THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST’S COMPANY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7, 2019.

SUBJECT: THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST’S COMPANY!

Memory verse: "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father honor." (John 12 vs 26.)

READ: John 15 vs 4 - 5 & 7:

15:4: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

15:5: 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.

15:7: If you Abide in Me, and My words Abide in You, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

INTIMATION:

Christ's promised company is one of the benefits of serving Him in love and obedience. It is noteworthy that the most important and valuable thing in life is your relationship with God; it has eternal value. All other of your possessions are left behind at your passing. Money, fame, and belongings cannot be taken with us from this life. 

Christ’s company—abiding in Him, is the offshoot of: (1) believing that He is God's Son, (2) receiving Him as Savior, (3) doing what God says, (4) continuing to believe the gospel, and (5) relating in love to the community of believers—Christ's body. 

The enormity of the benefits of Christ’s company are encapsulated in fruit bearing. It includes; soul winning, answered prayer, joy, empowerment, God’s love and honor, and crown of eternal life with Christ. The fruit of His company survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness, and our witnessing for Him. Many people try to be good, honest people who do what is right. But Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him, like a branch of a tree attached to the tree. 

In the passage we read today, Jesus illustration puts Him as a tree—the vine, and the believers in Christ are the branches. Outside of being faithfully attached to Him, our efforts in leading the Christlike (Christian) life, are unfruitful. When you are attached to Him (abide in Him), you receive the nourishment and life offered by Christ—the vine, and your joy will be full. If you are not attached to Him, you are missing that special gift, and your efforts come to nothing. You are then a waste and is thrown away and destroyed.

Jesus used the farming illustration to deeply drive home the point He made. A plant, like the vine, is God's creation. When a plant, bears much fruit, God is glorified. This is because the evidence of God's doing is glaring. He daily sends the sunshine, and the rain to make the crops grow. He constantly nurtured each tiny plant and prepared it to blossom. The plant grows and bears fruit, and the fruit is harvested.  What a moment of glory for the Lord of the harvest when the harvest is brought into the barns, mature and ready for use! He made it all happen! The farming analogy shows how God is glorified when people come into a right relationship with Him and begin to "bear fruit," telling others of Christ, and the benefits of their relationship with Him.

Unproductive followers are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside, and abandoned by Him, because not only are they not productive and worthless, but they often infect the rest of the tree. People who won't bear fruit for God or who try to block the efforts of God's followers will be cut off from His life-giving power.

Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. When our lives are intertwined with His, and we enjoy His continual companionship, He takes us through life in full joyfulness. The more you are in companionship with Christ, the more you know Him and Hs word, and the more you are able to tell about Him to others. These are witnesses to the effect of the nourishment and life offered by Christ in you. As you showcase Christ, you are His disciple. and your life is a testimonial to others who would come and abide in Him. The good news, in summary, is that whatever your desire you ask from Him, it shall be done to you—answered prayers! Yes, because you love Him, and abide in Him, all things will work together for your good. Eventually, you will be justified, and glorified!

When you are consistently in good relationship with Jesus, your fruit bearing is guaranteed, and as you bear much fruit, your joy becomes full. You are joyful because you live with Jesus Christ daily, and the joy of living with Jesus Christ daily keeps you level headed; no matter how high or low your circumstances, knowing that the controller of circumstances abides with you. For most people, it is common that when things are going well, they feel elated. When hardships come, they sink into depression. But true joy in Christ transcends the rolling waves of circumstance. In adversity you stay stable without sinking into debilitating lows. And in prosperity, you move not into deceptive highs. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Engrace me Lord to live for You, releasing my life to Your control, that I may have the awesome privilege of daily enjoying Your companionship. My utmost heart desire is to live, and move, and have my being in You. in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6, 2019.

SUBJECT: THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN! 

Memory verse: "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11 vs 24.)

READ: James 1 vs 5 - 8:

1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

1:6: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

1:7: For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

1:8: he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

INTIMATION:

A double-minded man is a two-souled man. The soul is the seat of the will and purpose of the human’s life. If the human’s will and purpose is unstable and wavers between two opinions, he is two-souled, that is double-minded. Such people, in the morning they are confessing Christ and His finished works on the cross, but in the evening they are rebuking Satan for his hold on them. The mind that wavers is not completely convinced that God’s way is the best. It treats God’s Word like any human advice and retains the option to disobey. It vacillates between allegiance to subjective feelings, the world’s ideas, and God’s command. 

First Kings 18 vs 21 gives us a graphic description of that kind of human: "And Elijah came to all people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word." Elijah was confronted with the problem of dealing with double-minded men. In the modern church, and indeed the world, we have the same problem. Many people, including believers, are very unstable in their ways. They hardly can take a stand in their lives. In fact, it is grievous when they cannot take a stand in their relationship with God. It is absolutely important to take a stand for the Lord. If you just drift along with whatever is pleasant and easy, you will someday discover that you have been worshipping a false god—“yourself!”

If you have ever seen the constant rolling of huge waves at sea, you know how restless they are; subject to the forces of wind, gravity, and tide. Doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. If you want to stop being tossed about, rely on God to show you what is best for you. Ask Him for wisdom, and trust that He will give it to you. Then your decision will be sure and solid. 

