Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2026.

SUBJECT: STRIVE TO KNOW CHRIST!

Memory verse: "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death," (Philippians 3 vs 10.)

READ: Philippians 3 vs 7 - 11:

3:7: But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

3:8: Yet indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ,

3:9: and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

3:10: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 

3:11: if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

INTIMATION:

In our anchor Scripture today, the apostle Paul expressed that his major goal is to know Christ. Such should be the ultimate goal of all Christians. And there is more in knowing Christ than intellectual knowledge of who He is and what He did. Our intellectual knowledge of Him must move us into a relationship with Him where our lives are consumed with His Will. 

Relationally, as Christians we have become one with Christ, and His experience is ours. Our Christian life began when, in unity with Him, we died to our old life. Therefore, in our daily life, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that keep us from following Christ. This, too, is a kind of dying with Him. 

Knowing Christ is to know the power of God that was unleashed in order to raise Him from the dead. It is to fellowship in His sufferings as one lives the Christian life. The Scriptures, in Galatians 2 vs 20, the apostle Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." As Christians, we are in the position of the apostle Paul; God looks at us as if we had died with Christ because our sins died with Him on the cross, and we are no longer condemned (Colossians 2 vs 13 - 15).

How do we know Him better? (1) Study the life of Christ in the Gospels. See how Christ lived and responded to people. (2) Study all the New Testament references to Christ. (3) As you worship and pray, let the Holy Spirit remind you of Christ's words. (4) Take up Christ's mission to preach the gospel and learn from His sufferings.

To do all that is required to know Christ may mean that you must make major changes in your values, thinking, and lifestyle, in order to know Him better. You must make provisions for communion and fellowship with Him by giving up a crowded schedule in order to set aside quality time each day for prayer and Bible study. 

You should be determined to in this task of Knowing Christ, and avoid such things as friend's approval. And some of your plans, desires, or pleasures must be abandoned in order to conform with what you learn about Christ. Whatever it is you must change or give up, knowing Christ and becoming one with Him will be more than worth the sacrifice.

In emphasing the inherent need of knowing Christ, the apotle Paul, considered everything he had accomplished in his life as "loss" when compared with the greatness of knowing Christ. He gave up everything--family, friendship, and freedom--in order to know Christ and His resurrection power. As Christians recreated in Christ, we, too, have access to this knowledge and this power, but we may have to make sacrifices to enjoy it fully. We should value our relationship with Christ as more important than anything else. 

When we become one with Christ by trusting in Him, we experience the power that raised Him from the dead. That same mighty power will help us live morally renewed and regenerated lives. But before we can walk in newness of life, we must die to sin. Just as the Resurrection gives us Christ's power to live for Him, His crucifixion marks the death of our old sinful nature. We can't know the victory of the Resurrection without personally applying the Crucifixion. 

We cannot know Jesus until we have gone to the cross with Him. We cannot be like Him unless we die with Him, and are resurrected to walk in the newness of life. No greater statement could have been made concerning the necessity of one going to the cross of death (repentance) with Jesus and being resurrected with Him from water (baptism) in order to be resurrected to life when He comes again. 

By obedience to the gospel, the repentant believer conforms to the death of Jesus in order to be raised from the waters of baptism to walk in newness of life. One must conform to the death of Jesus on the cross. When we crucify ourselves with Christ, we die with Him. We are dead until we are raised with Him from the tomb of water. There will be no resurrection to life unless one has been crucified with Jesus on the cross of repentance, and raised with Him in a resurrection from the grave of water. 

There is nothing of this world that can be considered greater than the salvation that comes through Jesus. In comparison to the eternal salvation one receives in Christ, all power, possessions and pomp of this world are considered worthless. 

The glory that God will reveal to us is far beyond any possible acquisition by the works of man.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to know Christ, to experience the power of His resurrection, and walk in the newness of life in Him. Give me the ability for the excellent knowledge of Him, and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and be conformed to His death, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Only Enduring Happiness

 The Only Enduring Happiness

“You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22)

“No one will take your joy from you” because your joy comes from being with Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus means that you will never die; you will never be cut off from him.

So two things have to be true if your joy is never to be taken from you. One is that the source of your joy lasts forever and the other is that you last forever. If either you or the source of your joy is mortal, your joy will be taken from you.

