O My SOUL

 O MY SOUL

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalms 103:2" 

Devotion : The soul consists of the mind, will, and emotions; the seat of the soul is the mind. The Psalmist is sharing his secret with other believers: speaking to the inward man, the soul, to bless the LORD. Why should we speak to the soul to bless God? The soul will forget when we do not tell it to bless the Lord. The soul is weak and needs awakening by our speaking to it. Sometimes you hear certain Christians complaining frequently; this is a sign that their soul is too weak to remember all the benefits they have enjoyed with the LORD. If they can only speak to their soul like the Psalmist in our opening scripture, they will begin to see everything that the Lord Jesus has done for them. Dearly beloved, what have you learnt from this article? Share your thoughts here!

THE COMING HARVEST OF CHRIST!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 12, 2020.

SUBJECT : THE COMING HARVEST OF CHRIST!

Memory verse: "His winnowing 

fan is in His hand, and He will throughly clean His floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

" 

(Matthew 3 vs 12.)

READ: Matthew 13 vs 24 - 30:

13:24: Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

13:25: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
13:26: But when the grain has sprouted and produced a crop, then the takes also appeared.
13:27: So the servants of the owner came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?
13:28: He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Don you want us then to go and gather them up?’
13:29: But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
13:30: Let both grow together until the harvest: and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

INTIMATION:

Christ’s harvest (judgement) of all people is coming. 

The purpose of His judgement is to bring about the purpose for the existence of the world, that is, to bring the obedient into eternal dwelling with Him at the end of time. There has been 

change in the Kingship of the kingdom reign of Deity from God the Father to God the Son Jesus Christ, who 

conquered Satan and ascended to the Throne where He is seated at the right hand of the Father with all authority handed over to Him, and He reigns as King and head over all things (Matthew 28 vs 18; Philippians 2 vs 8 - 11). He will exercise His authority by judging e

ach of us, and will reward us for 

how we have lived. 

All Christians must give account on the day of judgement of how they have lived. 

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 that 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. Decide now which side you will be on, for the consequences of your decision last forever.

Judgement is not a popular theme today, but the Bible teaches that judgment is coming. Do you look forward to Christ’s return for His harvest, or do you see it as a threat? As sure as death itself, judgement awaits. At Christ’s judgement there will be no higher court of appeal should the verdict not be to your liking. If you hope for a favorable verdict in this court, put your hope entirely on Jesus. Pray today—now if you haven’t before—for the freedom and pardon Jesus has won for you. Then rejoice that God’s judgement of you will be based on the perfect life on His Son, Jesus. After that, tell others, for many will face an unfavorable judgment without Jesus.

We are to make ourselves ready by making sure that our faith is sincere. At the end of the world, angels will separate the evil from the good. 

Unrepentant people will be judged and discarded because they are worthless in doing God’s work; those who repent and believe will be saved and used by God. 

There are true and false believers in church today, but we should be cautious in our judgements because only Christ is qualified to make the final separation. If you start judging, you may damage some of the good plants. It's more important to judge your own response to God than to analyze others' responses. 

But the devil still has his followers. Jesus, in giving the meaning of this parable in the passage we read today, enumerated what awaits the followers of the devil; “but the tares are the sons of the wicked one—the devil. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of age. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13 vs 38 - 43.)

The wailing indicates sorrow or remorse, and gnashing of teeth shows extreme anxiety or pain. Those who say they don't care what happens to them after they die don't realize what they are saying. They will be punished for living in selfishness and indifference to God. Those who will shine like the sun in God's kingdom stand in contrast to those who receive his judgement. The choice is yours!

The kingdom of God involves relationships, relationships between God and man (justification) and man and man (peace and joy). 

Those who bear no fruit for God’s kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talents to serve God will be rewarded. The person who has no heart for the work of the kingdom will be punished. 

God’s gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience. 

Christ will separate His obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief is the way we act. 

What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is please You with the life I live. But without Christ I am nothing and can do nothing pleasing to You. Give me grace to live in total obedience and trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

WHATSOEVER GOD DOES

 WHATSOEVER GOD DOES

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. Ecclesiastes 3:14" 

Ecclesiastes 3:14

MSG: I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

NLT: And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God's purpose in this is that people should fear him.

