Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 02, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE BELIEVER’S ERROR OF SELF-CONDEMNATION! 

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 17 - 19:

5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; Behold, all things have become new.

5:18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

5:19: that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

INTIMATION:

Guilty conscience is a deep feeling of self-reproach which stems from a belief that one has done wrong. Consequently, this results to self-condemnation under the weight of our sins. Such conscience or self-condemnation hinders our faith life in Christ. This problem of guilt feeling results in the inability of the believer to stand in the Father's presence without the sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. With such complex, the believer harbors doubt in his or her mind. And obviously, the doubter cannot ask in faith, and consequently, receives nothing from the Lord (James 1 vs 6 - 7). 

It is noteworthy that a believer has the right to stand in the Father's presence and make his or her petitions known to Him without any sense of condemnation. Here are few things that every believer should know: The believer is actually a “new creation”—brand-new person on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives the believer new life, and he or she is not the same anymore; “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.) 

Believers are created, and living in vital union with Christ, and have received into their spirits the life and nature of God. The old things of his nature of sin and disobedience, spiritual death, union with Satan, and slavery to sin have passed away. Consequently, the new creation is the product of God, created in Christ Jesus. The new creation is born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, through the Word. And the new thing stands un-condemned before the Father, and reconciled with the Him. 

The moment that we become new creations, we become the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God means the ability to stand in the Father's presence without sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. We are at that moment sons and daughters of God by His adoption. 

At conversion the believer do not merely turn a new leaf; he or she begins a new life under a new Master—Jesus Christ. The Master has sacrificed His life for the believers to make them right with the Father: “For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.) 

When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange: He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sins were laid on Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at conversion. It would be an abnormal thing if He should recreate us, impart to us His own nature, and leave us under the blighting curse of condemnation, unable to stand in His presence without the sense of guilt and inferiority. 

Sin has been preached to us so long and we have been told so often that we are unworthy and unfit, and this has kept us with a sense of inferiority which has been destructive to a faith life. It is noteworthy that no man can work with God as long as he is under condemnation, and we should realize that God has given us His own righteousness in Christ Jesus so that we can fellowship with Him. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

The Scripture says this about Jesus, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3 vs 18.) All have sinned and all stand condemned already before God. However, by God’s mercy and love, He made a way of escape from this condemnation by sending His Son as a propitiation for our sins, and only those who believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins are not condemned. 

People often try to protect themselves from their fears by putting their faith in something they do or have: good works, skill or intelligence, money or possessions. But only God can save us from the one thing that we really need to fear—eternal condemnation. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking Him to do His work in us. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, He means those who reject or ignore Him completely, not those who have momentary doubts. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the inexplicable and undeniable gift of salvation. Thank You so much for the unparalleled privilege of Your adopting me as Your son, an heir, and joint heir with Christ. Thank You, O Lord my Father, for the privilege of imputing Your righteousness to me in Christ, that I can stand before You without any sense of condemnation or inferiority, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have given thanks, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Rejoicing in Pain

 Rejoicing in Pain

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

Christian Hedonism says that there are different ways to rejoice in suffering as a Christian. All of them are to be pursued as an expression of the all-sufficient, all-satisfying grace of God.

One way of rejoicing in suffering comes from fixing our minds firmly on the greatness of the reward that will come to us in the resurrection. The effect of this kind of focus is to make our present pain seem small in comparison to what is coming: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16–18). In making the suffering tolerable, rejoicing over our reward will also make love possible.

“Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35). Be generous with the poor “and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). Confidence in this promised reward cuts the cord of worldliness and frees us for the costs of love.

Another way of rejoicing in suffering comes from the effects of suffering on our assurance of hope. Joy in affliction is rooted not only in the hope of resurrection and reward, but also in the way suffering itself works to deepens that hope.

For example, Paul says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4).

In other words, Paul’s joy is not merely rooted in his great reward, but in the effect of suffering which solidifies the hope of that reward. Affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces a sense that our faith is real and genuine, and that strengthens our hope that we will indeed gain Christ.

So whether we focus on the riches of the reward or the refining effects of suffering, God’s purpose is that our joy in suffering be sustained.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 01, 2025.

SUBJECT: STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

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

READ: Romans 12 vs 4 - 8:

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

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

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

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

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

INTIMATION:

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

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

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

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

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

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

God wants to use you to make a difference in His world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how right you lived. What you might look at as a disadvantage may turn out to be an advantage in your ministry. In acknowledging God's uniqueness and goodness, the psalmist in Psalm 139 vs 14 says, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." God is perfect, and His works also are perfect. He never makes mistake, and is forever the same. Find your God's ordained path and follow it, and you will find real significance.

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

PRAISE THE LORD!

Christ’s Sufferings in Us

 Christ’s Sufferings in Us

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (Colossians 1:24)

Christ has prepared a love offering for the world by suffering and dying for sinners. It is a perfect sacrifice. It pays in full for all the sins of all his people. Nothing can be added to make a better gift. It is lacking in nothing — except one thing, a personal presentation by Christ himself to the nations of the world. 

God’s answer to this lack is to call the people of Christ (people like Paul) to make a personal presentation of the afflictions of Christ to the world. In doing this, we “[fill] up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” We finish what they were designed for, namely, a personal presentation to the people who do not know about their infinite worth. 

But the most amazing thing about Colossians 1:24 is how Paul fills up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

He says that it is his own sufferings that fill up Christ’s afflictions. This means, then, that Paul exhibits the sufferings of Christ by suffering himself for those he is trying to win to Christ. In his sufferings they are to see Christ’s sufferings. 

Here is the astounding upshot: God intends for the afflictions of Christ to be presented to the world through the afflictions of his people. 

God really means for the body of Christ, the church, to experience some of the suffering he experienced so that when we proclaim the cross as the way to life, people will see the marks of the cross in us and feel the love of the cross from us.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31, 2025.

SUBJECT: WORLDLINESS IS ENMITY WITH GOD!

Memory verse: "Do not love the world or things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (First John 2 vs 15.)

READ: First John 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Do not love the world or things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

2:16: For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

2:17: And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

INTIMATION:

Worldliness is the love and care of the things of this world, that is, having friendship with the world. It’s to be carnally minded—living according to the desires of the flesh, that is setting our minds on things of the flesh. It drives the love of God out of us, and puts us up as enemies of God. It’s being carnally minded, and driven by the evil desires of the flesh. And carnality of seeking pleasure at expense of obeying God, is putting up an enmity with God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful. 

Worldliness is characterized by both internal and external behaviors. The internal worldliness which begins in the heart, are specifically expressed in three forms: (1) lust of the flesh—preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; (2) lust of the eyes—coveting and accumulating things, bowing to the god of materialism; and (3) pride of life—obsession with one’s status or importance. The external worldliness is predominantly displayed in class consciousness, and attraction to pleasures.

