Step aside with Jesus by ClaudyGod

 

Heaven’s Relief in the Coming Wrath

 

God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted . . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:6–8)

There will come a time when the patience of God is over. When God has seen his people suffer for the allotted time, and the appointed number of martyrs is complete (Revelation 6:11), then a just and holy vengeance will come from heaven.

Notice that God’s vengeance on those who have afflicted his people is experienced by us as “relief.” “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted.” In other words, the judgment on “those who afflict” us is a form of grace toward us.

Perhaps the most remarkable picture of judgment as grace is the picture of Babylon’s destruction in Revelation 18. At her destruction, a great voice from heaven cries, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!” (Revelation 18:20). Then a great multitude is heard saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants” (Revelation 19:1–2).

When God’s patience has run its long-suffering course, and this age is over, and judgment comes on the enemies of God’s people, the saints will not disapprove of God’s justice.

This means that the final destruction of the unrepentant will not be experienced as a misery for God’s people.

The unwillingness of others to repent will not hold the affections of the saints hostage. Hell will not be able to blackmail heaven into misery. God’s judgment will be approved, and the saints will experience the vindication of truth as a great grace.

YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD’S USE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 30, 3023. 

SUBJECT: YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD’S USE!

Memory verse: "Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out of two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.” (Joshua 2 vs 1.)

READ: Acts 23 vs 16 - 22:

23:16: So when Paul's sister's son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

23:17: Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”

23:18: So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.

23:19: Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that that you have to tell me?”

23:20: And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to enquirer more fully about him.

23:21: But do not yield to them: for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now they are ready, waiting for a promise from you.

23:22: So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

INTIMATION:

God has no favorites; none preferred above others, liked or loved above others. We are all created in His own image and after His likeness. We are equally loved by Him; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3 vs 16). 

God’s work in history is not limited by human failures or sins, and He works through ordinary people. He can use anyone, of any age, and any background, who is willing to yield to Him. Just as God used all kinds of people to bring His Son into the world, He uses all kinds of people today to accomplish His will. And God can use you. Nobody is excluded from God’s Love, but we appropriate it to ourselves by believing in His Son—Jesus Christ—He sent to us. 

Several heroes in the Bible were common people: Jacob was known as a deceiver but God used him to “father” the Israelite nation (Genesis 27 - 28). Joseph was a slave in Egypt, but God used him to save his family, and the birth of Israelite nation (Genesis 39). Moses was a shepherd in exile and a murderer, but God used him to lead Israel out of bondage to the Promised Land (Exodus 3). Gideon was a farmer but God used him to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6 vs 11 - 14). 

Jephthah was the Son of a harlot, but God used him to deliver Israel from the Ammonites (Judges 11). David was a shepherd boy and last-born of the family, but God used him exceedingly to defeat the enemies of the Israelites, and he became Israel’s greatest king. Esther was a slave girl, but God used her to save her people from massacre (The Book of Esther). 

Mary was a peasant girl, but God made her the mother of Jesus (Luke 1 vs 27 - 28). Matthew was a tax collector, but God used him as one of the apostles and Gospel writer (Matthew 9 vs 9). Paul a persecutor of Christians, but God converted him to be the most influential of the apostles (First Corinthians 15 vs 9 - 10).

Our memory verse relates to the use of a prostitute by God to accomplish His plan. Rahab was a prostitute in the city of Jericho. As a prostitute, she lived on the edge of society, one stop short of rejection. Her house, built right into the city wall, provided both lodging and favors to travelers. God used her and gave her the courage to hide the spies and lie to the authorities. God can work through people, like Rahab, whom we are inclined to reject. God remembered her because of her faith, not her profession.  

In the passage we read today, God used a child to accomplish His plan to save the apostle Paul’s life. It is easy to overlook children, assuming that they aren’t old enough to do much for the Lord. But this young man played an important part in protecting Paul’s life. Even Jesus made it clear that children are important (Matthew 18 vs 2 - 6).

