NO MARRIAGE IN HEAVEN

"For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:25"

Devotion : A question was posed by the Sadducees about a woman who married seven times because every husband she married died without giving her children. Finally the woman also died, and the question was, whose wife will she be after the resurrection? Jesus Christ, who knew what was prevailing in heaven, answered the Sadducees that in heaven there is no marriage. God, in His own wisdom, restricted marriage to the earth. This insightful knowledge will aid people to plan toward their marriage since they can only enjoy it here on Earth. Furthermore, the answer from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ silences all false doctrines in certain religions that beautiful women and men await them in paradise for marriage. Dear beloved, do you have a desire to marry? May your desire be fulfilled right here on Earth, amen. Share your comments here!

YOU ARE WONDERFULLY MADE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JUNE 30, 2020.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE WONDERFULLY MADE!

Memory verse: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2 vs 10.) 

READ: Psalm 139 vs 13 - 16:

139:13: For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.

139:14: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 

139:15: My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, 

139:16: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet formed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

INTIMATION:

We were all made and shaped to serve God’s predetermined purposes. God endowed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, some crawl, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play, based on the way they are made and the shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us is uniquely designed, or "shaped," to do certain things. God deliberately shaped and formed you to serve Him in a way that makes your ministry unique. The psalmist, David, in Psalm 139, praised God for this incredible personal attention to detail. God never makes mistake, and consequently He is perfect in all His doings. Therefore, do not shortchange yourself.

Everything about you is fashioned by God at creation for His purpose. They are all known to Him and recorded in His books. Before God created you, He decided what role He wanted you to play on earth. He planned exactly how He wanted you to serve Him. And then He shaped you for those tasks. You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry. You are God's handcrafted work of art. You are not an assembly-line product, mass produced without thought. You are a custom-designed, one-of-a-kind, original masterpiece. Therefore, don’t try to change your looks nor wish you are another person for God made and shaped you the way you are for His special predetermined purposes. 

The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 1 vs 11, says, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance; being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." Not only did God shape you before your birth, He planned every day of your life to support His shaping process. David, the psalmist, further said, "And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." Every day of our lives are recorded in God's book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. This means that nothing that happens in your life is insignificant. God uses all of it to mold you for your ministry to others and shape you for your service to Him. 

God never waste anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless He intended to use them for His glory. By identifying and understanding these factors you can discover God's will for your life. The Bible says you are "fearfully and wonderfully made," and acknowledged "how marvelous are the works." You are a combination of many different factors, all put together for God's purposes. The Bible, in Romans 8 vs 28, says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” 

God works in "all things," not just in isolated incidents, for our good. It is noteworthy that not all incidents that are good, but God turns every circumstance around for your long-range good. We often cannot see the good that comes from immediate shape, trials, suffering, style God has bestowed on us. The good God brings is within our lifetime, and also, He views things from eternal perspective. The final good of God will come with the reward of eternal heaven. Though there is good that comes from God in our lifetime, there is the final good of glory that will come after the end of this world when the final calling of Christians out of this world will occur. The finality of things, therefore, will end for good for the Christian when he or she is called out of this world into eternal glory.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for I am wonderfully made, and perfect in Your site, and is Your opinion that matters. Engrace me to serve earnestly and effectively in the shape and style You made me according to Your predetermined purposes, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BANE OF SELF-PITY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JUNE 29, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE BANE OF SELF-PITY!

Memory verse: “Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69 vs 20.)

READ: John 5 vs 2 - 8:

5:2: Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in the Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
5:3: In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
5:4: For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool, and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
5:5: Now a certain man was there, who had an infirmity thirty eight years.

5:6: When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

5:7: The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

5:8: Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”

5:9: And immediately the man was made well, took up His bed, and walked.

INTIMATION:

When you are trapped in a problem so long, the tendency is that you lose your faith in the promises of God. Some people become so stagnant in the problem that they forget the promises of God. They become so weary that they are acclimated to their problems. Such people will then fall into the pit of feeling sorry for themselves. That is 'SELF-PITY.' It's dangerously bad! It is no place for a child of God. Self-pity conquers faith, because it leads to negative confessions when you accept your position or consequences facing you as your fate. It makes you look for man's approval rather than God's direction. 

