CALLED AND COMMANDED TO SERVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JUNE 25, 2020.

SUBJECT: CALLED AND COMMANDED TO SERVE!

Memory verse: "He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose." (Second Timothy 1 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 20 vs 28 - 34:

20:28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
20:29: Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 

20:30: And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" 

20:31: Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" 

20:32: So Jesus stood and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

20:33: They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 

20:34: So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

INTIMATION:

For Christians service is not optional, something to be attached to our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. We have earlier seen the true example of what we are called to do in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 20 vs 28 Jesus said, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus came "to serve" and "to give," and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too as a Christian. Serving and giving sum up God's major purpose for your life. 

And after telling the disciples of the "command to serve," Jesus demonstrated that act of selfless service in the event following in the passage we read today. Although Jesus was concerned about the coming events in Jerusalem, He had all His attention fixed on Jerusalem, but He stopped to care for the blind men demonstrating what He had just told the disciples about service, by stopping to care for them. Service is a commandment that He has to obey, and consequently He did. Even when the major reason He came was to come up in that His trip to Jerusalem.

Jesus taught that greatness comes from serving—giving yourself to serve God and others. Service keeps us aware of others' needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. He described leadership from a new perspective; instead of using people, we are to serve them. Jesus mission was to serve others and to give His life away as a ransom for others. In God's standards, service leads to true greatness. Jesus said in Matthew 20 vs 26 - 27, "...But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave." 

In First Corinthians 7 vs 17, the Scripture says, "But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him work..." Many think that being "called" by God is something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other "full-time" church workers experience, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service. Your call to salvation included your call to service. They are the same. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A "non-serving Christian" is a contradiction in terms.

All believers are called into priesthood in Christ, not as it was in the Old Testament times, when people did not approach God directly, a priest acted as intermediary between God and sinful human beings. With Christ's victory at the cross, and in Hades, the pattern changed. Now we can come directly into God's presence without fear, and are given the responsibility of bringing others to Him also. Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling.

People often base their self-concept on their accomplishments. But our relationship with Christ is far more important than our jobs, successes, wealth, or knowledge. We have been chosen by God as His very own, and we have been called to represent Him to others. Your value comes from being one of God's children, not from what you can achieve. You have worth because of what God does, not because of what you do. How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God? Your service is desperately needed in the Body of Christ. Each and everyone of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.

Every ministry matters because we are dependent on each other to function. Consider what happens when one part of your body fails to function! You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: "I'm tired! I don't want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. Your body would die. Today thousands of churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.

Spiritual maturity culminates in selfless service. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of servanthood that I may serve diligently, delightfully, and obediently, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE INEVITABLE JUDGEMENT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE INEVITABLE JUDGEMENT!

Memory verse: "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14 vs 12.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 10; Romans 2 vs 5 - 10:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

Romans 2:5: But in accordance with your hardness and your impertinent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, 

2:6: who will render to each one according to his deeds": 

2:7: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 

2:8: but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath, 

2:9: tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

2:10: but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good...For there is no partiality with God." 

INTIMATION:

At the end of your life on earth you will stand before God, and He is going to evaluate you on how well you served here on earth with your life. While eternal life is a free gift given on the basis of God's grace, each of us will still be judged by Christ. This judgement will reward us for how we have lived. God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement for faithful obedience. We are not saved by good deeds, but when we commit our life fully to God, we want to please Him and do His will. As such, our good deeds are a grateful response to what God has done, not a prerequisite to earning His favor.

The purpose of Jesus’ first mission on earth was not to judge people, but to show them the way to find salvation and eternal life. When He comes again, one of His main purposes will be to judge people for how they lived on earth. Christ’s words which we would not accept and obey will condemn us. On the day of judgement, those who accepted Jesus and lived His way will be raised to eternal life, and those who rejected Jesus and lived any way they pleased will face eternal punishment. 

Jesus Christ has been given the authority to judge all the earth. Although His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns, and everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. This will not be confined to unbelievers; Christians too, will face judgement. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. At the time of judgement. God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked. 

At judgement, the “books” will be opened. The “Book of Life” will also be opened, and it contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. The “books” contain the recorded deeds of everyone, good or evil. Everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. No one is saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God. His gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience and service. Each of us must serve Christ in the best way we know and live each day knowing the “books” will one day be opened. 

Think about the implication of giving account of our stewardship. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others and His interest. The evaluation comes with attendant reward. The Bible tells us in Revelation 22 vs 12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to His work." 

