Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26, 2026.

SUBJECT : COME TO JESUS AND TAKE HIS YOKE!

Memory verse: "Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" (Jeremiah 6 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 11 vs 28 - 30:

11:28: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

11:29: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

11:30: For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

INTIMATION:

Jesus has made the invitation that all who labor and are heavy laden should come to Him. This is because all authority has been given to Him. Jesus invitation is to those who live under the stress and turmoil of the world. Those who recognize their spiritual poverty realize that they need grace and mercy. Those who live under the oppression of religious traditions and religious emotionalism need the freedom that Jesus has to offer. 

In the religious context of Jesus' teachings are those who have been burdened with their struggle for legal justification by the performance of law and good works. These people needed to be delivered from the bondage of their own self-imposed religion. 

A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulder of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece or equipment the oxen are to pull for plowing the fields. The burdens of the world and religious traditions laden those of this world who trust in themselves. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders (Mat 23 vs 4), (3) oppression and persecution, or (4) weariness in the search of God. 

Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The freedom that one receives in Christ makes the yoke of Jesus' commandments light. Jesus told the people who seek to know what to do that they may work the works of God; "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent. " (John 6 vs 29.) Jesus' reply is brief and simple: We must believe on Him that is sent by God. 

Satisfying God does not come from the work we do, but from whom we believe. The simple first step involves accepting that Jesus is who He claims to be. All spiritual development is built on this affirmation. Declare to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16 vs 16), and embark on a life of belief that is satisfying to your Creator. 

When one is motivated by grace from what Jesus did for us on the cross and the love God demonstrated by sending Jesus to the world to save us, the commandments of God are not a burden. Jesus has done all that is required to save us and reconcile back to God. Our duty is to believe Him and accept what He has done for us. 

However, Jesus doesn't offer a life of luxurious ease--the yoke is still an oxen's tool for working hard. But it's a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours. Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly you are participating in life's responsibilities with a great Partner who carries the better of the burden, and is present at all times to help in our infirmities. 

One finds peace in realizing that his or her sins are forgiven by the grace of God. One finds peace of mind when understanding that God has loved us and delivered us from our sin through the cross of Jesus Christ. In Christ one can cast all anxiety upon God who cares for our emotional and spiritual well-being. 

God requires us to follow the right path of living. And the right path of living is "the old paths," the old ways that has been marked out by God. It is noteworthy that many people in the world refused to take God's path, but rather going their own way instead. Don't be misled. The only way to find peace and "rest for your souls" is to walk on God's path. 

This is the only escape route. God is referring to the old ways of living righteously in a covenant relationship with Him. This is the only way out of darkness. We have to seek the path to righteous living through the Word of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, it is by You all things consist, and You have given us all things that pertains to life and godliness in Christ. In You I live, and move and have my being. Thank You for the freedom from sin, and for Your partnership in carrying my burdens with greater weight on Your shoulder, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Shadows and Streams

 Shadows and Streams

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. (Psalm 104:31–34)

God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself.

God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us to look at his creation and say: If the mere work of his fingers (just his fingers! Psalm 8:3) is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!

These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass. What will it be to see the glory of the Creator himself! Not just his works! A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul’s end. 

Jonathan Edwards expressed it like this:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

This is why Psalm 104 comes to a close in verses 31–34 with a focus on God himself. “I will sing praise to my God while I have being. . . . For I rejoice in the Lord.” In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God himself.

Every day in the God's Word

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 25, 2026.

SUBJECT : WHEN GOD IS WITH YOU!

Memory verse: "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." (Genesis 50 vs 20.)

READ: Genesis 37 vs 26 - 28; 45 vs 5 - 8:

37:26: So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

37:27: Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brothers listened.

37:28: Then Midianites traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

45:5: But now, do not therefore be grieved, nor angry with yourselves because you sold me here: for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6: For these two years the famine has been in the land; and there are still five years, in the which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

45:7: And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

45:8: So now it was not you who sent me here, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

INTIMATION:

People get into problems of various kinds in life. Some of the problems are caused by ourselves, some are caused by some externalities we have no control over, and yet some are planned against us by others. Some problems ensue after a careful planning, some by occurrence of natural disasters, and some out of jealousy and wickedness of others. In all these things losses of all kinds may abound along the line. But if God is with you, they turn at last to be for our own good, and necessary pathways planned by God to actualize His predetermined purposes.

The pathways of children of God are determined and ordered by Him. The prophet Jeremiah says, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10 vs 23.) God is involved in our lives. At times the path of the righteous doesn’t seem smooth, and it isn’t easy to do God’s Will, but we are never alone when we face tough times. God is there to help us, to comfort us, and lead us. God does this by giving us a purpose (keeping our mind centered on Him) and making provisions for us as we go along. Also God gives us wisdom to make decisions and faith to trust Him. He also, provides us with relationships of family, friends, and mentors. 