By contrast, God’s value system is quite different from the world’s system. God hates pride, but values humility, self-control, meekness, gentleness, and generosity. And because of His value system that is quite distinct from the world’s value system, loving the things of the world, is putting oneself up as an enemy of God: “Adulterers and Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with world is enmity with God? Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4 vs 4.)

Obviously, it is the cares of the worldly things and pleasures that lures us into wrong doing, and thereby putting ourselves up as God’s enemy. However, there is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that He wants us to enjoy (First Timothy 6 vs 17). But God abhors the evil desires inherent in carnality that puts us up as His enemies.

The cure of evil desires is humility (see Proverbs 16 vs 18 - 19; First Peter 5 vs 5 - 6). Pride makes us self-centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need. We can be released from our self-centered desires by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that all we really need is His approval. 

The Scripture has said that often the reason we do not receive what we ask for is because we ask with the wrong motives or intention—to spend it on sensual pleasures. Sensual pleasures or desires are carnal (worldly) desires. When our motives or reasons for asking from God is wrong, He will obviously not grant such requests. Take for instance when you are asking for prosperity with the intention to show off and oppress others. 

Though, It is God's Will you prosper, (Third John 2), but He will not grant your request because of the wrong motives. God blesses people so that they will be a blessing to others, and use the wealth for the advancement of His kingdom, not for pride, boasting, and friendship with the world. 

Over the years I have learned one important truth: God knows me more than I know myself. Our motives and intentions are well known to Him; "The Spirit of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4 vs 12). Our wrong motives and intentions are well known to Him, even when we don't realize or admit it. It is usually hard to face the truth about ourselves especially when it is in the negative. But we have to do that if we want to receive all that God desires to give us.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world that are usually selfish and often corrupting. Wise Christians decide that much worldly behavior is off-limits for them. Our refusal to conform to this world’s values, however, must go even deeper than just behavior and customs; it must be firmly planted in our mind. Allow the Holy Spirit of the living God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. The Spirit will renew, reeducate, and redirect your mind to be truly transformed. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the humble spirit to put away the desires, cares, and pleasures of this world that are contrary to my obeying and serving You as desired by You and for my eternal benefit, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Seminary of Suffering

 The Seminary of Suffering

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

This is God’s universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less reliance on self and the world. I have never heard anyone say, “The really deep lessons of life have come through times of ease and comfort.”

But I have heard strong saints say, “Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him has come through suffering.”

The pearl of greatest price is the glory of Christ.

Thus, Paul stresses that in our sufferings the glory of Christ’s all-sufficient grace is magnified. If we rely on him in our calamity, and he sustains our “rejoicing in hope,” then he is shown to be the all-satisfying God of grace and strength that he is.

If we hold fast to him, “when all around our soul gives way,” then we show that he is more to be desired than all we have lost.

Christ said to the suffering apostle, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul responded to this: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

So suffering clearly is designed by God not only as a way to wean Christians off of self and onto grace, but also as a way to spotlight that grace and make it shine. That is precisely what faith does: it magnifies Christ’s future grace. 

The deep things of life in God are discovered and magnified in suffering.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 30, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE SIN OF EVIL DESIRES!

Memory verse: "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (First Timothy 6 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 27 - 30:

5:27: You have heard that it was said by those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

5:28: But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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

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

INTIMATION:

A desire is a craving or longing for something. Some desires are evil or sinful and is frequently translated as “lust.” Some desires are good. For instance, the apostle Paul had the good desire to be with Christ; “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1 vs 23). Just as the Lord’s desire concerning the last Passover; “Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22 vs 15.)

For evil desires, or inordinate affections, the apostle Paul says, such should not be tolerated by believers because, “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires.” (Galatians 5 vs 24.) When we accept Christ as our Savior, we need to turn from our sinful ways and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn’t mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin and sometimes sin, but we have been set free from sin’s power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God’s control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit’s power to overcome them. 

“Lust” is a devilish desire. Jesus said “lust” is as good as the “deed” itself. For instance, the Old Testament law says that it is wrong for a person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20 vs 14). But Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is mental adultery and thus sin. Jesus was emphasizing here that if the act is wrong, so is its intention. In the passage we read today, Jesus is condemning the deliberate and repeated filling of one’s mind with fantasies that would be evil if acted upon. Therefore, desires that will lead you to wrongdoing should not be accommodated. 

Some people may desire to be rich, which in itself, is not wrong or evil, but the desire to be rich at all costs will definitely build up ideas in their minds that will expose them to temptations, snares, and many foolish things that are harmful and destructive. For instance, somebody might desire to make wealth by all means, and will be harboring stealing, money rituals, or obtaining by false pretenses, and if such desires are acted upon, the person may be committing murder, and other heinous crimes that are evil in themselves. Sinful actions are more dangerous than sinful desires, hence desires should not be acted out. Nevertheless, sinful desires are just as damaging to obedience as the actions proper. Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God.

Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said we should get rid of our hands or your eyes, He didn’t mean literally to gouge our your eyes, because even a blind person can lust. But if that remains the only choice, it would be better to go into heaven with one or no eyes or hands than to go to hell with the them. It takes the help of the Holy Spirit to resist any actions on our evil desires. The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interests in them.

Evil acts begin with evil desires. It isn’t enough to ask God to keep you away from temptations, make you stronger, or change your circumstances. You must ask Him to change you on the inside—at the level of your desires.

The Scripture says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4 vs 23.) We should keep our hearts with all diligence, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires: Don’t go after everything you see. And don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to temptation.

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things that are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things that pure, whatever things that lovely, whatever things that are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4 vs 8.)

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to put boundaries on my desires, to concentrate on those desires that will keep me on the right path of obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Danger of Drifting

 The Danger of Drifting

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

We all know people that this has happened to. There is no urgency. No vigilance. No focused listening or considering or fixing of their eyes on Jesus. And the result has not been a standing still, but a drifting away.

That is the point here: there is no standing still. The life of this world is not a lake. It is a river. And it is flowing downward to destruction. If you do not listen earnestly to Jesus and consider him daily and fix your eyes on him hourly, then you will not stand still; you will go backward. You will float away from Christ.

Drifting is a deadly thing in the Christian life. And the remedy for it, according to Hebrews 2:1, is: Pay close attention to what you have heard. That is, consider what God is saying in his Son Jesus. Fix your eyes on what God is saying and doing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

This is not a hard swimming stroke to learn. The only thing that keeps us from swimming against sinful culture is not the difficulty of the stroke, but our sinful desire to go with the flow. 

Let’s not complain that God has given us a hard job. Listen, consider, fix the eyes — this is not what you would call a hard job description. In fact, it is not a job description. It is a solemn invitation to be satisfied in Jesus so that we do not get lured downstream by deceitful desires.

If you are drifting today, one of the signs of hope that you are born again is that you feel pricked for this, and you feel a rising desire to turn your eyes on Jesus and consider him and listen to him in the days and months and years to come.

Prayer For Prosperity

 

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29, 2025.