The encounter of Jesus with the woman of Samaria in John 4 vs 7 - 42 clearly emphasizes God’s character of not being particular about your background, and loves us equally. The woman: (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No responsible Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did, her social status, past sin, and her race notwithstanding. 

The same woman was used to convert a whole city—the city of Samaria to Christ. If at times you feel like a failure, remember that Rahab rose above her situation through her trust in God. You can do the same. Jesus selected “ordinary” men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities to be His disciples. He can use you!

Prayer: Abba Father, I love You, all I have is Yours, Yours I am, Yours I want to be, use me as it pleases You. Here I am, ready for whatever You let me do, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

The Powerful Root of Practical Love

 

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. (1 John 3:14)

So, love is the evidence that we are born again — that we are Christians, that we are saved.

Sometimes the Bible makes our holiness and our love for people the condition of our final salvation. In other words, if we are not holy and not loving, we will not be saved at the judgment day (e.g., Hebrews 12:14; Galatians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:10). This doesn’t mean that acts of love are how we get right with God. No, the Bible is clear again and again as Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” No, when the Bible says that we are saved by faith but that we must love people in order to finally be saved, it means that faith in God’s promises must be so real that the love it produces proves the reality of the faith.

So, love for others is a condition of future grace in the sense that it confirms that the primary condition, faith, is genuine. We could call love for others a secondary condition, which confirms the authenticity of the primary and essential condition of faith which alone unites us to Christ, and receives his power.

Faith perceives the glory of God in the promises of future grace and embraces all that the promises reveal of what God is for us in Jesus. That spiritual sight of God’s glory, and our delight in it, is the self-authenticating evidence that God has called us to be a beneficiary of his grace. This evidence frees us to bank on God’s promise as our own. And this banking on the promise empowers us to love. Which in turn confirms that our faith is real.

The world is desperate for a faith that combines two things: awestruck sight of unshakable divine Truth, and utterly practical, round-the-clock power to make a liberating difference in life. That’s what I want too. Which is why I am a Christian.

There is a great God of grace who magnifies his own infinite beauty and self-sufficiency by fulfilling promises to helpless people who trust him. And there is a power that comes from prizing this God that leaves no nook or cranny of life untouched. It empowers us to love in the most practical ways.

GOD BRINGS GOOD OUT OF BAD CIRCUMSTANCES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JUNE 29, 3023.

SUBJECT : GOD BRINGS GOOD OUT OF BAD CIRCUMSTANCES!

Memory verse: "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.” (Romans 8 vs 28.)

READ: Genesis 50 vs 17 - 20:

50:17: Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spake to him.

50:18: Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

50:19: Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?

50:20: But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

INTIMATION:

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 know what good He may bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation. No problem is too complicated for God if you are willing to let Him help you. Any trial a believer faces can ultimately bring glory to God because God can bring good out of any bad situation. 

When trouble comes, do you grumble, complain, and blame God, or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor Him? God can even use our sins for good purposes if we are sorry for them and seek His forgiveness. When we confess our sins, the way is opened for God to bring good from a bad situation.

God works in “all things”—not just isolated incidents—for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Certain things can happen in our lives for the ultimate purpose of God to be fulfilled in our lives. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill His purpose. 

Note that the promise in our anchor Scripture is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by Him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set. They trust in God, not in worldly treasures, their security is in heaven, not on earth. Their faith in God does not waiver in pain and persecution because they know God is with them. 

There are some personalities in the Scriptures that God demonstrated in them His concept of bringing out good out of bad circumstances. In the passage we read today, the experience in Joseph’s life, who was sold to slavery by his brothers out of envy, taught him, and teaches us also, that God brings good from evil for those who trust in Him. He overrules people’s evil intentions to bring about His intended good results. In Joseph’s case, He brought good from the brothers’ evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusation, the butler’s neglect, and seven years of famine. Trust God enough and wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations you face.

