GOD’S PATIENCE AND MERCY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, 2019.

SUBJECT : GOD’S PATIENCE AND MERCY!

Memory verse: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (Second Peter 3 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14:

103:8: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

103:13: As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

 

INTIMATION:

Our Heavenly Father extends grace far beyond the usual time by waiting or enduring without complaint or reprisal. The Bible in Exodus 34 vs 6 - 7 says, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty....."

In His kindness God holds back His judgement, giving people time to repent. It is easy to mistake God's patience for approval of wrong way we are living. Self evaluation is difficult, and it is even more difficult to expose our conduct to God and let Him tell us where we need to change. In our thought, we just don't put God in our timetable. God is not slow; He is just not in our timetable. Because of the open invitation; without any time frame attached or given to us to come to Him, we tend to put Him out of our timetable. Like God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. 

But as Christians we must pray constantly that God will point out our sins, so that He can heal them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be amazed at God's patience with others than humbled by His patience with us. God is ever merciful. He is good and His mercies endures forever. Though this Nature of God is repeated severally in the Bible, but the psalmist in Psalm 136 repeated it throughout the psalm. Repeating this phrase, "For His mercy endures forever," shows the truth in it, and makes the important lesson sink in. 

"Mercy" is a translation of a Hebrew word that includes aspects of love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. We never have to worry that God will run out of love because it flows from a well that will never run dry. Mercy the translation of the Greek word "Eleos," which is the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2 vs 4), and out of His mercy has provided salvation for all men (Titus 3 vs 5), for Jews (Luke 1 vs 72), and Gentiles (Romans 15 vs 9). He is merciful to those who fear Him (Luke 1 vs 50), for they are compassed with iniquity, and He alone can succor them. 

Now that we have known of God's patience and merciful nature, we should not overstretch it or take it for granted. But we should be ready to meet Christ any time, even today, yet plan our course of service as though He may not return for many years. We should be ready at all times; leading our lives as if He is already here, knowing that if we miss it now, we may have missed it forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are merciful, patient, and just. May I not take Your mercy and patience for granted, but rather be ready to meet You anytime, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 18, 2019.

SUBJECT : GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.

Memory verse: "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" (Luke 6 vs 38).

READ: Psalm 50 vs 7 - 15:

50 vs 7: Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! 

8: I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. 

9: I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. 

10: For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 

11: I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beast of the field are Mine. 

12: "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. 

13: Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 

14: Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

15: Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

INTIMATION:

The attitude with which you give, occasions the manner of your receiving. The right attitude in giving ensures receiving rightly from God. When you give with a wrong attitude, or in a wrong manner, you receive nothing from God. For instance, the religious rituals of going to church, taking communion, paying tithes, giving to charity, or to the church, are all empty if our motives of doing them are selfish. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion to Him. 

Many believers' giving fall into the scenario hinted above. They participate in religious activities out of habit or conformity rather than out of heartfelt love and obedience to God. Some give to be recognized; be seen as a financial pillar in the church or ministry, or for self-actualization, not our of love, and obedient obligation to the LORD.

In our memory verse, we have seen that our receiving is tied to our giving. Note, most importantly, that the Scripture says, "the measure we use," not "the measure we give." Many people confuse the two. If we give in love, we receive in lovely manner, but if give in hate, or grudgingly, we receive in like manner. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, not judge them.

In the passage we read, God was saying to His chosen people that His disagreement with them wasn't about a lack of sacrifices on their part; they had been offering sacrifices continually. His complaint against them was the heart attitude they had in making offerings. They were missing the point! God didn't need the sacrifices. The Israelites were going through the motions of making the offerings, but they weren't giving their hearts to God.

They thought they were making the sacrifices because God somehow needed their bulls and goats. In this Scripture, God was making it clear that He didn't need anything from them; everything already belongs to the Lord. God said, "If I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you! The world is Mine, and everything in it." He doesn't need to ask anyone for food. The truth is that the Israelites needed those sacrifices. They needed to give back to God and show their trust and dependence upon Him. It wasn't for God—it's for them. The same is applicable to us today. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13 vs 8).