SUBJECT: WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 4 - 8:

8:4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

8:5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

8:6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8:8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

INTIMATION:

When you are in close spiritual and salvational relationship with Christ, you come into a saved covenant relationship with God wherein you are not in a state of condemnation. In this state one is free from the bondage of sin. In Christ one is not directing his or her life according to the desires of the flesh, but according to the directions of the Spirit. He is not walking according to the pride of meritorious conduct, but according to his submission to the Word of God.

We must not understand our walk after the Spirit to mean that one is directed by inner nudges of what one would interpret to be a supposed direct intervention by the Spirit. In Christ we are no more guided by our subjective emotions that focus on the emotional performances of the individual, but guided by the knowledge of God’s Will enumerated in God’s Word. When one is guided by the Spirit, he or she is directed by the Spirit-inspired word that comes from God. Walking after the Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. 

We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively. These desires include obvious sins, such as sexual immorality and demonic activities. They also include less obvious sins, such as hostility, jealousy, lying, and selfish ambition. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life. 

Not being guided by the Spirit is being carnally minded, which is to have the mind that focuses on one’s own desires. But those who behave according to the Spirit-inspired directions of God are not living according to their desires to live after their own wills. In a religious context, being carnally minded is focusing on one’s own ability to perform law in order to save one’s self. The carnally minded person is walking in sin, though he may not recognize the fact he is in sin. But the Spiritually minded person focuses by faith on the cross and God’s grace. He has life and peace because he is trusting in the grace of God and not in his abilities in reference to law keeping.

Though we seek to do that which is good, the nature of our being as free-moral individuals in a world of choice does not give us the ability to live flawlessly. Though the conscience of the Christian is made sensitive by the law of God as revealed through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit does not directly control the behavior of the Christian in reference to law in order to guard him from sin. It is wrong for anyone to claim that the Holy Spirit subjects free-moral Christian in order to guard him or her from sinning. 

The person who lives after the Spirit has crucified the old man of sin. He has put to death the desires to allow the lusts of the flesh to direct his or her life. But the person who lives according to the lusts of flesh in order to follow his own will is headed for eternal condemnation. Though we often willingly corporate with our sinful nature, it is not us but the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our life that is defeated when we embrace Christ.

If you live each day to be controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit, then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires. Through faith in Christ we stand righteous before God. We need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to walk after the Spirit. Give me the grace to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of my life, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Sin, Satan, Sickness, or Sabotage

 Sin, Satan, Sickness, or Sabotage

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:8–9) 

Is the suffering that comes to the Christian because of persecution the same as the suffering that comes from cancer? Do the promises given to one apply to the other? My answer is yes. All of life, if it is lived earnestly by faith in the pursuit of God’s glory and the salvation of others, will meet with some kind of obstacle and suffering. The suffering that comes to the obedient Christian is part of the price of living where you are in obedience to the call of God.

In choosing to follow Christ in the way he directs, we choose all that this path includes under his sovereign providence. Thus, all suffering that comes in the path of obedience is suffering with Christ and for Christ — whether it is cancer at home or persecution far away.

And it is “chosen” — that is, we willingly take the path of obedience where the suffering befalls us, and we do not murmur against God. We may pray — as Paul did — that the suffering be removed (2 Corinthians 12:8); but if God wills, we embrace it as part of the cost of discipleship in the path of obedience on the way to heaven.

All experiences of suffering in the path of Christian obedience, whether from persecution or sickness or accident, have this in common: They all threaten our faith in the goodness of God, and tempt us to leave the path of obedience.

Therefore, every triumph of faith, and all perseverance in obedience, are testimonies to the goodness of God and the preciousness of Christ — whether the enemy is sickness, Satan, sin, or sabotage. Therefore, all suffering, of every kind, that we endure in the path of our Christian calling is a suffering “with Christ” and “for Christ.”

With him in the sense that the suffering comes to us as we are walking with him by faith, and in the sense that it is endured in the strength he supplies through his sympathizing high-priestly ministry to us (Hebrews 4:15).

And for him in the sense that the suffering tests and proves our allegiance to his goodness and power, and in the sense that it reveals his worth as an all-sufficient compensation and prize.

Heavenly Testimonies

 

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 28, 2025.

SUBJECT: SPIRITUAL ADULTERY!

Memory verse: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (First John 2 vs 15.) 

READ: James 4 vs 4 - 6:

4:4: Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

4:5: Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealousy”?

4:6: But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

INTIMATION:

Idolatry, outward or inward, is spiritual adultery—breaking our commitment to God in order to love something else. Turning from the worship of the true God to worshiping idols is idolatry. This can be either inward or outward. When one is not heartily committed to the worship of God, and is attracted to worldliness, it is spiritual adultery. Jesus described the people of His day as adulterous, even though they were religiously strict because their hearts were far away from total commitment to the worship of the true God. Inwardly and outwardly they had idols they are committed to, and even worshipped other gods. 

As believers and members of the body of Christ—the church—we are the ‘wife’ (or bride) of Christ (Revelation 19 vs 7), and by faith, we can be clothed in His righteousness. Anything outside the total commitment to Him is spiritual adultery. The materialist is an adulterer in that he or she has wedded himself or herself as a member of the body of Christ to that which is of this world. Such person has broken the covenant made with Christ in order to give himself or herself to the world. Friendship with the world is enmity with God: If one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in his heart (First John 2 vs 15). Those who love activities and possessions of this world do not love the Father, for they are obsessed with the things of this world. 

Some people think that worldliness is limited to external behavior—the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we enjoy. Worldliness is also internal because it begins in the heart and is characterized by three attitudes: (1) lust of the flesh—preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; (2) lust of the eyes—covering and accumulating things, bowing to God of materialism; (3) pride of life—obsession with one’s status or importance. When the serpent tempted Eve (Genesis 3 vs 6), he tempted her in these areas. Also, when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, these were his three areas of attack.

It is unnatural for one to live a spiritually adulterous life. God created us to seek Him, not the world (Genesis 1 vs 26). Therefore, the spirit that lusts after the things of this world in order to ignore God had degenerated to the point of allowing Satan to control his desires. It is obvious that one cannot love God with the love with which God seeks to be loved, and at the same time, engage himself or herself in the pleasures of this world. However, those who have been consumed with the things of the world have taken their minds off that which is to come. And that which is to come is the destruction of all that for which one had worked in this world (Second Peter 3 vs 10).

God has blessed some believers with money and other possessions. They are wealthy because God has given them power to get it, and they should not allow their wealth to take the first place in their lives other than God. Avoiding spiritual adultery does not mean that the rich must forsake their riches, for many rich people have the gift of making money for the benefit of the work of the church. Though the rich are not obligated to give themselves into poverty, but they must not be obsessed by their wealth, and should be willing to share with others in need. 

Believers are not to attach themselves to the thinking of the world in a way that they are diverted from keeping their minds on those things that above. They must not be directed in their lives by the evil values and morals that are maintained by those deceived by Satan. It is impossible for one to love God with the intensity of love by which God demands that we serve Him, and at the same time, compromise his values and morals by living after the world. 

