WHEN GOD SEEMS FAR AWAY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 14, 2019.

SUBJECT : WHEN GOD SEEMS FAR AWAY!

Memory verse: "If He goes by me, I do not see Him; if He moves past, I do not perceive Him.” (Job 9 vs 11.)

READ: Job 23 vs 8 - 12:

23:8: Look, I go forward, but He is not there. And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 23:9: When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. 

23:10: But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

23:11: My foot has held fast to His steps; I have I kept His way and not turned aside.
23:12: I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

INTIMATION: 
There are times when God seems far away, and you eventually feels abandoned. You may have been working in righteousness, and obedience to God, but still nothing seems to work for you. Worst still, you may look around you and see the wicked and unrighteous prospering. People may even be asking you, “Where is your God.” When God seems distant, you may feel that He is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with God. We grieve His Spirit and quench our fellowship with Him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world, and other sins. But often this feeling of abandonment or estrangement from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith, and is obvious we all must face this test. In such situations, will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of His work in your life? That is just the right thing to do!

The most common mistake christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. This is very wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship. When you are baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers, so you'll know He exists. But as you grow in faith, He will wean you of these dependencies. 

God's omnipresence and the manifestation of His presence are two different things. One is a fact, the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you unaware of Him, and His presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion. 

Of course, God wants you to sense His presence, but He's more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God. 

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything—his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging, for thirty-seven chapters in the Book of Job God said nothing! The realization of the fact that God, at some points in our lives, tests us with His deliberate silence to observe our commitment and trust in Him, gave Job hope when he could not feel God's presence in his life. He said, "Look, I go forward, but He is not there. And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23 vs 8 - 10.) What a great and awesome faith!

Job declared his confidence in his integrity and God's justice. We are always likely to have hidden sin in our lives, sin we don't even know about because God's standards are so high and our performance is so imperfect. The Scripture states in Isaiah 64 vs 6, "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." If we are true believers, however, all our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross in our behalf. 

The Bible also teaches that even if we feel guilty or our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our feelings and hearts, "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (First John 3 vs 20). If we are true believers, however, all our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross in our behalf (Romans 5 vs 1; 8 vs 1). God has forgiven and accepted us, and we are forgiven indeed. His forgiveness and cleansing are sufficient; they overrule our nagging doubts. The Holy Spirit in us is our proof that we are forgiven in God's eyes even though we may feel guilty. 

How do you praise God when you don't understand what's happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they're full of tears? You do what Job did: "Then Job arose,......and fell to the ground and worshiped. And He said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." (Job 1 vs 20 - 22.)

Job didn't hide his overwhelming grief. He had not lost his faith in God; instead, his emotions showed that he was human and that he loved his family. God created our emotions, and it is not sinful or inappropriate to express them as Job did. Even the Lord Jesus expressed His when He wept (John 11 vs 35). If you have experienced a deep loss, a disappointment, or a heartbreak, admit your feelings to yourself and others, and grieve. Job had lost his possessions and family, but he reacted rightly toward God by acknowledging God's sovereign authority over everything God had given him. Job proved that people can love God for who He is, not for what He gives.

Prayer: Abba Father, forever Yours I am and Yours I want to be. Do to me and with as it is pleasing to You, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BEST GIFT OF LOVE IS YOUR TIME!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 13, 2019.

SUBJECT : THE BEST GIFT OF LOVE IS YOUR TIME!

Memory verse: "When I passed by you again and looked upon you, Indeed your time was the time of love, so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 16 vs 8.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 1 - 3:

13:1: Let brotherly love continue.
13:2: Be not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

13:3: Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

13:4: Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
13:5: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

INTIMATION:

Your love is best expressed in your time. A time of love is very precious, even to the Lord. In our memory verse, when the Lord observed Jerusalem and saw their time of love, He pitied the people and entered into a covenant with them to be their God and the people His. The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them. If you love someone or something, you obviously spend more time thinking and relishing it. The more time you give to something or someone, the more you reveal its importance and value to you, and your love for it. Your priorities are usually expressed in your time allocation. 

Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. Time lost is irredeemable. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. Therefore, when you give someone your time, or allocate more of your time to something, you are giving them a portion of your most precious gift, a portion of you life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. 

Love is expressed in action, not just word. Action requires time. It is not enough just to say something or relationships are important; we must prove it in action by investing our time. Words alone are worthless. The Scripture, in First John 3 vs 18, says, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous as you should be with your money, possessions, and time?

