OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2020.

SUBJECT : OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD!

Memory verse: Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine." (Exodus 19 vs 5.)

READ: John 15 vs 9 - 11: 

15:9: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 

15:10: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

15:11: These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

15:12: This is My commandment, “That you love one another, as I have loved you.”
15:13: Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
15:14: You are My friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.

INTIMATION: 

Obeying God in faith brings you closer to Him for an intimate relationship. Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever He says, even when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with Him. Obedience endears you to God, and makes you special to Him. Just obedience to our earthly parents endear us to them, so it does to our heavenly Parent. Jesus is our role model, He was obedient to both to His earthly parents and Heavenly Father.

Most people have always viewed obedience as submission to an authority, usually a superior authority. They rarely think of obedience as an attribute of friendship. It is usually reserved for relationships with a parent or the boss or a superior authority, not a friend. Though God is a superior being, He views our obedience as condition for intimate relationship with Him. And Jesus made it clear when He said, in John 15 vs 14, "You are My friends if you do whatever I command You." Obedience to God in faith endears you to Him, and fosters an intimate friendship with Him.

We obey God, not out of duty or fear or compulsion, but because we love Him and trust that He knows what is best for us. We want to follow Christ out of gratitude for all he has done for us, and the closer we follow Him, the deeper our friendship becomes. Unbelievers often have the illusion that Christians obey out of obligation or guilt or fear of punishment because He is awesome, and is ever ready to punish any misdeeds prior to the coming of Jesus Christ. Now that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin, and we have been forgiven and set free, we obey out of love, and our obedience brings great joy! 

Take note of these two declarations in passage we read today, of Jesus' words; "My joy" and "your joy." (John 15 vs 11.) What is His joy? Jesus' joy is to do the Will of the Father, that is, obediently keeping the Father's commandments, and in doing the work of the Father and ensuring the work is completed. This is very important to Jesus that He called it His food; "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish his work."(John 4 vs 34.) In the same vein, our joy is to obey Christ's commandments. When we do, our joy will be full. Notice that Jesus expects us to relate with Him as He relates with the Father. His relationship with His Father is the model for our friendship with Him. Jesus did whatever the Father asked Him to do, out of love. We also are to do the same with Christ.

True friendship isn't passive; it’s active. When Jesus asks us to love others, help the needy, share our resources, keep our lives clean, offer forgiveness, and bring others to Him, love motivates us to obey immediately. The psyche of most of us is to do great things for God. Actually, God is more pleased when we do small things for Him out of loving obedience. They may be unnoticed by others, but God notices them and considers them acts of worship. Great opportunities may come once in a lifetime, but small opportunities surround us every day. Even through such simple acts as telling the truth, being kind, and encouraging others, we bring a smile to God's face. 

God treasures simple acts of obedience more than our prayers, praise, or offerings. The Bible in First Samuel 15 vs 22 says, "..Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." Jesus Christ was borne a child, He lived with His parents, worked with the earthly father, Joseph in his carpentry business, and started His public ministry at the age of thirty by being baptized by John the Baptist. At the event of His baptism, God spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3 vs 17.)

What has Jesus done in thirty years that gave God so much pleasure? The Bible says nothing about those hidden years except in two passages:  First in Luke 2 vs 46 - 49, Jesus, at the age of twelve, exhibited great intellectual prowess in the temple. He sat in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. In answer to the parents quest of where He has been while they searched for Him, He said, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business." And in Luke 2 vs 51, the Bible says, "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth; and was subject to them." 

Being subject to the parents simply indicated He was obedient to them. Luke 2 vs 51 in sAmplified Version says, "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them.."Jesus was habitually obedient to the earthly parents, and also the Heavenly Father, and went about the Father's business in total obedience to his Father's commandments. How then is your walk with Jesus? Are you habitually obedient to Him? This is what God demands from us, and in doing so you are endeared to Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You in all things that I may have the privilege of being Your friend, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

RESPECT FOR LEADERSHIP

 RESPECT FOR LEADERSHIP

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Timothy 2:7" 

Devotion : In the kingdom of God there are several principles of success. When these principles are followed to the letter, success is inevitable. Our respect for leadership in the church is what the Apostle Paul has brought to light. When we consider what the leadership of the church says, God gives us understanding in all things. In other words, when we respect our church leaders and diligently follow them in the scriptures, God gives us understanding in all our endeavors. However, when we rebel against their leadership, we will fail in all our endeavors because of lack of understanding. Dearly beloved, what is your attitude towards your church leader? Share your thoughts here!