Although Joseph’s brothers didn’t kill him outright, they wouldn’t expect him to survive for long as a slave. They were quite willing to let cruel slave traders do their dirty work for them. Joseph faced a 30-day journey through the desert, probably chained and on foot. He will be treated like baggage, and once in Egypt would be sold as a piece of merchandise. 

His brothers had wanted to get rid of him, but God used even their evil actions to fulfill His ultimate plan. He had sent Joseph ahead to preserve their lives, save Egypt, and prepare the way for the beginning of the nation of Israel. God is sovereign. His plans are not dictated by human actions! Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations you may be in? 

Jesus was a close friend to the family of Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. After the sisters informed Jesus that Lazarus was seriously sick, Jesus responded that the sickness would not lead to his permanent death. Jesus delayed before going to the family to see His sick friend. Lazarus did die. He was buried and was already four days in the tomb before Jesus came.

However, Jesus knew that He would raise him from the dead because He was nearing the end of His ministry. He thus needed to work the great miracle in order to agitate the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus would be glorified through the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. This would be the final miracle to stir the religious leaders to great jealousy, and thus, they would take Him to the cross. His eventful death on the cross, His burial and resurrection from the dead occasioned the salvation of man, and hope for eternal life.

God is still who He is; unchanging and dependable, our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. He has promised that those who put their trust in Him, will never be put to shame. Anchor your life in Him, and your victory in life’s circumstances is assured. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so faithful and compassionate. Your thoughts for me is of good, and I will not despair in any circumstances of life I find myself because I am persuaded that Your loving kindness and tender mercy is available to bring good out of any seemingly bad situation I may be in. You, O Lord that promised is faithful and will do it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Enduring When Obeying Hurts

 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

What faith performs is sometimes unspeakably hard. 

In his book Miracle on the River Kwai, Ernest Gordon tells the true story of a group of POWs working on the Burma Railway during World War II. 

At the end of each day the tools were collected from the work party. On one occasion a Japanese guard shouted that a shovel was missing and demanded to know which man had taken it. He began to rant and rave, working himself up into a paranoid fury and ordered whoever was guilty to step forward. No one moved. “All die! All die!” he shrieked, cocking and aiming his rifle at the prisoners. At that moment one man stepped forward and the guard clubbed him to death with his rifle while he stood silently to attention. When they returned to the camp, the tools were counted again and no shovel was missing.

What can sustain the will to die for others, when you are innocent? Jesus was carried and sustained in his love for us by “the joy that was set before him.” He banked on a glorious future blessing and joy, and that carried and sustained him in love through his suffering. 

Woe to us if we think we should or can be motivated and strengthened for radical, costly obedience by some higher motive than the joy that is set before us. When Jesus called for costly obedience that would require sacrifice in this life, he said in Luke 14:14, “You will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” In other words, be strengthened now in all your losses for Christ’s sake, because of the joy set before you.

Peter said that, when Jesus suffered without retaliating, he was leaving us an example to follow — and that includes Jesus’s confidence in the joy set before him. He handed his cause over to God (1 Peter 2:21) and did not try to settle accounts with retaliation. He banked his hope on the resurrection and all the joys of reunion with his Father and the redemption of his people. So should we.

IDOLS IN OUR LIVES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 28, 2023.

SUBJECT : IDOLS IN OUR LIVES!

Memory verse: "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that causes them stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be enquired of at all by them?” (Ezekiel 14 vs 3.)

READ: Job 31 vs 24 vs 28:

31:24: If I have made gold my hope. Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; 

31:25: If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 

31:26: If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 

31:27: So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 31:28: This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgement, For I would have denied God who is above.

INTIMATION:

An idol is an object of worship (most times made in stone or wood), an object of love, admiration, or honor in an extreme degree. In our first imagination of an idol we think of an idol as statues of wood or stone, but in reality an idol is anything natural that is given sacred value and power. The statues of object were not evil in themselves, but people gave them credit for what only God could do, such as provide good weather, crops, children, happiness etc.  

