He would be there to rescue and defend the needy.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Consider needy individuals around you—in your church, neighborhood and community. Pray about what God would have you do to defend and care for these persons.