The Gain of Serving God

 “They shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” (2 Chronicles 12:8)

Serving God is utterly different from serving anyone else. 

God is extremely jealous that we understand this — and enjoy it. For example, he commands us, “Serve the Lord with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2). There is a reason for this gladness. It is given in Acts 17:25. God is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” 

We serve him with gladness because we do not bear the burden of meeting his needs. He has no needs. So, serving him can’t mean meeting his needs. Instead we rejoice in a service where he meets our needs. Serving God always means receiving grace from God to do what we have to do.

To show how jealous God is for us to understand this, and glory in it, there is a story in 2 Chronicles 12. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who ruled the southern kingdom after the revolt of the ten tribes, chose against serving the Lord and gave his service to other gods and other kingdoms. 

As judgment, God sent Shishak, the king of Egypt, against Rehoboam with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen (2 Chronicles 12:2–3).

In mercy God sent the prophet Shemaiah to Rehoboam with this message: “Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak’” (2 Chronicles 12:5). The happy upshot of that message is that Rehoboam and his princes humbled themselves in repentance and said, “The Lord is righteous” (2 Chronicles 12:6).

When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, he said, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak” (2 Chronicles 12:7). But as a discipline to them he says, “They shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries” (2 Chronicles 12:8).

The point is plain: serving the enemy and serving God are very different. How so? Serving God is a receiving and a blessing and a joy and a benefit. Serving Shishak is exhausting and depleting and sorrowful. God is a giver. Shishak is a taker.

This is why I am so jealous to say that the worship of Sunday morning and the worship of daily obedience is not at bottom a burdensome giving to God, but a joyful getting from God. That is the true service that God demands. In all you do, trust me as the giver.

LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE CLEAR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY 31, 2023.

SUBJECT : LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE CLEAR!

Memory verse: "Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.” (Hebrews 13 vs 18.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 22 - 24:

10:22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

10:24: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and to good works:

INTIMATION:

Conscience is a knowing with oneself. It’s that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God, as that which is designed to govern our lives. It is that process of thought which distinguishes what is considers morally good or bad, commending the good, and condemning the bad, and so prompting to do the former, and avoid the later. Your conscience is your first judge, and imprisons you if you are not acting appropriately. We escape the gnawing accusations of our consciences by acting in love, and setting our hearts on God's love. Not by ignoring them or rationalizing our behavior. Do good, act appropriately, and you will then free yourself by clearing your conscience.

Many feel guilty because they think they are not doing enough to show proper love to Christ, and others. Their conscience bother them. If they ignore their consciences, then they sin because they have compromised their faith by doing something they believe is wrong. One must not allow his faith to be led astray by a violation of what he or she conscientiously knows to be what is right. 

How can you keep your conscience clear? Treasure your faith in Christ more than anything else and do what you know is right. Each time you deliberately ignore your conscience, you are hardening your heart. Over a period of time your capacity to tell right from wrong will diminish. As you walk with God, He will speak to you through your conscience, letting you know the difference between right and wrong. Be sure to act on those inner tugs so that you do what is right—then your conscience will remain clear. Do not ignore those inner tugs nor rationalize your behavior, but set your heart on God’s love. 

When you come to God with a clear conscience, you are coming to Him without fear, confident that your requests will be heard. When you say, "God You know that I am walking in the light of love, I am doing Your Word," then persuade your heart. If you go into His presence for intercession, your heart is not fearful; your heart does not condemn you. Your heart is in perfect fellowship with this living Word and you have boldness in His presence, conscious that you are welcome. You make your petition in the name of Jesus, and you know that the Father hears you and that you have the petition of your heart.

We try to steer clear of actions forbidden by Scripture, of course, but sometimes Scripture is silent. Then we should follow our consciences, and be faithful in your doings. “Whatever is not from faith is sin” means that to go against a conviction will leave a person with a guilty conscience. When God shows us that something is wrong for us, we should avoid it. 

Job said, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27 vs 6.) In the midst of all accusations, Job was able to declare that his conscience was clear. Only God’s forgiveness and the determination to live right before God can bring a clear conscience. How important Job’s record became as he was being accused. Like Job, we can’t claim sinless lives, but we can claim forgiven lives. When we confess our sins to God, He forgives us. Then we can live with clear consciences (First John 1 vs 9.) 