We are often confused by the events around us. But for a child of God, many things we will never understand will fall into place in years to come as we look back and see how God was working. Therefore, you should not worry if you don’t understand everything as it happens. Instead, you should trust that God knows what He Is doing, even if His timing or design is not clear to you. Remember, the end is known to Him from the beginning!

The psalmist says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in His way. Though he fall, He shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds Him with His hand.” (Psalm 37 vs 23 - 24.) The person in whom God delights is one who follows God, trusts Him, and tries to do His Will. God watches over the person and makes firm every step that he or she takes. If you will like to have God your way, then seek His advice before you step out.

Instances abound where people planned evil against another good person, and eventually God turned the evil in the long run to good for the victim. In the passage we read today, Joseph’s bothers planned to eliminate him out of jealousy and hatred. Although they didn’t kill him outright, but they wouldn’t expect him to survive for long as a slave. They were quite willing to let cruel slave traders do their dirty work for them. Joseph faced a 30-day journey through the desert, probably chained, and journeyed on foot. He would be treated like baggage and once in Egypt, would be sold as a piece of merchandise. His brothers thought they would never see him again. But God was in control of Joseph’s life and had other plans.

Although Joseph’s brothers had wanted to get rid of him, God used even their evil actions to fulfill His ultimate plan. He had sent Joseph ahead to preserve their lives, save Egypt, and prepare the way for the beginning of the nation of Israel. God is sovereign. His plans are not dictated by human actions. When others intend evil toward you, as a child of God, just know that they are only God’s tools. As Joseph said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” 

The Scripture says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8 vs 28.) God brought good from the brother’s evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusation, the butler’s neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph’s life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who put their trust in Him. Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations? You can trust him because, as Joseph learned, God can overrule people’s evil intentions to bring about His intended results.

Prayer: Abba Father, I am persuaded that in all situations You are my God, my refuge and strength, my very present help in trouble. My absolute faith and trust are in You. Let whatever that will make me lose Your leading and my absolute faith anchored in You never come my way, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When God’s Love Is Sweetest

 When God’s Love Is Sweetest

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:25–26)

If you only hope for unconditional love from God, your hope is great, but too small.

Unconditional love from God is not the sweetest experience of his love. The sweetest experience is when his love says, “I have made you so much like my Son that I delight to see you and be with you. You are a pleasure to me, because you are so radiant with my glory.”

This sweetest experience is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God.

Unconditional love is the source and foundation of the human transformation that makes the sweetness of conditional love possible. If God did not love us unconditionally, he would not penetrate our unattractive lives, bring us to faith, unite us to Christ, give us his Spirit, and make us progressively like Jesus.

But when he unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind: his own.

We see this in Ephesians 5:25–27. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [unconditional love], that he might sanctify her . . . and present the church to himself in splendor” — the condition in which he delights.

It is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence.

But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it. “The name of our Lord Jesus [will] be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:12).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2026.

SUBJECT: FREE INDEED IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36.)

READ: John 8 vs 31 - 33:

8:31: Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed;

8:32: And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

8:33: They answered Him, “We be Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You shall be made free’?”

INTIMATION:

People often think they will be free if they can get away from God. Just as a fish is not free when it leaves the water and a tree is not free when it leaves the soil, we are not free when we leave the Lord. Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to everlasting life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.

Sometimes we have the illusion that freedom is doing anything we want. But God says that true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do. The restrictions He gives us are for our good, helping us avoid evil. Much as we have the freedom to walk in front of a speeding car, but we don’t need to be hit to realize it would be foolish to do so. Don’t listen to Satan’s temptations. You don’t have to do evil to gain more experience and learn more about life.

Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling us, dominating us, and dictating our actions. Jesus can free you from this slavery that keeps you from becoming the person God created you to be. If sin is restraining, mastering, or enslaving you, Jesus can break its power over your life. God sets His people free and crushes His enemies. Salvation is freedom from sin and death. Those who refuse to turn to God will be crushed by sin and death. They will be trapped by the sin they loved and destroyed by the death they feared. How mush better it will be for those who love God and fear the consequences of sin.

As a sinner, separated from God, you see His law from below, as a ladder to be climbed to get to God. Perhaps you have repeatedly tried climbing it, only to fall to the ground every time you have advanced one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you never even started up. In either case, what relief you should feel to see Jesus offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the law, to take you directly to God! Once Jesus lifts you into the presence of God, you are free to obey—out of love, freeout of necessity, and it is through God’s power, not your own. You know that if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead, you will be caught and held in Christ’s loving arms. 

When one comes to God through Jesus, he is free from the necessity of perfect law-keeping in order to be justified. He is truly free, therefore, because he trusts in God for justification, and not his own performance of law and good works. Only when one comes to God through Jesus is he truly free from the curse of law, sin and death. But there is more to this freedom than simply freedom from the necessity of perfect law-keeping. When one comes to Jesus he is free from the religious laws that he would bind on himself in order to be pleasing to God. Whether written laws of God or man-made traditional laws, the freedom is applicable to both. 

