Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2026.

SUBJECT : OUR NEED OF PATIENCE!

Memory verse: "For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the Will of God, you may receive the promise." (Hebrews 10 vs 36.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 32 - 36:

10:32: But recall the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:

10:33: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations; and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;

10:34: for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possessions for yourselves in heaven.

10:35: Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

10:36: For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the Will of God, you may receive the promise.

INTIMATION:

Patience is the quality of being able to calmly endure suffering, toil, delay, vexation, or any similar condition. Patience is a divine virtue or spiritual fruit. It can be simply defined as “waiting without complaint.” And it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23). It perfects Christian character. 

Fellowship in the patience of Christ is therefore, the condition upon which believers are to be admitted to reign with Him. For in this patience believers are ‘strengthened with all power,’ through His Spirit in the inward man.’ Hence the Lord teaches us to love as God loves, and to be patient as Christ is patient.

The Scripture we read today encourages believers to persevere in the Christian faith and conduct when facing persecution and pressure. We don’t usually think of suffering as good for us, but it can build our character and our patience. During times of great stress, we may feel God’s presence more clearly and find help from Christians we never thought would care. Knowing that Jesus is with us in our suffering and that He will return one day to put an end to all pain helps us grow in our faith and our relationship with Him.

When faced with a difficult decision, don’t allow impatience to drive you to disobey God. When you know what God wants, follow His plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delay to test our obedience and patience. Trusting God when nothing seems to happen is difficult. But it is harder still to live with the consequences of taking matters into our own hands. Resist the temptation to think God has forgotten you. Have patience and courage to wait for God to act.

The Scripture abounds with those who through patience obtained the promise. For instance, David did not become king over all Israel until he was 37 years old, although he had been promised the kingdom many years earlier (First Samuel 16 vs 13). During those years, David had to wait patiently for the fulfillment of God’s promise. If you feel pressured to achieve instant results and success, remember David’s patience. Just as his time of waiting prepared him for his important task, a waiting period may help you by strengthening your character.

Although God promises to reward our good deeds, we sometimes feel our “payoff” is too far away or delayed. Be patient! God steps in when it will do the most good. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai had exposed a plot to assassinate Ahasuerus—thus, he had saved the king’s life (Esther 2 vs 21 - 23). Although the good deed was recorded in the history books, Mordecai had gone unrewarded. But God was saving Mordecai’s reward for the right time. Just as Haman was about to hang him unjustly, the king was ready to give the reward. 

Misfortunes are designed to build virtues in us, and among the virtues gained through difficulty is patience. That family member or work associate who annoys you is God's gift to you to build your patience. If you're stuck with a job you don't like, and you can't find any other work, then God is building your patience. Each nuisance, long wait, affliction, every mosquito bite, traffic jam, and body ache in the life of the Christian raises his or her threshold of tolerance ever so much. Even tedious sermons and difficult reading (perhaps including what you are enduring right now!) can make you a more patient person.

So through the daily grind, the Christian grows morally, improving in virtue through various experiences that he might not even consider morally relevant, much less significant. But we who affirm the sovereignty of God shouldn't be surprised by this moral growth through even incidentals, for we believe God is always at work in the details, moving always to bring us into closer conformity to His image (Romans 8 vs 28).

This is why the apostle James says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1 vs 2 - 4.) It has been said that nothing teaches like experience. To some degree this is true of the virtues. Pain and suffering teach us endurance and empathy. The experience of mercy and forgiveness incline us to be more merciful and forgiving. We gain moral maturity each day precisely because each day brings some difficulty that we must overcome. Like it or not, we persevere, and we are morally the better for it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, let the virtue of patience be developed in me by the working of the Holy Spirit, that I may be strengthened in the inner man to persevere in Christ to the end, and obtain the promise, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Let Goods and Kindred Go

 Let Goods and Kindred Go

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:32–35)

The Christians in Hebrews 10:32–35 have earned the right to teach us about costly love.

The situation appears to be this: In the early days of their conversion, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. The others were confronted with a difficult choice: Shall we go underground and stay “safe,” or shall we visit our brothers and sisters in prison and risk our lives and property? They chose the way of love and accepted the cost.

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.”

But were they losers? No. They lost property and gained joy! They joyfully accepted the loss.

In one sense, they denied themselves. It was real and costly. But in another sense, they did not. They chose the way of joy. Evidently, these Christians were motivated for prison ministry the same way the Macedonians (of 2 Corinthians 8:1–9) were motivated to relieve the poor. Their joy in God overflowed in love for others.

They looked at their own lives and said, “The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life” (see Psalm 63:3).