If your answer to any of the following questions is anything or anyone other than God, you may need to check out who or what you are worshiping: 

• Who created me?
• Whom do I ultimately trust?
• Whom do I look to for ultimate truth?
• Whom do I look to for security and happiness? 
• Who is in charge of my future?

The answers to the above listed questions, and also the following questions will be of immense help to discern the ideal life expected of a believer; Is there anything you feel you cannot live without? Is there any priority greater than God? Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize? Does God take first place in your life? Do you worship God or idols of your own making?

Worshiping of an idol is regarded as idolatry. Idolatry is the greatest sin against God because it is rejection of God Himself. And worshiping or regarding or trusting in anything rather than God violates the very first commandment of God—“You shall no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20 vs 3). And Jesus reemphasized this Commandment in Matthew 4 vs 10, “Worship the LORD your God, and only Him shall you serve.” 

When you have any other gods, rather than the only true God, you cannot be His own, and no matter how faithfully you keep other nine commandments you can’t please Him, hence He made this the first commandment. Today we can allow many things to become gods to us. Money, fame, work, pleasure or problem can become gods when we concentrate too much on them for personal identity, meaning, and security. 

In the passage we read today, Job affirmed that depending on wealth for happiness is idolatry and denies our Father in heaven. Jesus’ authority is established over all of creation so we dare not treat any created object or earthly resource as more important than He is. When we spend more time on ourselves than on serving Christ, we treat ourselves (His creation) as being more important than our Creator. When we regard our finances, rather than our faith in Christ, as the basis for security, we give higher status to an earthly resource than we do to God. 

Our dependence on what God has given us, like money and possessions, is an acceptance of our society's obsession with such things as a necessary evil or "the way it works" in the modern world. Although, every society in every age has valued the power and prestige that money brings, but true believers must purge themselves of the deep-seated desire for such things as more power, prestige, and possessions. They must also put their absolute trust in God, and use the resources given to them for service to Him and humanity.

Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to Him as Creator and Sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish ideas. These God’s may be wooden figures, or they may also be goals or things we pursue, such as money, power, or possessions. They may even be misrepresentations of God Himself— making God in our image, instead of the reverse.

No normal person sets out with the intention of worshiping these things. But by the amount of time we devote to them, they can grow into gods that ultimately control our thoughts, emotions, and energies. Letting God hold the central place in our lives keeps these things from turning into gods. As societies change, they often throw out norms and values no longer considered necessary or acceptable. Believers must be careful not to allow society’s example if it discards God’s Word. When society does that, only godlessness and evil remain. 

When one idolizes something in his heart, he cannot give his full commitment to God. The heart is considered the core of a person’s intellect and spirit. Because all people have someone or something as the object of their heart’s devotion, they have the potential for idolatry within them. God wants to recapture the hearts of His people. We must never let anything captivate our allegiance or imagination in such a way that it replaces or weakens our devotion to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are God, the only God I know and serve. In You I live, and move and have my being. Whatever will take my attention and trust away from You let me not live to see it. Whatever is capable of taking the first place in my life instead of You, O Lord, may it never come to me. in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

A Hiding Place for the Helpless

 

How abundant is your goodness, which you have . . . worked for those who take refuge in you. (Psalm 31:19)

The experience of future grace often hangs on whether we will take refuge in God, or whether we doubt his care and run for cover to other shelters.

For those who take refuge in God, the promises of future grace are many and rich.

None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:22)

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (2 Samuel 22:31)

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:12)

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7)

We do not earn or merit anything by taking refuge in God. Hiding, because we are weak and need protection, is not a work to commend our self-sufficiency. All it does is show that we regard ourselves as helpless and the hiding place as a place of rescue.

In all those promises I just quoted, the condition of great blessing from God is that we take refuge in him. That condition is not a meritorious one; it is the condition of desperation and acknowledged weakness and need and trust.

Desperation does not demand or deserve; it pleads for mercy and looks for grace.

LET ALL YOU DO BE MOTIVATED BY LOVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JUNE 27, 2023.