Sometimes after confessing our sins, we still feel guilty. However, when such guilt feeling rise up in our hearts, we should remind ourselves that God knows our motives as well as our actions. His voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our conscience. If we are in Christ, He will not condemn us (Romans 8 vs 1; Hebrews 9 vs 14 - 15). So if you are living for the Lord but feeling that you are not good enough, remind yourself that God is greater than your conscience. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience to Your Word; hearing and doing Your Word, that my conscience may be clear in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Something to Boast About

 

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The New Testament correlates faith and grace to make sure that we do not boast in what grace alone achieves.

One of the most familiar examples is Ephesians 2:8. By grace, through faith. There’s the correlation that guards the freedom of grace. By grace, through faith.

Faith is the act of our soul that turns away from our own insufficiency to the free and all-sufficient resources of God. Faith focuses on the freedom of God to dispense grace to the unworthy. It banks on the bounty of God.

Therefore faith, by its very nature, nullifies boasting and fits with grace. Wherever faith looks, it sees grace behind every praiseworthy act. So it cannot boast, except in the Lord. The author of grace.

So Paul, after saying that salvation is by grace through faith, says, “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Faith cannot boast in human goodness or competence or wisdom, because faith focuses on the free, all-supplying grace of God. Whatever goodness faith sees, it sees as the fruit of grace.

When it looks at our “wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” it says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30–31).

CRAVE FOR THE HIDDEN MANNA!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 30, 2023.

SUBJECT: CRAVE FOR THE HIDDEN MANNA!

Memory verse: "He who has an ear, Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden Manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2 vs 17.)

READ: John 6 vs 31 - 35:

6:31: Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

6:32: Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give gave you the bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

6:33: For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

6:34: Then said they to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 

6:35: And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life: he who comes to Me shall never hunger; and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

INTIMATION:

“Hidden manna” suggests the spiritual nourishment that the faithful believers in Christ will receive. Christ is our daily bread who satisfies our eternal, spiritual need. In John 6 vs 48 - 51 Jesus compares Himself to manna: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Jesus is the Living Bread (the hidden manna), which provides spiritual nourishment that satisfies our deepest hunger. To eat living bread means to accept Christ into our lives and become united with Him. We are united with Christ in two ways: (1) by believing in His death (the sacrifice of His flesh) and resurrection for our hope, and (2) by devoting ourselves to living as He requires, depending on His teaching for guidance, and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power.

The bread from heaven (the manna) was a special meal from God to His people that sustained them for forty years in the wilderness. Manna was the survival food given to Israel in the desert during their wilderness wanderings. It gave them life. As the Israelites travailed in the wilderness for forty years, traveling toward the Promise Land, God provided the bread from heaven (manna) for their physical nourishment. 

The bread—Manna—that God provided for the Israelites in the desert satisfied a temporary hunger that returned the following day. In contrast to the physical bread provided in the wilderness, the bread that comes from the Father in heaven through Jesus will satisfy one’s spiritual thirst for eternity. Jesus is the bread of life that was sent from the Father in order to nourish the spiritual poverty of humanity.

Every morning, the desert floor east of the Red Sea was white with this mysterious substance. Like snow it lay evenly on the ground. Like frost it began to crystallize and evaporate in the midday sun. The wandering Israelites harvested the manna each day of their 40-years trek in the wilderness of Sanai. On the day it first appeared, their leader Moses declared this unusual seedless crop "bread from heaven." Most of the people were so hungry that they spent less time questioning the dietary value of the manna than they did collecting it. It tasted sweet like honey. It resembled coriander seed with a waferlike consistency. 

The manna was nutritious enough. Men, women, and children survived on this bread substitute. But "bread from heaven" was an awesome creation of God, a customized never-before-heard-of food just for His chosen people, the Israelites. The manna kept a whole nomadic nation of Israel alive when their survival seemed in jeopardy. It even fueled the amazing growth of the nation of Israel so that they could supplant the people's living on the edges of the desert—the Edomites, the Midianities, and eventually the Canaanites. 

People eat bread to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life. We can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain physical life only by a right relationship with Jesus Christ. No wonder He called Himself the bread of life. But bread must be eaten to sustain life, and Christ must be invited into our daily walk to sustain spiritual life. 