In the parable of the Final Judgement in Matthew 25, Jesus said, “For I was hungry you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visitedMe; I was in prison and you came to Me.” (Matthew 25 vs 35 - 36.) The parable describes acts of mercy we all can do every day and require our most precious gift—our time. These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence, they are simple acts freely given and freely received. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs. Those who did not do these things will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Make sure that your love runs deep enough to affect your hospitality, empathy, fidelity, and contentment. And all these require your time!

Real love for others produces tangible actions. Some people say they cannot be hospitable because their homes are not large enough or nice enough. But even if you have no more than a table and two chairs in a rented room, there are people who would be grateful to spend time in your home. Are there visitors to your church with whom you could share a meal? Do you know single people who would enjoy an evening of conversation? Is there any way your home could meet the needs of traveling missionaries? Hospitality simply means making other people feel comfortable and at home.

The essence of love is not in what we think or do or provide for others, but in how much you give of yourselves. Men, in particular, often don't understand this. Many think that when they have provided the needs of their family, they have done it all. You will hear comments from men like; "I don't understand my wife and kids. I provide everything they need. What more could they want?" They want you! They want your most precious gift—your time. Nothing can take the place of that. The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention. 

Whenever you give your time, you are making a sacrifice, and sacrifice is the essence of love. The Scripture, in Ephesians 5 vs 2, gives us a model of this by Jesus Christ, "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice for a sweet-smelling aroma." Just as children imitate parents, we should imitate Jesus. His great love for us led Him to sacrifice Himself so that we might live eternally. Our love for others should be of the same kind—a love that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service, offering your best—your time.

God created you to worship and serve Him. This requires the best of you—your time. How then do you give God your time? Most people will wake up in the morning, and are in a hurry to rush out into their daily pursuit without making out time for the Lord, to worship Him which is the reason we are created. Even when some worship, they don't give quality time to the Lord. It is most unreasonable! Their daily pursuit will take better of their time than their Creator and Owner of all things, including the things they are rushing after. For some, there is no time to worship in the night, it is for their rest. Some don't have time to read the Bible talk less of meditating on the Word, forgetting that the Lord said, only in doing so that you prosper and have good success. (See Joshua 1 vs 8; Psalm 1 vs 2 - 3.)

Many people believe that they offering in church, and meetings are enough sacrifice. Do not be deceived, offering or sacrifices not made out of love profits you nothing. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. The Scripture, in John 3 vs 16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave...." Remember God owns all things, and has only put some in your care. If you are bringing back what He gave you without a show of your love to Him, you are a time waster. Love means giving up; yielding my preferences, comfort, goals, security, money, energy, or most especially your time for the benefit of someone else.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace for the best use of my time for You and others, that I may always offer my best gift of love to You and others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOUR LOVE IS BEST EXPRESSED NOW!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 12, 2019.

SUBJECT : YOUR LOVE IS BEST EXPRESSED NOW!

Memory verse: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." 

(

Galatians 6 vs 10

.)

READ: Proverbs 3 vs 27 - 28:

3:27: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. 

3:28: Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it," when you have it with you.

INTIMATION:
The opportunity to showcase your love is all around you, and now is the best time to show it. Sometimes procrastination is a legitimate response to a trivial task. But because love is what matters most, it takes priority over all other things. God's command is for you to do good, and right. It is inconsequential whether you receive word of thanks or not. Though it is discouraging when you don't receive any encouragement or acknowledgment, but it is not a reason not to do good. We are challenged to keep doing good and trust God for the results. In due time, we will reap a harvest of blessing.

The Bible stresses repeatedly, saying, "The time is now," to show love. In the passage we read today, the Scripture clearly states that we should not withhold doing good from those whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Some of us are better blessed materially or financially than others, and God blesses us to bless others (Genesis 12 vs 2). Therefore, if God has given you an advantage in possessions over others, don’t hesitate to favor others when you are aware of their handicap and their needs it is in your power to give. 

The time to show love is now. Delaying to do good is inconsiderate and unfair, whatever it is; whether it is showing appreciation, giving thanks, returning a tool, fulfilling a promise, or even offering useful advice. Procrastination or withholding destroys trust and creates a great inconvenience. Be as eager to do good as you are to have good done to you. 

Why is now the best time to express love? Because you don't know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances change; people die, children grow up, you have no guarantee of tomorrow. If you want to express love, do it now. It is for this reason that the Scripture, in Ephesians 5 vs 15 - 16, says, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Knowing that one day you will stand before God, here are some questions you need to consider: (1) How will you explain those times when projects or things were more important to you than people? (2) Who do you need to start spending more time with? (3) What do you need to cut out of your schedule to create time to show love to God, and people? (4) What sacrifices do you need to make? The sincere, and right answers to these questions is the starting point to doing right, and good. It doesn't end in right answers, but you must be a doer. The act of not doing is being rebellious, and stubborn to God, and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. (See First Samuel 15 vs 23.)