THE DON’TS IN PRAYER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE DON’TS IN PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10 vs 23.)

READ: Mark 11 vs 22 - 25: 

11:22: And Jesus answering said to them, Have faith in God.

11:23: For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

11:24: Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

11:25: And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

INTIMATION: 

Prayer is petition or entreaty to God, application to God expressed in words or thoughts. In such petition, there are some things we need not do. I called them “the don’ts in prayer.”

1. Don't try to believe the Word of God only, believe and act on the Word you believe. It’s in acting on the Word that God hastens to perform His word; “...For I am ready to perform My word,” says the Lord (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). Do your own believing. Have your own faith as you have your own clothes. Act on the Word for yourself.

2. Don't have double confession that one confession repudiates the other. This moment you confess, "Yes, He heard my prayer. I am healed," and thereafter you say "Let me wait for a week, if the signs didn't return, I will then confess I am healed." Or "I am sure God will supply my needs according to His riches in glory," and subsequently you begin to question how it is going to come and what you ought to do to get it; then you say, "I am not sure I will get it." Your latter confession destroys the first. A wrong confession destroys prayer and destroys faith. 

3. Don't trust in other people's faith. Have your own faith. Your case is vital to you. It may not be vital to this other party to whose faith you look up to. He may have troubles that are unresolved, inward struggles that have never been settled. His faith may be at a low ebb when you appeal to him for aid.

4. Don't talk doubt or unbelief. Never admit that you are a "Doubting Thomas;" that is an insult to your Father in heaven. For instance, the Word of God says, ‘He has born your griefs and carried your sorrows (your infirmities and diseases), and with His stripes you are healed’ (Isaiah 53 vs 5). Therefore, don’t talk of your sickness, but rather talk of your healing according to the word of God.

5. Don’t talk about failure. Meditate on the Word, and it's absolute integrity. Talk of your utter confidence in it; of your ability to act on it; and hold fast to your confession and of its truthfulness.

6. Don’t talk about fear. He has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (Second Timothy 1 vs 7). Fear is the strongest weapon of the devil. Stand bold in your confession without wavering, no matter what you are confronted with.

7. Don’t engage in the altar of prayer with sin and iniquities in your heart. Confess your sins and He is faithful to forgive you (First John 1 vs 9).. If you have anything against anyone forgive him or  her, so the your Father in heaven will likewise forgive you.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the wonder working, and ever faithful God. Destroy any form of unbelief, fear, and doubt in me regarding Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOOD COMPANION

 GOOD COMPANION

"Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Job 22:21" 

Devotion : Friendship has several advantages and blessings in life. Friendship can also bring severe disadvantages and misfortunes. The kind of friends you have will determine whether you will enjoy blessings or curses. The opening scripture exhorts us to befriend God and be at peace with Him, and His goodness will become our inheritance. The closer we are to God, the more glorious we will be. As children of God, let us choose friends who will bring us closer to God and godliness so that we can always enjoy the goodness of God. Dearly beloved, how do you choose your friends? Share your comments here!

THE LAW THAT GOVERNS THE NEW CREATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE LAW THAT GOVERNS THE NEW CREATION!

Memory verse: ""If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15 vs 10.) 

READ: Mark 12 vs 29 - 31; John 13 vs 34 - 35:

Mark 12:29: Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

12:30: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

12:31: And the second, like it, is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

John 13:34; A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

13:35: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

INTIMATION:

The law that governs the new creation is the love law. We are to love one another even as Jesus loved us, and as you love yourself. The love that Jesus emphasizes is love that has no conditions. It’s a self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus, simply acts out of a selfless attitude of appreciation for all God has done in one’s life in reference to salvation. The importance of that law is embedded in the emphasis that Jesus laid on it. In the passage we read in John, the two verses of about forty words has "love for one another," said three times. In one sentence He said it twice. 

Jesus says that Christlike love will show we are His disciples. Do people see petty bickering, jealousy, and division in your church? Or do they know you are Jesus’ followers by your love for one another? Love is more than simply warm feelings. It is an attribute that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it is 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. 

God’s law are not burdensome. They can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others. When you love God completely and care for others as you care for yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of the Ten Commandments and the other Old Testament laws. According to Jesus, these two commandments summarize all God’s laws. Let them rule your thoughts, decisions, and actions. When you are uncertain about what to do, ask yourself which course of action best demonstrates love for God and love for others.