Self-pity is a death that has no resurrection, a pit that has no bottom. Self-pity is a destroying trap, because it has a multiplying effect on your problem. Once you indulge in it, you will develop what I call the 'wilderness complex.' Have you always counted yourself as poor? Have you always regretted your life? Have you always counted yourself as unlucky or felt unfairly treated by God? That God has failed you? Have you always wished you were another person, in another relationship, in another place, and so on? All these are what I called the 'pity-pots.' 

There are two common responses to hopelessness: despair and self-indulgence. But we need not act as if we had no hope. Self-pity is so damaging and dangerous that you resort to depending on man rather than God. Your problem becomes a tool for seeking or begging for help from people. That is what I mean by 'making you seek man’s approval instead of God's direction.’ You live your life at the mercy of others. At any opportunity, you want people to know how bad it is with you, or your family, or your partner, and so on.

In the passage we read today, we saw a man who had an infinitely 38years, and had abandoned himself in that hospital (Sheep Gate pool), had no hopes of ever getting out of there healed. The man had fallen so deep into the trap of self-pity that his problem had become a way of life. No one had ever helped him, and he had no hope of ever being helped nor healed. The man’s situation looked hopeless, and he had lost faith completely. But no matter how trapped you feel in your infirmities or troubles, God can minister to your deepest needs. As we face difficulties, our proper response should be to trust God and His promises.

One would wonder how Jesus came to that hospital and was interested in only one patient while there are so many patients lying there. Jesus had seen how the man has been self-defeated and lying completely hopeless in his ‘pity-pot.’ He knew the very dangerous situation the man was in and couldn’t help himself nor get help from anybody. The man was so downcast that he lost faith even in God, and Jesus saw that clearly. However, He came to give hope to the hopeless hence His ministered healing to the man. 

Don’t let a problem or hardship cause you to lose hope. What that means is your obvious denial of the promise of Christ who said to us, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11 vs 28). A person may be carrying heavy burdens of sin, oppression, persecution, affliction, hardship, or even weariness in the search for God (The list is not all inclusive—not limited to these mentioned areas), but Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest promised in Him is love, healing, freedom, and peace with God. God may even have special work for you to do in spite of your condition, or even because of it. 

When you face problems, and people scoff at you, mock, insult, humiliate, and make you an object of citywide gossip, never fall into self-pity. If your situation seems hopeless, determine that no matter how bad things become you will continue to pray. God will hear your prayer, and He will rescue you. When others reject us, we need God most. Don’t ever turn from your most faithful Friend.

When we are completely beaten down, we are tempted to turn from God, give up, and quit trusting Him. Faith in God is justified even when our situations look hopeless. Faith based on rewards or prosperity is hollow. To be unshakable, faith must be built on the confidence that God’s ultimate purpose will come to pass. Circumstances are never so bad that they are beyond God’s help. We need never despair because we belong to a loving God. We don’t yet know what good He may bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation (Romans 8 vs 28). 

Prayer: Abba Father, if life seems hopeless, You are the reason I still have breath in me,  if I have lost something, You are the reason I have not lost everything. You are the reason I live and move and have my being. I know the thoughts You have for me, thoughts of good and not of evil, to give me a future and a hope. In You I put my trust, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

NEVER BE BITTER WITH GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JUNE 28, 2020.

SUBJECT: NEVER BE BITTER WITH GOD!

Memory verse: “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me." (Matthew 11 vs 6.)

READ: Job 9 vs 4; Isaiah 45 vs 9 - 10:

Job 9:4: God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him, and prospered?

Isaiah 45:9: Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ 

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

45:10: Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’

INTIMATION:

Some people are harboring hidden anger and resentment at God for certain areas of their lives where they have felt cheated or disappointed. While so many others harbor resentment toward God over their appearance, background, unanswered prayers, past hurts, and other things they would change if we were God. Even some others often blame God for hurts caused by others, and consequently create "their hidden rift with God." These people usually ask God, "Why me." Why not you? Until we mature enough to understand that God uses everything for good in our lives, we would be entangled in such bitterness toward God at our own detriment. We need to confess those hidden anger and resentment. 