And oh, how many people have settled for just that! Eat, drink, and be merry they say, for tomorrow we die, and that’s that (Luke 12:19). Food doesn’t last forever, and I don’t last forever. So let’s make the most of it while we can. What a tragedy!

If you are tempted to think that way, please consider as seriously as you possibly can that if your joy comes from being with Jesus, “No one will take your joy from you” — not in this life, nor in the life to come.

Not life or death, or angels or principalities, or things present or things to come, or powers or height or depth, or anything else in all creation will be able to take our joy from us in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 8:38–39). 

Joy in being with Jesus is an unbroken line from now to eternity. It will not be cut off — not by his death or ours.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2026.

SUBJECT: BE WISE IN YOUR PURSUIT OF EARTHLY THINGS!

Memory verse: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the world that are in it will be burned up." (Second Peter 3 vs 10.)

READ: Luke 12 vs 16 - 21:

12:16: Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

12:17: And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 

12:18: So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

12:19: And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

12:20: But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

12:21: “So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

INTIMATION:

Every choice you make has eternal consequences, so you better choose wisely. In our memory verse, the apostle Peter warns us about the futility of earthly possessions. Then he continued in the next verse (v 20), asking the pertinent question to us all, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?"

Realizing that the earth will be burned up, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to the earth and its treasures or pursuits. What are you obligated to? Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions, or striving to develop Christlike character? Now that we have been warned about the impending end, the choice is yours to make. Be morally clean and spiritually alert because you don’t know the hour of His coming!

Earthly possessions are not bad or evil in themselves, but the manner of our pursuit of them is where the problem lies. The Bible, in Ecclesiastes 7 vs 12 says, "For wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it."

How wisely then do you pursue these earthly things? Do you pursue them with the excellent knowledge which comes from wisdom; knowing that at the end they are all vanity? Even life is a vapor, stripped of the life-giving spirit breathed into us by God, our bodies return to dust. Stripped of God’s purpose, our work is in vain. Stripped of God’s love, our service is futile. Therefore, we must put God first over all we do and in all we do because without Him we have nothing. Knowing that life is futile without God motivates the wise person to seek Him first.

Wealth, possessions, and money are all good, and the blessing of God to mankind, but we are deceived by the notion that they provide answers to every problem, hence we throw them at our problems. Though these material things are good in themselves because God has given them to mankind for our enjoyment (First Timothy 6 vs 17), but being obligated to them is sinful. The apostle Paul, in First Timothy 6 vs 10, says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through many sorrows."

These earthly possessions are dangerous because they deceive us into thinking that they make life easy, and help us get everything we want. Consequently, we put our trust in them rather than God who controls all circumstances. Those who pursue the empty promises of earthly possessions, rather than seeking God, will one day discover that they have nothing because they are spiritually bankrupt.

Your life is shaped mostly by what you are obligated to. They can develop you or mar you, but either way, they will define you. If you tell me what you are obligated to, I'll tell you what you will be in the years to come. We become whatever we are obligated to.

Usually many people miss God's purpose for their lives at the point of committing themselves, or being obligated to their choice in life. Many are also afraid of getting committed or obligated to anything, and prefer to just drift through life. Many others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which leads to frustration and mediocrity. And many more make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter. Your total obligation should be to God who owns all things, and controls all circumstances.

Guard against wrongful pursuit of these material things so as not to be a servant to them. They are created by God to serve you, and not you serve them, while you are created to serve God. When you lose your mark, you will serve them instead of God, which is an error, and sinful. Jesus said in Matthew 6 vs 24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Can you honestly say that God, not money, possessions, and wealth, is your master? One test is to ask which one occupies more of your thoughts, time, and efforts.

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours, and by You all things consist. Endue me with Your excellent spirit to put You first in all things, at all times, and in all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

God Will Supply All Your Needs

 God Will Supply All Your Needs

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

In Philippians 4:6, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” And then in Philippians 4:19 (just 13 verses later), he gives the liberating promise of future grace: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

If we live by faith in this promise of future grace, it will be very hard for anxiety to survive. God’s “riches in glory” are inexhaustible. He really means for us not to worry about our future.

We should follow this pattern that Paul lays out for us. We should battle the unbelief of anxiety with the promises of future grace.

