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!

God Is Not an Idolater

 God Is Not an Idolater

When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

Paul says that Christ is coming precisely to be glorified and to be marveled at. That is why he is coming.

People stumble over the teaching that God exalts his own glory and seeks to be praised by his people because the Bible teaches us not to be like that. For example, the Bible says that love “does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NASB).

How can God be loving and yet be utterly devoted to “seeking his own” glory and praise and joy? How can God be for us if he is so utterly for himself?

The answer I propose is this: Because God is unique as an all-glorious, totally self-sufficient Being, he must be for himself if he is to be for us. The rules of humility that belong to a creature cannot apply in the same way to its Creator.

If God should turn away from himself as the Source of infinite joy, he would cease to be God. He would deny the infinite worth of his own glory. He would imply that there is something more valuable outside himself. He would commit idolatry.

This would be no gain for us. For where can we go when our God has become unrighteous? Where will we find a Rock of integrity in the universe when the heart of God has ceased to value supremely the supremely valuable? Where shall we turn with our adoration when God himself has forsaken the claims of infinite worth and beauty?

No, we do not turn God’s self-exaltation into love by demanding that God cease to be God.

Instead, we must come to see that God is love precisely because he relentlessly pursues the praises of his name in the hearts of his people. Our praise for his greatness is the capstone of our joy and his greatness.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2026.

SUBJECT: BE NOTHING AND LET GOD BE ALL! 

Memory verse: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11 vs 29.)

READ: John 5 vs 19, 30; 6 vs 38; 7 vs 16; 8 vs 28, 50; 14 vs 10, 24, 

5:19: The Son can do nothing of Himself. 

5:30: I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the Will of the Father who sent Me.

6:38: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the Will of Him who sent Me.  

7:16: Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but who sent Me.

8:28: Then Jesus said to them, “......I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

8:50: And I do not seek My own glory, there is One who seeks and judges.

14:10: “...The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

14:24: “.....The word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

INTIMATION:

The Gospel of John, the apostle closest to Jesus, has the inner life of our Lord laid open to us. Jesus speaks frequently of His relation to the Father, of the motives by which He is guided, of His consciousness of the power and spirit in which He acts. The words He spoke clearly showed wherein His humility consisted. In His humility, He simply consented to let God be all, and He surrendered Himself to God's working alone. 

The passages we read today revealed the words in which Jesus spoke of His relation of the Father, and showed how unceasingly He used the words 'not,' and 'nothing,' of Himself. "Not I," is the very spirit with which Christ relates with the Father. These words open to us the deepest roots of Christ's life and work. They tell us how it was that the Almighty God was able to work His mighty redemption work through Him. They show Christ's state of heart which makes Him the Son of the Father. They teach us the essential nature, and life of that redemption which Christ accomplished and now communicates, and It is this; “He was nothing, that God might be all.”

He entirely laid aside His Will and His powers for the Father to work in Him of His own power, His own Will, and His own glory. Jesus, of His whole mission, with all His works, and His teaching, and of all this He said; "It is not I,” "I am nothing,” "I have given Myself to the Father to work,” "the Father is all." What a humble heart! It is in this life of entire self-denial—of absolute submission and dependence upon the Father's Will—that Christ found perfect peace and joy, and calls us to do the same. And this should be first and the chief of the marks of the Christ within us, and that which Jesus must give us if we are to have any part with Him. 

He lost nothing by giving all to God. God honored His trust, and did all for Him, and then exalted Him to His own right hand in glory. And because Christ had thus humbled Himself, God was ever before Him, He found it possible to humble Himself before men too, and to be the Servant of all. His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow Him to do in Him what He pleased, not minding whatever men around might say of Him, or do to Him. It is in this state of mind, in this spirit and disposition, that the redemption of Christ has its virtue and efficacy. And It is to bring us to this disposition that we are made partakers of Christ. 

It is to this self-denial that our Savior calls us, to acknowledgment that self has nothing good in it, except as an empty vessel which God must fill, and therefore, its claim to be or do anything may not for a moment be allowed. And this, above and before everything, is in which the conformity to Jesus consists—the being and doing nothing of ourselves, that God may be all. We must learn of Jesus, how He is meek and lowly of heart. He teaches us that true humility takes its rise, and finds its strength in the knowledge that it is God who works all in all, and that our place is to yield to Him in perfect resignation and dependence, in full consent to do nothing of ourselves. 