Do you know the reason for tithe? Why God asked us to give ten percent of our income to the church? It isn't because God needs our money! All the gold, silver, and riches in the world already belong to Him (Psalm 50 vs 12; Haggai 2 vs 8). He doesn't need our donations. God could have set up church finances differently. He could have made every minister of the Gospel independently wealthy like He made Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, and all the rest. The tithe exists for our benefit, not God's.

God doesn't need your giving today any more than He needed those Old Testament sacrifices. The point of your giving is for you to learn to recognize God as the source of all you have (John 3 vs 27). It's one thing to say you believe God is your source, but it's another thing to prove it. The way you prove to yourself, not God, that you believe God is your source, is to give a portion of what you have back to Him. People who don't really see God as their source are going to balk at giving part of what they have away. They are selfish, and usually are going to think, 'I need this thing!' But giving back some of what God has already given you is nothing when you see God as your source.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my everything. All I have You have given me. I am nothing without You. Give me the grace to give in full devotion to You, that I will receive from you in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LOVE IS THE HIGHEST RULE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2019.

SUBJECT: LOVE IS THE HIGHEST RULE!

Memory verse: "And now abide faith, hope, Love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (First Corinthians 13 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 28 vs 31:

12:28: Then 

one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

12:29: Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
12:30: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

12:31: And the second, like it, is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

INTIMATION:

Love is having great affection for, feeling a passionate attraction to. Biblically, It is described as the basic first cause and ultimate expression of God and man, is the Christian gospel, and church ethics; a fruit of the Spirit. Love describes God; “God is love” (First John 4 vs 8 & 16). Love as used of God, expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver.

Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments (see John 14 vs 15, 21, 23; 15 vs 10; First John 2 vs 5, 5 vs 3). Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God. Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15 vs 2), and works no ill to any (Romans 13 vs 8 - 10); love seeks opportunity to do ‘good to all men, especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,’ (Galatians 6 vs 10). 

The intent of God’s Law is to promote love to God and others. Consequently, the Christian faith involves many rules that are meant to be governed by love. That makes love the highest rule, but it also moves Christians toward personal sacrifice, discipline, and responsibility, which are scarce resources in today’s world. When confronted with rules of your own or others’ making, ask: (1) Does the rule serve God’s purpose? (2) Does the rule reveal God’s character? (3) Does the rule help people get into God’s family, or keep them out? (4) Does the rule have biblical roots that can be supported in the context of all Scripture? Good rules pass all four tests.

Everything concerning God is summed up in love. His laws can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others. When you love God completely and care for others as you care for yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of God’s Law.—the “Ten Commandments.” According to Jesus, these two commandments summarize all God’s laws. Let them rule your thoughts, decisions, and actions. When you are uncertain about what to do, ask yourself which course of action best demonstrates love for God and love for others.

Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this 

is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (First John 4 vs 9 - 10). Obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its object: “

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” 

(Romans 5 vs 8). It was an exercise of the divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself.

Love explains: (1) why God creates—because He loves, He creates people to love; (2) why God cares—because He loves them, He cares for sinful people; (3) why we are free to choose—God wants a loving response from us; (4) why Christ died—His love for us caused Him to offer a solution to the problem of sin; and (5) why we receive eternal life—God’s love expresses itself to us forever.

Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. The Scripture says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (First John 3 vs 16). How can we “lay down our lives?” By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we’ll die for others than to truly live for them—this involves putting others’ desires first. Jesus taught this same principle of love, He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15 vs 13.) 

We are to love each other as Jesus loved us, and He loved us enough to give His life of inestimable value for ours that are completely worthless because of sin. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, giving, caring. Evaluate your lifestyle, and measure your obedience to the highest rule! You can start right away: Think of someone in particular who needs this kind of love today. Give all the love you can, and then try to give a little more. Then make it a regular practice.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are love, and has poured out Your love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Engrace, and empower me to love as You do, in Jesu’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SEEING IS BELIEVING BELIEVERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16, 2019.