You cannot work in love without fellowship. To walk in love is to walk in fellowship. To live the love life is to live the fellowship life. It is bringing joy to the heart of the Father. This fellowship life with Him is the sweetest, biggest, and richest thing the world ever knew. Jesus said in John 15 vs 11, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." What does joy grow out of? What is the secret? It is in the fellowship or communion with the Father in Christ Jesus. It's the thing that gives joy. When fellowship is broken joy dies. The joy of the Lord is the ultimate requirement of the child of God because there lies his strength (Nehemiah 8 vs 10). 

Restoring fellowship is restoring joy; restoring power with God. The richer the fellowship, the deeper one gets into the Word. Deep, rich fellowship means that we go far below the surface in this mine of wealth—the Word. There will be no growth in faith, in grace, in knowledge, nor growth in joy, with broken fellowship. Every person who has lost power with God has lost it through loss of fellowship. 

If your faith has been impaired so your prayer life is but a form, it is because fellowship has been broken. If joy has all seeped out, it is because the vessel that held it has been cracked. When your usefulness and testimony has lost its grip and power; it is mere empty words, it is because fellowship has been broken. If you want your testimony to be rich and full, then you must have fellowship that is rich and full. Therefore, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and establish a strong fellowship with Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for You and others that I may richly draw from the abundant wealth of new creation in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ATTRACTING GOD'S ATTENTION

 ATTRACTING GOD'S ATTENTION

"In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. Chronicles 1:7" 

Devotion : King Solomon attracted God's attention when he offered a thousand burnt offerings upon the altar of God. God told Solomon to ask for whatever he pleased and Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge to judge the people of God. God fulfilled Solomon's request and added riches, wealth, and honor. Solomon knew what to ask for because his father, King David, had educated him to make the right request from God, Proverbs 4:3-5. Dearly beloved, let us give God the best of what we have and we will attract His attention and blessings, hallelujah. Share your thoughts here!

THE REAL FACTS OF RECREATION IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE REAL FACTS OF RECREATION IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (First Corinthians 1 vs 30.) 

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 17 - 21:

5:17: Therefore if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new.
5:18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
5:19: that is God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
5:20: Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God we’re pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

5:21: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

INTIMATION:

Christians are brand-new people in the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are re-created (new creations), living in vital union with Christ (Colossians 2 vs 6 - 7). At conversion we do not merely turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life under a new Master—Jesus Christ. This is not a superficial change that will be quickly superseded by another novelty. This is an entirely new order of all creation under Christ’s authority. It requires a new way of looking at all people and all of creation.

After the recreation, God gave us a standing with Himself. Our union and identification with Christ result in our having God's wisdom and knowledge, possessing right standing with God, being holy, and having the penalty for our sin paid by Jesus. We haven't only become sons or daughters, but one with a standing with the Father that He gives you Himself. That is perfectly natural; if the Father has children, He will give them a standing with Himself so that they can approach Him with the uttermost freedom and liberty. It is for that reason He gave us His own righteousness in Christ Jesus. (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.)

Righteousness means the ability to stand in the Father's presence without the sense of guilt or inferiority, to stand in the presence of Satan without any inferiority, to stand in the presence of anything Satan has done without any sense of inferiority. You stand in his presence as his master. You are taking Jesus' place in the world, and you are Satan's master because you do it.

Now we have righteousness, we have Eternal life, we have the consciousness of sonship, we have great mighty Spirit come and make His home in our bodies. All these are the ultimate of the new creation, because we are recreated so that our body might become the home of God. (First Corinthians 6 vs 19 - 20.) We have been reconciled to God by Himself by blotting out our sins and making us right with Him. Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same, and thus we are those who have the ‘ministry of reconciliation.’

The secret of the manifestation of all those attributes is in proper fellowship or communion with Christ, otherwise it is hindered. Then what is proper fellowship or communion with Him? It is keeping His commandments. It is abiding in His love. John 15 vs 10 & 12 says, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." Now notice the secret in the ninth verse, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love." He has already loved us. All we need to do is abide in that love by keeping His commandment. His commandment is that we walk in love and live love by loving one another as He has loved us.

Prayer: Abba Father, I am overwhelmed by Your superb love for me which You demonstrated by giving us Your only begotten Son to die for my sins. Through our union with Christ I have gained Your righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption. Give me the grace to be in constant fellowship with You that I may not be hindered in accessing my privileges in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!