Jesus was both the bread of life and the water 

of life. The two things that man needs to sustain his physical life are bread and water. The two things that man needs to maintain his spiritual life are the bread and water that flow from Jesus. He is the bread of life that would preserve all who came to Him. They would be preserved for eternity.

The same perplexing nature and nutritional value associated with manna in sustaining the life of the nomadic Israelites, is inherent in our believe in Christ. Our believe in Him is the hidden manna which satisfies our deep spiritual and eternal needs. In the hidden manna do all our need to live for God consist. Therefore, crave to have it.

Prayer: Abba Father, I crave for the hidden manna. Satisfy my thirst and quest for spiritual nourishment to eternity. Jesus Christ, I invite You into my life as Lord and Savior. Feed me with the bread and water from heaven, that I may never thirst again, and consequently live for You forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When God Goes Against His Will

 

But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:25)

The sons of Eli the priest would not obey their father when he rebuked them for their sin. There are three implications of this text for our lives.

1) It is possible to sin so long and so grievously that the Lord will not grant repentance.

That is why Paul said that after all our pleading and teaching, “God may perhaps grant them repentance” — not, “will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25). There is a “too late” in the life of sin. As it says of Esau in Hebrews 12:17, “He found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” He was forsaken; he could not repent.

This does not mean that those who truly repent even after a whole lifetime of sinning cannot be saved. They certainly can be, and will be! God is staggeringly merciful. Remember the thief on the cross. Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

2) Sometimes God does not permit a sinning person to do what is right.

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” Listening to the voice of their father was the right thing to do. But they would not. Why? “For it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.”

The reason given for why they did not obey their father was that God had other purposes for them, and had given them up to sinning and death. This shows that there are times when the will of God’s decree is different from the revealed will of God’s command.

3) Sometimes our prayers for God’s revealed will to be done will not be done because God has decreed something different for holy and wise purposes.

I suppose that Eli prayed for his sons to be changed. That is how he should have prayed. But God had decreed that Hophni and Phinehas not obey, but rather be slain.

When something like this happens (which we do not ordinarily know ahead of time) while we are crying out to God for change, the answer of God is not: “I don’t love you.” Rather the answer is: “I have wise and holy purposes in not overcoming this sin and not granting repentance. You do not see these purposes now. Trust me. I know what I am doing. I love you.”

GIVE YOUR ENTIRE ATTENTION TO TODAY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 29, 2023.

SUBJECT : GIVE YOUR ENTIRE ATTENTION TO TODAY!

Memory verse: “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118 vs 24)

READ: Proverbs 27 vs 1; Matthew 6 vs 34: 

Proverbs 27:1: Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it’s own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

INTIMATION:

There are two days in every week that we should not worry about, two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension. One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. Nor can we erase a single word we’ve said. Yesterday is gone. 

We may have done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because of our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don’t dwell on the past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. 

The other day we shouldn’t worry about is tomorrow. Tomorrow is beyond our control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise either in splendor, or behind a mask of clouds but it will rise. And until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn. Because there is no guarantee on how tomorrow will turn out, one should be careful not to worry about it, but rather fully appreciate each day of his or her life. 

Obviously, we all plan for the future which is good. But living as if tomorrow is in your hands to control is wrong. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. 

In one of the passages we read today, Jesus is not here condemning one’s planning for the future. In order words, we must not add worries about the future to the responsibilities of today. Worry works against faith. We must assume through faith that all things work together for good (Romans 8 vs 28). And thus, we must walk by faith (Second Corinthians 5 vs 7). The more one walks by faith, the less worry there is in his or her life.

Now, we are left with “Today.” Give your entire attention to what God is doing today. Every day is a privilege in the life of frail men. Therefore, one should live today to the fullest—leaving the past days behind where they belong, and allowing future to take its turn, while rejoicing for the privilege of seeing today. 

There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is down, our situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. When you don’t feel like rejoicing, tell God honestly how you truly feel. And as you talk to God in prayer, He will give you a reason to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve Him—be glad! 

However, any person can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives people mad, it is the remorse of bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. 

Experience has shown that many things we worry about never come out as dreadful as we would have thought. Worry has its negative effects on us; it may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, reduce your ability to trust in God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of today. Give me the grace to live today to the fullest—rejoicing with gladness of heart for the privilege of being a partaker of Your gift of today, and giving my entire attention to what You are doing today, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DIVINE GUIDANCE!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 28, 2023.