They looked at all their possessions and said, “We have a possession in heaven that is better and lasts longer than any of this” (see Hebrews 10:34).

Then they looked at each other and said — perhaps sang — something like Martin Luther’s great hymn:

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2026.

SUBJECT : DO NOT TOLERATE SIN IN YOUR LIFE!

Memory verse: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-“ (Mark 9 vs 43.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 29 - 30:

5:29: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

5:30: And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

INTIMATION:

We are to be completely intolerant of sin and remove it from our lives. God cannot condone or excuse even the smallest sin, therefore, we cannot excuse ourselves for sinning only a little bit. We should be tolerant of people who hold differing views, but we should not condone beliefs or practices that lead people away from God’s standard of living.

We sometimes tolerate sin in our lives that, left unchecked, could eventually destroy us. It is better to experience the pain of removal (getting rid of a bad habit or something we treasure that lead us to sin) than to allow the sin to bring judgement and condemnation. Examine your life for anything that causes you to sin, and take every necessary actions to remove it.

Not tolerating sin in our lives is not easy in a world full of immoral conducts. We also are living in times of widespread sin and sexual immorality. It is popular to be open-minded toward many types of sin, calling them personal choices or alternative lifestyles. But when the body of believers begin to tolerate sin amongst them, it lowers the standards and compromises the believers’ witnessing for Christ. Remember that God’s approval is infinitely more important than the world’s. Use God’s Word, not what people around you are willing to accept, to set the standards for what is right or wrong. 

One of the realities of sin is that its effects spread. Like toxic waste spilled in a river, sin swiftly spreads. Sin in our lives is similar to pollution in streams. Even small amounts are deadly, as a small sin has the tendency of growing out of control. 

When God points out sin, move quickly to remove it from your life. We often choose to tolerate sin rather than drive it from our lives. We may know what to do but just don’t follow through. This results in a gradual deterioration of our relationship with God. In our battles, we may grow tired and want rest, but we need to know that God loves us and has given us a purpose for life. Victory comes from living according to His purpose and from being willing to fully obey Him. 

In our anchor Scripture, the starling language is not meant to promote self-mutilation, but instead stresses the importance of cutting sin out of your life. Painful self-discipline is required of God’s true followers. Giving up a relationship, job, or habit that is against God’s Will may seem just as painful as cutting off a hand, but Christ is worth any possible loss or discomfort. Nothing should stand in the way of faith. We must be ruthless in removing sin from our lives now in order to avoid suffering for eternity. Make your choices from an eternal perspective.

It is not the sins we don’t know about but the sin we excuse that cause us the greatest trouble. We must never let any sin go unchallenged. In your life, is an unchallenged sin spreading like a deadly cancer? Don’t excuse it. Confess the sin to God and ask Him for strength to resist the temptation. 

As we grow spiritually, our sensitivity to sin increases. As God makes us aware of sin, we must be intolerant of it, and be willing to change. It is noteworthy that all believers should strive to be more tolerant of people, but less tolerant of the sin in them. Are you insensitive, unconcerned, disappointed, or comfortable with sin? Better still, what is your reaction to sin in your life? A sincere answer will give you a clear assessment of your relationship with God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, sin is an abomination before You, O Most Holy God. Endue me with the spirit of delightsome obedience to Your Word, and empower me to live for You all the days of my life. Help me to resist any temptations that come my way, that I may find strength to lead a holy life pleasing to You at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ammunition Against Anxiety

 Ammunition Against Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

One of the things we are thankful for when we let our requests be known to God is his promises. These are the ammunition in the cannon that cuts down the unbelief that produces worry. So here’s how I fight.

When I am anxious about my ministry being useless and empty, I fight unbelief with the promise of Isaiah 55:11. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

When I am anxious about being too weak to do my work, I battle unbelief with the promise of Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

When I am anxious about facing opponents, I battle unbelief with the promise, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

When I am anxious about the welfare of those I love, I battle unbelief with the promise that if I, being evil, know how to give good things to my children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

And I fight to maintain my spiritual equilibrium with the reminder that everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for Christ’s sake, shall “receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30).

When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

And I take the promise with trembling: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us

”(Romans 5:3–5).

Not Nearly Hedonistic Enough

 Not Nearly Hedonistic Enough

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20)

The message that needs to be shouted from the houses of high finance is this: Secular man, you are not nearly hedonistic enough!

Quit being satisfied with the little 2% yields of pleasure that get eaten up by the moths of inflation and the rust of death. Invest in the blue-chip, high-yield, divinely insured securities of heaven. 

