WILL GOD REGRET HIS TRUSTS ON YOU?

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 28, 2020.

SUBJECT: WILL GOD REGRET HIS TRUSTS ON YOU?

Memory verse: "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.” (Matthew 18 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 14 - 19:

25:14: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered his goods to them.

25:15: And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
25:16: Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
25:17: And likewise he who had received two, gained two more also.
25:18: But he that had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.
25:19: After a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled account with them.

INTIMATION:

All we have on earth; our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources, are all gifts from God are entrusted by Him, with all other His gifting, to our care and management. We are stewards of whatever God gives us. We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. The Owner is God, and has only given us right to use when we come in. It is for this reason we come into the world bringing nothing with us at birth, and takes nothing away with us at death. God loans the earth to us while we're here. And He will give the same right to another when you depart in death. You just get to enjoy it for a while. He expects us to invest our trusts wisely. 

God entrusted the care of His creation to man and appointed him the trustee of His property Genesis 1 vs 28). This role has never been rescinded. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly without excuses. All He has entrusted to our care must be handled and managed properly. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished. This stewardship is the major purpose of our life. Unfortunately, the common culture amongst us is to careless of what you don't own. But that is not God's idea. Christians should live by a higher standard: "Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it to the best of my ability." (See First Corinthians 4 vs 2.)"

Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate this responsibility toward God. In the story of the loaned money (the talents) according to the passage we read today, the kingdom of heaven is like a businessman who entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he was away. When he returns, he evaluates each servant's responsibility and rewards them accordingly. Those who did well, in line with his expectations, he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy your Lord." (Matthew 25 vs 21.)

The master divided the talents among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed, rather laziness or hatred toward the master. The talent represents any kind of resource God has given us: time, talents, possessions, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until He returns. We are responsible and accountable whatever God has delivered to us, and should ensure proper usage or investment. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.

In order words, inactivity in the kingdom is not accepted. When the kingdom reign of Jesus is in the hearts of those who have accepted Him as their king, then they are moved into action for the king. Inactivity is evidence that the king is not reigning in the hearts of men. The faithful servant does the master's bidding. Each day God presents us with needs and opportunities that challenges us to do what we know is right. We must use our resources—time, talents, abilities, possessions, etc—diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. 

The excuses of the one-talent servant actually insult the integrity of the master. It manifests the fact that he didn’t know the master, and thus, did not know what the master expected. He was rejected on this basis. His inactivity manifested his lack of concern and response to the will of the master. The will of the Master is not burdensome to the one who responds to the love and grace of a loving Father. The sin of the one-talent servant resulted from his ungrateful response to the master who had given him so much.

Servanthood is the main subject of the kingdom. Even those who are “one talent servants” must do what they can for the king. Emphasis is not on how much one does, for the amount one accomplishes is determined by the personal gifts from God. Emphasis is on doing. The world is filled with those who buried their talents in the deceptions of indifferent religiosity, and lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4 vs 6.) We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God called us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. The gifts are not ours, but God’s. When we ignore, squander or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.

The five talent and two talents servants were commended on the basis of their faithfulness and stewardship to carry out in their lives the will of the king. If one determines to serve God, then God will give the increase, for it is God’s grace that works in our hearts to bring forth fruit to God. “Well done good and faithful servant” What greater words could ever be heard from God? Christians should be motivated to work for God in order to hear these words from Him. The works they do are in response to the grace of God. 

At the end of each one’s life on earth one will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well one handled what God entrusted to him or her. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you will be given God's affirmation: He will say, "Good job! Well done!" Next, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will make you ruler over many things." Then you will be honored with a celebration: "Enter into the joy your Lord." 

The neglected use of one’s gift will result in losing everything he has been given. If one refuses to respond to God’s grace, he cannot expect to receive anything as a result of his lazy ingratitude. In the final end of things, the glories that will be given to the Christian will far outweigh that which he has accomplished on earth. He will receive more than what he can earn by works on this earth, all by God’s grace. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are forever faithful. Endue me with the spirit of faithfulness to You in all things, that I may be found worthy of Your approval, and be given the crown of glory in eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE CURSE OF POVERTY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 27, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE CURSE OF POVERTY!