SUBJECT : DIVINE GUIDANCE!

Memory verse: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32 vs 8.) 

READ: Psalm 25 vs 9 - 15: 

25:9: The Humble He guides in justice: and the humble He teaches His way.

2:10: All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

25:11: For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.

25:12: Who is the man that fears the LORD? him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

25:13: He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.

25:14: The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.

25:15: My eyes are ever toward the LORD; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

INTIMATION:

The greatest guide of any human being is divine guidance; the special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings; the ability to be guided by or hear God and be lead by Him. This is because you are guided by One who knows the road you are traveling on and all of the problems that lay ahead; the end is already known to Him from the beginning, therefore, He can give you dependable advice. He is able to help you be all that you can be, and can enable you either to avoid or overcome every obstacle or problem in your lives. 

Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for His purpose. What you call ‘coincidence,’ somebody calls it ‘Godincidence.’ Stop now and think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. Obviously, as a child of God, He has led you to the point you are right now. He never promised us a trouble-free life, but rather He promised to be with us even in our troubles. As you grow older, you will look back and see God’s involvement more clearly than you do now. He will make all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where He wants you, whether you’re moving or staying in one place, and you are sure of achieving the purpose for which you are created because the Creator and determinant of the purpose is guiding you. As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. You are physically somewhere now. He has a purpose in placing you where you are right now. Begin to understand God’s purpose for your life by discovering what He wants you to do now where you are. We must not close the door on what God can do. 

How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is that you must be spiritual, and desire to be guided. You must realize that God’s primary guiding system is in His Word—the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives. When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance. We need both a map that gives us directions and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is such a map, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

God describes some people as being like horses or mules that have to be controlled by bits and bridles (Psalm 32 vs 9). Rather than letting God guide them step by step, they stubbornly leave God with only one option—chastisement. If God wants to keep them useful for Him, He must use discipline and punishment. God longs to guide us with love and wisdom rather than punishment. He offers to teach us the best way to go. Accept the advice written in God’s Word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire my help to come from you who created heaven and earth; who has all knowledge, and knows the end from the beginning. My absolute trust is on You. Guide me, O Lord, that I may remain in the path You fashioned for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Payout for Patience

 

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

The story of Joseph in Genesis 37–50 is a great lesson in why we should have faith in the sovereign, future grace of God.

Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, which must have tested his patience tremendously. But he is given a good job in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Then, when he is acting uprightly in the unplanned place of obedience, Potiphar’s wife lies about his integrity and has him thrown into prison — another great trial to his patience.

But again things turn for the better, and the prison keeper gives him responsibility and respect. But just when he thinks he is about to get a reprieve from Pharaoh’s cupbearer, whose dream he interpreted, the cupbearer forgets him for two more years. Another painful trial to his patience.

Finally, the meaning of all these detours and delays becomes clear. Joseph is raised up to be the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He ends up saving from starvation the very brothers who sold him into slavery. Joseph says to his long-estranged brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. . . . As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 45:7; 50:20).

What would have been the key to patience for Joseph during all those long years of exile and abuse? The answer is: faith in God’s sovereign, future grace — the sovereign grace of God to turn the unplanned place and the unplanned pace into the happiest ending imaginable.

That’s the key to our patience as well. Do we believe that God is working for us in the strangest and most painful turns of our lives?

Authentic vs. Phony Faith

 Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

The question before us all is: Are we included in the “many” whose sins Christ bore? And will we be saved at his second coming? 

The answer of Hebrews 9:28 is, “Yes,” if we are “eagerly waiting for him.” We can know that our sins are taken away and that we will be safe in the judgment, if we trust Christ in such a way that it makes us eager for his coming.

There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ, but is only a fire insurance policy. Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. It has no real desire for Christ. In fact, it would prefer if he did not come, so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world.

So, the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Or do we want him to stay away, while our love affair with the world runs its course? That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.

Let us be like the Corinthians as we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7), and like the Philippians whose “citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

That’s the issue for us. Do we love his appearing? Or do we love the world and hope that his appearing will not interrupt our plans? Eternity hangs on this question.

ENTERING GOD'S REST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 27, 2023.

SUBJECT : ENTERING GOD'S REST!

Memory verse: "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4 vs 2.)