NASB: I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

AMP: I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is]. [Ps. 19:9; James 1:17.]

UKJV: I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him.

Devotion : Dearly beloved, we are serving a living God full of beauty and perfection. The opening scripture is the manifestation of the greatness of Elohim. Whatever God does, He intends it to last forever; however, the recipients of what God does have an important role to play. The recipients must move along with God's plan, else whatever He does might not last forever. For example, God created Adam and Eve to live forever but their disobedience curtailed God's plan. Dearly beloved, has God given you a precious gift? What do you think is the intention of God behind the gift? Share your comments here!

BE GOD-CENTERED!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, 2020.

SUBJECT: BE GOD-CENTERED!

Memory verse: "But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew 16 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 16 vs 21 - 27:

16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22: Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!
16:23: But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
16:26: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

16:27: For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will reward each according to his works.

INTIMATION:

Being “God-centered” is making God the center of your life. All you desire is to do God’s will; always evaluating things from God’s perspective than from human or self perspective. This is the opposite of being “self-centered,” which is thinking mainly of oneself, caring only about oneself and own needs, being egocentric. A self-centered person leaves God out of the center of his or her life as Satan desires. Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature, and is doomed to failure. We are all made by God, for Him and His use, not vice versa. Life is all about letting God use His creation for the purpose He created it; it Is all about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.

The obsession of self-centeredness is a dead end. The Bible in Romans 8 vs 6 states, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Those who are self-centered live for themselves, and not for God, and consequently lose the spiritual dimension to their lives. Keep your commitment to Christ at full strength. Then you’ll be ready when He returns.

We must be committed to living for Christ that we should “hate” our lives by comparison. This does not mean that we long to die or that we are careless or destructive with the life God has given, but that we are willing to die if doing so will glorify Christ. We must disown the tyrannical rule of our own self-centeredness. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security, and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. Releasing control of our lives and transferring control to Christ bring eternal life and genuine joy.

In the passage we read today, Jesus said to Peter, ‘It is satanic to think of self rather than God’: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” He further said to His disciples, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. They should follow Him and He will show them their life's purpose. Jesus advised them that self-help is no help at all, but self-sacrifice is the way, God's way to finding yourself, your true self. 

Though ignorantly, Peter played the part of Satan to divert Jesus from the cross. Satan was using Peter’s love and concern for Jesus as an appeal to cause Jesus to stumble in His destiny. Today, too many friends and family use their appeal as Peter, to discourage men, and women from going Into the world to preach the gospel. One of the works of Satan is to use the good intentions of brethren in order to dissuade the destiny of those who seek to serve the Lord.

God made you for a reason, and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is, and by what He does for us. We are equivalent to an invention in God’s hands. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it directly, or refer to the owner's manual. The same is true for discovering your life's purpose; Ask God—your Maker, or refer to the Owner's Manual —the Bible. The discovery is by revelations inherent in the Word of God. 

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

In First Corinthians 2 vs 7. The Bible says, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." The wisdom of God is mysterious and goes deep into the interior of His purposes which is only determined by Him, and revealed to us, if we quest for it. You don't find it lying around on the surface. God, in His wisdom, determined the way to bring out His best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. It is beyond the wisdom of men, or of this world. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (First Corinthians 3 vs 19).

God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom—never lean on your own understanding. You must build your life on eternal truths, not self-driven ambitions. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposefully created you, and you are to serve His purpose to live a purposeful life.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, that You will take the first place in my life in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

FAITH MAKES THE WORD PREVAIL!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10, 2020.

SUBJECT: FAITH MAKES THE WORD PREVAIL! 

Memory verse: "The He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matthew 9 vs 29.)

READ: Matthew 8 vs 5 - 13: 

8:5: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 

8:6: saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed dreadfully tormented." 

8:7: And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8:8: The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 

8:9: For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go ,' and he goes; and another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

8:10: When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 

8:11: And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 

8:12: But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

8:13: Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And the servant was healed that same hour."