God extends His grace toward those that have humbly submitted to Him (See Romans 5 vs 20). Those who are arrogant will not submit their lives to the Will of God. They resist submission, and thus, God resists giving His grace to them in order that they might be saved. God values self-control, a spirit of generosity, and commitment to humble service. It is possible to give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly attitudes at one’s heart. It is also possible, like Jesus, to love sinners and spend time with them while maintaining a commitment to the values of God’s kingdom. Let nothing take away the first place of God in your life.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live, move and have my being. Nothing will ever take the first place in my life other than You. O Lord, give me the grace to forever keep my total commitment and obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Radical Recompense

 Radical Recompense

“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)

What Jesus means here is that he himself makes up for every sacrifice.

If you give up a mother’s nearby affection and concern, you get back one hundred times the affection and concern from the ever-present Christ.

If you give up the warm comradeship of a brother, you get back one hundred times the warmth and comradeship of Christ.

If you give up the sense of at-homeness you had in your house, you get back one hundred times the comfort and security of knowing that your Lord owns every house.

To prospective missionaries, Jesus says, “I promise to work for you, and be for you, so much that you will not be able to speak of having sacrificed anything.”

What was Jesus’s attitude to Peter’s “sacrificial” spirit? Peter said, “We have left everything and followed you” (Mark 10:28). Is this the spirit of “self-denial” commended by Jesus? No, it is rebuked. 

Jesus said to Peter, “No one ever sacrifices anything for me that I do not pay back a hundredfold — yes, in one sense even in this life, not to mention eternal life in the age to come.”

Possible with God

 Possible with God

“I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” (John 10:16)

God has a people in every people group in the world. He will call them through the gospel with Creator power. And they will believe! What a power is in these words for overcoming discouragement in the hard places of the frontiers!

The story of Peter Cameron Scott is a good illustration. Born in Glasgow in 1867, Scott became the founder of the Africa Inland Mission. But his beginnings in Africa were anything but auspicious.

His first trip to Africa ended in a severe attack of malaria that sent him home. He resolved to return after he recuperated. This return was especially gratifying to him because this time his brother John joined him. But before long, John was struck down by fever.

All alone, Peter buried his brother in African soil, and in the agony of those days recommitted himself to preach the gospel in Africa. Yet his health gave way again, and he had to return to England.

How would he ever pull out of the desolation and depression of those days? He had pledged himself to God. But where could he find the strength to go back to Africa? With man it was impossible!

He found strength in Westminster Abbey. David Livingstone’s tomb is still there. Scott entered quietly, found the tomb, and knelt in front of it to pray. The inscription reads:

OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD; THEM ALSO I MUST BRING.

He rose from his knees with a new hope. He returned to Africa. And today, over a hundred years later, the mission he founded is a vibrant, growing force for the gospel in Africa.

If your greatest joy is to experience the infilling grace of God overflowing from you for the good of others, then the best news in all the world is that God will do the impossible through you for the salvation of the unreached peoples.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 27, 2025.

SUBJECT : THE BREVITY OF LIFE!

Memory verse: "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4 vs 14.)

READ: Psalm 39 vs 4 - 6:

39:4: Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.

39:5: Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You.

39:6: Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.

INTIMATION:

Life on earth is the period between birth and death. And because it has a beginning and an end, it is temporary, and not permanent. The brevity of life is a theme throughout the books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The Bible is full of metaphors that teach about the brief, temporary, transient nature of life on earth. The earth is not our permanent home or final destination. We are just passing through, just visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler to describe our temporary and brief stay on earth. 

Ironically, people spend so much time securing their lives on earth but take little or no thought about life after here; where they will spend eternity. They are busy with the things that are temporary, but neglecting the things that are permanent. Amassing riches and busily accomplishing worldly tasks would make no difference in eternity. 

Few people understand that their only hope is in the Lord. The only thing that matters in eternity is your relationship with your Maker, and it is the relationship built with Him that you take to eternity. All other things you have acquired, built, accomplished and so on, are abandoned here on earth to the cares of others, and they will one day perish.

To make the best use of your life is to build a superb relationship and fellowship with the Lord which is the only thing that qualifies you for eternity with Him, and your mansion in His house. Realizing that life is short helps us use the little time we have more wisely for eternal good, and don't get too attached to this world. May God help you see life on earth as He sees it. 

In First Peter 2 vs 11, the apostle Peter stated, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." As believers, we are "sojourners and pilgrims" in this world, because our real home is with God. Our true loyalty should be to our citizenship in heaven, not to our temporary stay here, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3 vs 20.) How prepared are you to receive Him at His coming?

Real believers understand that there is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet, and their homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you will stop worrying about "having it all" on earth. God is very blunt about the danger of living for the here and now and adopting the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world around us. 

When we flirt with the temptations of this world, God calls it spiritual adultery: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4 vs 4.)

We are in the world and constantly in association with the world, its standards, and circumstances. Though we are in the world, but we are not of this world (John 15 vs 19). The prince of this world is the greatest enemy of God, and by extension, our greatest enemy. "We are ambassadors of Christ" (Second Corinthians 5 vs 20). As an ambassador you will not be able to isolate yourself from the rulership of the prince of this world where you have ambassadorial assignment. To fulfill your mission, you would have to have contact with the world.

God warned us not to get too attached to what's around us because it's temporary, "For the form of this world is passing away" (First Corinthians 7 vs 31). The cares of this world; financial security, self actualization, worldly happiness, marriage, and so on, are not the ultimate goal of life. As much as possible, we should live unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved in burdensome life activities that might keep us from doing God's work.

Compared with other centuries, life has never been easier for much of our world today. The advancement in technology has made life much more easier and enjoyable. We are constantly entertained, amused, and catered to. With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, it's easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives. 

Life is short no matter how long we live. Be conscious of the two divides in eternity—heaven and hell. Take time to number your days by asking, “Where do I want to be in eternity?” “What do I want to see happen in my life before I die? What small step could I take toward that purpose today?” If you want to be with the Lord, deal with all undisciplined areas in your life, and tell someone about Jesus. Because life is short, don’t neglect what is truly important, telling others of the Good News of Jesus Christ and all He wrought for us redemption. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to be eternity conscious, and not be consumed in seeking after the cares of the world that are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 26, 2025.

SUBJECT: CARNAL MIND VERSUS SPIRITUAL MIND!

Memory verse: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8 vs 6.) 

READ: Read Romans 8 vs 12 - 14; Galatians 5 vs 16 - 18:

Romans 8:12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

8:13: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galatians 5:16: I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

5:18: But If You are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

INTIMATION:

The apostle Paul notes in our memory verse that there are two minds—the mind of the flesh, and the mind of the Spirit. That does not mean you and I have two brains, it simply means that we receive information from our natural mind (which operates without the Holy Spirit), and we get information from our spirit (through which the Holy Spirit communicates directly to us). The mind of the flesh, which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit, is death, that is death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and peace, both now and forever.