When I am anxious about some risky new venture or meeting, I regularly battle unbelief with one of my most often-used promises, Isaiah 41:10. 

The day I left America for three years in Germany my father called me long distance and gave me this promise on the telephone. For three years I must have quoted it to myself five hundred times to get me through periods of tremendous stress. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I have fought anxiety with this promise so many times that when the motor of my mind is in neutral, the hum of the gears is the sound of Isaiah 41:10.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2026.

SUBJECT: DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON OTHERS!

Memory verse: "He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he." (Proverbs 14 vs 21.)

READ: Romans 14 vs 10 - 13:

14:10: But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. 

14:11: For it is written: "As I live says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God," 

14:12: So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 

14:13: Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. 

INTIMATION:

To look down on others is to adopt a posture of superiority toward them. It is noteworthy that no human being is better than another; we only walk different paths. And those who display such behavior consider themselves to be more valuable than the people around them. Looking down on others is a manifestation of selfish pride, which God is against. 

Never look down on anyone no matter what because life changes quickly, and everyone has a unique value and purpose. Life has a way of humbling us, one moment you are up, and the next life reminds you that everything can change in a twinkle of an eye. That is why no matter how far you go, how successful you become, or how blessed you feel, never look down on anyone.

I have met people who once lacked nothing, yet they treated others with kindness. And I have seen people rise a little and forget where they came from. But life always has a way of reminding us that tables turn. The person you ignore today might be the same person you need tomorrow.

When I look back at my own journey, I remember moments when I had to depend on others for help, times when a simple act of kindness lifted me when I was breaking silently inside. Those experiences taught me that nobody is better than anyone else — we are just walking through different seasons of life.

If God has blessed you, or wherever life takes you, remain humble, stay grounded, and never forget that life is not a competition, it’s a journey. The only time you should look down on a person is to bend down and help them up. Be kind, and use your position to lift others, not to make them feel small, because in the end, it’s not what you have that people remember but how you made them feel with what you have. Remember that life is a journey, and tables turn. The person who struggles today may help you tomorrow.

The Scriptures restrain us from looking down on others for the following reasons: First, we are recipients of God’s grace, not deserving winners of salvation. We have nothing really to boast about. Our Christian walk and growth depend on God, and we live for His glory. Second, we are called to have an other-centered view, valuing other people above ourselves. The Christian life is one of love, service, and humility toward others. 

Even Christians can also look down on others in their pursuit of godliness. It is easy to observe someone struggling in an area we have overcome—say, alcohol abuse—and feel a boost of self-righteousness to compensate for our own failures. For intance, onee might think, “I may not have overcome my anger issues, but at least I’m not like him who goes home drunk.” The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a cautionary tale for the self-righteous Christian (Luke 18 vs 9 – 14).

If God opposes the proud, then He certainly opposes those who look down on others. Sometimes, people look down on others because of their own insecurity and an attempt to find worth in the wrong places. Feelings of inadequacy can drive a person to cover up by saying, “At least I am better than so-and-so.”

In our contemporary society and modern culture, emphasis is on self, and it provides fertile ground for selfishness, which proves further that worldly values contradict biblical or godly values. The apostle John advises us not to love the world because “everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (First John 2 vs 16). The messages of "me first" and self love abound in our world today, even in Christian circles, and also books, movies, and music consistently push this message of self. 

As a child of God, if you are in a position or season where you feel overlooked, please remember this: your worth is not defined by where you are right now. God is still writing your story, and one day, those who looked down on you will have no choice but to look up and see how far grace has brought you.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with excellent spirit of humility lowliness of mind that I will not think of myself better than others, but rather esteem others better than myself. Let the consciousness of the fact that whatever I am is by Your grace never leave me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 2

 7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 2

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:27–30)

Matthew 6:25–34 contains at least seven promises designed by Jesus to help us fight the fight for faith and be free from anxiety. Yesterday we saw Promises 1 and 2; today we look at 3 and 4.

Promise #3: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27)

This is a promise of sorts — the simple promise of reality that you can discover from experience: Being anxious will simply not do you any good. That’s a promise. This is not the main argument, but sometimes we just have to get tough with ourselves and say, “Soul, this fretting is absolutely useless. It promises nothing. You are not only messing up your own day, but a lot of other people’s as well. Renounce it. Leave it with God. And get on with your work.”

