OUR DUTY OF OBEDIENCE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2019.

SUBJECT: OUR DUTY OF OBEDIENCE!

Memory verse: "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel!” (First Corinthians 9 vs 16.)

READ: Luke 17 vs 7 vs 10:

17:7: And which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding sheep, will say to him when he is come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?

17:8: But will He not rather say unto him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink?

17:9: Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.

7:10: So likewise you, when ye shall have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done that what was our duty to do.

INTIMATION:

Being obedient is submitting to authority; to comply with orders—the practice of doing what one is told; willingness to obey commands; dutifulness. Obedience to God is not something extra we do; it is our duty. Some people feel sometimes that they deserve praise or extra credit for serving God. If we have obeyed God, we have only done our duty and we should regard it as a privilege. 

Not being obedient is rebellion and stubbornness to God. And these are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scriptures equates them with divination (witchcraft) and idolatry (First Samuel 15 vs 23). Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God.

Obedience comes from true love of God. Jesus said that His followers show their love for Him by obeying Him. Love is more than lovely words; It is commitment and conduct. If you love God, then prove it by obeying what He says in His Word (John 14 vs 21). Our willingness to serve and obey God enables us to be useful and usable servants to work for Him. Our strength to obey comes from our relationship with God who is the source of strength. Jesus found strength to travail in all because of His relationship with God the Father; Son and Father are one (John 10 vs 30). 

Our strength to do all things come from God (Philippians 4 vs 13). Jesus made it very clear in John 15 vs 5 that without Him there is no strength in us to do anything: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." God knows our weaknesses hence we find freedom to obey from the grace (unmerited favor) bestowed on us through our faith in Christ, and not by our works (Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 9). 

As a sinner, separated from God, you see his law from below, as a ladder to be claimed to get to God. This becomes more obvious when you have tried repeatedly to climb it, only to fall to the ground every time you have advanced some rungs of the ladder. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you have never even started up. In either case, you are relieved seeing Jesus offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the law, to take you directly to God! 

God knows our human weakness, and expects us to turn to Him to seek pathways for effectiveness. Though we recognize our limitations, we will not congratulate ourselves and rest at that. Instead we must rely on God for our effectiveness other than simply on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our weakness not only helps develop Christian character; it also deepens our worship, because in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength because His 'strength is made perfect in weakness' (Second Corinthians 12 vs 9).

As a child of God, if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead, you will be caught and held in Christ's loving arms. The assurance comes from Christ Himself. In John 6 vs 37, Jesus clearly states; "All that the Father gives Me will come to me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." And in verse 39, He further confirmed that as the Father’s will. Remember Jesus did not work independently of God the Father, but in union with Him. This will give us even more assurance of being welcomed into God's presence and being protected by Him, and not even your failures will stop His helping hands. 

Thus anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God's promise of everlasting life. Christ will not let His people be overcome by Satan and lose their salvation. No matter your sin or offensive past life, faith in Christ gives you the required grace to obey, because where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5 vs 20).

The Christian life takes discipline, hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Train diligently—your spiritual progress depends upon it. The apostle Paul, in our memory verse, says that preaching the gospel was his gift and calling, and he couldn’t stop preaching even if he wanted to. Paul was driven by the desire to do what God wanted, using his gifts for God’s glory. The goals of the life of a child of God should be to glorify God and bring people to Christ. 

Our duty of obedience extends to our parents, constituted authorities, and the commands given to us by those at the helm of affairs in our environment (Romans 13 vs 1; Hebrews 3 vs 17; Ephesians 6 vs 1, 6 - 8; Colossians 3 vs 20 & 22). This will make us be at peace with everyone (Romans 12 vs 18). However, conflict with the world and its authorities is sometimes inevitable for a Christian (John 15 vs 18). There will be situations where you cannot obey both God and man. Then you must obey God rather than man. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience, and strengthen me to do all things. I am persuaded that in my weakness You will perfect Your strength in Me, in Jesus’ mighty Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GIVING UNDUE RECOGNITION TO SATAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 14, 2019.