At the point of judgement, all excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: "I was too busy" or "I had my own goals" or "I was preoccupied with working, attending to my needs, or had a tight schedule, and could hardly find time." To all excuses God will respond, "Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you, and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you play or did you not understand?"

Although God does not usually punish us immediately for sin, His eventual judgement is certain. We don't know exactly when it will happen, but we know that no one will escape that final encounter with the Creator. God will pour out His anger and wrath on those who lived for themselves. But for Christians, though they will be saved, it will mean a loss of eternal rewards.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to live a life of service; serving others and the interest of Your kingdom, that I may lead a life worthy of Your eternal reward, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JUNE 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

Memory verse: "For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that." (First Corinthians 7 vs 7.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 4 - 8:

12:4: For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function, 

12:5: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 

12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 

12:7: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 

12:8: he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

INTIMATION:

All God’s works are marvelous, and all His creations are wonderful and are useful to Him for His predetermined purposes. Nothing that He created is useless to Him. All natural positions are gifts from God. And none is morally better than the other, and all are valuable to accomplishing HIs purposes. It is important to us to accept our present situation, knowing that your present situation is a tool in God’s hands to achieve His purposes. Our limitations does not limit God, therefore, cannot be an excuse in your ministry or service.

If you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? No excuse is admissible in ministry. All the people used by God in the Bible had their limitations which never excused them in ministry or service. Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul has poor health, and Timothy was timid. 

That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in His service. He will use you if you stop making excuses. We have our different callings to serve, and each service is significant. God created us for His specific purposes, and it's His desire that we identify our pathway and follow it to achieve His purpose of creating us. But He left us a choice—to choose His pathway or ours. Obviously, your choice is made when you give your life for something. What will it be; a career, a sport, a hobby, fame, wealth? Or God's pathway for you to serve Him, and others. No choice you make, outside God's pathway of service destined for you, will have lasting significance. 

When you identify your own gifts, ask how you can use them to build up God’s family. At the same time, realize that your gifts can’t do the work of the body of Christ all alone. Be thankful for people whose gifts are completely different from yours. Let your strengths balance their weaknesses, and be grateful that their abilities make up for your deficiencies. The apostle Paul uses the concept of human body to teach how Christians should live and work together. As the human body is, so is the Body of Christ. Each human part finds its significance on its vocation, but all function under the direction of the brain. So Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ, using our different gifts. 

Service is the pathway to real significance. It is through ministry that we discover the meaning of our lives. As we serve together in God's family, our lives take on eternal importance. In human body, the eyes cannot do the work of the legs, nor the tongue the work of the stomach. When any part tries to do the work of another, it fails, and loses its significance. The Bible, in First Corinthians 7 vs 7, 20, 24, says, "..But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." 

When you are in the state you were called, God remains with you, hence your significance, because It is only in Him your hope of glory lies; "..Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1 vs 28.) When one is outside of his calling, you hear people complain, "Upon all I am doing nobody notices me," "I am putting in my best, but it seems like nothing is done," "nobody sees my contribution, but when the other person does the same thing, people will be full of praise for him."

God wants to use you to make a difference in His world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how right you lived. What you might look at as a disadvantage may turn out to be an advantage in your ministry. In acknowledging God's uniqueness and goodness, the psalmist in Psalm 139 vs 14 says, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

God is perfect, and His works also are perfect. He never makes mistake, and is forever the same. Find your God's ordained path and follow it, and you will find real significance.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most precious God for Your marvelous works in me, and how You fearfully and wonderfully made me for Your predetermined purposes. Engrace me to identify my ordained pathway that I may walk in it, and be relevance in service to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HEAVEN DECLARE GOD'S GLORY.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1" 

Devotion : Elohim created the heavens and the earth and everything therein to worship and praise Him. After the fall of man, some of the creation of God stopped praising Him. In the opening scripture, we are told that the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky or firmament displays His handiwork. Verse 2 says day unto day utter speech, and night unto night shows knowledge. How many human beings do what the heavens and the sky do day and night? Some people give their praise and worship to idols or themselves, but they that know Elohim, the true God, should worship and praise Him more than the heavens and the firmament are doing. Besides worship and praise, they also show forth knowledge - the knowledge that God exists. Therefore, those who doubt the existence of God have no excuse at all because even the sky tells them about the almighty God. Dear beloved, how many times do you worship or praise God in a day? Share your comments here.