INTIMATION: 

Faith is trust, confidence, belief in a particular thing or person. The main elements in faith in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from faith in man, are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. All this stands in contrast to belief in its purely natural exercise, which consists of an opinion held in good faith without necessary reference to its proof. But God has been proven from the beginning by His wondrous works, and marvelous acts. The above referenced faith in the invisible God makes the Word prevail. 

The Scripture in John 1 vs 1 - 3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” The Scripture notes that Jesus Christ is the Word, and was with God from the beginning, and all things were created by Him. Therefore, the Word takes the place of the unseen Christ. Meditation on the Word is a visit with Him. The Word prevails when you catch the revelation of Christ in the Word, and by faith declare the Word, and that is tantamount to bringing the Creator of all things to the scene. 

Faithlessness is the major cause of why God's Word bless some people and not bless others. When people hear God's Word but do not believe it, then the word preached will profit them nothing. This is because it’s not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Lack of faith blinds people to the truth and robs them of hope. It’s in believing that the glory of God is made manifest to us. Our faith triggers the grace—power of God to help us in our times if need. Jesus said to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus; “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11 vs 40.) 

God’s glory is the backing of His Word. Faith or belief is the first sure step to receiving from God. Not believing God and His Words is regarded as disobedience. And disobedience is regarded as rebellion and stubbornness against God, and is tantamount to witchcraft which is regarded as the most serious sin of all because, as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God. (First Samuel 15 vs 23.)

The genuine faith of the Roman soldier—the centurion—amazed Jesus, and He said to the crowd, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" It was the faith which the centurion manifested that made the Word to prevail. The centurion could have let many obstacles stand between him and Jesus—pride, doubt, money, language, distance, time, self-sufficiency, power, race. But he didn’t. If he did not let these barriers block his approach to Jesus, we don’t need to either.

Our memory verse is from the story of two blind men in Matthew 9 vs 27 - 30, who wanted Jesus to heal them of their blindness. When Jesus asked them, “Do You believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened......” Jesus didn’t respond immediately to the blind men’s pleas. He waited to see if they had faith. These blind men were persistent. They went right into the house where Jesus was staying. They knew Jesus could heal them, and they would let nothing stop them from finding him. That’s real faith in action. If you believe Jesus is the answer to you every need, don’t let anything or anyone stop you from reaching out to Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, my faith is securely anchored in You. I am persuaded that there is nothing You cannot do for me. Anything You can’t do for me, let it remain undone, anything You can’t give me, may I never have it. Nothing, absolutely nothing can take my focus away from You. Give me the grace to remain steadfast in my faith in a You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

EVERY CREATURE

 EVERY CREATURE

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15" 

Devotion : When mankind fell in the Garden of Eden they became sinners; in fact, their nature became polluted with sin and they began to bear the nature of sin. They, therefore, needed deliverance from sin. Jesus Christ was sent to die on the cross to deliver mankind from sin. All mankind has been delivered from sin but to honor Jesus Christ and become a personal beneficiary of this inheritance, you must first accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. After you have received Christ Jesus, eternal life becomes your present inheritance; you then qualify to enjoy all the promises of God in the Holy Scriptures. This is the message of the Gospel, or good news. Dearly beloved, do you preach the good news? Share your comments here!

DON'T GIVE UP

 DON'T GIVE UP

"Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. 2Chronicles 15:7" 

2 Chronicles 15:7

MSG: "But it's different with you: Be strong. Take heart. Payday is coming!"

NLT: And now, you men of Judah, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded."

NASB: But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

AMP: Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.

UKJV: Be all of you strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

Devotion : There is a tendency to give up when there is no motivation. No wonder our opening scripture motivates the believer in Christ Jesus that there is a sure reward for his work. What he needs to do on his part is to be strong on the inside and on the outside; he should also strengthen his hands to keep on working. A mindset of reward should be enough to urge the Christian to keep working for the LORD. Jesus Christ is the rewarder of those who do not give up on God's work, Revelation 22:12. Dearly beloved, have you given up on God's work? Share your thoughts here!