When we are Bitter with God, we create the greatest barrier to friendship with Him. They will say, “Why would I want to be God's friend if He allowed this thing in my life?” The remedy, of course, is to realize that God always acts in your best interest, even when it is painful and you don't understand it. But releasing your resentment and revealing your feeling is the first step to healing. The wise and right thing to do when you are in doubt or bearing any resentments, because of happenings around you, is turn to Him in all honesty, and not turn away from Him.

Everything that moves you to question the integrity of God, or His love for you must be destroyed, so that the altar of your heart can be prepared for the fire from heaven. While preparing your heart to approach God in prayer, one of the things you must guard against is offenses. So many have their conscience ensnared with offenses toward God or man, and all they do in prayer is nothing but complain, and murmur. When you are offended in God, you turn Him against yourself; and if God is against you, who will save you? If you despise Him, who will lift you?

When you are offended in God or man, you bear iniquities in your heart that inhibits God from hearing you (Psalm 66 vs 18). Many are stranded because of offenses. When they stand in prayer, they justify themselves against God. They say, "Lord, II have done best my attitude, and have done everything that You commanded. Only You haven't done your part." In other words, they count themselves faithful and God unfaithful. But the Bible says, "...Let God be true but every man a liar..." (Romans 3 vs 4.) Anything that makes you to murmur against God is moving you against your destiny. You can't expect Him to answer your prayers when your heart is full of complains and offenses toward God or man. 

In our memory verse, Jesus said that those who do not take any offense in the Lord are fortunate and blessed. Jesus said that when John the Baptist that sat in prison, and began to have some doubts about whether Jesus really was the Messiah. John thought in his heart that if his purpose was to prepare people for the coming Messiah, then why was he in prison when he could have been preaching to the crowds, preparing their hearts. John expected that the coming Messiah should be able to save him from prison. 

When John the Baptist’s disciples came and put his question before Jesus; "Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus knew that he was already offended in Him. He asked the disciples to go back to him with the good news of His exploits—the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Obviously, that would have offended John the more because he already had heard all those evidence that indicated the real identity of Jesus, and wondered why He didn't want to save Him from prison. 

It is noteworthy that it was in the same prison and the same Jailer that held Paul and Silas. They were doing the work of the Messiah when they were arrested and jailed. But they didn't get offended both toward God or the men, but instead sang and praised God while in there, and God came in His Might and saved them. But forJohn, he was eventually beheaded when the King's daughter, on the advice of the mother, asked for his head in a platter.

Romans 8 vs 28 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." So, set your heart right before Him. Count Him faithful in all things. Refuse to complain, but rather let God know that you have no alternative beside Him, and that you are ready to hang on till your answer comes from Him. Any attempt to step away from God, is stepping into doom for you. Certainly, there is no unrighteous with God! (Romans 9 vs 14.)

Let your conscience be as that of the apostle Paul who said, "This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 24 vs 16.) Give your destiny motion by clearing off every offense from your heart, to establish a thoroughfare to heaven in prayers. This is the way to maintain a good communication line with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Lord, the Creator of all things. All that happens are already known to You, and You allow them for Your purposes. Engrace me with a conscience free from offenses toward You and men, that I may pray through to heaven, and be worthy of Your blessings accordingly, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PROBLEMS ARE PURPOSEFUL!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 26, 2020.

SUBJECT: PROBLEMS ARE PURPOSEFUL!

Memory verse: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials," (James 1 vs 2.)

READ: Genesis 45 vs 4 - 8; 50 vs 20:

45:4: And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

45:5: But now, do not therefore be grieved or 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 which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

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

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

50:20: 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.

INTIMATION:

A problem is a matter or challenge difficult to settle or solve; a source of perplexity; an adversity. Problem is a constant variable in life's equation. They have no boundaries, it can confront anybody. Problems are God's training ground. They sometimes are part of God's plan for believers, therefore, don't allow them to separate you from God's divine destiny for your life. Don't run away from your problems, face them squarely, accept God's promise of help, correct your attitudes, and act as you should. Problems come in different magnitudes, some minor, and some big, and they don't make any appointments before coming. They usually show up when you least expect them, and may stay in your life much longer than you want them to.