Anxiety accomplishes nothing worthwhile. That’s a promise. Believe it. Act on it.

Promise #4: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30)

Compared to the flowers of the field you are a much higher priority for God, because you will live forever, and can thus bring him eternal praise as his loved children.

Nevertheless, God has such an overflow of creative energy and care, he lavishes it on flowers that last only a matter of days. So, he will certainly take that same energy and creative skill and use it to care for his children who will live forever. The question is: Will we believe this promise, and put away anxiety?

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2026.

SUBJECT: THE BENEFITS OF ABIDING IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." (John 12 vs 26.)

READ: John 15 vs 4 - 5 & 7:

15:4: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

15:5: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.

15:7: If you Abide in Me, and My words Abide in You, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

INTIMATION:

Christ's promised company is one of the benefits of serving Him in love and obedience. It is noteworthy that the most important and valuable thing in life is our relationship with God; it has eternal value. All other of our possessions are left behind at our passing. Money, fame, and belongings cannot be taken with us from this life to eternity. 

Christ’s company—abiding in Him, is the offshoot of: (1) believing that He is God's Son, (2) receiving Him as Savior, (3) doing what God says, (4) continuing to believe the gospel, and (5) relating in love to the community of believers—Christ's body. 

The enormity of the benefits of Christ’s company are encapsulated in fruit bearing. It includes; soul winning, answered prayer, joy, empowerment, God’s love and honor, and crown of eternal life with Christ. The fruit of His company survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness, and our witnessing for Him. Many people try to be good, honest people who do what is right. But Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him, like a branch of a tree attached to the tree. 

In the passage we read today, Jesus' illustration puts Him as a tree—the vine, and the believers in Christ are the branches. Outside of being faithfully attached to Him, our efforts in leading the Christlike (Christian) life, are unfruitful. When you are attached to Him (abide in Him), you receive the nourishment and life offered by Christ—the vine, and your joy will be full. If you are not attached to Him, you are missing that special gift, and your efforts come to nothing. You are then a waste and is thrown away and destroyed.

Jesus used the farming illustration to deeply drive home the point He made. A plant, like the vine, is God's creation. When a plant bears much fruit, God is glorified. This is because the evidence of God's doing is glaring. He daily sends the sunshine, and the rain to make the crops grow. He constantly nurtured each tiny plant and prepared it to blossom. The plant grows and bears fruit, and the fruit is harvested.  

What a moment of glory for the Lord of the harvest when the harvest is brought into the barns, mature and ready for use! He made it all happen! The farming analogy shows how God is glorified when people come into a right relationship with Him and begin to "bear fruit," telling others of Christ, and the benefits of their relationship with Him.

Unproductive followers are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside, and abandoned by Him, because not only are they not productive and worthless, but they often infect the rest of the tree. People who won't bear fruit for God or who try to block the efforts of God's followers will be cut off from His life-giving power.

Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. When our lives are intertwined with His, and we enjoy His continual companionship, He takes us through life in full joyfulness. The more you are in companionship with Christ, the more you know Him and Hs Word, and the more you are able to tell others about Him. The people you tell about Christ are witnesses to the effect of the nourishment and life offered by Christ in you. 

As you showcase Christ, you are His disciple. and your life is a testimonial to others who would come and abide in Him. The good news, in summary, is that whatever your desire according to His Will, you ask from Him, and He shall give it to you! Yes, because you love Him, and abide in Him, all things will work together for your good. Eventually, you will be justified, and glorified!

When you are consistently in good relationship with Jesus, your fruit bearing is guaranteed, and as you bear much fruit, your joy becomes full. You are joyful because you live with Jesus Christ daily. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily keeps you level headed; no matter how high or low your circumstances, knowing that the controller of all circumstances abides with you. 

For most people, it is common that when things are going well, they feel elated. When hardships come, they sink into depression. But true joy in Christ transcends the rolling waves of circumstances. In adversity you stay stable without sinking into debilitating lows. And in prosperity, you move not into deceptive highs. You are calm knowing that it is by Him all things consist, and all you have was given to you by Him. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to live for You always, releasing my life to Your control, that I may have the awesome privilege of daily enjoying Your companionship. My utmost heart desire is to live, and move, and have my being in You. in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!