In the passages we read today, the believers are not to be led by the carnal mind, but by the Holy Spirit Who indwells them (Romans 8 vs 14; Galatians 5 vs 18). The Holy Spirit is the only One who knows the mind of God, and is the revealer of the truth (John 16 vs 13). If your desire is to have the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23), then you know that the Holy Spirit is leading you. 

In First Corinthians 2 vs 16, the Bible says, "For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” This Scripture tells us that because the Holy Spirit lives in us, you and I have the mind of Christ. The problem is that, although we have the mind of Christ and know the Word of God, we don't listen to our spirit which is being enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Instead, we listen to our natural mind, which relies strictly on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit.

In every situation of life, our head will be trying to give us information. It will be yelling at us so loudly that if we don't turn our attention to our spirit, we will never hear what the Lord is saying to us in that situation. That is why we must learn to live out of our spirit and not of our head. 

It’s noteworthy that evil spirits constantly bombard us with negative thoughts. If we receive them and dwell on them, they become ours because the Bible says that as we think in our heart, so are we (Proverbs 23 vs 7). If we accept the lies of the devil as reality, then they will become reality to us because of our belief in them. Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. 

This is why in moments of worry, stress and turmoil we have to simply take the time to turn to our inner man, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and say, "Lord, what do You have to say about this?" If we listen in faith, He will speak to us and reveal to us the truth of that situation. You and I have two huge vats of information within us. One is carnal information that comes off the top of our head. The other is spiritual information which wells up out of our heart. One is muddy. polluted water, and the other is clean drinking water. It is up to us to decide which source we are going to drink from.

Some people try to drink from both sources. That's what the Bible calls being double-minded. (James 1 vs 8.) Do you know what it means to be double-minded? It means that your mind is trying to tell you one thing, and your spirit is trying to tell you just the opposite. Instead of saying, "I'm not going to believe that which comes from my head—the mind of the flesh—because it's a lie," you get in a cross-fire, going back and forth between the two thoughts. 

If we are destined to live the happy, victorious and successful Christian life the Lord wills for us, if we are going to have to decide which fountain of information we are going to drink from, we are going to have to learn to live out of our spirit and not out of our head—our fleshy mind.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is my Senior Partner, and daily I hand over my thoughts, words, and actions to Him for His leading. Endue me with the spirit of discernment, to know the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that I will follow His leading, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Medicine for the Missionary

 Medicine for the Missionary

“All things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

Sovereign grace is the spring of life for the Christian Hedonist. For what the Christian Hedonist loves best is the experience of the sovereign grace of God filling him, and overflowing for the good of others.

Christian Hedonist missionaries love the experience of “not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). They bask in the truth that the fruit of their missionary labor is entirely of God (1 Corinthians 3:7; Romans 11:36).

They feel only gladness when the Master says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). They leap like lambs over the truth that God has taken the impossible weight of new creation off their shoulders and put it on his own. Without begrudging, they say, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

When they come home on furlough, nothing gives them more joy than to say to churches, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience” (Romans 15:18).

“All things are possible with God!” — in front the words give hope, and behind they give humility. They are the antidote to despair and the antidote to pride — the perfect missionary medicine.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 25, 2025.

SUBJECT: WHY DOES THE WAY OF THE WICKED PROSPER!

Memory verse: “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgements. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12 vs 1.)

READ: Job 21 vs 7 - 21:

21:7: Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power?

21:8: Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes.

21:9: Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

21:10: Their bull breeds without failure. Their cow calves without miscarriage.

21:11: They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

21:12: They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice to the sound of the flute. 

21:13: They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

INTIMATION:

Many people have asked, and wondered why the ways of the wicked prosper, but the righteous had to suffer in the presence of a good and benevolent God. We are not alone in this puzzle. Job reasoned with God in Job 10 vs 3. He asserted that it was not logical for God to oppress that which He created, and at the same time shine with favor on the wicked. 

Job stated that the wicked often live, prosper and become very powerful. Their children are established. Their houses are safe and God doesn't punish them. Their herds grow in number and their children dance with joy. They lavish their wealth upon themselves, and then die suddenly without anguish. And on top of all this, they reject any direction from God. 

Job spoke of reality. He observed that the wicked enjoyed a great life. They were at ease in life, enjoying the comfort of their riches. Because they were rich without God in their lives didn't assume that they would have a hard life. In fact, Job reasoned that because they were wealthy they did not need to suffer anxiety of life that was often experienced by the poor. Job struggled similarly wondering: “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” (Job 21 vs 7).

The prophet Jeremiah grappled with the issue when he asked the Lord: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near to their mouth but far from their mind” (Jeremiah 12 vs 1 – 2). 

And the psalmist expressed envy when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, wondering if living righteously was worth the trouble (Psalm 73 vs 3, 13). How does a holy God of love allow His people to suffer while the wicked thrive?

It’s natural to wonder why God is gracious and merciful to people when they do not deserve His mercy—when their hearts are hard and stubborn. It’s human to desire appropriate consequences for bad behavior. Forgiving our enemies does not come easily. Perhaps we forget that many of us once were hard-hearted and stubborn. We, too, deserved God’s judgment. But God extended His love and grace toward us so that we might receive His salvation: (see Ephesians 2 vs 3 – 5).

One answer to the question “Why do the wicked prosper?” is that even the wicked have a purpose to fulfill in God’s plan. God raised up the Babylonians, a “ruthless and impetuous people” for a reason (see Habakkuk 1 vs 6; Jeremiah 27 vs 6). God raised up the Persian king Cyrus in order to accomplish all that God pleased (Isaiah 44 vs 28). God raised up the Egyptians and Assyrians in His righteous judgment of disobedient Judah (Isaiah 7 vs 18).

Perhaps the best answer to the question “Why do the wicked prosper?” is this: because God loves sinners (John 3 vs 16; Romans 5 vs 8). He is compassionate, merciful, and patient with wicked people because He wants them to be saved. Second Peter 3 vs 9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning in His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

God is slow to anger, abounding in love. He is a compassionate God who gives certain blessings to all people (Matthew 5 vs 45) and who desires all to be saved. His patience with the wicked is an opportunity for them to be saved. (Second Peter 3 vs 15.)

We might want to see the wicked destroyed immediately, but God has a sovereign plan that needs to move forward. And in His love and grace, He wants them to be saved. God’s patience with the wicked is an opportunity for us to pray for them and witness to them so that they will know God’s heart toward them. We are called to tell the wicked of His wonderful salvation and to warn them of the punishment that they can expect if they remain hardened toward God and don’t turn from their stubborn path.

It's noteworthy that God's justice would ultimately come, but as humans we are impatient because we always want justice to come quickly. It's natural for us to demand fair play and cry for justice against those who take advantage of others. But when we call for justice, we must realize that we ourselves would be in big trouble if God gave each of us what we truly deserve.  