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace of promptness in my expression of love to others. O Lord, let nothing come between You and I, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS IN LOVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2019.

SUBJECT : THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS IN LOVE!

Memory verse: "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 

(First John 4 vs 8.)

READ: First John 4 vs 7 - 8, 12 - 13:

4:7: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. 

4:8: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

4:12: No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 

4:13: By this we know we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit.

INTIMATION:
The Owner and Giver of life is God. And God is love. The best use of anything is in the hands of the owner. God is the Producer and  Owner of life, and God is Love, therefore, the best use of life is in God—in Love. In leading a life of intimacy with God, love is what matters most. To know God is to know how to love because God is love, and created us in His image and likeness. The most important lesson He wants us to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we should be like Him most. It’s noteworthy that love is the foundation of every command He has given us. The Bible, in Galatians 5 vs 14, says, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Love should be your top priority, primary objective, and greatest ambition. Love should, and is not a good part of your life; it's the most important part of your life. The Scripture in First Corinthians 14 vs 1, says, "Pursue love, ...." To "pursue" means to "chase after," "strive for," "to work hard at," "persist in." It is not enough to say, "One of the things I want in my life is to be loving," as if it's in your top ten list. Relationships must have priority in your life above everything else.

God is invisible, and a Spirit. How then do we develop intimate relationship with Him? We only draw closer to Him if we love one another. In the passage we read today, the Scripture clearly stated that ‘no one has seen God at any time.’ If we relate in love with one another, we demonstrate the love nature of God in us, and His love has been perfected in us. Therefore, by loving one another we know we are His followers, we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” (John 13 vs 34 - 35.)

Love is much more than simply warm feelings. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loved us? Remember He gave His inestimable life for ours that is completely worthless because of sin. Therefore, we love like a Him; (1) By helping when it is not convenient, (2) by giving when it hurts, (3) by devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, (4) by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source. Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature. That's why we are given a lifetime to learn it. Of course, God wants us to love everyone, but He is particularly concerned that we learn to love others in His family. 

In heaven we will enjoy God's family forever, but first we have some tough work to do here on earth to prepare ourselves for an eternity of loving. When we are not motivated by love we become critical of others. We stop looking for good in them and see only their faults. Have you talked behind someone's back? Have you focused on others' shortcomings instead of their strengths? When you begin to feel critical of someone, make a list of that person's positive qualities. If there are problems that need to be addressed, it is better to confront in love than in hate or to gossip.

God trains us by giving us family "responsibilities," and the foremost of these is to practice loving each other. God wants you to be in regular, close, fellowship with other believers so you can develop the skill of loving. Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people; imperfect, frustrating, irritating people, all manner, to learn how to love in action, and as Jesus loved.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with Your excellent spirit of love for You and others, that I may be found worthy a disciple of Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

SIN AND GOD’S FORGIVENESS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2019.

SUBJECT : SIN AND GOD’S FORGIVENESS!

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

READ: Second Chronicles 6 vs 36 - 39:

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

6:37: yet  when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;
6:38: and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have carried captives, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:

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

INTIMATION:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All people are sinners by nature and by practice. At conversion all our sins are forgiven—past, present, and future. Yet even after we become Christians, we still sin and still need to confess. This kind of confession is not offered to gain God’s acceptance but to remove the barrier in fellowship that our sin has put between us and Him. Confession is supposed to free us from sin to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. 

When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. Though we have confessed our sins, there is the tendency that we will sin, and even do sin. However, we don’t need to fear that God will reject us if we don’t keep our state perfectly clean. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do will make us lose our salvation. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.

Someone may ask, “If God has forgiven us for our sins because of Christ’s death, why must we confess our sins?” We need to because In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing, we are (1) agreeing with God that our sin is truly sin and that we are willing to turn from it, (2) ensuring that we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently from ourselves, and (3) recognizing our tendency to sin and relying on His power to overcome it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are ever merciful; forgiving my sins and remembering them no more. I desire to be in fellowship with You always, and for Your grace to live a life of confession in sincerity and obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE RICH ARE RARELY HUMBLE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 9, 2019.

SUBJECT : THE RICH ARE RARELY HUMBLE!

Memory verse: "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack; Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take the cross and follow Me." 

(Mark 10 vs 21.)