Memory verse: 

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") 

(Galatians 3 vs 13.)

READ: Deuteronomy 28 vs 15 -

 20:

28:15: But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

28:16: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

28:17: Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

28:18: Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

28:19: Cursed shall shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

28:20: The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

INTIMATION:

Poverty is a curse. It is part of the curse of the law. The passage we read today reveals the curse of poverty inherent in disobedience to God’s law. In the beginning God placed everything that man could use and enjoy in the Garden of Eden. His Will is for us to lack nothing, and be in abundance. God saw to it that Adam lacked no good thing. Haven created Adam in his own image and after His likeness (as we are also created), left nothing to be desired, but asked for their obedience to a single command; “Do not eat of the of the tree of knowledge of good and evil..” (Genesis 2 vs 17). Adam was the master of the kingdom given to him. God only placed Himself above Adam as his master.

God's Will of abundance for Adam was supreme until that fatal day he committed high treason against God, haven believed the devil with his wife, Eve, and doubted God’s integrity. When Adam partook of the deadly tree, he died, not physically but spiritually. Spiritual death—the nature of Satan—overtook his once righteous spirit, and he became one with Satan. Every phase of Adam's life came under the curse of his new god, Satan. He was driven from the Garden; abundance was no longer his to enjoy. He had to toil and sweat in order to survive. His beautiful life was overrun by thorns and thistles both in the physical and in the spiritual world.

God's heart yearns for His people to be free, and in His infinite wisdom and mercy, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. He paid the supreme price for our sins, and redeemed us from the curse of the law, when He was nailed to, and hung on the cross, and shed His blood for the remission of our sins. The Scripture says, 

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") 

(Galatians 3 vs 13.)

The Scripture reveals that Jesus bore the curse of poverty at the same time He bore the curse of sickness (Isaiah 53 vs 4 - 5). You can believe for divine prosperity just as you believe for divine health. Both blessings already belong to you. You should refuse lack just as quickly as you refuse sickness because they both are the curse of the law, and Christ has already redeemed you from that curse. The blessing of Abraham is ours, as well as the promises of the Spirit. God’s wish is that we shall prosper in all things and be in health, just as our soul prospers (Third John 2). Prosperity is God's Will for us. Most of us usually look at prosperity in a different way from other things, such as divine health. There are Word principles for divine health, healing, deliverance etc., as well as divine prosperity and abundance, and they all work the same way.

But we have not been using the Word to believe for divine prosperity as we had for divine health. We usually live in the laws of prosperity (paying tithes, give offering, make kingdom investments etc.), but we don't take authority in the Word for prosperity. If you have obeyed the laws, and then refuse to take what belongs to you, you will miss it. We have been acting on prosperity differently from other provisions of the Word. In this way, we would allow symptoms of lack to come on us and stay there. We are willing to tolerate it, and sometimes claim is God's Will. But the word is very clear on the Will of God (Jeremiah 29 vs 11 & Third John vs 2). If you have obeyed the laws of prosperity, then take authority in the Word over it because it belongs to you.

Satan will always come to us with the thoughts of doubt and say; "There is no way you can have your needs met." "There is no way you can come out of your debts because you are poor, your salary cannot carry you through." "There is no way you can do all you ought to do, build a house, by a car, marry etc., There is just no way." Your answer to him should be "No Satan, my God is able! Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law, and the blessing of Abraham are mine in Christ Jesus." You will hang your faith completely in the Scriptures.

Confess continually the Word in Second Corinthians 9 vs 8 and personalize it; "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” The Amplified Version is more revealing on this verse, “:And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to me in abundance, so that I may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donations]. 

The Word says that God is able to get it to you. Don't look to natural sources. Don't look at your job, your present position, your natural capabilities, and present financial position, but look unto God. Keep your eye single on the Word. Trust Him in whatever your hands have found to do, He will prosper you there. You have to realize and know that He can and will work in your behalf. God is real! He is able to get things done!