The wicked may prosper in this world, but perhaps we’ve forgotten that their fortune will only endure for the short term. We’ve lost sight of our eternal reward and the ultimate fate of the wicked. We need this reminder: “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37 vs 1 – 7.)

The prosperity of the wicked is often attributed to God's patience and desire for all to have time for repentance, with blessings being extended to all people regardless of their faith. Such appearances are temporary, with true justice and consequences following later, as worldly prosperity is not the ultimate measure of a person's life. 

It is scriptutal to note that the success of the wicked is temporary and their end is not as glorious as their prosperity. The Book of Job and various Psalms reflect on the apparent ease and wealth of the wicked, but also conclude that their "victory" is short-lived. 

It's noteworthy that worldly prosperity is a poor measure of a life, especially when compared to the eternal life promised in faith. The focus, therefore, should be on living a righteous life and focusing on the spiritual reward, rather than the temporary blessings or hardships of this life. Material wealth or power do not equate to true success. Success to God, however, is based on a person's heart. Focusing on kindness, honesty, and being a good person are seen as measures of a successful life, regardless of one's material success.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are perfect in all Your ways and Your judgement is supreme. Your love, kindness, mercy, faithfulness, and lognsuffering are abundantly available to all Your creation. My desire is for Your blessings that makes rich and adds no sorrow with it. Endue me with the spirit of absolute obedience to You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Great Missionary Hope

 The Great Missionary Hope

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:5)

The great missionary hope is that when the gospel is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, God himself does what man cannot do: he creates the faith that saves. The call of God does what the call of man can’t. It raises the dead. It creates spiritual life. It is like the call of Jesus to Lazarus in the tomb, “Come out!” And the dead man obeyed and came out. The call created the obedience by creating life (John 11:43). That is how anyone is saved.

We can waken someone from sleep with our call, but God’s call can summon into being things that are not (Romans 4:17). God’s call is irresistible in the sense that it can overcome all resistance. It is infallibly effective according to God’s purpose — so much so that Paul can say, “Those whom [God] called he also justified” (Romans 8:30), even though we are only justified by our faith.

In other words, God’s call is so effectual that it infallibly creates the faith through which a person is justified. All the called are justified according to Romans 8:30. But none is justified without faith (Romans 5:1). So the call of God cannot fail in its intended effect. It irresistibly brings into being the faith that justifies.

This is what man cannot do. It is impossible. Only God can take out the heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). Only God can draw people to the Son (John 6:44, 65). Only God can open the spiritually dead heart so that it gives heed to the gospel (Acts 16:14). Only the Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and calls them by name with such compelling power that they all follow — and never perish (John 10:3–4, 14). 

The sovereign grace of God, doing the humanly impossible, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the great missionary hope.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 24, 2025.

SUBJECT: WHY SATAN TEMPTS US!

Memory verse: “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4 vs 13.)

READ: Genesis 3 vs 1 - 8:

3:1: Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Had God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

3:2: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3:3: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

3:4: Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

3:5: For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Good, knowing good and evil.”

3:6: So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of the fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her; and he ate.

3:7: Then the eyes of both them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves coverings. 

INTIMATION:

Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. It is often the combination of a real need and a possible doubt that creates an inappropriate desire. At one time Satan had been a glorious angel. But in pride he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. As a created being, Satan has definite limitations. Although he is trying to tempt everyone away from God, he will not be the final victor. Satan will be finally crushed by one of the woman’s offspring—the Messiah.

Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then he is busy getting people to sin. By deceiving Eve that she ‘will not surely die,’ (the first lie recorded in human history) he identifies his deceiving nature (John 8 vs 44). However, Eve eventually died a spiritual death with Adam. Satan tempts man with being a god who is dominant over all things.

Satan appealed to Eve’s lust of the flesh (“the tree was good for food”), lust of the eyes (“pleasant to the eye”), and pride of life (“desired to make one wise”). The temptation resulted in her action to commit sin. Adam and Eve were created as free moral individuals, just as we are, and were placed in an environment wherein they could be tempted because there was an opportunity to sin, just as we are. The same ploy Satan used on Eve he has continued to use on us till date. 

Notice what Eve did; she looked, she took, she ate, and she gave. The battle is always lost at the first look. Temptation often begins by simply seeing something you want. You will always win over temptation if you run away from those things that produces evil thoughts (Second Timothy 2 vs 22). Adam and Eve got what they wanted; an intimate knowledge of both good and evil. But they got it by doing evil, and the result was disastrous. The restrictions God gives us are for our own good, helping us avoid evil. You don’t have to do evil to gain more experience and learn more about life.

Satan tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was stingy, strict, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share His knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her, and instead, focus on what God had forbidden. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on what God forbids rather than on the countless blessings and promises God has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself over what you don’t have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won’t lead to sin. 

We must realize that being tempted is not a sin. We have not sinned until we give in to the temptation. To resist temptation, we should adopt the following guidelines: (1) Pray for strength to resist, ask God in earnest prayer to help you stay away from people, places, and situations that may tempt you. (2) say no when confronted with whatever you know is wrong, (3) run, sometimes literally, from temptation, (4) memorize and meditate on portions of Scriptures that combat your specific weaknesses. At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God can fill, but we must trust in His timing, and (5) find another believer with whom you can openly share your struggles, and call this person for help when temptation strikes. 

Self exaltation leads to rebellion against God. As soon as we begin to leave God out of our plans, we are placing ourselves above Him. This exactly is what Satan wants us to do. Prepare yourself for the attractive temptations that may come your way. We cannot always prevent temptation, but there is always a way of escape (First Corinthians 10 vs 13). If we attempt to meet life’s challenges with human effort alone, we will find the pressures and temptations around us too great to resist.

You may have strong faith, but you will also have areas of weaknesses—and that is where temptation usually strikes. Strengthen and protect yourself where you are weak because a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Also, it is easier to resist temptation if you have thought through your convictions before the temptation arises. We get into trouble if we have not previously decided where to draw line. Before such situations arise, decide on your commitments and what to do. Then when temptation comes, you will be ready to say no.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have given us all that pertains to life and godliness in Christ, and in You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of absolute trust and commitment to You in all things. Give me the grace never to give in to the lies of the devil, and his temptations, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Christ Is Like Sunlight

 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. (Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus relates to God the way radiance relates to glory, or the way the rays of sunlight relate to the sun. 

Keep in mind that every analogy between God and natural things is imperfect and will distort if you press it. Nevertheless, consider for example,

There is no time that the sun exists without the beams of radiance. They cannot be separated. The radiance is co-eternal with the glory. Christ is co-eternal with God the Father.

The radiance is the glory radiating out. It is not essentially different from the glory. Christ is God standing forth as separate but not essentially different from the Father.

Thus the radiance is eternally begotten, as it were, by the glory — not created or made. If you put a solar-activated calculator in the sunlight, numbers appear on the face of the calculator. These, you could say, are created or made by the sun, but they are not what the sun is. But the rays of the sun are an extension of the sun. So Christ is eternally begotten of the Father, but not made or created.