Problems can be testing our faith in God. Therefore, it is necessary for God's children to discover the principle for transforming the problems of their lives into the provisions of God. We all detest problems, but they are the reason for every improvement we make. They quicken our wits, and force us to think outside the box, and above all draw us closer to God. A problem is an opportunity to step into a new dimension of accomplishment, usually routed in observance of supernatural principles of God.

God customizes some of our problems so that we can fulfill the purpose for which we are created. They are stepping stones, and ordained platform en-route our divine destiny. God knows you and your potentials. The psalmist says in Psalm 139 vs 16, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the day's fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." The cross you carry was tailor-made by the carpenter's Son.

A case-study of Joseph the son of Jacob, makes the concept very clear. He was a favorite son to his father, and envied by his brothers, a favorite servant in Potiphar's house, a favorite prisoner to the warden and other prisoners, a favorite interpreter of dreams, and a favorite lieutenant to King Pharaoh. And after many years, he became the favorite even to his ten brothers who were envious of him. He was pre-ordained by God to be the savior of his people, and He was with him in all his travails. So many problems were lined up en-route his destined purpose; he was betrayed and deserted by his brothers; he was exposed to sexual temptation; suffered false accusation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. 

Joseph didn't plan to be in the bottom of a pit after he recounted his God-given dream to his loved ones, but he was. He did not foresee his brothers selling him into slavery, but they did. God had destined him for great things, but people and problems got in the way, apparently fashioned to get him his promise and provision. Joseph was faithful in the problems. He maintained his character and integrity while enduring the problem. He was patient throughout the duration of the problem. He did not complain while facing ridicule, rejection, envy, and jealousy. He held to his dream in the midst of lies, false accusations, and prison. Through it all, God showed favor to Joseph until the provision came.

Joseph had the vision, and interpreted the purpose of his problem. He said, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.... 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 45 vs 47 - 48 & 50 vs 20.)

Even though Joseph spent years in the problem, he never stopped listening to the voice of God. He remained faithful to God, and God remained faithful to him, leading him to the divine purpose for which he was created. Are you in the middle of a severe problem? Have you gone through your spiritual checklist to make sure that you are not the cause of the problem? Do you find it difficult to find the purpose of the predicament you are in? Look for the promise in God's Word. Hold to that promise. It is given to you by your Father in heaven, who is faithful to fulfill it. All of the provisions God offers in the pantry of heaven are available to the child of God who faithfully stands on His promises.

When God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hardship may still occur. We are encouraged to face the problems or difficulties with happiness when they do come. Problems have a way of developing patience and character by teaching us to trust God to do what is best for us. Always look for ways to honor God in you present situation of problems, remembering that God will not abandon you. Also carefully watch out for His predetermined plan for you. His promise and provision awaits those who tarry to the end. Remember this always, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those  who love Him" (James 1 vs 12).

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You, even though my fruit trees fail to produce, though my labor be in vain and my fields shall yield no food; though my flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, my personal bravery and my invincible army; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places in troubles, suffering, or responsibility, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

GOD'S AWESOMENESS TO US

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Corinthians 2:9"

Devotion : The Apostle Paul had worked with God for several years and had come to appreciate that God reserves certain things to His own prerogative. An example is that God tells you He will reward you but does not tell you the exact time when He will give you the reward. When you lose heart and do not press on with your walk with Him, you lose the reward. Apostle Paul was encouraging the church in Corinth not to give up on God for He has prepared something special for them which no eye, ear, or heart of man can apprehend. Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 64:4, and since the Word of God cannot be broken, that scripture is still relevant today. Dear beloved, do you feel like giving up on God? Be encouraged with this scripture, and keep pressing on. Praise the Lord! Share your thoughts here!

BE YE STEADFAST AND UNMOVABLE ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN. THE WORK OF THE LORD

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Corinthians 15:58"

Devotion : The Apostle Paul, by the inspiration of God, has given the believer another key to live a victorious Christian life. The key is to always abound in the work of the Lord. He admits that as a Christian, the race is not always rosy, hence we must be steadfast and unmovable. The enemy would always attack the children of God who are doing the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. His motive is to make you think your labor for the Lord is in vain so that you give up the Lord's work. The only key to nullify his attack is to be devoted and immovable and to enjoy the work of the Lord, knowing that surely your reward will come. Dear beloved, do you feel like giving up on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Don't give up but apply the key in the article, and you will definitely share your testimony. Share your thoughts here!