SUBJECT : LET ALL YOU DO BE MOTIVATED BY LOVE!

Memory verse: "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." (First Corinthians 13 vs 3.)

READ: First Corinthians 13 vs 1 - 3:

13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

13:2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

13:3: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

INTIMATION:

Love is having great affection for, feeling a passionate attraction to, and being fond of something or someone. God demands that our motivation in all we do should be by the geatest gift of love, that our driving force should be ‘love,’—love for Him and others.  God considers love as the greatest gift anybody can give, and demonstrated it when He Himself gave to the world His only begotten Son—Jesus—as a propitiation for our sins. 

Jesus gave His life for us; that we might have our own life and live through Him. He considered it the greatest gift of love anyone can give, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15 vs 13). No such gift has ever been given, and I doubt the possibility of ever having any gifts greater than this; exchanging something of inestimable value with something completely worthless. 

However, we may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love; listening, helping, encouraging, giving, sharing in grief etc. Sacrificial love is demonstrated in stretching yourself more than normal in offering yourself for God and others.

In giving His Son, the driving force to God is love for the world; “For God so loved the world that He gave...” (John 3 vs 16.) The apostle John said that by such act of God in given His Son, who laid down His life for us, we know love. And that should be our motive in all we do; we should love one another and ready to ‘lay down our lives for others,’—that is, serving others with no thoughts of receiving anything in return. 

John further stated that “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (First John4 vs 7 - 8.) The person who in not motivated by love does not know the first thing about God, because God is Love—so you can’t know Him if you don’t love. 

The Scripture makes it clear that no one has seen God, ever, or can see God. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and His perfect love becomes complete in us. And this is how we know we are living steadily and deeply in Him and He in us. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.

Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body. Great faith, acts of dedication and sacrifice, and miracle-working power, etc, all have little effect without love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. You aren't going to see a supernatural return on your giving when you do it with the wrong motive. It has to come from a humble and loving heart that desires to bless other people. The motive behind what you do is more important than the action itself, and giving with a wrong motive is of no benefit. Although people have different gifts, Love is available to everyone.

In the passage we read today, we can understand that you can go so far as to make the ultimate sacrifice of laying down your life, but it will be of no benefit to you if it isn't done out of a motivation of love. It will bless the person you sacrificed yourself for, but it isn't going to result in a supernatural return for you. 

Jesus gave us the ‘Greatest Commandment’ of love, saying, “And You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ‘This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There are no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12 vs 30 - 31.)

God’s laws are not burdensome. They can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others. These commands are from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6 vid 5; Leviticus 19 vs 18). When you love God completely and care for others as you care for yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of the Ten Commandments and the other Old Testament laws. 

According to Jesus, these two commandments summarize all God’s laws. Let them rule your thoughts, decisions, and actions. Let sincere love for God and others be your motivating factor in all you do. When you are uncertain about what to do, ask yourself which course of action best demonstrates love for God and love for others.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who is given to us. Endue me with the grace and power to love as You loved and gave Your life for us. Let my love for You and my neighbor showcase my abiding in You, and You in me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Fear That Draws Us In

 

“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)

There is a fear that is slavish and drives us away from God, and there is a fear that is sweet and draws us to God. Moses warned against the one and called for the other in the very same verse, Exodus 20:20: “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’”

The clearest illustration I have ever seen of this kind of good fear was the time one of my sons looked a German shepherd in the eye. We were visiting a family from our church. My son Karsten was about seven years old. They had a huge dog that stood eye to eye with a seven-year-old.

He was friendly and Karsten had no problem making friends. But when we sent Karsten back to the car to get something we had forgotten, he started to run, and the dog galloped up behind him with a low growl. And of course, this frightened Karsten. But the owner said, “Karsten, why don’t you just walk? The dog doesn’t like it when people run away from him.”

If Karsten hugged the dog, he was friendly and would even lick his face. But if he ran from the dog, the dog would growl and fill Karsten with fear.