SUBJECT: GIVING UNDUE RECOGNITION TO SATAN!

Memory verse: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12 vs 11.)

READ: Colossians 2 vs 10 - 15:

2:10: And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
2:11: In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,

2:12: buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

2:13: And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

2:14: having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

2:15: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

INTIMATION:

Satan is a defeated foe, therefore, giving undue recognition to it is completely wrong. The critical blow to Satan came when the Lamb, Jesus Christ, shed His blood for our sins. The victory is won by sacrifice—Christ death in our place to pay the penalty for our sin, and the sacrifices we make because of our faith in Him. As we face the battle with Satan, we should not fear it or try to escape from it, but we should loyally serve Christ, who alone brings victory. Yes, we have war with a defeated enemy. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. Jesus came on legal grounds, took our place, and fought Satan on our behalf. 

Everything that Jesus did is accredited to us. The entire substitutionary work of Christ was for us. He didn't conquer Satan for Himself. He didn't put sin away for Himself. He didn't suffer the judgement that would have fallen upon the sinners for Himself. But He suffered it on our behalf, and we have entered into His victory, it is accredited to us. So Satan now is a defeated enemy. The enemy of our souls - the Adversary, the ruler of this world, who always leads us to sin, that is, to rebel against God, and constantly accusing us before God for our sins, was flatly defeated when God sent His Son, Jesus, to legally pay the penalty of sin on our behalf. 

Satan was defeated before Jesus arose from the dead. We were crucified with Christ (Romans 6 vs 6; Galatians 2 vs 20), died with Christ (Romans 6 vs 8), buried with Christ (Romans 6 vs 4), suffered with Christ (Romans 8 vs 17; First Peter 1 vs 4; 4 vs 13), justified with Christ (Romans 5 vs 1), made alive with Christ (Romans 6 vs 8), conquered the Adversary with Christ, and then were raised together with Him (Ephesians 2 vs 5 - 6; Colossians 2 vs 13), and now we are seated together with Him (Ephesians 2 vs 6). That shows us our utter oneness and union with Christ.

In the passage we read today, the Scripture says that Jesus wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. “The handwriting of requirements that was against us” was the legal demands of the Old Testament Law. The law opposed us by its demands for payment for our sin (Ezekiel 18 vs 4; Romans 6 vs 23). And Jesus Christ has taken it out of the way, haven legally paid the penalty, and nailed the requirements to the cross. The circumcision is related to baptism. Baptism parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and it also portrays the death and burial of our sinful old way of life followed by resurrection to new life in Christ. 

The war against Satan was fought and won for us by Christ on the cross. Christ disarmed Satan and his demons on the cross, and stripped the defeated enemy of his armor on the battlefield. He triumphed over them and made a public spectacle of them on the cross for all to see, Therefore, there is no denial of the fact, and hence God declared us not guilty, and we need no longer live under sin’s power - the devil’s power. He delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1 vs 13).

We are recreated in Christ when we accepted the substitutionary work of Christ for us. We war not with flesh and blood, not with humans, but with demons who know that we are, in Jesus' Name, their masters. Every demon knows that you, the recreated one, are his master. We enjoy our new lives in Christ because we have joined Him in His death and resurrection. Our evil desires, our bondage to sin, and our love of sin died with Him. Now, joining Him in His resurrection life, we may have unbroken fellowship with God, and we can be clean and new. 

Satan and his cohorts rule us by subterfuge, by bluff, by deception. For instance, they put diseases upon us and hold us in bondage through our ignorance of what we are in Christ and what belongs to us. Once they know you know your rights in Christ, you are free from their attacks. Let us know, claim, and exercise our rights in Christ. 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 are free to live for Christ. 

Remembering that our old sinful life is dead and buried with Christ gives us a powerful motive to resist sin. Not wanting the desires of our past to come back to power again, we can consciously choose to treat our desires as if they were dead. Then we can continue to enjoy our wonderful new life with Christ.