READ: Hebrews 4 vs 1 - 10:

4:1: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 

4:2: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

4:3: For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4:4: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";

4:5: And again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

4:6: Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

4:7: Again He designates a certain day, saying to David, "Today," after such a long time, as it had been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

4:8: For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

4:9: There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

4:10: For he who entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

INTIMATION:

Why are there many Christians but only a few share testimonies of the goodness of God? In a typical Sunday service in a large church, attendance might be five thousand worshipers, and the testifiers might be as few as two people. The reason is "unbelief." Many Christians do not believe completely that God will do what He says He will do. 

The Bible says that, when people hear God's Word but do not believe it, "the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Many of the Christians in our churches today, do not know Christ personally. They know a great deal about Christ, but do not have a personal relationship with Him, and do not combine their knowledge with faith. Consequently, when a problem shows up in their lives, they will be overwhelmed by the difficulties of the present moment, and allow that to overshadow the reality of God's promise. 

They turn back on the promises of God, and doubt that God would fulfill His promises. Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, only those who believe do enter that rest (do obtain His promised blessings). God even swore in His anger that the unbelieving hearts would not enter His rest (Psalm 95 vs 11). 

The major conditions that keeps us from God's ultimate blessings ("entering His rest" include: (1) Not worshipping or submitting to Him. (2) Hardening our hearts, especially to sin. (3) Trying God's patience because of stubborn doubts. (4) Ungrateful hearts—not being thankful. In the passage we read today, the Bible warns us not to harden our hearts, but to reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God.

For the Christians that believe, the apostle Paul has a word for them in First Thessalonians 2 vs 13, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

God wants us to enter His rest; to be at peace with Him now, and rest eternally with Him later. He offers the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest, that is, invites us to come to Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”  (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). The relationship is not subject to your creating it; it is already in place, and you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey Him. 

We do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord here on earth will one day end with death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know" (John 14 vs 1 - 4). 

You will never miss Christ and God’s rest, in Jesus’ Name. Declare today to totally commit yourself to Christ and be assured of eternal rest in Him. Since it is possible to lose our rest through disobedience and unbelief, every Christian must be in fear lest he turn from the security of God’s grace. The choice is yours.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have said it, I believe it, and that settles it. In Christ Jesus I have rest round about, and in Him I live, and move, and have my being. Give me the grace for raw obedience to Christ that I will not lose my rest through disobedience, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Strength to Wait with Patience

 

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Colossians 1:11)

“Strengthened” is the right word. The apostle Paul prayed for the church at Colossae, that they would be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience” (Colossians 1:11). Patience is the evidence of an inner strength.

Impatient people are weak, and therefore dependent on external supports — like schedules that go just right and circumstances that support their fragile hearts. Their outbursts of oaths and threats and harsh criticisms of the culprits who crossed their plans do not sound weak. But that noise is all a camouflage of weakness. Patience demands tremendous inner strength.

For the Christian, this strength comes from God. That is why Paul is praying for the Colossians. He is asking God to empower them for the patient endurance that the Christian life requires. But when he says that the strength of patience is “according to [God’s] glorious might” he doesn’t just mean that it takes divine power to make a person patient. He means that faith in this “glorious might” is the channel through which the power for patience comes.

Patience is indeed a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but the Holy Spirit empowers (with all his fruit) through “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:5). Therefore Paul is praying that God would connect us with the “glorious might” that empowers patience. And that connection is faith.

SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE IN CHRISTIANITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 26, 2023.

SUBJECT: SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE IN CHRISTIANITY!

Memory verse: "Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon You: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.” (Psalm 31 vs 17.)

READ: Romans 10 vs 8 - 10; Second Corinthians 4 vs 13:

Romans 10:8: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith, which we preach):

10:9: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10:10: For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Second Corinthians 4:13: And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak.

INTIMATION:

People say silence is golden, and it can certainly be so. But in Christendom it is certainly very expensive, and most times costs Christians the things they wanted from God. In Christianity confession is greatly required, in whatever form it is made; either confession of guilt or acknowledgement of faith.

Unfortunately, in our society the word "confession" has come to have mainly a negative, rather than a positive, meaning. Today we usually associate confession with guilt. People who have committed crimes "confess" them. And some denominations stress negative confession; confession of sins, faults, shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures. Even according to most dictionary definitions, confession carries with it the idea of guilt. 