If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our own sinful desires and become enslaved by what our bodies want. If we submit our lives to Christ, He will free us from slavery to sin. Christ frees us to serve Him, a freedom that results in our ultimate good. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for the free gift of Your only Son, Jesus Christ, who came to set us free from the slavery of sin and death, and whoever he sets free is free indeed. Endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You that I may be a partaker of the huge inheritance You have given us in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Message of Creation

 The Message of Creation

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:22–23)

It would be a great folly and a great tragedy if a man loved his wedding ring more than he loved his bride. But that is what this passage says has happened.

Human beings have fallen in love with the echo of God’s excellence in creation, and lost the ability to hear the incomparable, original shout of love and power and glory.

The message of creation is this: 

There is a great God of glory and power and generosity behind all this awesome universe; you belong to him because he made you. He is patient with you in sustaining your rebellious life. Turn and bank your hope on him and delight yourself in him, not merely his handiwork.

According to Psalm 19:1–2, day pours forth the “speech” of that message to all who will listen in the day, speaking with blindingly bright sun and blue sky and clouds and untold shapes and colors and beautiful designs of all things visible. Night pours forth the “knowledge” of the same message to all who will listen at night, speaking with great dark voids and summer moons and countless stars and strange sounds and cool breezes and northern lights.

Day and night are saying one thing: God is glorious! God is glorious! God is glorious! Turn away from the creation as your supreme satisfaction, and delight yourself in the Lord of glory.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2026.

SUBJECT : DEPENDING ON YOUR POSSESSIONS IS IDOLATRY!

Memory verse: "Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10 vs 23.)

READ: Job 31 vs 24 vs 28:

31:24: If I have made gold my hope. Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; 

31:25: If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gained much; 

31:26: If I have observed the sun when it shines, or the moon moving in brightness, 

31:27: So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 

31:28: This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgement, for I would have denied God who is above.

INTIMATION:

Idolatry is the worshipping of undeserving objects created by God, instead of God—the Creator of those things. In idol worship, people form statues of wood and stone, regard them as gods and worship them. Sometimes we think of idols as statues of wood and stone, but in reality an idol is anything natural that is given sacred value and power. The statues of object were not evil in themselves, but people gave them credit for what only God could do, such as provide good weather, crops, children, happiness etc. 

Idolatry is still a serious problem today, but it takes a different form. We don’t put our trust in statues of wood and stone but in paper money and plastic cards. Putting our trust in anything but God is idolatry. Our modern idols are those symbols of power, pleasure, or prestige that we so highly regard. Putting our trust in anything rather than God violates the very first commandment of God—“You shall no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20 vs 3). And Jesus reemphasized this Commandment in Matthew 4 vs 10, “Worship the LORD your God, and only Him shall you serve.”

In the passage we read today, Job affirmed that depending on wealth for happiness is idolatry and denies our Father in heaven. Jesus’ authority is established over all of creation so we dare not treat any created object or earthly resource as more important than He is. When we spend more time on ourselves than on serving Christ, we treat ourselves (His creation) as being more important than our Creator. When we regard our finances, rather than our faith in Christ, as the basis for security, we give higher status to an earthly resource than we do to God. 

Our dependence on what God has given us, like money and possessions, is an acceptance of our society's obsession with such things as a necessary evil or "the way it works" in the modern world. Although, every society in every age has valued the power and prestige that money brings, but true believers must purge themselves of the deep-seated desire for such things as more power, prestige, and possessions. They must also put their absolute trust in God, and use the resources given to them for service unto Him and humanity.

Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to Him as Creator and Sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish ideas. These God’s may be wooden figures, or they may also be goals or things we pursue, such as money, power, or possessions. They may even be misrepresentations of God Himself— making God in our image, instead of the reverse.

The common denominator is this: Idolaters worship the things God made rather than God Himself. Is there anything you feel you cannot live without? Is there any priority greater than God? Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize? Does God take first place in your life? Do you worship God or idols of your own making?

The answers to the above listed questions, and also the following questions will be of immense help to discern the ideal life expected of a believer: Who created Me? Whom do I ultimately trust? Whom do I look to for ultimate truth? Whom do I look to for security and happiness? Who is in charge of my future?

Idolatry is the greatest sin against God because it’s rejection of God Himself. When you have any other gods, rather than the only God, you cannot be His own, and no matter how faithfully you keep other nine commandments you can’t please Him, hence He made this the first commandment. Today we can allow many things to become gods to us. Money, fame, work, or pleasure can become gods when we concentrate too much on them for personal identity, meaning, and security. 

No normal person sets out with the intention of worshiping these things. But by the amount of time we devote to them, they can grow into gods that ultimately control our thoughts, emotions, and energies. Letting God hold the central place in our lives keeps these things from turning into gods.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are God, the only God I know and serve. In You I live, and move and have my being. Whatever will come between You and I let me not have it. Whatever will take my attention and trust away from You let me not live to see it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!