Jesus Christ was glorified when He finished the work (John 19 vs 30), and sat at the right hand of the Father—the hand of authority, in the heavenly places, and with all the authorities handed over to Him (Matthew 28 vs 18), and constantly make intercession for us. He is the head of the body—the church (Colossians 1 vs 18), and He sits in heaven with His body, far above principalities and powers, as the head cannot be without the body. And the Father has qualified us as the body, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption You gave me in Jesus Christ. Engrace me to always exercise my rights in Christ thereby putting the Adversary far away from me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

MEETING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 13, 2019.

SUBJECT: MEETING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS!

Memory verse: "Is not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Isaiah 58 vs 7.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 34 - 40:

25:34: Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

25:35: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
25:36: I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
25:37: Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? or thirsty and gave You drink?
25:38: When did we see You a stranger and take You in? or naked and clothed You?
25:39: Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to thee?’

25:40: And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

INTIMATION:

A need is a necessity, a requirement; a shortage of an indispensable item. It is anything that is necessary but lacking, a condition requiring relief. Helping those in need is one of the most important ways to honor God. God created all things to coexist, and are interdependent. No one is an island. As humans, we are not equally gifted; some are better than others in diverse ways. As we are different so are our needs. Many people have physical and spiritual needs you can meet, either by yourself or with others who are also concerned. 

The passage we read today is a parable Jesus told His disciples to describe the acts of mercy we all can do everyday. These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence; they are simple acts freely given and freely received. We have no excuse to neglect those who have needs. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs. How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others. Jesus’ example of caring for the needs of the least of our brethren is a good model of unselfish service. The least of our brethren usually can’t or won’t return a favor. God notices every good deed we do as if He were the one receiving it. Is there something unselfish you can do for someone else today? Although no one else may see You, God will notice.

However, the point in this parable is the importance of serving where service is needed. The focus of the parable is that we should love every person and serve everyone we can. Such love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for Him. The apostle John said, “But whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (First John 3 vs 17 - 18.) These verses gives an example of how to lay down our lives for others—to help those in need. How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous as you should be with your money, possessions, and time?

The apostle James says, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” But you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2 vs 15 - 17.) We cannot earn our salvation by serving and obeying God. But such actions of meeting people’s needs show that our commitment to God is real. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, but rather a verification of, faith in Christ.

In our society today, there are many needy people. God has allowed them among us to test our faith or believe in Him. If we say we follow Christ, we should be like Him, who was so unselfish that He gave His life of inestimable value for our own lives that are completely worthless, to save us. We see these needy people lining the streets. How much of their needs do you meet? Or are you so selfish to give to them only when you have surplus to give out? John the Baptist, in preparing the way for Christ, spoke to the people when they asked him, “What shall we do then?” And he answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” (Luke 3 vs 10 - 11.) 

Some believers are too disinterested to the needy. How sad when the followers of Christ are so preoccupied with their own relationships and agendas that they don’t even see those who are in need. The simple acts of giving to the needy, can draw them to Christ. If Jesus is present in our lives, our faces should reflect His love, and our hands extended in fellowship to the needy, and open a way for others to come in. It is possible to become so occupied with spiritual matters that we become oblivious to the needs around us. This may be true especially if we are prejudiced against needy people or if they cause us inconvenience. Instead of being annoyed, be aware of the opportunities that surround you, and make an effort to look for ways to minister to others. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to lay down my life for others—to help the needy, and endue with the spirit of sharing what I have with others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

TRAITS EXPECTED OF CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019.

SUBJECT: TRAITS EXPECTED OF CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS!

Memory verse: "Beloved, now are we children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (First John 3 vs 2.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 2 - 12:

5:2: Then He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,

5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5:5: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
5:6: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
5:7: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
5:10: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11: Blessed are you, when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

5:12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

INTIMATION:

In His longest recorded sermon, Jesus began by describing the traits He was looking for in His followers—the way believers should live. This traits are called “The Beatitudes,” derived from the Latin word meaning “blessing.” He said that God blesses those who live out those traits. Each beatitude is an almost direct contradiction of society’s typical way of life. The Christian life is a process of becoming more like Christ. This process will not be complete until we see Christ face to face. In the last beatitude, Jesus even points out that a serious effort to develop these traits is bound to create opposition. The best example of each trait is found in Jesus Himself. If our goal is to become like Him, applying the beatitudes will challenge the way we live each day.