CALLED AND COMMANDED TO SERVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JUNE 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: CALLED AND COMMANDED TO SERVE!

Memory verse: "He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose." (Second Timothy 1 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 20 vs 28 - 34:

20:28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
20:29: Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 

20:30: And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" 

20:31: Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" 

20:32: So Jesus stood and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

20:33: They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 

20:34: So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

INTIMATION:

For Christians service is not optional, something to be attached to our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. We have earlier seen the true example of what we are called to do in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 20 vs 28 Jesus said, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus came "to serve" and "to give," and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too as a Christian. Serving and giving sum up God's major purpose for your life. 

And after telling the disciples of the "command to serve," Jesus demonstrated that act of selfless service in the event following in the passage we read today. Although Jesus was concerned about the coming events in Jerusalem, He had all His attention fixed on Jerusalem, but He stopped to care for the blind men demonstrating what He had just told the disciples about service, by stopping to care for them. Service is a commandment that He has to obey, and consequently He did. Even when the major reason He came was to come up in that His trip to Jerusalem.

Jesus taught that greatness comes from serving—giving yourself to serve God and others. Service keeps us aware of others' needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. He described leadership from a new perspective; instead of using people, we are to serve them. Jesus mission was to serve others and to give His life away as a ransom for others. In God's standards, service leads to true greatness. Jesus said in Matthew 20 vs 26 - 27, "...But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave." 

In First Corinthians 7 vs 17, the Scripture says, "But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him work..." Many think that being "called" by God is something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other "full-time" church workers experience, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service. Your call to salvation included your call to service. They are the same. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A "non-serving Christian" is a contradiction in terms.

All believers are called into priesthood in Christ, not as it was in the Old Testament times, when people did not approach God directly, a priest acted as intermediary between God and sinful human beings. With Christ's victory at the cross, and in Hades, the pattern changed. Now we can come directly into God's presence without fear, and are given the responsibility of bringing others to Him also. Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling.

People often base their self-concept on their accomplishments. But our relationship with Christ is far more important than our jobs, successes, wealth, or knowledge. We have been chosen by God as His very own, and we have been called to represent Him to others. Your value comes from being one of God's children, not from what you can achieve. You have worth because of what God does, not because of what you do. How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God? Your service is desperately needed in the Body of Christ. Each and everyone of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.

Every ministry matters because we are dependent on each other to function. Consider what happens when one part of your body fails to function! You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: "I'm tired! I don't want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. Your body would die. Today thousands of churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.

Spiritual maturity culminates in selfless service. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of servanthood that I may serve diligently, delightfully, and obediently, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE INEVITABLE JUDGEMENT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE INEVITABLE JUDGEMENT!

Memory verse: "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14 vs 12.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 10; Romans 2 vs 5 - 10:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

Romans 2:5: But in accordance with your hardness and your impertinent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, 

2:6: who will render to each one according to his deeds": 

2:7: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 

2:8: but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath, 

2:9: tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

2:10: but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good...For there is no partiality with God." 

INTIMATION:

At the end of your life on earth you will stand before God, and He is going to evaluate you on how well you served here on earth with your life. While eternal life is a free gift given on the basis of God's grace, each of us will still be judged by Christ. This judgement will reward us for how we have lived. God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement for faithful obedience. We are not saved by good deeds, but when we commit our life fully to God, we want to please Him and do His will. As such, our good deeds are a grateful response to what God has done, not a prerequisite to earning His favor.

The purpose of Jesus’ first mission on earth was not to judge people, but to show them the way to find salvation and eternal life. When He comes again, one of His main purposes will be to judge people for how they lived on earth. Christ’s words which we would not accept and obey will condemn us. On the day of judgement, those who accepted Jesus and lived His way will be raised to eternal life, and those who rejected Jesus and lived any way they pleased will face eternal punishment. 

Jesus Christ has been given the authority to judge all the earth. Although His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns, and everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. This will not be confined to unbelievers; Christians too, will face judgement. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. At the time of judgement. God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked. 

At judgement, the “books” will be opened. The “Book of Life” will also be opened, and it contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. The “books” contain the recorded deeds of everyone, good or evil. Everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. No one is saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God. His gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience and service. Each of us must serve Christ in the best way we know and live each day knowing the “books” will one day be opened. 