The Scripture is very apt on trusting in God and receiving from Him: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11 vs 6.) We must believe not only in the existence of God but also in His loving care. This include relying on God and expecting that He will hear and answer when we pray. We must put away our critical attitude when we come to Him. And trust in His assurance of His reward to those who honestly seek Him; who act in faith on the knowledge of God that they possess. 

Some people need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, and questions leads to answers, and if the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a prideful lifestyle that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don’t stop there. Let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer.

Prayer: Abba Father, my total trust and confidence is in You. You are my everything. I resist and rebuke any planting of doubt in my mind by the evil one, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S GREAT LOVE AND THOUGHTS FOR US!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5, 2019.

SUBJECT: GOD’S GREAT LOVE AND THOUGHTS FOR US!

Memory verse: "Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalm 40 vs 5.)

READ: Jeremiah 29 vs 11 - 14:

29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

29:12: Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

29:13: And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

29:14: I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away.

INTIMATION:

God is love, and loves us greatly. He so loved us that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world as a propitiation for our sins. Jesus came, took the form of man, suffered all things, and died the death we ought to have died for our sins. What an awesome sacrifice—one given His life for another; Jesus exchanging His perfect life of immeasurable value with our lives that are completely worthless—our sinful lives! The apostle Paul, in Romans 8 vs 32 and 35, clearly asks rhetorically; “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”.....”Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?...”

The apostle Paul assuredly answered the questions, saying; “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39).

Therefore, if God gave His only begotten Son for you, He isn’t going to hold back anything that you require to live for Him. If Christ gave His life for you, He isn’t going to turn around to condemn or abandon you. Neither a strange land, sorrow, persecution, nor physical problems can break our fellowship with God. Now with God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our sinful and worthless condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? There is no way!

God’s plans and purposes for His creation are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, and the end from the beginning, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill His mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion. We are encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. 

God, the Creator, is sovereign and in control, while at the same time He is close and personal to us His creation. But He is not trapped in His creation—He is transcendent. The world is God’s and all its fullness, and according to His wise plan, His people were to have a future and a hope; consequently, they could call upon Him in confidence. We, His children, need not despair because we have His presence, the privilege of prayer, and His grace. If we seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be found. 

God’s promises are public, and their fulfillment are sure. So why do we ever doubt Him? We never have to be uncertain when we have a God of truth and righteousness. In times of dire circumstances, it may appear as though God has forgotten you. But God may be preparing you for a new beginning with Him at the center.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love for me is unparalleled. I cannot thank You enough for all You have done for me. O Lord, I know Your good thoughts for me, help me to offer myself as a living sacrifice to You, obeying You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

SATAN IS A DEFEATED ENEMY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2019.

SUBJECT: SATAN IS A DEFEATED ENEMY!

Memory verse: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (Second Corinthians 2 vs 14.)

READ: Colossians 2 vs 13 - 15:

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:

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 the Adversary 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 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.

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). 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!

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2019.

SUBJECT: CHOOSE YOUR WORDS!

Memory verse: "But I say to you that every idle word men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement."(Matthew 12 vs 36.)

READ: Ephesians 4 vs 29; 5 vs 4; Colossians 3 vs 8:

Ephesians 4:29: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impact grace to the hearers.

5:4: neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving thanks. 

Colossians 3:8: But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

INTIMATION:

Words are powerful. Because they can lead to great sin, we should use them with great care. What you say and what you don’t say are both important. We should be very careful to choose our words, knowing that we are accountable to God for every idle word we speak. All believers should remain true to their confession of faith. 

There are three classes of words. The first is neutral, colorless, empty, soulless words. These constitute the general conversation of most people. They are just empty words of the monotone, there is no power, no soul, no color, and no life in such words, just sounds thrown out in the air. For instance when you ask somebody 'how are you,' and the person replies, 'well I am there.' You feel the emptiness, hopelessness, soulless, life-lacking nature in the words spoken by the person. 

The second class of words comprises construction words, strength-building words, healing words, and inspirational words. These are thrilling, mighty, and dominant words, and they are pregnant with hope, love, and victory. For instance when you are asked the same question, 'how are you,' no matter the situation you may be in, you boldly answer; I am doing real good, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against this day" (Second Timothy 1 vs 12); "He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me" (Ephesians 3 vs 20); "He supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4 vs 19); "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4 vs 13); and "God is for me, and nobody can be against me" (Romans 8 vs 31).

The third class is composed of destructive, hate-filled words full of scandal, jealousy, and deadly virus, they come from a heart full bitterness, and are sent out to wound, blight, and curse. When asked the same question as above, the reply might be 'Can't you see how this wicked world has kept me'; 'I never knew I will see today'; 'life is hopeless.' Improper language should have no place in the Christian’s conversation because it does not reflect God’s gracious presence in us. Also, obscene stories and coarse jokes are common that we begin to take them for granted. How can we praise God and remind others of His goodness when we are speaking coarsely? 

