INVEST WISELY FOR ETERNAL BENEFITS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY AUGUST 9, 2020.

SUBJECT: INVEST WISELY FOR ETERNAL BENEFITS! 

Memory verse: "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." (Luke 16 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 19 - 21:

6:19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
6:20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
6:21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

INTIMATION:

Kingdom investment have remained the most enduring investment anybody could make: It’s working in the will of God, and laying treasures for oneself in heaven. If your investments are heavenly bound, obviously your heart and desires will be geared toward eternity, and doing the will of God. One will develop a spiritual vision to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from His point of view. Jesus made it clear that having wrong treasures leads to our hearts being in such wrong place. What we treasure the most controls us, whether we admit it or not. If possessions or money become too important to us, we must reestablish control or get rid of items. 

Jesus does not condemn material things, the possessions themselves are not wrong. What is wrong is how they were acquired and idolized. He condemns such only when the material things possess the individual, and thus, direct one’s mind away from that which is more important than the material. One must keep in mind that ambitions to acquire worldly treasures do not profit toward the edification and growth of the soul that must be spiritually prepared for eternal dwelling. There is no spiritual profit in spending one’s life in the acquisition of the things of the world, when in the end, the things of this world will be destroyed and one is left with a life that has been wasted on acquiring material things.

Treasures we possess on earth can easily be consumed or taken from us. Because we know they can easily be taken from us, we worry about them. By concentrating on those things that are above this earth, one places earthly things in the right perspective. The crown of righteousness in heaven awaits those who have forsaken the treasures of the world. Jesus contrasts the physical and temporary things of this world with the eternal, spiritual things that will endure the destruction of the physical. If one has many things of this world, one’s mind will be earth bound. If one’s mind is on those things that are above, then his or her thoughts, desires, and ambitions are on spiritual things.

In our memory verse, Jesus made one of his most misunderstood statements in the Bible when He said, "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." Jesus did not mean for you to "buy" friends with money. What He means that we shall make wise use of the financial opportunities we have to help people find Christ. He thought that we should be wise about taking care of our spiritual life as the shrewd steward took care for his material life. If we use our money to help those in need or to help others find Christ, our earthly investment will bring eternal benefit. It is the best financial investment you'll ever make. 

When you obey God's Will, the unselfish use of possessions will follow. That is what Jesus meant by asking us to "store up your treasures in heaven." Our correct use of material things will determine our right to eternal life. A man’ faithfulness is measured by what he does with what he has. Jesus calls for a decision that allows us to live contentedly with whatever we have because we have chosen eternal values over temporary, earthly treasures.

Prayer: Abba Father, let the zeal of Your kingdom eat me up, that I will invest my whole being in doing Your will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

YOU CAN BE ON THE FENCE

 YOU CAN BE ON THE FENCE

"For he that is not against us is on our part. Mark 9:40" 

Devotion : In Christ Jesus, your position for Jesus Christ must be clear and emphatic. It is either you are for Christ or you are against Him; there is no middle ground. If you claim you are born again, then give yourself wholly to Jesus Christ and His gospel. Let whatever Jesus stands for be what you stand for; let whatever Jesus likes and loves be what you like and love; let whatever Jesus hates be what you hate (Ephesians 5:1-2). If you claim you love Jesus Christ and stand for Him, yet you don't do what He loves, you are a liar, you are against Him. Dear beloved, does your conduct differ from that of Christ? If your answer is no, then you are for Christ; if it is yes, then you are against Christ. By their fruit you will know them (Matthew 7:20). Share your comments here!

BACK GROUND BY LECREA

 

SELF SUFFICIENCY

 SELF SUFFICIENCY

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; Thessalonians 4:11" 

Devotion : The will of God for His children is to be self-sufficient. It is something that does not come by chance but by careful study of the Word of God and the practice thereof. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does not want His children to be continually dependent on others. His wish is that His children enlighten themselves, do their own business, and work with their own hands; He also wants them to live truthfully toward others, and lack nothing. This will be a good light to those who are in the world so that they don't take Christianity for granted. God does not like it when people in the world make comments such as Christians are lazy or Christians are unemployed. Let us live up to expectation and shine as the true light of the world. Praise the Lord! Share your thoughts here!

THE BEST WAY TO LIVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 8, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE BEST WAY TO LIVE! 

Memory verse: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12 vs 1.)

READ: Luka 9 vs 23 - 26:

9:23: And He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
9:24: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save.
9:25: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 
9:26: For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.

INTIMATION:

The best way to live is to surrender to Christ. Everybody eventually surrenders to something or someone. If not God, you will surrender to the opinions or expressions of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, to your own pride, lusts, ego, self-defeat, or pity. You were designed to worship God, and if you fail to worship Him, you will eventually create things (idols) that are gods to you, and you give your worship or life to them. God created you to worship Him, and also allowed the freedom of choice. You are free to choose who or what to surrender to, but you are not free from the consequences of that choice. There is freedom before surrender, but no freedom after surrender from the consequences of not surrendering to Him. If you don't surrender to Christ, you surrender to crisis. 

Since outside of Christ is crisis, the only way to live life devoid of crisis is surrender to Him. Nothing else works. All other approaches lead to frustration, disappointment, and self-destruction. The apostle Paul calls surrender a "your reasonable service." Surrendering your life is not a foolish emotional impulse but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. That is why Paul said, ".Therefore we must make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 9.) Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God. 

Sometimes it takes years to discover this most sensible way to live. When this happens you eventually discover that the greatest hindrance to God's blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself—your self-will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You can't fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. The time of the discovery in your life is immaterial, the important thing is that you have turned to your Owner. You need to discover yourself, if God is going to do His deepest work in you, it starts from this discovery.