Think about the implication of giving account of our stewardship. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others and His interest. The evaluation comes with attendant reward. The Bible tells us in Revelation 22 vs 12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to His work." 

At the point of judgement, all excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: "I was too busy" or "I had my own goals" or "I was preoccupied with working, attending to my needs, or had a tight schedule, and could hardly find time." To all excuses God will respond, "Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you, and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you play or did you not understand?"

Although God does not usually punish us immediately for sin, His eventual judgement is certain. We don't know exactly when it will happen, but we know that no one will escape that final encounter with the Creator. God will pour out His anger and wrath on those who lived for themselves. But for Christians, though they will be saved, it will mean a loss of eternal rewards.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to live a life of service; serving others and the interest of Your kingdom, that I may lead a life worthy of Your eternal reward, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JUNE 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

Memory verse: "For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that." (First Corinthians 7 vs 7.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 4 - 8:

12:4: For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function, 

12:5: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 

12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 

12:7: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 

12:8: he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

INTIMATION:

All God’s works are marvelous, and all His creations are wonderful and are useful to Him for His predetermined purposes. Nothing that He created is useless to Him. All natural positions are gifts from God. And none is morally better than the other, and all are valuable to accomplishing HIs purposes. It is important to us to accept our present situation, knowing that your present situation is a tool in God’s hands to achieve His purposes. Our limitations does not limit God, therefore, cannot be an excuse in your ministry or service.

If you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? No excuse is admissible in ministry. All the people used by God in the Bible had their limitations which never excused them in ministry or service. Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul has poor health, and Timothy was timid. 

That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in His service. He will use you if you stop making excuses. We have our different callings to serve, and each service is significant. God created us for His specific purposes, and it's His desire that we identify our pathway and follow it to achieve His purpose of creating us. But He left us a choice—to choose His pathway or ours. Obviously, your choice is made when you give your life for something. What will it be; a career, a sport, a hobby, fame, wealth? Or God's pathway for you to serve Him, and others. No choice you make, outside God's pathway of service destined for you, will have lasting significance. 

When you identify your own gifts, ask how you can use them to build up God’s family. At the same time, realize that your gifts can’t do the work of the body of Christ all alone. Be thankful for people whose gifts are completely different from yours. Let your strengths balance their weaknesses, and be grateful that their abilities make up for your deficiencies. The apostle Paul uses the concept of human body to teach how Christians should live and work together. As the human body is, so is the Body of Christ. Each human part finds its significance on its vocation, but all function under the direction of the brain. So Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ, using our different gifts. 

Service is the pathway to real significance. It is through ministry that we discover the meaning of our lives. As we serve together in God's family, our lives take on eternal importance. In human body, the eyes cannot do the work of the legs, nor the tongue the work of the stomach. When any part tries to do the work of another, it fails, and loses its significance. The Bible, in First Corinthians 7 vs 7, 20, 24, says, "..But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." 

When you are in the state you were called, God remains with you, hence your significance, because It is only in Him your hope of glory lies; "..Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1 vs 28.) When one is outside of his calling, you hear people complain, "Upon all I am doing nobody notices me," "I am putting in my best, but it seems like nothing is done," "nobody sees my contribution, but when the other person does the same thing, people will be full of praise for him."

God wants to use you to make a difference in His world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how right you lived. What you might look at as a disadvantage may turn out to be an advantage in your ministry. In acknowledging God's uniqueness and goodness, the psalmist in Psalm 139 vs 14 says, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

God is perfect, and His works also are perfect. He never makes mistake, and is forever the same. Find your God's ordained path and follow it, and you will find real significance.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most precious God for Your marvelous works in me, and how You fearfully and wonderfully made me for Your predetermined purposes. Engrace me to identify my ordained pathway that I may walk in it, and be relevance in service to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HEAVEN DECLARE GOD'S GLORY.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1" 

Devotion : Elohim created the heavens and the earth and everything therein to worship and praise Him. After the fall of man, some of the creation of God stopped praising Him. In the opening scripture, we are told that the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky or firmament displays His handiwork. Verse 2 says day unto day utter speech, and night unto night shows knowledge. How many human beings do what the heavens and the sky do day and night? Some people give their praise and worship to idols or themselves, but they that know Elohim, the true God, should worship and praise Him more than the heavens and the firmament are doing. Besides worship and praise, they also show forth knowledge - the knowledge that God exists. Therefore, those who doubt the existence of God have no excuse at all because even the sky tells them about the almighty God. Dear beloved, how many times do you worship or praise God in a day? Share your comments here.