That’s a picture of what it means to fear the Lord. God means for his power and holiness to kindle fear in us, not to drive us from him, but to drive us to him. Fearing God means, first, fearing to abandon him as our great security and satisfaction.

Or another way to say it is that we should fear unbelief. Fear not trusting God’s goodness. Isn’t that the point of Romans 11:20? “You stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” That is, what we should fear is not believing, not having faith. Fear running away from God. But if we walk with him and hug his neck, he will be our friend and protector forever.

CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JUNE 26, 2023. 

SUBJECT : CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON GOD!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 30::

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:37: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

6:31: "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or What where shall we wear?' 

6:32: For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to You.

INTIMATION:

The manufacturer of any product knows the reasons and purposes for doing so, and provides the means for its proper functioning. So it is with our God—the Creator and Owner of us all. He knows His reasons and purposes for creating anything He created, and provides all that are necessary for the effective functioning of all He created so as to achieve the desired purposes. All those needs are in constant supply according to His promises.

The same God who created you can be trusted with the details of your life. He knows all your needs even before you mention them. Remember He is the All-Knowing God, Whom the end is known to in the beginning (Isaiah 46 vs 10). Jesus asked the intriguing question, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Obviously, without life there are no needs for food and clothing. Therefore, if He has given you life, rest assured of His provisions of the necessities for sustaining the life, and He already knows of those needs (Matthew 6 vs 31).

In the passage we read today, Jesus taught of the wonderful ways God takes care of all He created; supplying them of their desired needs to live without any efforts of theirs. He gave two classical examples of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. The birds neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet they have never lacked because He supplies their needs. And also, the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, but the glory of their beautiful flowers are even better than the works of human designs and beautification. 

Have you ever read a headline about millions of birds dying of starvation? No! And you never will. They don't plant, or harvest, or store food away, yet God feeds them. If God cares that much for a tiny little bird, think how much better care He will take of a person who has been made in His image and after His likeness! Jesus is encouraging us that we can have much more confidence in God to take care of us. This seems a radical statement because we feel like it's our duty to worry about things, but God is telling us to rely on Him with our whole heart. (Proverbs 3 vs 5; First Peter 5 vs 7.)

There should be a difference between Christians and unbelievers—between people who have covenant with God, and people who are trying to do it all on their own. We shouldn't be out in the world chasing possessions and struggling to survive the same way that the unbelievers are doing. God wants us to prosper, and we have a covenant of all round blessings. Our covenant of blessing stems from the blessing of our father Abraham who was blessed in all things (Genesis 24 vs 1; Galatians 3 vs 14). 

God is concerned for every aspect of our lives. He can be trusted with the details of your life. He never ignores those who depend on Him; ‘Those who put there trust in Him can never be put to shame’ (Romans 10 vs 11). He wants us to prosper in every way: physically, emotionally, financially, and in our relationships. Our duty is to put Him first in our life, and all our needs will be supplied according to His plans and purposes. God is pleased when we prosper! He wants to see us succeed. (See Psalm 35 vs 27; Third John 2.)

You have to rely on God and trust that He is your source—putting God first in everything in your life. It has to be a heart-level revelation, not just a conclusion you arrive at mentally. And once you grab hold of this, it will revolutionize your life, you will be completely transformed. He will begin to supernaturally take care of you. It will bring you a tremendous amount of peace and confidence.

Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God, and it’s more harmful than helpful in our relationship with Him. It negatively hampers our efforts in relating with Him in the now—our faith in Him. God deals with our daily needs, hence Jesus’ teaching of our living one day at a time, and asking for our daily bread from Him (Matthew 6 vs 11). Let God’s counsel in His Word rule you at all time; “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13 vs 5). 

Prayer: Abba Father, my absolute trust is in You. What You cannot do for me, may it remain undone. What You cannot do for me, may I never have it. Endue me with the spirit of contentment, and eschew all forms of worry in my life. in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WAIT FOR GOD’S APPOINTED AND PERFECT TIME!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JUNE 25, 2023.