SUBJECT: THE SEEING IS BELIEVING BELIEVERS! 

Memory verse: "The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20 vs 25.)

READ: John 20 vs 24 - 29:

20:24: Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 

20:25: The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.

20:26: And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 20:27: Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

20:28: And Thomas answered and said to Him. "My Lord and my God!" 

20:29: Jesus said to him, "Thomas because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

INTIMATION:

To “believe” is to be persuaded of, and hence, to place confidence in, to trust, and it signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence. To “see” is to perceive or observe with the eyes. So many people in the world today will hardly believe anything until they see a proof. Even in the Christendom many are in this category. I called them the “seeing is believing believers.” These are the believers ruled by their sense knowledge. Until they factually see an evidence, a collaboration, or substantiation, they will not believe. 

Now, no one has seen God, no one can see Him. And because He is unseen, the “seeing is believing believers” can hardly trust in God or the efficacy of His Word, unless there is a proof. Such people hardly have divine encounters because of their unbelief. The Apostle John, the apostle closest to Jesus, knows that the foundation of our fellowship and relationship with Lord lie in our believe in Him, hence his frequent use of the verb in his Gospel more than in any other of the gospels: Matthew uses the verb ten times, Mark ten times, Luke nine times, but John ninety-nine times.

Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch Him and Hear Him speak to you or hear His words? Are there times you want to sit down with Him and get His advice or get clarification or confirmation of what He said in the Scripture? That is to say you want His physical presence. But God’s plan is wiser. He has not limited Himself to one physical body; He wants to be present with us at all times. Even now He is with you in the form of the Holy Spirit. You can talk to Him, and you can find His words to you in the pages of the Bible. If you believe, He can be as real as He was to Thomas in the passage we read today.

Thomas was a sense knowledge believer. He had to see in order to believe. His senses had to be satisfied. He could not take the Word of God independent of his senses. We are confronted continually with that type of believer as majority of Christians are in that category. But remember the word of Jesus to Thomas; “Do not be unbelieving, but believing," and “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The “seeing is believing believers” will want the symptoms of the ailment disappear completely before they believe their divine healing. They hardly believe in the finished work of Christ in their lives as stated in Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5; “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows....and by His stripes we are healed.” Some people think they would believe in Jesus if they could see a definite sign or miracle. But Jesus says we are blessed if we can believe without seeing. We have all the proof we need in the words of the Bible and the testimony of believers. A physical appearance would not make Jesus any more real to us than He is now.

God our Creator knows how humans are ruled by their senses, and in His infinite and great grace came down into the realm of the senses in the person of Christ to associate with us. Christ was offered as a sacrifice in the full glare of the people, therefore, they saw Him die on the cross, buried, and on the third day rose from the dead, and appeared among the disciples, that they may see Him, hear Him, and feel Him, to satisfy their sense knowledge.

The beloved apostle John declares in First John 1 vs 1 - 3, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also will have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ."

Now, take note of what he said, "That which we have seen and heard." That is sense knowledge evidence. This was common among believers in the early church. During the first fifteen years, the early church lived very largely in the realm of sense knowledge faith. Even now, we have many today that cannot believe beyond what their senses register. God allowed the early believers to see signs and wonders on the day of Pentecost because they were babes, just newborn in the Christendom. They new nothing of the finished work of Christ. None of them believed or knew about His substitutionary work. That was to come later through the revelation Christ gave to the apostle Paul. The revelation to the Apostle Paul has been recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, and is available for all of us. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not be unbelieving, but believing! Though God is unchanging, still doing His signs and wonders, but now God will not excuse any unbelief because you have not seen. We have great cloud of witnesses in the passages of the Bible, and all around us. If God has said it, believe it, and it will surely manifest in your life as said.  Remember, "all things are possible to him who believes" ( Mark 9 vs 23), and, “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1 vs 45). Therefore, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you so shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” (Second Chronicles 20 vs 20.)

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word is truth, and in You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of faith in You and Your Word, that all things will be possible to me in You, O Lord, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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!