Until Christians understand the humility of Jesus as the very essence of His redemption, the very blessedness of the life of the Son of God, and the only true relation to the Father, our thirst and aspiration to manifest heavenly bound humility will become a burden, and a far cry.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of self-denial, heavenly bound humility, and total commitment to Your Will, that I may be a partaker of Christ’s nature, and You be all in all in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Pleased to Praise

 Pleased to Praise

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3, 5)

Why does God demand we must praise God?

C.S. Lewis:

Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?”

The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

There is the answer — the solution to the apparent egomania of God in demanding us to praise him! It is a demand for our greatest happiness. We praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise. If we were not allowed to speak of what we value and celebrate what we love and praise what we admire, our joy would not be full.

So, if God loves us enough to make our joy full, he must not only give us himself; he must also win from us the praise of our hearts — not because he needs to shore up some weakness in himself or compensate for some deficiency, but because he loves us and seeks the fullness of our joy that can be found only in knowing and praising him, the most magnificent of all beings.

If he is truly for us, he must be for himself! God is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimately loving act. For him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When he does all things “to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12, 14), he preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world that can satisfy our longings.

God is for us! And the foundation of this love is that God has been, is now, and always will be for himself.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 21, 2026.

SUBJECT: HUMILITY BREEDS EXALTATION FROM GOD!

Memory verse: "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22 vs 4.)

READ: Second Chronicles 7 vs 14; Isaiah 57 vs 15: 

Second Chronicles 7:14: If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Isaiah 57:15: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and low place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

 

INTIMATION:

Humility is the state of being humble; not thinking too highly of oneself, but rather bringing oneself low, that is, being marked by meekness or modesty; not being arrogant or prideful. Humility is seeing ourselves as we really are from God's perspective, and acting accordingly. Humility means proper respect for God. It is not self-depreciation. 

That you are humble does not take away anything from you. If you are a president of a country, or a Chief Executive Officer of a big corporation, and is humble, it does not change your status. Instead you are esteemed highly, and consequently receives grace—unmerited favour of God (James 4 vs 6, & First Peter 5 vs 5). 

To humble ourselves before God, we must respect His Majesty by comparing ourselves to His greatness. When we look at all of God's creation, we realize our smallness by comparison, and to feel small is a healthy way to get back to reality, and humble ourselves before God to get His lifting (James 4 vs 10 & First Peter 5 vs 6). The psalmist in Psalm 8 vs 3 - 4 says:- "When I consider Your heavens, the works of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him." 

God does not want us to dwell on our smallness. He wants, and cherishes our friendship with Him. Aren't you marveled at God's concern for you as we look at the vast expanse of all His creation?Out of His love and care He made us only a little lower than Himself and the Angels! We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. (See Genesis 1 vs 26 - 27 for the extent of worth God places on us). 

It is for this reason we should, therefore, that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt us in due time, and we should cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for you. (See First Peter 5 vs 6 - 7).

We must humble ourselves before God to be able to hear His words, receive His instructions, His direction, and help. In times of trouble, when our lives fall apart, or when we sin against God, we should take a cue from Joshua and the elders of Israel in Joshua 7 vs 6; "Joshua and the elders went before God in deep humility and sorrow. Joshua tore his clothes, fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads." God eventually heard their prayers and delivered them.  

Humility and obedience are intertwined. Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His ways are better than ours, though we may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. Remember that God's ways are best. He wants our obedience and humility more than anything else because in these are we exalted, and abound in His grace. Also in humility there are riches, honor, and life.

Humility is the nature of our great God; “Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth” (Psalm 113 vs 6). He so humbled Himself in Jesus Christ when He came in the likeness of men, and made Himself of no reputation, and took the form of a bondservant, and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross (See Philippians 2 vs 7 - 8). 

In the passages we read today, we understand that God hears the prayer of the humble, and dwells with such person. God relates with those who are humble and repentant (contrite). And in His nature, the high and holy God humbled Himself and came down to our level to save us because it’s impossible for us to go up to His level to save ourselves. 

Prayer: Abba Father, who am I that you are mindful of me, that Your Spirit dwells inLORD O Lord, continually endue me with the excellent spirit of humility that I may humble myself before You all the days of my life, and receive the inherent exaltation by You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Unshakably Happy God

 The Unshakably Happy God

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

God is absolutely sovereign.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

Therefore, he is not frustrated. He rejoices in all his works when he contemplates them as colors of the magnificent mosaic of redemptive history. He is an unshakably happy God.