SUBJECT : WAIT FOR GOD’S APPOINTED AND PERFECT TIME!

Memory verse: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2 vs 3.) 

READ: Daniel 8 vs 16 - 19:

8:16: And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel make this man understand the vision.”

8:17: So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

8:18: Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.

8:19: And He said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation, for at the appointed time the end shall be.

INTIMATION:

God is our Creator, and is 'All-Knowing’—perfect in knowledge. The end of all things are known to Him from the beginning (Isaiah 46 vs 10.). Even when we are yet unformed in our mother’s womb, He knew us and everything about us. God created all things, and planned all things according to His purpose and timing; "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”

(Ecclesiastes 3 vs 1). And at the fullness of His time—at His appointed time—He will cause things to happen according to His predetermined purposes. For this reason, He is always on time.

God is perfect (Matthew 5 vs 48), and consequently, everything about Him is perfect. 

He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows us perfectly. We may sometimes wonder if God will ever respond to our prayers, but we must never doubt Him or give up hope. At the right time He will respond. Trust His judgement and trust that He has your best interests in mind (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). God is omnipresent—He is present everywhere. Consequently, you can never escape from His Spirit. 

From our perspective, God sometimes seems slow to intervene on our behalf. But what might appear slow to us is good timing from God’s perspective. It is easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on Him. When God is silent and you are in deep anguish, be patient and know that “all things work together for good to those that love God, to those who are the called according to His “ (Romans 8 vs 28). All you need do is sit down and review your life; what God has done for you, and also review the great acts of God throughout biblical history. This will remind you that God is at work, not only in history, but also in your life today.

God will act when He is ready. For instance, children have difficulty grasping the concept of time. “It’s not time yet” is not a reason they easily understand because they only comprehend the present. And as His children, and as limited human beings, we can’t understand God’s perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God’s time is the best. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God’s timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan. Don’t take matters into your own hands.

God’s answer doesn’t always come the moment we want it. but God answers us when He knew the right time had come. God knows the best time to act. When you feel that God has forgotten you in your troubles, remember that God has a time schedule we can’t see. God may have seemed slow to you when in distress, and every day longed to be delivered. But God is not slow, He is just not on our timetable. God is not limited by time. It is easy for us to get discouraged when years pass and the world doesn’t get better. But for God, He can never be discouraged, and at the appointed time the change will come.

We sometimes wonder if God is able to see the future. But don’t assume that God has our limitations. God is completely unrestricted by time. Because He is eternal, we can depend on Him. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently for it, for surely it will take place, if God has assured about it. Of course, it isn’t easy to be patient but; “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” (Habakkuk 2 vs 3.) We must trust God even when we don’t understand why events occur as they do.

For instance, who will imagine the Savior of the world working in a carpenter’s shop in a small town until He was 30 years old! It seems incredible that Jesus would have been content to remain in Nazareth all that time, but He patiently trusted His Father’s timing for His life and ministry. Like Jesus, we need to resist the temptation to jump ahead before receiving the Spirit’s direction. Are you waiting and wondering what your next step should be? Don’t jump ahead—trust in God’s time.

Jesus in His ministry walk on the earth, demonstrated God’s timing in events when His friend Lazarus was sick and died. He loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew their pain but did not respond immediately. His delay had a specific purpose. He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11 vs 14.) God’s timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want. But He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose (Philippians 4 vs 19.) Patiently await His timing. 

God is with us through every situation, in every trial; protecting, loving, guiding us (Psalm 46 vs 1; 59 vs 16), and has promised He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13 vs 5), and will be with us always, even up to the end of age (Matthew 28 vs 20). He knows and loves us completely. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Faithful Companion, and Loving Father. I know You have the best plan and time for me. Let it be to me according to Your appointed and perfect timing, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Death Trap Called Covetousness

 Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

Covetousness can destroy the soul in hell forever. 