The confession of admitting guilt or acknowledging our sins to God is also necessary for forgiveness of sin and restoration of fellowship with God. In First John 1 vs 9, the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The directive to do that is for us to get right with God and to continue our fellowship with Him.

However, the definition that should be emphasized, one which also is in the secular dictionary, is "the acknowledgment of a belief." Christians are followers of Christ, that means the acknowledgment of His saving power. The confession of our belief—our faith—is the confession of God's Word. Hearing God's Word, claiming it for your own, saying His promise is for you, and receiving the results of that promise are the orderly and direct steps along the pathway to God.

The Scripture in Hebrews 4 vs 14 - 16 says, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest  who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Prayer is our approach to God, and we are to come boldly. God's mercy to us when we come is assured, provided we hold fast to our confession of faith and believe in Him. 

We get what we say because God honors His Word, and His Word says in Mark 11 vs 23,  ‘....whoever says.....and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.’ That is an awesome promise from God. But most people keep missing it because they are not holding fast to their confession. In the morning they will pray and believe God for divine healing, and in the afternoon, they are already confessing that they are sick. Instead of thanking God for answered prayer in faith, they are not sure yet. How then can they receive when their confession is double and in opposite direction.

The Scripture says, "Can two walk together, except they are agreed?" (Amos 3 vs 3).

When you can't hold fast to your confession, you are not agreeing with God, and it is difficult to walk together with Him. A double minded person is a doubter, unstable in all his ways (James 1 vs 8). And the Bible says that "He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." (James 1 vs 6 - 7.) 

What you confess you possess. If it is a negative confession, the results will be negative. If it is a positive confession, the result will be Godward. Many people spoil their confession by wavering between the positive "Yes" and faltering "No" to the Word of God. When your heart gives a positive "Yes" to the Word, positive results will begin to occur in your life.

T. L. Osborn, the world renowned missionary and evangelist once said that the Bible truth of the effect of the positive confession of the Word of God was the great springboard to his whole ministry around the world. He said knowing what you do about the confession of the Word of God makes you a man richly blessed by God.

Fortunately for us, however, God does not wait until we have gone through all those steps, as if we were working for some kind of permit, license, or diploma. At our very first turning toward Him—our Heavenly Father, He stretches out His hand and draws us steadfastly along the way. While we are still in the babyhood of faith, He is urging us toward the positive confession of His place in every area of our lives. He will never draw away from us. If we falter or waver, however, He gives us back the choice, and we may lose ground in our spiritual progress.

Engage therefore, the power in spoken words, and keep on confessing positively, "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12 vs 37.) I encourage you today start confessing positively, and make the Word of God your bedrock for living; confess the Word and hold fast to your confession, and your life will begin to experience strange blessings of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, forever Your Word is settled in heaven. O Lord, give me the grace to speak Your Word in faith at all times because I believe, and I will receive my confession because I have no doubt in my heart that You will do what You says You will do, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God’s Design in Detours

 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Have you ever wondered what God is doing while you are looking in the wrong place for something you lost and needed very badly? He knows exactly where it is, and yet he is letting you look in the wrong place.

I once needed a quote for a new edition of my book Desiring God. I knew I had read it in Richard Wurmbrand. I thought it was in his devotional book, Reaching Toward the Heights. I could almost see it on the right hand side of the facing pages. But I couldn’t find it.

But while I was looking, I was riveted on his devotional for November 30. As I read it, I said, “This is why the Lord let me keep looking for my quote in the ‘wrong’ place.” Here was a story that illustrated perfectly that nothing is wasted that we do in the name of Jesus — nothing, not even looking for a quote in the wrong place. Here’s what I read:

In a home for retarded children, Catherine was nurtured twenty years. The child had been [mentally handicapped] from the beginning, and had never spoken a word, but only vegetated. She either gazed quietly at the walls or made distorted movements. To eat, to drink, to sleep, were her whole life. She seemed not to participate at all in what happened around her. A leg had to be amputated. The staff wished Cathy well and hoped that the Lord would soon take her to Himself.