His happiness is foundationally the delight he has in himself. Before creation, he rejoiced in the image of his glory in the person of his Son — his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Then the joy of God “went public” in the works of creation and redemption.

These works delight the heart of God because they reflect his glory. The heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works” (Psalm 104:31). He does everything he does to preserve and display that glory, for in this his soul rejoices.

All the works of God culminate in the praises of his redeemed people. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” (Psalm 150:2). The climax of his happiness is the delight he takes in the echoes of his excellence in the praises of the saints. “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:10–11). 

But our praise is not only God’s delight, as an echo of his excellence; it is also the apex of our joy. Praise is the consummation of the joy we have in seeing and savoring the greatness of God.

Therefore, God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in him are the same pursuit. This is the great outcome of the gospel of the glory of the grace of God in Christ!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2026.

SUBJECT : THE HUMBLE MIND OF CHRIST WE NEED! 

Memory verse: "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2 vs 5.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 6 - 8: 

2:6: Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

2:7: but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross.

INTIMATION:

Humility is the state of being humble, to not think too highly of oneself. It means being meek or gentle. It is not self-depreciation, but rather proper respect for God. The mind of Christ is humble. Jesus Christ, our Messiah—the Savior of the whole world—is an epitome of humility. He was humble, willing to give up His rights in order to obey God and serve people. If we love and follow Jesus, we must also live as He lived, we should develop His attitude of humility and service.

That you are humble does not take away anything from you. If you are a President of a country, or a Chief Executive Officer of a big corporation, and is humble, it does not change your status. Instead you are esteemed highly, and consequently receives grace - unmerited favour of God. A humble person is more secure than a proud person because humility gives a more accurate perspective of oneself, and the world.

To humble ourselves before God, we must respect His Majesty by comparing ourselves to His greatness. When we look at creation, we realize our smallness by comparison, and to feel small is a healthy way to get back to reality, and humble ourselves before God to get His lifting. Humility breeds exaltation both with man, and in the Mighty hand of God. When you humble yourself, obey, and serve God and others, He will exalt you—elevate you and place you in a high position of respect, and glorification in due time (James 4 vs 10 & First Peter 5 vs 6).

The psalmist in Psalm 8 vs 3 - 4 says; "When I consider Your heavens, the works of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him." Aren't you marveled at God's concern for you (who always disappoint Him) as we look at the vast expanse of creation? Out of His love and care He made us in His own image, after His likeness, and only a little lower than the angels! We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. 

The mind of Christ is the mind of complete obedience. Jesus lived as God wanted Him to live. He never sought His own, but was completely in obedience to the Father. Now, because of our identification with Jesus, we must honor Him and live as He wants us to live. If we always ask ourselves this question in every circumstances we are confronted with; "What would Jesus do?" And if do as we anticipates He will do, we will definitely make the rights choices and decisions.

Because Jesus was humble, and obedient, God lifted Him high and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything ever. Therefore, if we say we follow Jesus Christ, we should think like Him, and live as He lived. The revelation of His thoughts and life are in the Scriptures; which gives us a spiritual revelation of the nature of God. Living in the dictates of the Scriptures is living like Christ. He is the perfect teacher. We should let the mind that is in Jesus Christ be in us. 

Think of yourself the way He thought of Himself. He hard equal status with God but didn't think much of Himself that He had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of man. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. 

Truly, humble people compare themselves only with Christ, realizing their sinfulness, and understanding their limitations. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs; being also, realistic in their assessment, and commitment to serve. We must humble ourselves before God to be able to hear His words, receive His instructions, direction, and help. In times of trouble, or when our lives fall apart, or when we sin against God, we should go before Him in deep humility and sorrow to obtain His promised help, mercy, and forgiveness of sin.  

Humility and obedience are intertwined. Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His ways are better than ours, though we may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. Remember that God's ways are best. He wants our obedience and humility more than anything else because in these are we receive His grace, and are exalted. 

Resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God's Word day and night, ensuring that you live by the standards of the Word, and God will grant you good success in carrying out His purposes. Living your life in accordance with the Word, is applying God's wisdom, and the fruit (results, or by-products) is good success and prosperity that receives God's approval because we produce actions and attitudes that honor Him, and in due time He will exalt us.

Prayer: Abba Father, let the mind of Jesus Christ be in me that I may do Your Will and obey You at all times. Help me Lord to live for You, desiring to observe Your precepts all the days of my life, in Jesus matchless Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!