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for all you received for me in redemption. Through the grace of our Messiah, Jesus Christ; though He was rich, yet for my sake He became poor, that I through His poverty might become rich. I refuse the lies of the devil, and embrace the truth of my abundant life in Christ Jesus: Abraham blessings are mine, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

THE CHRISTIAN GROWTH PROCESS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 26, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE CHRISTIAN GROWTH PROCESS!

Memory verse: "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.)

READ: Mark 4 vs 26 - 29: 

4:26: And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
4:27: and should sleep by night and rise up by day, and the seed should spout and grow, he himself does not know how.
4:28: For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
4:29: But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

INTIMATION:

Christian growth and maturity is a lifelong process. This process began when we accepted Christ, and continues until He returns. 

The God who began a good work in us continues it throughout our lifetime and will finish it when we meet Christ face to face. 

Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and have all pure attitudes when we become new  people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the times. As you look over the last year, you will observe some changes for the better in your thoughts and attitudes. Change may be slow, but your life will change significantly if you trust God to change you.

God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. 

God has not left us alone in our struggles to do His will. He reaches down to human beings, and asks for our response. He wants to come alongside us and be within us to help. God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2 vs 13). The secret to a changed life is to submit to God’s control and let Him work. 

Life in Christ here on earth is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and drabness. The key to growth includes daily devotion to Christ through Bible study and prayers. Perhaps you need to intensify your study and find helps that provide more substance. Perhaps you need to grow by engaging in new areas of service that express your faith. Seek God for how He would have you keep growing in your faith. 

Think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. 

We often expect quick changes in our lives and quick victories over sin. However, our journey with God is a lifelong process, and the changes and victories may take time. It is easy to grow impatient with God and feel like giving up hope because things are moving too slowly. You may 

sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life. It’s noteworthy that w

hen God starts a project, He completes it! God will help you grow in grace until He has completed His work in your life. Although w

hen we are close to a situation, it is difficult to see progress. But when we look back, we can see that God never stopped working.

Christians have entered into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ and should be responsive to what God expects for a growing relationship with Him. God’s followers should learn and understand His Word, accept and absorb them, and put into practice

. 

Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls. 

Have you made spiritual progress lately? Recording your thoughts about God and lessons you have learned over a period of time can be a valuable aid to spiritual growth. A record of your spiritual pilgrimage will let you check up on your progress and avoid repeating past mistakes. 

No one is competent to carry out the responsibilities of God’s calling in his or her own strength. Without the Holy Spirit’s enabling, our natural talent can carry us only so far. We need the character and special strength that only God gives.

When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work He has begun. When we feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to Him. All who believe in the Lord Jesus will be considered blameless when Christ returns. Today’s struggles, difficulties, and failures don’t tell the whole story. Keep the big picture in mind. If you have faith in Christ, even if it is weak, you are and will be saved.

Prayer: Abba Father, let Your abundant grace and fellowship of the Holy Spirit abide with me all through my spiritual growth process, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BEING PERSISTENT IN PRAYER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: BEING PERSISTENT IN PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke 

a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

” (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 2 - 8: 

18:2: Saying, There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.
18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’
18:4: And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.
18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

Prayer is to make supplication or petition to God. It is the call of love of the Father to come and fellowship with Him. Prayer is our need crying out for help. It is facing God with man's needs, with His promise to meet those needs. He taught us to pray, He is one with us in this prayer life. Prayer is part of God's program for us. It is the desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. It is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. It is 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.

Prayer institute a vital contact with the Father, we are near enough to breathe in His very presence. Prayer means that we have come boldly into the Throne Room and are standing in His presence. It is more than bringing Him to the scene. It is going into the presence of the Father and Jesus in an executive meeting, laying our needs before them with your strong reasons, and making our requisitions for ability, for grace, healing for someone, victory for someone, or financial needs, and so on. Whatever the needs may be, we are making a demand upon Him.

Most Christians have realized the fact that the Father's heart is hungry for the companionship of His children. His heart hunger is the reason for man and his redemption. God wants a constant fellowship with His children. It was His plan from the beginning hence He visited Adam everyday in the Garden. He loves us and that love impels Him to call us to constantly commune with Him. It is God's Will that His children will persistently come to Him, to stand in His presence  without reproof or condemnation. It is God's intention that His children will visit their Father, coming joyously into the presence of their Loving Parent, and are welcome.