Devoting a life to material comforts and security and thrills is like throwing money down a rat hole. But investing a life in the labor of love yields dividends of joy unsurpassed and unending:

“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. [And thus] provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail” (Luke 12:33).

This message is very good news: Come to Christ, in whose presence are fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Join us in the labor of Christian Hedonism. For the Lord has spoken: It is more blessed to love than to live in luxury! More blessed now, and forever.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2026. 

SUBJECT: WHY DO BELIEVERS EXPERIENCE TROUBLES AND SUFFERING?

Memory verse: "But I say to you, that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." (Matthew 17 vs 12.) 

READ: First Peter 1 vs 7 - 9:

5:7: Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

5:9: Resist him, stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienceed by your brotherhood in the world.

5:10; But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

INTIMATION:

The question of why believers experience trouble and suffering is a profound mystery addressed through several traditional and theological viewpoints. Many people assume that trouble or suffering comes only because people sin. Though normally (but not always) following God leads to happier life, and rebelling against God normally (but not always) leads to an unhappy life. 

However, in our world invaded by sin, calamity and suffering come to good and bad alike. Living in a world affected by human choice means bad things happen to everyone, regardless of how good they are. Good people often suffer because of the wrong choices and free will of other people, and believers are in the world, consequently are not exempt for the troubles. 

This doesn't mean that God is indifferent, uncaring, unjust, or powerless to protect the believers. Bad things happen because we live in a fallen world, where believers and unbelievers are hit with the tragic consequences of sin. God allows evil for a time although He turns it round for the believers good (Romans 8 vs 28). 

It is obvious that a major reason why suffering is such a challenge to believers' faith is because they automatically think that suffering is a bad thing. Bad things may happen to us that cause pain but the pain itself doesn't have to be a completely negative experience, and here are a few reasons why:

(1) Suffering and trouble motivate us. Trouble and suffering are very effective motivating forces. The most common example of this is when someone is prompted to change the behavior that may have led them to their suffering in the first place. 

(2) Suffering also moves us to prioritize our lives because during times of trouble we usually see more clearly what is important and what is not. Close calls with death on account of illness or accidents become occasions that lead us to think about our mortality and how fragile we are. It is often at these moments that we begin to seek for answers to questions about life, death, and the hereafter.

It is suffering that motivates most people to search for God, search for His Will, and search for His presence in their lives. Without suffering we tend to stay in one dimension and not think too deeply about things. Suffering forces us to look beyond ourselves for answers, for relief, and for redemption. Pain often helps people rely more on God and re-evaluate what matters most in life.

(3) Suffering and trouble enhance our spiritual growth, enabling us to build strength, patience, endurance, and character. As seen in stories like the book of Job, steadfast faith during pain shows genuine devotion that does not depend only on receiving rewards. They help move us back to where we should be, depending on God for everything. 

To be dependent on God is not a shameful thing or a sign of weakness, it is an acknowledgement of reality. The simple truth is that we depend on God for every breath we take, but suffering is usually needed to bring that reality home to us. The greatest benefit is a new reliance on God each day whether the suffering stays or goes.

(4) Suffering enables us to develop sympathy for others. It gives the ability to understand how people continue to live their lives despite their suffering. For example, when you suffer lack, you appreciate what people who begging on the streets are going through. You gain greater appreciation of how other people in worse condition live their lives probably without complaint or pity for themselves. 

The Bible, in our anchor Scripture, tells us that even Jesus had to suffer pain in order to become our Savior and Mediator, and to truly sympathize and empathize with us. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

God lets us suffer because suffering reveals the horror of sin. It began with Adam and Eve who disobeyed God resulting in the fall of the human race, and as the sinfulness of mankind multiplied, so the fall of the creation as well. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love for me is beyond my comprehension. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from Your love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. My absolute trust is in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Our Unspeakable Privilege

 Our Unspeakable Privilege

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)

One implication of the magnificent name, I AM WHO I AM, is that this infinite, absolute, self-determining God has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ. 

In John 8:56–58 Jesus is answering the criticism of the Jewish leaders. He says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Could Jesus have taken any more exalted words upon his lips? When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” he took up all the majestic truth of the name of God, wrapped it in the humility of servanthood, offered himself to atone for all our rebellion, and made a way for us to see the glory of this infinite, absolute, all-sufficient God — without fear.

In Jesus Christ we who are born of God have the unspeakable privilege of knowing Yahweh as our Father — I AM WHO I AM — the God

who exists

whose personality and power is owing solely to himself

who never changes

from whom all power and energy in the universe flows

and to whom all creation should conform its life.

May those who know the name of God put their trust in him (Psalm 9:10).