We see the sun by means of seeing the rays of the sun. So we see God the Father by seeing Jesus. The rays of the sun arrive here about eight minutes after they leave the sun, and the round ball of fire that we see in the sky is the image — the exact representation — of the sun; not because it is a painting of the sun, but because it is the sun streaming forth in its radiance.

So I commend this great Person to you that you might trust in him and love him and worship him. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of God with all power and authority and will one day come in great glory. He has that exalted place because he is himself God the Son, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 23, 2025.

SUBJECT : SATAN HAS NO SUPERNATURAL POWER!

Memory verse: “And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1 vs 12.)

READ: Job 2 vs 1 - 6:

2:1: Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2:2: And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

2:3: And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God, and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

2:4: So Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Skin for skin! Yes all that a man has he will give for his life.

2:5: But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face.!”

2:6: And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; but spare his life.

INTIMATION: 

Satan has no supernatural power. All supernatural power rests with God, for God created all things, including Satan (Colossians 1 vs 16). The statement that Satan moved God against Job clearly manifests this teaching that is maintained throughout the Bible. Only God has power over the supernatural. Only God can work miraculous happenings. And in this case, it was the power of God that was given to Satan on this particular occasion in order that Satan do the deed against Job. 

Satan was a created angel of God who fell. That which was created cannot have the power of the One who creates. All supernatural beings were created by God, and thus do not have the power of the Creator. All supernatural powers originate from God, and thus are controlled by God. If God had not delegated power to Satan he could have done nothing in reference to taking away Job’s possessions, family, and inflicting his body. God limits Satan, and in this case God did not allow Satan to touch Job’s life. Therefore, Satan is limited to what God allows, and so it is forever.

We must learn to recognize, but not fear Satan’s attacks, because Satan cannot exceed the limits that God set. Don’t let any experience drive a wedge between you and God. Although you can’t control how Satan may attack, you can always choose how you will respond when it happens. In Job’s case, Satan attempted to drive a wedge between Job and God by getting Job to believe that God’s governing of the world was not just and good. But in all Satan’s schemes, Job never succumbed to his wiles. 

Satan’s greatest power lies in deception and accusing believers before God. But can Satan persuade God to change His plans? Satan is unable to persuade God to go against His character. God is completely and eternally good. But God is willing to go along with Satan’s plan because God knows the eventual outcome. God cannot be fooled by Satan. For instance, God knew the eventual outcome of Job’s story. Job’s suffering was a test for Job, Satan, and us—not God.

Satan schemes in order to deceive the innocent. His deceptive influences are presented to the saints of God through every means. If one is not conscious of the fact that Satan is continually scheming to deceive the righteous, then he will not be vigilant against apostasy. The most common deception of Satan is through the means of misdirecting the religious inclinations of man. The world is full of religions that satisfy man’s religious desires. However, all such religions are false because they are not founded upon the Word of truth that has been revealed by and through the Holy Spirit. By smooth and fair speech the religious leaders of the world have thus led astray the hearts of the innocent who are ignorant of the Word of God.

The Christian’s strength is maintained if he remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of power against Satan. The imperative command places the responsibility for being strong on the shoulders of the Christian. The Holy Spirit does not assume the responsibility for keeping the Christian strong. The responsibility for faithfulness is with free-moral saints who must maintain the spiritual armor of the Lord by which strength is maintained against the wiles of Satan. The Holy Spirit does not work in the life of any individual in a manner that would subject free-moral agents into conforming to the Will of God. 

The reason of putting on the whole armor of God is to be able to stand against Satan’s deceptions. Satan has deceived the whole world. Through the intimidation of the environment in which Christians live, they are often drawn away from truth in order to conform to the teaching and behavior of unbelieving friends and neighbors. (James 1 vs 13 - 15). Satan is the ruler of those who have given themselves over to follow after the lusts of the world. Those who make decisions, and live without considering the Will of God, are often living and making decisions according to the will of Satan. They are thus being directed by Satan. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to put on Your whole armor, that I may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, and to remain in fellowship with You all the days of my life. Give me grace to walk in the consciousness and enrichment of this desire, in Jesus' mighty Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God’s Final, Decisive Word

 God’s Final, Decisive Word

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

The last days begin with the coming of the Son into the world. “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” We have been living in the last days since the days of Christ — that is, the last days of history as we know it before the final and full establishment of the kingdom of God.

The point for the writer of Hebrews is this: The Word that God spoke by his Son is the decisive Word. By the Son’s own design, that word has been captured for the ages in the writings of the New Testament. He explicitly made provision for this, lest every generation be left to itself to dream up the decisive word of God. This word will not be followed in this age by any greater word or replacement word. This is the Word of God — the person of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, and the work of Jesus, captured by inspiration in the apostolic writings we call the New Testament.

When I complain that I don’t hear the Word of God, when I feel a desire to hear the voice of God, and get frustrated that he does not speak in ways that I may crave, what am I really saying? Am I really saying that I have exhausted this final, decisive Word revealed to me so fully and infallibly in the New Testament? Have I really exhausted this Word? Has it become so much a part of me that it has shaped my very being and given me life and guidance? 

Or have I treated it lightly — skimmed it like a newspaper, clicked through like a quick series of internet postings, dipped in like a taste-tester — and then decided I wanted something different, something more? This is what I fear I am guilty of more than I wish to admit. 

God is calling us to hear his final, decisive, inexhaustible Word — to meditate on it and study it and memorize it and linger over it and soak in it until it saturates us to the center of our being.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE CARNALLY MINDED CANNOT PLEASE GOD!

Memory verse: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." (Romans 8 vs 7.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 5 - 8:

8:5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

8:6: For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8:8: So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

INTIMATION:

Humans are divided into two categories; those who arej

 dominated by their sinful nature; those behavioral patterns of life that are considered desires of the carnal nature of man, and those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit. All of us would be in the first category if Jesus hadn’t offered us a way out. Once we have said yes to Jesus, we will want to continue following Him, because His way brings life and peace. 

The carnally minded focuses on his own desires. He is in the flesh. In a religious context, it is the one who focuses on his own ability to perform law in order to save himself. The carnally minded person is walking in sin, though he may not recognize the fact that he is in sin. The individual who persists on remaining “in the flesh,” or is focusing on his own meritorious performance of law, is actually working against the plan of God to have all men trust in Him for direction. Such a person is focusing on himself and not on God’s grace. This is the man who seeks to walk by sight without the faith that is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11 vs 6). 

We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins, such as sexual immorality and demonic activities. They also include less obvious sins, such as hostility, jealousy, and selfish ambition. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.  

As long as one seeks to approach God on his own terms, he will not allow God to direct his life. In the world of religions, there are countless religious people who are seeking to worship God on their own terms. They are walking in the flesh because they are seeking to worship God on their own terms. They are walking in the flesh because they are seeking God either by following after the security of their own traditions or the assurance of their own subjective religiosity. Such religions are “after the flesh” because they are not based on direction from God.