The Beatitudes can be understood in at least four ways: (1) They are a code of ethics and a standard of conduct for all believers. (2) They contrast kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary). (3) They contrast the superficial “faith” with the real faith that Christ demands. (4) They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new kingdom.  These beatitudes are not multiple choice—pick what you like and leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like as Christ’ followers.

If you want to follow God, you must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. You must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up your own rights in order to serve others, you will one day receive everything God has in store for you. Each beatitude tells how to be blessed by God. Blessed means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s kingdom. The Beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. Being “blessed” by God means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus Christ no matter what the cost.

With Jesus’ announcement that the kingdom was at hand (Matthew 4 vs 17), people were naturally asking, “How do I qualify to be in God’s kingdom? Jesus said that God’s kingdom is organized differently from worldly kingdom. In the kingdom of heaven, wealth and power and authority are unimportant. Kingdom people seek different blessings and benefits, and they have different attitudes. Are your attitudes a carbon copy of the world’s selfishness, pride, and lust for power, or do they reflect the humility and self-sacrifice of Jesus, your king?

To be “poor in spirit” is to be contrite and humble, not being prideful and independent of God. To “mourn” signifies realizing our sins and being remorseful and regretful about them. To be “meek” is to be humble and lowly in heart—committing yourself to the Lord. To “hunger and thirst for righteousness” is pursuing after godliness. To be “merciful” is to be compassionate (those who consider the poor). To be “pure in heart” is to be upright, with clean hands, and faithful. 

Jesus said to rejoice when we are persecuted for our faith. Persecution can be good because (1) it takes our eyes off earthly rewards, (2) it strips away superficial belief, (3) it strengthens the faith of those who endure, and (4) our attitude through it served as an example to others who follow. We can be comforted knowing that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel). The facts that we are being persecuted proves that we have been faithful; faithless people would be unnoticed. In the future God will reward the faithful by receiving them into His eternal kingdom, where there is no more persecution.

Prayer: Abba Father, build in me the traits expected of Christ’s followers, that I may lead a life worthy of devote Christian, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

RECEIVE JESUS WILLINGLY AND ENTER HIS REST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019.

SUBJECT: RECEIVE JESUS WILLINGLY AND ENTER HIS REST!

Memory verse: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." (John 6 vs 21.)

READ: Mark 6 vs 45 - 51:

6:45: Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and to go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

6:46: And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.
6:47: Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
6:48: Then He saw them straining at rowing; for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
6:49: And when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;
6:50: for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! it is I; be not afraid.”

6:51: Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

INTIMATION:

When you receive Jesus willingly into your life the result is usually amazing. God offers us the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest—He invites us to Jesus Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe in God and that He has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it, you must trust in Christ for it, you must determine to obey Him, willingly accept Jesus into your life, and ultimately enter His rest. Today is the best time to find peace with God. Tomorrow may be too late.

The rest Jesus is referring to is the eternal joy that comes with living with Christ forever, when creation will be renewed and restored, every mark of sin will be removed, and the world will be made perfect again. Our rest in Christ begins when we trust Him to complete His good and perfect work in us which He started when you believed and accepted Him willingly into your life. This result is peace with God now and eternal life on a new earth later. We do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God’s rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord will not end with death but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us. 

When you accept Christ, the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure—as secure as your trust in Jesus. He has already prepared the way. The only issue that may still be unsettled is your willingness to believe. We can look forward to eternal life because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in Him: “Let your heart not be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14 vs 1 - 3.) 

The problem of many who fill our churches today is that they know a great deal about Jesus, but they do not know Him personally—they don’t combine their knowledge with faith; believing that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. Faith is a mind-set that expects God to act. When we act on this expectation, we can overcome our fears. Believe in Him and then act on what you know. Trust in Christ and do what He says. Doing what He says depicts your trust in Him and love for Him.  