READ: Mark 10 vs 22 - 25:

10:22: But he was sad at this word, and went away  sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

10:23: Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

10:24: And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

10:25: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

INTIMATION:

To be rich is to be affluent, wealthy, having a large fortune. The rich are people with great financial resources, having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances. Such people anchor their trust in their riches because they believe with their riches they can get all they want—the financial security they have is all they need to be secure in a life. Consequently, It is usually hard to find humble people among the rich because they believe they all it takes to have all their needs met. Obviously, money represents power, authority, and success, hence it is often difficult for rich people to realize their ultimate need in life, and the powerlessness of their riches to save them. The rich in talent or intelligence suffer the same difficulty; they often put their trust in their intellect and abilities. 

A person's wealth usually makes life comfortable, and gives him or her power and prestige, hence they trust in their wealth as the very basis of their security and identity. They have what they want or can easily buy what the want. They are influential, praised, honored, and popular. Therefore, it is rather difficult for them to humble themselves to serve. It is difficult for self-sufficient persons to realize the need of Jesus in their lives, Unless God reaches down into their lives, they will not come back to Him. They do not realize that is God who owns all things—the world and its fullness (Psalm 24 vs 1; 89 vs 11), and "no man receives anything unless is given to him from heaven" (John 3 vs 27). Therefore, it is more secured to put your trust in the Giver and the gift. 

Humility signifies low-lying—lowliness of mind; modest, not prideful, submissive, deferential, and meek. These character traits are often lacking in the rich, because riches are mostly the worldly standard of evaluating success and achievement, and eventually cause the rich to think highly or too much about themselves. Evaluating yourself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause you to think too much about your worth in the eyes of others and thus miss your true value in God's eyes. The key to an honest and accurate evaluation is knowing the basis of our self-worth—our identity in Christ. Apart from Him, we aren't capable of very much by eternal standards. In Him we are valuable and capable of worthy service. 

Humility will not allow you to be influenced by praise, honor, and popularity. It helps you not to allow popularity to twist your perception of your own importance. It is comparatively easy to be humble when you're not on center stage, but when praised, pride and arrogance usually come in. Consider the incident in our memory verse and the passage in Mark we read today. Jesus is not asking believers to sell all their possessions. Most of His followers did not sell everything, although they used their possessions to serve others. Instead, this incident shows us that we must not let our possessions keep us from following Jesus. We must remove all barriers to serving Him fully, humbling ourselves before the Lord.

Let us not loose sight of the end result of all our humility and self-sacrifice—a joyous banquet with our Lord! God never asks us to suffer for the sake of suffering. He never asks us to give up something good unless He plans to replace it with something even better. Jesus is not calling us to join Him in a labor camp but in feast—the marriage super of the Lamb (Revelation 19 vs 6 - 9), when God and His beloved church will be joined forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of humility, that I may humble myself before You at all times, being secured in You, and nothing created by You will take the first place in my life, rather than You, the Creator, in Jesus' Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

CHRISTIAN LOVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 2019.

SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN LOVE! 

Memory verse: 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another

." (John 13 vs 34.)

READ: First Corinthians 13 vs 1 - 8:

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

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

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

13:4: Love suffers long and is kin; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

13:5: does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

13:6: does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

13:7: bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13:8: Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

INTIMATION:

Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first in implicit obedience to His commandments (John 14 vs 15, 21). 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. It is an unselfish love, ready to serve.

Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. For instance, God’s love is is seen in the gift of His Son; “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein 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.) But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was drawn out by any excellency in its objects (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. 

In respect of love as used for God, it 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 seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15 vs 2), and works no ill to any (Romans 13 vs 8 - 10). It seeks opportunity to do good to ‘all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of faith,’ (Galatians 6 vs 10). Love had its perfect expression among men in the Lord Jesus Christ (Second Corinthians 5 vs 14; Ephesians 2 vs 4). Christian love is the fruit of the Spirit in the Christian (Galatians 5 vs 22). 

Jesus says that if we truly love God and our neighbor, we will naturally keep the commandments. The best tact to deal with this is rather than worrying about all we should not do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show love for God and others. After learning to love God, learning to love others is the second purpose of your life. 

We are often preoccupied with our own self, and act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We think always that we are doing others favor by loving them. But that is wrong, instead we are doing ourselves the favor of walking in the command of God to fulfill His law. We talk about finding time for our children or making time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just part of our lives along with many other tasks. But God says relationships are what life is all about. 

Relationships, not achievements or the acquisition of things, are what matters most in life. Now you know this, why will you allow relationships to get the short end of the stick? When our schedules become overloaded and overcrowded, we start skimming relationally, cutting back on giving the time, energy, and attention that loving relationships require. What is most important to God is displaced by what's urgent to you. Busyness is the greatest enemy to relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love—love God and people. Life minus love equals zero.

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to live a life hinged on Your greatest commandments—to love You and others. Endue me with the spirit of love, that I may be worthy to be called Your Son, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!