The reason I am sure that this destruction is not some temporary financial fiasco, but final destruction in hell, is what Paul says three verses later in 1 Timothy 6:12. He says that covetousness is to be resisted with the fight of faith. Then he adds, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession.” What’s at stake in fleeing covetousness and fighting for contentment by faith in future grace is eternal life. 

So, when Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9 that the desire to be rich plunges people into ruin, he isn’t saying that greed can mess up your marriage or your business (which it certainly can!). He is saying that covetousness can mess up your eternity. Or, as 1 Timothy 6:10 says at the end, “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (literally: “impaled themselves on many pains”). 

God has gone the extra mile in the Bible to warn us mercifully that the idolatry of covetousness is a no-win situation. It’s a dead-end street in the worst sense of the word. It’s a trick and a deadly trap.

So, my word to you is the word of 1 Timothy 6:11: “Flee these things.” When you see it coming (in a television ad or a Christmas catalog or an Internet pop-up or a neighbor’s purchase), run from it the way you would run from a roaring, starving lion escaped from the zoo. “Take hold of the eternal life.”

SIN AND GOD’S FORGIVENESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JUNE 24, 2023.

SUBJECT : SIN AND GOD’S FORGIVENESS!

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

READ: Second Chronicles 6 vs 36 - 39:

6:36: When they sin against You, (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them, and deliver them to their enemies, and they take them captives to a land far or near;

6:37: yet  when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;

6:38: and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captives, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:

6:39: then hear from the heaven Your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

INTIMATION:

Sin is a condition we all share, and we all should acknowledge it. The Bible makes it clear that no one is exempt from sin. The Scripture says, “What is man, that he should be clean? and he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? If God puts no trust in His saints, and the heavens are not pure in His sight, How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water!” (Job 15 vs 14 - 16.) 

No one but God is perfect, all of us stand guilty before Him (Romans 3 vs 23) and need His forgiveness. No matter how well we perform or how much we achieve compared to others, none of us can boast of his or her goodness when compared to God’s standard. God not only expects us to obey His laws, but He wants us to love Him with all our heart. No one except Jesus Christ has done that perfectly. Because we all fall short, we must turn to Christ to save us (Romans 10 vs 9 - 11). 

The Scripture says, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” (Ecclesiastes 7 vs 20.) No one can say I am pure from my sin. As soon as we confess our sin and repent, sinful thoughts and actions begin to creep back into our lives. We all need ongoing cleansing, moment by moment. Thank God for He provides forgiveness by His mercy when we ask for it. Make confession and repentance a regular part of your talks with God. Rely on Him moment by moment for the cleansing you need. 

The four conditions God has given us for forgiveness are: (1) Humble yourself by admitting your sins. Humbling yourself before the Lord is the first condition for seeking God’s forgiveness. God hears and dwells with the humble: “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57 vs 15.) 

(2) Pray to God, ask for forgiveness. Prayer is to make supplication or petition to God. It is a call of love of the Father to come and fellowship with Him. Prayer is our need crying out for help with the voice of faith to the Father. Prayer therefore, is born out of the sense of need, and the assurance that the need will be met. In summary, prayer is God's Will and part of His program for us, to come before Him with our needs. 

(3) Seek God continually. To seek the Lord is to search for Him, and desire to know Him, even the more. It is God’s delight that we seek Him; The Lord said, “Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God.” (Isaiah 58 vs 2). The Scripture says, “Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually.” (First Chronicles 16 vs 11.) 

(4) Turn from sinful behavior. True repentance is more than talk—it is changed behavior. Turning from your sinful ways is actually acknowledging that your former ways are unacceptable, and you genuinely desire to change. True repentance also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely repenting from our sins if we planed to commit them again, and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it. 

God will answer our earnest prayers, and knowing we have a tendency to sin should keep us close to God, seeking His guidance and strength. When we realize we have sinned, we should quickly ask God for forgiveness and restoration. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so merciful; forgiving my sins and remembering them no more. I desire to be in fellowship with You always, and for the endowment of Your grace to live a purposeful life in line with Your Will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!