To persist in prayer and not give up, or praying without ceasing (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17), does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope. We are in constant communication with the Father and it enriches us spiritually. We touch the Father through our prayers, and there cannot be any touching of the Master without the Master knowing it. When our need touches Him, it makes a demand upon his ability to meet that need. 

For instance, one day when the crowd was pressing around the Master, Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" And they said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You,  and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8 vs 45 - 47.) The woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, touched Him, making a demand upon His ability to meet her need, and the Master knew it, and she got her need met - she was healed of the disease (See Luke 8 vs 40 - 48). 

In the passage we read today, the unjust judge responded to constant pressure of the widow, and avenged her adversary. Then, if we persist in prayer, how much more will a great and loving God respond to us? If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help. Persistence in prayer helps us recognize God’s work, and overcomes our insensitivity. To practice persistence does more to change our heart and mind; it helps us understand and express the intensity of our need. 

Believers need to continue earnestly in prayer and be vigilant in it. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn’t die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God’s way of working His will in our life. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering—maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best. Though we cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, and determining to obey Him fully. Then we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to be in Your presence at all times, constantly communing with You. Give me the grace to function accordingly, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WORRY NOT! GOD IS IN CONTROL!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 24, 2020.

SUBJECT: WORRY NOT! GOD IS IN CONTROL!

Memory verse: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15 vs 3.)

READ: First Samuel 2 vs 4 - 9: 

2:4: The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who  stumbled are girded with strength.
2:5: Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread; and the hungry has ceased to hunger. Even the barren has born seven; and she who has  many children has become feeble.
2:6: The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
2:7: The LORD makes poor and makes  rich; He brings low and lifts up.
2:8: He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.”
2:9: He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail.”

INTIMATION:

God is sovereign, He is in charge, and in control of the affairs of the world. 

God is not only the Creator of the world but He is also the Sustainer. In Him, everything is held together, protected, and prevented from disintegrating into chaos. 

At times it seems that God has let evil run rampant in the world, and we wonder if He even notices it. But God sees everything clearly—both the evil actions and the evil intentions lying behind them. 

God is All-knowing, and He will judge all sin. He will weigh everyone’s deeds and will reward all deeds accordingly: 

“...For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” (First Samuel 2 vs 3.) 

Neither the righteous nor the wicked can escape His presence. God is not an indifferent observer. He cares and is active in our world. Right now His work may be unseen and unfelt, but don’t give up. One day He will wipe out evil and perish the evildoers, just as He will establish the good and reward those who do His will. 

God does not lie, forget, change, or leave His promises unfulfilled. God’s plan stands forever! 

Remembering God’s sovereign control helps us put both world and personal events in perspective. 

Because we live in a world where evil abounds and where war and terrorism always threaten, we may forget that God is in control: He is solid as a rock, the one who knows what we do, sovereign over all the affairs of people, and He is the Supreme Judge who administers perfect justice. The Lord said, 

“

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways.

” 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55 vs 8 - 9.) God’s wisdom and knowledge are far greater than any human’s. 

Many of us, observing the evils in our world, want God to act now. 

God will act when He is ready. We are like children who have difficulty grasping the concept of time. “It’s not time yet” is not a reason children easily understand because they only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, we can’t understand God’s perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God’s timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God’s timing. 

When God planned and executed the redemption of the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, the world didn’t understand His plans. Satan thought that, as the ruler of the world then, the killing of Jesus, through his wicked agents, will accomplish his victory and establish his continued rulership over the world. But he didn’t know God’s plan: “Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (First Corinthians 2 vs 8.) Jesus was misunderstood and rejected by those whom the world considered wise and good. He was put to death by the rulers in Palestine—the high priest, King Herod, Pilate, and the Pharisees and Sadducees. And through their wicked deeds, God’s plan was accomplished. 

Let us not worry about the evils and misrule in the world today. The earth and its fullness are His. 