In the passage we read today, the amazing result of willingly accepting Jesus is glaring. The disciples were traveling across the sea, and when they were about the middle of the sea, they saw Jesus walking on water toward them amidst the raging storm of the sea. They were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water about the middle of the sea—three and a half miles from shore. He told them not to be afraid that He is the one. And when they willingly accepted a Him into their boat, immediately the boat was at the land where they were going (John 6 vs 21), and the storm seized. Yes, the storm seized, and the boat which was about three and a half miles from the shore immediately was on land. Isn’t that amazing?

Accepting Jesus willingly into our lives immediately calms the storms around our lives and brings us immediately to our desired destination! We often face spiritual and emotional storms and tossed about like a small boat on a big lake, in spite of terrifying circumstances, if we trust our lives to Christ for His safekeeping, He will give us peace in any storm. All we need to do is to stay focused on Him, and trust Him in all things. The apostle Peter started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the high waves around him. His faith wavered when he realized what he was doing. We probably will not walk on water, but we may walk through tough situations. If we focus on the waves of difficult circumstances around us without faith in Jesus to help, we, too, may despair and sink. 

To maintain your faith when situations are difficult, focus on Jesus’ power rather than on your inadequacies. Although we may start out with good intentions, sometimes our faith falters. This doesn’t necessarily mean we have failed. When Peter’s faith faltered, he reached out to Jesus, the only one who could help. When you are apprehensive about the troubles around you and doubt Jesus’ presence or ability to help, remember that He is always with you and you can always trust Christ to help you bear them. In times of fear and uncertainty, it is calming to know that Christ is always with you (Matthew 28 vs 20). To recognize Christ’s presence is the antidote for fear.

Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11 vs 28 - 30.) A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) oppression and persecution, or weariness in the search for God. Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. I confess Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. And I have found rest in Him. Give me the grace never to look away from You in all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DIVINE GUIDANCE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2019.

SUBJECT: DIVINE GUIDANCE!

Memory verse: "At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses." (Numbers 9 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 2 vs 13 - 15; 19 - 21:

2:13: Now when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I you word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him.”

2:14: When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt,

2:15: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.”

2:19: Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
2:20: saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead.”
2:21: Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

INTIMATION:

Divine is used of the power of God, and of His nature; as that which proceeds from Himself. To guide is to lead the way. Therefore, divine guidance is being guided by God. He has a purpose for everything created by Him including you and I. He lives us with a choice—to be guided or not to be guided by Him. If you are willing to be guided by Him, and is obedient to His instructions, He will lead you on the right path to His predetermined purposes for your life. When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where God wants you, whether you’re moving or staying in one place. 

Divine guidance comes only to prepared hearts. In our memory verse, the children of Israel, through their leader, Mose, was guided by God in the wilderness. They moved when God commands them to move, and encamped when they are instructed to do so: “They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses." 

In the same manner, Joseph, in the passage we read today, also had a prepared heart to receive divine guidance from the Lord. Joseph had the first dream or vision from God, and God revealed to him that Mary’s child would be the Messiah (Matthew 1 vs 20 - 21) and that her conception was divine. And he took Mary in as his wife even when she was only betrothed to him when she got pregnant. His second dream told him how to protect the child’s life. Although Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father, he was Jesus’ legal father and was responsible to His safety and well-being. Joseph remained receptive to God’s guidance. 

How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s primary guidance system is in His Word—the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives. When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance. 

We often pray for God’s guidance as we struggle with decisions. What we need is both a map that gives us directions and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is such a map, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.

For children of God, guided by Him, there are no coincidence in happenings in our lives. Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for His purpose as the Scripture says: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8 vs 28.) As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. We must not close the door on what God can do. Stop now and think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. How has God led you to this point? As you grow older, you will look back and see God’s involvement more clearly than you do now.

God may use unexpected sources when communicating to us. It can be people, thoughts, or experiences. Be willing to investigate, and be open to God’s surprises. When God leads you, He will not ask you to go where He has not provided the means to help. Go where He leads, trusting Him to supply courage, confidence, and resources  at the right moment. 