In Galatians 5 vs 19 - 21, the Bible says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; emulations; of which I tell you beforehand, just as also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5 vs 19 - 21.)

In the above list it was apostle Paul’s goal only to list examples of the lusts of the flesh. These are the sins of the unregenerate life, the life of living after the base nature of man. These actions, or works, are in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit, that is, the product that comes from the one who is dependent on God. The person who walks after the Spirit focuses by faith on the cross and God’s grace. He has life and peace of mind because he is trusting in the grace of God and not in his abilities in reference to law-keeping.

In Galatians 6 vs 8, the Bible says, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” It will certainly be a surprise if you planted corn and pumpkins came up. It’s a natural law to harvest what we plant. It’s true in other areas, too. If you gossip about your friends, you will lose their friendship. Every action has results. If you plant to please your own desires, you’ll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you will harvest joy and everlasting life. 

You are free to choose between two masters, but you are not free to adjust the consequences of your choice. Each of the two masters pays with his own kind of currency. The currency of sin is eternal death. That is all you can expect or hope for in life without God. Christ’s currency is eternal life—new life with God that begins on earth and continues forever with God. 

Daily we must consciously choose to center our lives on God. Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. In every perplexing situation, ask yourself, what will Jesus want me to do? When the Holy Spirit points out what is right, do it eagerly. How much influence do your desires have on your life? Your goal should be to let God’s desires be yours. Being controlled by own desires will stunt your growth.

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours. And by You all things consist. My total trust and confidence is in You. Give me the grace never to shift my trust and focus from You, for any reason, in any circumstances, and by anything, and endue me with the mind of Christ in all things and at all times, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Hedonism for Husbands and Wives

 Hedonism for Husbands and Wives

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:24–25) 

There is a pattern of love in marriage ordained by God.

The roles of husband and wife are not the same. The husband is to take his special cues from Christ as the head of the church. The wife is to take her special cues from God’s design for the church as submissive to Christ.

In doing this, the sinful and damaging results of the fall begin to be reversed. The fall twisted man’s loving headship into hostile domination in some men, and lazy indifference in others. The fall twisted woman’s intelligent, willing submission into manipulative obsequiousness in some women, and brazen insubordination in others.

The redemption we anticipated when the Messiah finally came in Jesus Christ was not the dismantling of the created order of loving headship and willing submission, but a recovery of it. Wives, redeem your fallen submission by modeling it after God’s intention for a joyful church! Husbands, redeem your fallen headship by modeling it after God’s intention for the lavishly loving Christ!

I find in Ephesians 5:21–33 these two things: (1) the display of Christian Hedonism in marriage and (2) the direction its impulses should take.

Wives, seek your joy in the joy of your husband by affirming and honoring his God-ordained role as “head” or leader in your relationship. Husbands, seek your joy in the joy of your wife by accepting the responsibility to lead as Christ led the church and gave himself for her.

I would like to bear witness to God’s goodness in my life. I discovered Christian Hedonism the same year I got married, in 1968. Since then, Noël and I, in obedience to Jesus Christ, have pursued as passionately as we can the deepest, most lasting joys possible. All too imperfectly, all too half-heartedly at times, we have stalked our own joy in the joy of each other.

And we can testify together after over 50 years of marriage: For those who marry, this is the path to the heart’s desire. For us, marriage has been a matrix for Christian Hedonism. As each pursues joy in the joy of the other and fulfills a God-ordained role, the mystery of marriage as a parable of Christ and the church becomes manifest for his great glory and for our great joy.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2025.

SUBJECT : WHAT YOU SOW YOU REAP! 

Memory verse: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6 vs 7.) 

READ: Luke 6 vs 37 - 38:

6:37:Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 

6:38: Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

INTIMATION:

It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn in your farm and pumpkins came up. It's a natural law to harvest what we plant. It's true in other areas, too. It is a principle of life that one reaps what he or she sows. One must not deceive himself into thinking that he or she can escape the consequences of his or her behavior. 

To think one can, is to mock God, for God says that we will reap what we sow, not only in this life, but also in that which is to come. If you sow to the flesh; cares of this world (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) you will definitely reap corruption. But if you sow to the things of the Spirit, you will definitely reap eternal life with Christ. 

This natural law governs rule of our lives, and our relationships with others. How is your relationship with other people? What do you give to others? What do you give to God? Are you resentful? speaking guile? gossiping about others? Do you give love and care to others? Are you judgmental? Do you easily fret? Are you always returning to others as they did to you, especially in wrong doing? These are not Christlike! 

The thrust of what the Scripture states here is that we will be dealt with in final judgement by God in the same manner by which we treat our fellow men. Therefore, when we measure mercy to others, God will in turn measure mercy to us. If we forgive others, God will in turn forgive us. A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God’s forgiveness. 

If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. Every action has its result. If you plant to please your own desires, you'll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you'll harvest joy and everlasting life. 

The passage we read today, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you," has always been misinterpreted in churches and fellowships, especially during offerings and fund raising exercises. They give a money and material interpretations to our giving. But the close and meditation on the preceding verse, will bring to fore the import of the teaching. There is God's judgment awaiting everybody. Although, His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns (Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46), and everyone's life will be reviewed and evaluated. Jesus will look at how we handled gifts, opportunities, relationships, and responsibilities in order to determine our rewards.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to sow right words and deeds in the life of others that I may reap right words and deeds from others as well. Endue me with the spirit of love for You, and others, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Mystery of Marriage

 The Mystery of Marriage

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31–32) 

Here in Ephesians 5:31 Paul is quoting Genesis 2:24, which Moses spoke — and Jesus said God spoke through Moses (Matthew 19:5) — “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Paul says this word of God, spoken before the fall into sin, is a reference to Christ and the church and contains therefore a great mystery.

What this implies is that when God engaged to create man and woman and to ordain the union of marriage, he didn’t roll the dice or draw straws or flip a coin as to how they might be related to each other. He patterned marriage very purposefully after the relationship between his Son and the church, which he had planned from all eternity.

Therefore, marriage is a mystery — it contains and conceals a meaning far greater than what we see on the outside. God created man male and female and ordained marriage so that the eternal covenant relationship between Christ and his church would be imaged forth in the marriage union.

The inference Paul draws from this mystery is that the roles of husband and wife in marriage are not arbitrarily assigned, but are rooted in the distinctive roles of Christ and his church.

Those of us who are married need to ponder again and again how mysterious and wonderful it is that God grants us in marriage the privilege to image forth stupendous divine realities infinitely bigger and greater than ourselves.

This mystery of Christ and the church is the foundation of the pattern of love that Paul describes for marriage. It is not enough to say that each spouse should pursue his or her own joy in the joy of the other. That is true. But it is not enough. It is also important to say that husbands and wives should consciously copy the relationship God intended for Christ and the church. That is, each should seek to live after the distinctive model of God’s pure and glad design for Christ and the church. 

I hope you will take this seriously whether you are single or married, old or young. The revelation of the covenant-keeping Christ and his covenant-keeping church hangs on it.