YOU ARE CREATED AND SAVED TO SERVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JUNE 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE CREATED AND SAVED TO SERVE!

Memory verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 5 - 7; Colossians 3 vs 23 - 24:

Ephesians 6:5: Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men."

Colossians 3:23: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

INTIMATION:

God created you and put you on earth for a purpose—to serve His interest. You are put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. Most people are concerned about how to get the best out of life, but that's not the reason God created you. You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. This is God's fourth purpose for your life, and it is called your "ministry," or “your service” or “good works.” Jesus Christ, our example of what we are called to do, said: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20 vs 28.)

Our “good works” are act of service or worship to the Lord. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are serving God and fulfilling one of your purposes. For this reason, Christian employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. No matter what you do, who you work for, and who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven. In creation God has carefully shaped you for a purpose, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made. His works are marvelous." (Psalm 139 vs 14.) God knew you long before you were born or even conceived, and everything about you is already written in His book; the purpose you are created, the service to render, your number of days on earth etc. (Psalm 139 vs 15 - 16).

It takes your coming to Him and trusting in Him, for the revelation of all these in your life. And you come to Him by accepting what He did through His Son Jesus Christ for you in redemption; acknowledging Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. He saved you to accomplish His purpose for which He created you (Second Timothy 1 vs 9). In God's kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill—His “holy calling.” This gives your life great significance and value. God has given you a unique combination of abilities and talents. Use them to serve and honor Him. 

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. It is in the light of these incredible benefits that the apostle Paul entreats us in Romans 12 vs 1 thus, "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Therefore, daily laying aside your own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide you. We serve Him out of joy, and deep gratitude for what He's done for us. We owe Him our lives. 

When you serve others, even in carrying out ordinary tasks, you are serving God. Because ultimately we serve God, every job has dignity. The apostle John said that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved (First John 3 vs 14). If you have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and you are only concerned about your needs, it is doubtful whether Christ is really in your life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.

Jesus said, in John 13 vs 34 - 35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." To love others was not a new commandment (See Leviticus 19 vs 18). But to love others as Christ loved us is the new commandment. Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. 

How then can we love others as Jesus loves us, and gave His life for us? We do this by helping when it's not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source. You are a follower of Christ—His disciple when you love like Him.

Another term for serving God that's misunderstood by most people is the word ministry. When most people hear "ministry," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of His family is a minister (Revelation 1 vs 6; 5 vs 10). In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonymous. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you're serving, you're ministering. When Peter's sick mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, she instantly "stood up and began to serve Jesus," using her new gift of health (see Mark 1 vs 30 - 31). This is what we're to do. We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven. 

God told Abraham that He will bless him to be a blessing, "...I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12 vs 2.) Today, the blessings of Abraham has come to us through Jesus Christ, and we have received the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3 vs 14.) Seek ways to express your gratitude to Him. Have you ever wondered why God doesn't just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept His grace? Why does He leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill His purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for His goals. God has a ministry for you in his Body—the church, and a mission for you in the world. Seek yours from Him and serve appropriately!

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to serve You acceptably and in accordance with Your predetermined purposes in my life. I humbly ask that You reveal to me the hope of Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

JESUS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY FOR OUR SALVATION.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5" 

Devotion : The good news was derived from the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. Jesus, who knew no sin, was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our wickedness, and the punishment we deserved was laid on Him; He gave us healing by His stripes. This is the good news Christ Jesus brought to mankind. He did all the work for us to receive the reward; all we need to do is to just believe and be a partaker of the blessings. Those who do not believe the good news will have themselves to blame in hell since they want to pay for their own sins in hell. If man could pay for his own sins, Jesus would not have come. Dear reader, the choice is now yours; either you believe in the gospel and partake of the blessings or reject it and suffer the consequences. Share your comments here!