Be careful, what you say is what you get. Choose to speak constructive words, say what God said boldly, with faith, and obtain His promises attached, because He is faithful who had promised (Hebrews 11 vs 11). 

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to always speak constructively, confessing Your Word in faith, that I may obtain the promises according to Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOUR COFESSION OF FAITH!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2019.

SUBJECT: YOUR CONFESSION OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."(Mark 11 vs 23.)

READ: James 1 vs 6 - 8:

1:6: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

1:7: For let not that man, suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 

1:8: he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways

INTIMATION:

To confess is to declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts. The confession of faith, therefore, is declaring openly by way of speaking out freely your faith in God and His Word out of your deep conviction of the reality of God and His Word. It is agreeing with God, and saying the same thing the Scriptures say, affirming what God says in His Word. It is noteworthy that many people confuse confession of faith in God and His Word with confession regarding our merely admitting to wrongdoing in our lives. 

In Hebrews 10 vs 23, the Scripture instructs us thus, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).” We are to hold fast to our confession (profession) of our hope (faith) without wavering, for God who promised is faithful. And as we hold fast to our confession, we are to "affirm constantly the faithful sayings" (Titus 3 vs 8), of the things God has revealed to us in His Word. Therefore, to confess your faith, you say what God has said over and over again until that thing desired in our hearts and promised in the Word is fully manifested. The Word of God is a seed (Luke 8 vs 11), therefore, sow the seed of the Word by confessing it, water it by constant affirmation, and wait patiently as the seed springs up, yields a crop, and bears fruit (Luke 8 vs 8 & 15).

The Word of God is living, and now. The Word is like the author; Eternal, Unchanging, and Living. Jesus remarked in Mark 9 vs 23; "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Note that the word 'believes' is a present-continuous tense. It is not that all things are possible to him who 'believe'. The believing is continuous because the Word of God is in the now and living. You don't believe today, and tomorrow be filled with doubt. You can't believe now, and later begin to doubt. In the passage we read today, James called that a wavering faith, indicating a doubtful mind.

Doubt is the opposite of faith. You have faith when you take God at His Word. You doubt when you do not to take God at His Word, hence you fail to make a decision to take God's Word applicable circumstances. Our faith in God and His Word must not waver, and must remain firm, no matter how frightened or unsure we may feel about the outcome of the matter. If God has said it, then rest assured it will come to pass (Isaiah 55 vs 11), though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come (Habakkuk 2 vs 3).

Look at the wonderful Scripture in our memory verse, if you harbor no doubt in your believe and speak it out, you will surely receive that which you says. Note that in the previous verse 22. Jesus said, "Have faith in God," for without faith we can't please him (Hebrews 11 vs 6). And how can you receive from Him when you can't please Him. There are two conditions in the verse given to receiving "whatever" you say. One is ‘believing’: you have to believe in your heart that what you say will come to pass. The other is ‘speaking out’: you have to say the thing you are believing in order for the thing which you say to happen.

Many people think that they need "great faith" in order to have their words work. This is not what Jesus taught. However, He said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17 vs 20). The understanding from this verse is that even by having a little faith as tiny as the tiniest seed on earth, and put that faith into words—speaking the words, you will surely have what you says. The outcome may or may not be immediate but it is sure to come. 

Dare to say exactly what God says in His Word and mean what you say as God means all He says and says what He means. Agree with God by speaking His Word in all circumstances. Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6 vs 63). Therefore, when you speak truly the Word of God, and mean it, that is you speak faith-filled words, you speak life into your circumstance, because those true Words of God are "life to them that find them" (Proverbs 4 vs 22).

Your duty as a 'believer' is to boldly declare the Word, and it is God's duty to confirm, and perform them (Isaiah 44 vs 26), for He 'hastens His word to perform it' (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). It is your bold declaration of God’s Word that overcomes Satan's power (Revelation 12 vs 11).

Prayer: Abba Father, forever Your Word is settled in heaven. Engrace me to boldly confess and affirm Your Word into situations that confront me, that I may live a triumphant life, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 1, 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:

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

50:8: I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. 

50:9: I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. 

50:10: For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 

50:11: I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beast of the field are Mine. 

50:12: "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. 

50:13: Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 

50:14: Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

50:15: Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

INTIMATION:

The attitude with which you give determines 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 statements. 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 because they had been offering sacrifices continually. His complaint against them was the heart attitude in making those sacrifices and offerings. They thought they were making the sacrifices because God somehow needed their bulls and goats. In this Scripture, God made it clear to them that He didn't need anything from them; everything already belongs to the Lord. 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 to show their trust, devotion, and dependence upon Him; It wasn't for God—it's for them. The same is applicable to us today, God has not changed. The offerings and tithe exist for our benefit, not God's.

 God doesn't need your giving today any more than He needed those Old Testament sacrifices. The reason of our giving is for us to learn to recognize God as the source of all you have (John 3 vs 27). It's one thing to say we believe God is our source, but it's another thing to prove it. The way we prove to ourselves, not God, that He is our source, is to give a portion of what we have received 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. You have freely given me all things out of Your love for me. Let me therefore, give lovingly, and in full devotion to You, that I will receive Your approval, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!