An instance of divine guidance is recorded in Acts 8 vs 26 - 40. The Scripture tells the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasury, who came to worship in Jerusalem. An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” At the time Philip was having a successful preaching ministry to great crowds in Samaria (Acts 8 vs 5 - 8), but he obediently left that ministry to travel on a desert road. Because Philip went where God sent him, Ethiopia was opened up to the gospel. Because the eunuch was in charge of the treasury of Ethiopia, this man’s conversion brought Christianity into the power structures of another government. Ethiopia is located in Africa south of Egypt. 

This event marked the beginning of the witness “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1 vs 8), and in line with the prophesy in Isaiah 56 vs 3 - 8 for words about foreigners and eunuchs. Follow God’s leading, even if it seems like a demotion. At first you will not understand His plans, but the results will prove that God’s way is right. 

Prayer: Abba Father, show me the path prepared for my life that I may walk in it, that I may achieve the purpose for which You brought me into this world, and receive the crown of life—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9, 2019.

SUBJECT: YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbushes, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 15 - 20:

7:15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbrushes, or figs of thistles?
7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION:

Fruit is edible growth of plants, it also signifies the result or product of an endeavor; the consequence of some effort or action. In God’s kingdom, our faith in Christ is demonstrated by actions that depict such faith. If we say we follow Christ we must strive to be like Him; doing things in accordance with His ways. And it is by our fruit that people, and even God, will know our sincerity in following Him. 

Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. Some of the faith actions are: soul winning, learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God’s will, loving others. These character traits that are found in the nature of Christ, and do not come automatically, they require hard work. In Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23, and Second Peter 1 vs 5 - 8, the Scriptures list additional fruit qualities of Christian character. They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don’t finish one and start the next, but we work on them all together. God empowers and enables us, but He also gives us the responsibility to learn and grow.

For the genuine followers of Christ, the fruit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. They are the by-product of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit to grow in us, we must join our life to His (John 15 vs 4 - 5.) We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbor. 

There are those who claim to be followers of Christ, but in actual facts they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, deceiving believers with their seemingly godly actions. The Scripture calls them ‘False prophets.’ They are very common today, and prophesy only what the people want to hear, claiming it is God’s message even when it is obvious that the people and the nation are wallowing in sin, and not following God’s ways. Usually their words sound religious but they are motivated by money, fame, or power. You can tell who they are because in their teaching they minimize Christ and glorify themselves. We should not be fooled by smooth talk and glowing Word. Their miracles are short-lived, their teachings hardly point out people’s sins. They allow and even encourage all kinds of immorality, especially sexual sin. We must be careful to avoid them today. 

Their works can come through books, tape series, or TV messages, and must be evaluated in the light of God’s Word. Beware of special meanings or interpretations that belittle Christ or His work. God admonishes us in the Scripture, thus, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You shall have peace”’; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’” (Jeremiah 23 vs 16.)

Christians who study God’s Word, asking Him to reveal the truth, will not be fooled, even though superficial Christians may easily be taken in. The Bible gives us example of believers who carefully checked God’s Word in Acts 17 vs 11; “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily, to find out whether these things were so.” The Bible says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world.” (First John 4 vs 1.)

There are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from God. One is to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers, their lifestyles, and the fruit of their ministries. But the most important test of all is what they believe about Christ and the Word of God. Our Word is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. We should evaluate their words by examining their lives. Just as trees are consistent in the kind of fruit they produce, good teachers or prophets consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral character as they seek to live out the truth of Scriptures. This does not mean that they are perfect, but rather striving to lead a godly lifestyle. 

While it is true that money, fame, and possessions can’t be taken with us from this life, God’s people can produce fruit that survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness, and those who accept Christ through our witness will join us in the new earth. Be sure that your values are in line with God’s values, and decide today to produce fruit that lasts forever. The Scripture says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors; and their works follow them.” (Revelation 14 vs 13.)

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with Your excellent spirit that I may bear fruit after the nature of Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!