Give all of you to God: your past regrets, your present problems, your future ambitions, your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts, and hang-ups. Put Jesus Christ in the driver's seat of your life and take your hands off the steering wheel. Never you be frightened; nothing under His control can ever be out of control. You may not understand the circumstances you are in with Him, but it is the best for you, because all the things He does, work together for your eventual good, and in line with His purpose of your life. When you are Mastered by Christ, you can handle anything. You will be like the apostle Paul: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4 vs 13.)  

Our place, time, and how we surrender differs. Paul's moment occurred on the Damascus road after he was knocked down by a blinding light. For others, God gets our attention with less drastic methods. Regardless, surrendering is never just a one-time event. Paul said, "I die daily." (First Corinthians 15 vs31.) There is a moment of surrender, and there is the practice of surrender, which is moment-by-moment and lifelong. Remember, when you surrender, you become a living sacrifice, and the problem of a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar, so you may have to re surrender your life fifty times a day. You must make it a daily habit. (Luke 9 vs 23.)

Let me warn you: When you decide to live a totally surrendered life, that decision will be tested. Sometimes it will mean doing inconvenient, unpopular, costly, or seemingly impossible tasks. It will often mean doing the opposite of what you feel like doing. Christ presented a clear and challenging description of the Christian life. Being His disciple means putting aside selfish desires, shouldering one’s “cross” every day, and following Him. It is simple and yet so demanding. For believers it means understanding that we belong to Him and that we live to serve His purposes. 

Consider this: Do you think of your relationship with God primarily in terms of what’s in it for you (which is considerable) or in terms of what you can do for Him? Are you willing to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him? Anything less is not discipleship; it is merely superficial lip service. Have you surrendered to Christ? Or are you still arguing and struggling with God over His right to do with your life as He pleases? If you have not, now is your time to surrender to God's grace, love, and wisdom; receiving His Nature! Following Christ means total submission to Him—perhaps even to the point of death.

Prayer: Abba Father, without You, I am completely nothing. I obediently and completely surrender all of my life to You, that You do with it as it’s pleasing to You. My utmost heart desire is to live everyday of my life in You, for You, and with You. So help me God, in Jesus’ most precious Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

LEARN FROM OUR FATHER

LEARN FROM OUR FATHER

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. Psalms 103:9"

Devotion : Jehovah has a character He wants us to emulate and let it become our lifestyle. The opening Scripture says God will not always reprove or rebuke us, nor will He keep His anger forever. How nice for our Father to behave toward His children! He becomes angry when we disobey Him but He does not reject us; He rebukes us in love and patiently waits for us to learn to do the right thing. In like manner He tells us to be angry but sin not; we should not allow our anger to linger in our heart to propel us to do wrong. In other words, we should quickly turn away from our anger (Ephesians 4:26-27). If you are quick tempered, it is time to work on it and become like our heavenly Father. If you are a parent, don't rebuke your children in anger but reprove them in love and patiently wait for them to learn to do right. Hallelujah! Share your comments here!

FIXING YOUR THOUGHTS ON ETERNITY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 7, 2020.

SUBJECT: FIXING YOUR THOUGHTS ON ETERNITY! 

Memory verse: "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 18.)

READ: Second Peter 3 vs 10- 13:

3:10: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are it will be burned up.
3:11: Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
3:12: looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
3:13: Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

INTIMATION:

To make the most of your time on earth, you must maintain an eternal perspective. You should be mindful of eternal inheritance than what you can get now. Everything you see, and have now will one day pass away (Second Peter 3 vs 10). This will keep you from majoring on earthly things which are minor and help you concentrate on the thing that is eternal, and the ultimate! The more we understand the temporary nature and existence of this world, the more we will focus our attention on that which will permeate the final destruction of all things. We look forward to the passing of the things that are seen in order to enter the glory of that which is presently not seen. 

Nothing seen or experienced in this life is worth the eternal life with God, and nothing we have here on earth will matter a thing in eternity. Even now, so much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don't trade your life for temporary things. Our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life here on earth is not all there is. There is life after death! Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life. Christians who are spiritually detached from what will pass away will be anxiously hastening the coming of that glory which is without end.

The Christian should be godly; maintaining an emotional and spiritual detachment from the things of this world, and seek after God’s ways. He must conduct his or her life as God would direct through His word. Christians should be holy just as our Father in heaven is. Holy is from the word that means “to separate.” The believer’s conduct should be as one separated or detached from what will be terminated. Christians must not become attached to the material world which will have its end in the consuming fire. Their minds must be on the things that are above, the things which will permeate the consummation of all earthly things. 

The Bible, in First Corinthians 7 vs 31, says, "And those you use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away." We should be unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved with the burdensome pursuit of earthly things, and should deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you because the world, as you see it, is on its way out.

What are you allowing to stand in the way of your mission? What is keeping you from being an unbeatable Christian? Whatever it is, let it go. Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back. The Bible, in Hebrews 12 vs 1, says, "....Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Jesus warned us on distractions by earthly things when He said in Luke 9 vs 62, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." What does Jesus want from us? Total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. We can't pick and choose among Jesus' ideas and follow Him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown.

You've probably heard the expression "You can't take it with you." But the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there! The Bible, in First Timothy 6 vs 18 - 19, says, "Let them do good, that they are rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life." Be wise, be selfless, and be rich in good works. We should not be lazy and complacent because Christ has not returned. Instead, we should live in eager expectation of His coming. What would you like to be doing when Christ returns? That is how you should be living each day.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have put eternity in our hearts, engrace me to always be eternity conscious, and daily conduct myself in that consciousness, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!