YOU ARE CREATED AND SAVED TO SERVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JUNE 22, 2020.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE CREATED AND SAVED TO SERVE!

Memory verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 5 - 7; Colossians 3 vs 23 - 24:

Ephesians 6:5: Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men."

Colossians 3:23: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

INTIMATION:

God created you and put you on earth for a purpose—to serve His interest. You are put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. Most people are concerned about how to get the best out of life, but that's not the reason God created you. You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. This is God's fourth purpose for your life, and it is called your "ministry," or “your service” or “good works.” Jesus Christ, our example of what we are called to do, said: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20 vs 28.)

Our “good works” are act of service or worship to the Lord. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are serving God and fulfilling one of your purposes. For this reason, Christian employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. No matter what you do, who you work for, and who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven. In creation God has carefully shaped you for a purpose, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made. His works are marvelous." (Psalm 139 vs 14.) God knew you long before you were born or even conceived, and everything about you is already written in His book; the purpose you are created, the service to render, your number of days on earth etc. (Psalm 139 vs 15 - 16).

It takes your coming to Him and trusting in Him, for the revelation of all these in your life. And you come to Him by accepting what He did through His Son Jesus Christ for you in redemption; acknowledging Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. He saved you to accomplish His purpose for which He created you (Second Timothy 1 vs 9). In God's kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill—His “holy calling.” This gives your life great significance and value. God has given you a unique combination of abilities and talents. Use them to serve and honor Him. 

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. It is in the light of these incredible benefits that the apostle Paul entreats us in Romans 12 vs 1 thus, "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Therefore, daily laying aside your own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide you. We serve Him out of joy, and deep gratitude for what He's done for us. We owe Him our lives. 

When you serve others, even in carrying out ordinary tasks, you are serving God. Because ultimately we serve God, every job has dignity. The apostle John said that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved (First John 3 vs 14). If you have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and you are only concerned about your needs, it is doubtful whether Christ is really in your life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.

Jesus said, in John 13 vs 34 - 35, "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 all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." To love others was not a new commandment (See Leviticus 19 vs 18). But to love others as Christ loved us is the new commandment. Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. 

How then can we love others as Jesus loves us, and gave His life for us? We do this by helping when it's not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, 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. You are a follower of Christ—His disciple when you love like Him.

Another term for serving God that's misunderstood by most people is the word ministry. When most people hear "ministry," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of His family is a minister (Revelation 1 vs 6; 5 vs 10). In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonymous. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you're serving, you're ministering. When Peter's sick mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, she instantly "stood up and began to serve Jesus," using her new gift of health (see Mark 1 vs 30 - 31). This is what we're to do. We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven. 

God told Abraham that He will bless him to be a blessing, "...I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12 vs 2.) Today, the blessings of Abraham has come to us through Jesus Christ, and we have received the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3 vs 14.) Seek ways to express your gratitude to Him. Have you ever wondered why God doesn't just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept His grace? Why does He leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill His purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for His goals. God has a ministry for you in his Body—the church, and a mission for you in the world. Seek yours from Him and serve appropriately!

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to serve You acceptably and in accordance with Your predetermined purposes in my life. I humbly ask that You reveal to me the hope of Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

JESUS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY FOR OUR SALVATION.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5" 

Devotion : The good news was derived from the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. Jesus, who knew no sin, was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our wickedness, and the punishment we deserved was laid on Him; He gave us healing by His stripes. This is the good news Christ Jesus brought to mankind. He did all the work for us to receive the reward; all we need to do is to just believe and be a partaker of the blessings. Those who do not believe the good news will have themselves to blame in hell since they want to pay for their own sins in hell. If man could pay for his own sins, Jesus would not have come. Dear reader, the choice is now yours; either you believe in the gospel and partake of the blessings or reject it and suffer the consequences. Share your comments here!

PERFECT TO GOOD WORKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

"That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2Timothy 3:17" 

Devotion : The opening scripture has enlightened us about God's goal to train his children by His Word. His goal or objective is to bring His children, especially leaders, to a place of maturity and perfection for good works. God is not happy when his leaders fail; therefore, He trains them thoroughly and expects them to be good examples to their followers. Our goal as children of God is to submit to the training of God no matter how tough it may seem. Also, we should aim to thoroughly go through all the training planned for us so that we can mature and be ready for good works. Dear beloved, how ready are you for good works? Share the word.

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