One day the doctor called the director to come quickly. Catherine was dying. When both entered the room, they could not believe their senses. Catherine was singing Christian hymns she had heard and had picked up, just those suitable for death beds. She repeated over and over again the German song, “Where does the soul find its fatherland, its rest?” She sang for half an hour with transfigured face, then she passed away quietly. (Taken from The Best Is Still to Come, Wuppertal: Sonne und Shild)

Is anything that is done in the name of Christ really wasted?

My frustrated, futile search for what I thought I needed was not wasted. Singing to this disabled child was not wasted. And your agonizing, unplanned detour is not a waste — not if you look to the Lord for his unexpected work, and do everything in his name (Colossians 3:17).

SERVE DILIGENTLY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MAY 25, 2023.

SUBJECT: SERVE DILIGENTLY! 

Memory verse: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9 vs 10.)

READ: Colossians 3 vs 22 - 4 vs 1: 

3:22: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 

3:23: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 

3:24: knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

3:25: But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

4:1: Masters give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

INTIMATION: 

To serve is; to work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.; specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship. Diligent service is characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks.

Christians should serve with diligence in everything they do (Romans 12 vs 11). When the Christian is working for his living, therefore, he is working on behalf of the Lord. When one becomes a Christian, his attitude changes concerning his work in making a living. As a Christian, he goes to work every day for the Lord and he works to earn a living to support his own necessities (Acts 20 vs 34).

Since the Creation, God has given us work to do. If we could regard our work as an act of worship or service to God, such attitude would take some of the drudgery and boredom out of it. We should be diligent, and could work without complaining or resentment if we would treat our job problems as the cost of discipleship.

Employees should work for their employers as they would for Christ. With such an attitude of servitude they are doing the will of God. When one is giving service to others according to his social obligations, he must render such as he would serve God. The purpose of the employee is to make sure that his employer is successful. In this way, the employee protects his job and provides for his family.

Can you be trusted to do your best, even when the boss is not around? Do you work hard and with enthusiasm? Do you treat your employees as people, not as machines? Employers should pay fair wages and treat their employees justly. Leaders should take care of their volunteers and not abuse them. If you have responsibility over others, make sure you do what is just and fair. Remember that no matter whom you work for, and no matter who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven. You are accountable to Him.

Employers, on the other hand, should pay fair wages and treat their employees justly. Apostle Paul’s instructions, in the Scriptures we read today, encourage responsibility and integrity on the job. Christian employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. And Christian employers should treat their employees fairly and with respect. Employees should not manifest an arrogant or defiant attitude in carrying out their duties. Their service to their employers should not to be from a hypocritical spirit, but from a sincere attitude of service. Their sincerity in service would reap consideration from their employers. They are to give their service to their employers as they would serve the Lord.

There are instances where employee’s good attitude and work may not be recognized and rewarded by the employer. However, God does recognize such and will eventually reward such in eternal glory. The work of an employee on the job is working for the Lord, for the Lord has ordained that one should provide for his own sustenance.

Christian employers must not extract performance out of their employees through threats. They must remember they have the Lord as their Master, before whom they will eventually give account. They must deal with their employees as they would have the Lord deal with them. 

In fact, one would conclude that an employee in today’s economic structure should treat his employer with even greater servitude in view of the fact that he has freedom to quit the job. In all things, the Christian employee must remember that it is his responsibility to make his employer successful. If through responsible conduct he does not, he will be out of job, and subsequently bring shame on the name of Jesus. 

Employees should carry out their duties with a sincere heart. If they give grudging service, such will bring harshness upon them by their masters. Their service should be motivated out of a heart that fears God. In the Old Testament, the fear of God was in reference to one’s obedience to God. Those who feared God obeyed His commandments. 

Both employees and employers who do wrong to their masters and employers will reap what they sow. Both should work in view of the fact that all men will stand in judgement before God. But the believer works for that which is beyond this life. His work is not in vein, therefore, because his works will be following to eternity. (First Corinthians 15 vs 58; Revelation 14 vs 13). 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to offer my service diligently at all times knowing that in every service I am serving You the Lord as my works follow me to eternity, and Your reward is with You to give to everyone according to his works, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Bedrock of Your Assurance

 

God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Bible speaks of our election — God’s choosing us — in Christ before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4) before we had done anything good or evil (Romans 9:11). Therefore, our election is unconditional in the strictest sense. Neither our faith nor our obedience is the basis of it. It is free and utterly undeserved.