God will even work out His plans and purposes in the midst of them all.  However, there is no ironclad guarantee that all believers will be delivered from difficulties and death in this cruel world. However, God can (and often does) miraculously deliver His followers from pain and death; although sometimes, for purposes known only to Him, He chooses not to. Thousands of Christian saints have been beaten to death, whipped, fed to lions, or executed (Romans 8 vs 35 - 36; Hebrews 11 vs 32 - 40). When faced with harsh realities, we must focus on the wise judgements of God. In times of crisis we can place our hope in God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are All-wise, All-knowing, and rules in the affairs of men. I staunchly trust in Your inconceivable wisdom, and I rest assured Your All-seeing eyes run over the earth, to reward everyone according to their deeds, and Your Throne to be established forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

FOLLOW THROUGH YOUR PROMISE IN PRAYER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY APRIL 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: FOLLOW THROUGH YOUR PROMISE IN PRAYER! 

Memory verse: "Then she made a vow, and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You wilt indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but wilt give Your maidservant a mail child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." (First Samuel 1 vs 11.)

READ: First Samuel 1 vs 20 - 28:

1:20: So it came to pass in the process of that time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
1:21: Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow.
1:22: But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD, and remain there forever.
1:23: So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
1:24: Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh:. And the child was young.
1:25: Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.
1:26: And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying unto the LORD.
1:27: For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

1:28: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshipped the LORD there.

INTIMATION:

No one is forced by law to make a promise or vow to God, but once made, they must be fulfilled. God takes our promises or vows seriously, and requires that they be carried out (Deuteronomy 23 vs 21 - 23). We often have good intentions when making  promises or vow because we want to show God that we are determined to please Him. God, however, expects you to fulfill your vow even if it is difficult to do so. For instance, if you vow to give 10 percent of your income and suddenly some unexpected bills come along, God expects you to keep your promise, even when your faithful stewardship is costly. Therefore, be careful what you promise in prayer because God may take you up on it. 

Breaking a vow or promise meant breaking trust and and a broken relationship. Trust is still the bases of our relationship with God and others. Keeping vows and promises is important; it builds trust and makes committed human relationships possible. When you pray, ask yourself, 'Will I follow through on any promises I make to God if He grants my request?' It is dishonesty to ignore a promise, especially to God. God keeps His promises, and He expects you to keep yours. Although, we are not in a position to barter with God, He may still choose to answer a prayer that has an attached promise, and gets you committed to Him.. 

Go to Him in prayers with total sincerity of heart and frankness, in all intents and purposes. Don't keep anything back. Don't ask for what you really don't want, or promise to do something you can't or won't do. Remember He already knows your heart. Hannah so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to Hannah’s credit, she did her part, even though it was painful.

To do what she promised, Hannah gave up what she wanted most—her son—and presented him to Eli to serve in the house of the Lord. In dedicating her only son to God, Hannah was dedicating her entire life and future to God. Because Samuel’s life was from God, Hannah was not really giving him up. Rather, she was returning him to God, who had given Samuel to Hannah in the first place. These verses illustrate the kind of gifts we should give to God. Do your gifts cost you little (Sunday mornings, a comfortable tithe), or are they gifts of sacrifice? Are you presenting God with tokens, or are you presenting Him with your entire life?

Hannah had no child for her husband who really loved her. She was greatly discouraged and bitter because the husband's other wife had children and ridiculed her. Her loving husband could not solve her problem. She then turned in prayer to the Provider of solutions to all problems. Eventually, Hannah discovered that an honest and fervent prayer opens the way for God to work. Hannah made a vow in return for having a mail child, to dedicate him to God for lifetime service. God gave her a son named Samuel. She lived up to her promise, and God even blessed her with five more children excluding Samuel. 

Any of us may face times of barrenness; when nothing seems to work in our work, service, or even relationships. And it is difficult to pray in faith when we feel so ineffective. But Hannah did! She so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to her credit, she did her part, even though it was painful. We should always be careful what we promise in prayer because God may take you up on it. It is better not to make promises than to make them and then later not keep them. It is best to count the cost beforehand and then to fulfill them. Prayer without complete sincerity is a sin, and an abomination before God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to commune with You in complete frankness and sincerity of heart. For You already knows my thoughts before I say them, and is pleased with the truth. Give me the grace to keep any promises or vows I make to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!