On the other hand, dozens of passages in the Bible speak of our final salvation (as opposed to our election in eternity past) as conditional upon a changed heart and life. So, the question arises, How can I have the assurance that I will persevere in the faith and holiness necessary for inheriting eternal life?

The answer is that assurance is rooted in our election. Second Peter 1:10 says, “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Divine election is the foundation of God’s commitment to save me, and therefore that he will undertake to work in me by sanctifying grace what his electing grace has begun.

This is the meaning of the new covenant. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a secure beneficiary of the new covenant, because Jesus said in Luke 22:20, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” That is, by my blood I secure the new covenant for all who are mine.

In the new covenant God does not merely command obedience; he gives it. “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27; cf. 11:20). Those are new covenant promises.

Election is God’s eternal commitment to do this for his people. So, election guarantees that those whom God justifies by faith he will most assuredly glorify (Romans 8:30). This means that he will unfailingly work in us all the conditions laid down for glorification.

Election is the final ground of assurance because, since it is God’s commitment to save, it is also God’s commitment to enable all that is necessary for salvation.

GODLY GREATNESS IS THROUGH SERVICE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY, 24, 2023.

SUBJECT: GODLY GREATNESS IS THROUGH SERVICE! 

Memory verse: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23 vs 11.)

READ: Matthew 20 vs 25 - 28: 

20:25: But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.

20:26: Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

20:27: And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—

20:28: just as the Son of Man did not came to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

INTIMATION: 

Godly greatness is achieved through service. Greatness is the state, condition, or quality of being great; as, greatness of size, greatness of mind, power, etc. Great is ascribed to a person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field. To serve is to meet the needs of, and subject one’s will to that of another. Therefore, godly greatness is achieved through distinctive and honorable commitment to serving God and His creation. To serve God is to subject to the will of God. When we give our lives in service to God, we discover the real purpose of living; you live an exceedingly fruitful life and achieve greatness in God’s assessment. Real discipleship implies real commitment—pledging our whole existence to His service or will. 

All the disciples wanted to be the greatest (Matthew 18 vs 1), but Jesus taught them that the greatest person in God’s kingdom is the servant of all. Authority is given, not for self-importance, ambition, or respect, but for useful service to God and His creation. Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 23 vs 11, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant." Jesus challenged society’s norm. To Him 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. Jesus, the greatest man, came as a servant. Evaluate yourself to find out what kind of greatness you seek.

God requires our all in serving Him. In Matthew 16 vs 24 - 25, Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” In service to God, if we try to save our physical life from death, pain, or discomfort, we may risk losing our true eternal life. If we protect ourselves from the pains, and discomfort of this world, usually inherent in service to God, we begin to die spiritually and emotionally. Our lives turn inward, we become selfish, and we lose our intended purpose.

Service is a cure for selfishness. In Philippians 2 vs 3 the Bible says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Considering others' interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of selflessness. We are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. 

We are called to serve even at great cost to us. In Luke 1 vs 26 - 38, God visited Mary through an angel and asked her to serve Him. She was told that she will conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son. Mary wondered how possible this can be, since she knew no man and was only betrothed to Joseph. The angel assured her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the power of the Highest will overshadow her. It is logical for her to have doubted because such has never happened in history, and she ought to have refused because of the enormous negative societal implications of conceiving and bearing a child outside marriage. 

A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own family rejected her, and she cannot fend for herself as a single parent, she could be forced out into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary said, despite the possible risks, "Let it be done to me according to your word." When Mary said that she didn't know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She only knew that God was asking her to serve Him, and she willingly obeyed. She never bothered about the bottom line before offering her life to God. 

God has a place for all to serve. He knows us more than we know ourselves, and we are called to serve God in specific ways. Therefore, avoid excuses when God calls you to serve. He that called you knows about you and will equip you for any tasks He gives you. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that He does not know all about us or that He has made a mistake in evaluating our character. Spend the time to make excuses on doing what God wants. 

Jesus, the greatest man ever, came to be a servant to the spiritual needs of humanity. As He made tremendous sacrifices to pay our debt, so we should work to serve the needs of others to achieve real greatness—godly greatness!

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to serve You and others diligently and acceptably with the talents, abilities, and resources You bestowed on me, that I may lead a purposeful and fulfilled life, and achieve godly greatness, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!