SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2020.

SUBJECT : SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY!

Memory verse: 

"Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

 (Ephesians 4 vs 13.)

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 day, and the seed should sprout 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:

Spiritual growth can be compared to human’s need for food, occasioned by hunger, and the process of farming for food production. No human can survive without food, and hunger drives them to feed. First, the human’s need for food necessitates the farming to produce food. The farmer procures the land, and clears the land for cultivation. The ridges are done, the seeds are planted. Then the farmer waters the plants, and adds nutrients (for example Fertilizer) as the case may be. Weeds grow in the farm and the plants grow among the weeds. The farmer weeds the farm, and tends the plants to maturity. The plants mature and bear fruits, and the fruits are harvested. 

Christ is the farmer, and invades our lives at conversion. When we open our lives, He plants the seed of the Word in our hearts (Luke 8 vs 11). While some open their lives to Him the first time He knocks on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive. The moment we open our ourselves to Christ (the farmer), He secures the land, which is our heart, for planting of the seed. The land is cleared, and ridges made. There are a lot more work of watering, weeding, and tending the farm that has to be done. 

Yes, you have given your heart, but a lot more of your life are yet to be surrendered to Him. God is not worried that you have given as much as you understand at that moment. Once Christ has entered, clears the land, makes the ridges, and plants the seed, He begins the process of watering, weeding, and tending to get the best of you. Though there will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt.  God has promised that ‘He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.’ (Philippians 1 vs 6.) God promises that His harvest will be magnificent and prolific—the best fruit ever grown. 

Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger and thirst. The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls. God allows hunger in our lives to make us look for food (His provision). Hunger is tantamount to the problems God allows in our lives, to make us always come back to Him. These life's challenges usually "soften us up," and reminds us of our need for Him. 

The maturity of the plant is tantamount to our conforming to Christ, and becoming the disciples of Christ, and bearing fruits after His type, our type. Christlikeness is our eventual destination, but the journey involves a lot of activities. These activities start with our believing through worship, belonging to him through fellowship, and becoming like Him through discipleship. Every day God wants you to become a little more like Him. 

It is easy to grow impatient with God and feel like giving up hope because things are moving too slowly. When 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. We should always do spiritual checkups on ourselves. We should look for a growing awareness of Christ’s presence and power in our lives. If we’re not actually seeking to grow closer to God, we are drawing farther away from Him. 

Your witness may be weak and your efforts may seem to have slow or small influence, but the Word of God is a powerful growth agent. Keep your eyes on the great harvest to come and don’t let bad soil or weeds discourage you from faithful service and witness.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the seed of Your Word planted in my heart. I ask for Your tending to the seed, and nurturing the growing plant that it may grow and produce fruit after the likeness of Christ, as the fruit abide my joy will be full in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

To help you spiritual growth process, think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. 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 help you keep growing in your faith.

THE OLD MAN VERSUS THE NEW MAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE OLD MAN  VERSUS THE NEW MAN!

Memory verse: “

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

” (Romans 6 vs 6.)

READ: Ephesians 4 vs 20 - 24:

4:20: But you have not so learned Christ,

4:21: if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

4:22: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 

4:23: and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 

4:24: and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

INTIMATION:

Christ died for our sins, and the power of sin over us died with Him on the cross. The Christian’s body of sin, the “old man,” (our sinful nature), died once and for all in His death on the cross, so we are freed from its power. The “body of sin” refers to our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Though we often willingly cooperate with our sinful nature, it is not us but the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our lives that is defeated. Through faith in Christ’s substitutionary work for us, we have a new nature—“the new man”—and stand righteous before God. 

Before we believed in Christ, our nature was evil. We disobeyed, rebelled, and ignored God (even at our best, we did not love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind). 

Our old selves were crucified with Christ. 

The Christian, however, has crucified the old rebellious nature—the old man—and replaced it with a new loving nature—the new man. 

God looks at us as if we had died with Christ. Because our sins died with Him, we are no longer condemned (Colossians 2 vs 13 - 15). Relationally, we have become one with Christ, and His experiences are ours. In our daily lives, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that keep us from following Christ. This, too, is a kind of dying with Him (Luke 9 23 - 25).

Although, God does not take us—the new man— out of this world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before, we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ. Now, when we commit sin, we will definitely be troubled in our spirit, and regret your actions. However, our human feelings and efforts cannot help us enough; we need the help of Christ through the Holy Spirit to overcome our sinful nature. Therefore, call on Him to help you overcome your evil desires and sinful tendencies.

When we decide to accept Christ’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 10), it is both a one time decision, as well as a daily conscious commitment. We are not to be driven by desire and impulse. We must put on the new nature, head in the new direction, and have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives. 

Our old way of life before we believed in Christ is completely in the past. We should put it behind us like old clothes to be thrown away. 

People should be able to see a difference between Christians and non-Christians because of the way Christians live. We are to live full of light. Living the Christian life; the new man’s life is a process. Although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time. As you look back over last year, do you see a process of change for the better in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions? Although change may be slow, it comes as you trust God to change you.

Every Christian is in a continuing education program. The more we know of Christ and His work, the more we are being changed to be like Him. Because this process is lifelong, we must never stop learning and obeying. There is no justification for drifting along, but there is an incentive to find the rich treasures of growing in Him, it takes practice, ongoing review, patience, and concentration to keep in line with His will. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the new nature You imparted to me through Christ! Give me the grace to continually be changed from glory to glory into Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HUMAN’S GREATEST ASSET!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 31, 2020.

SUBJECT : HUMAN’S GREATEST ASSET!

Memory verse: 

“

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will guide you with My eye.

” 

(Psalm 32 vs 8.) 

READ: Psalm 25 vs 9 - 15: 

25:9: The Humble He guides in justice: and the humble He teaches His way.
2:10: All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
25:11: For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.
25:12: Who is the man that fears the LORD? him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
25:13: He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.

25:14: The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.
25:15: My eyes are ever toward the LORD; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

INTIMATION:

The greatest asset of any human being is divine guidance; the ability to be guided by or hear God and be lead by Him. This is because you are guided by One who knows the road we are traveling on and all of the problems that lay ahead; the end is already known to Him from the beginning, therefore, He can give us dependable advice.  He is able to help you be all that you can be, and can enable you either to avoid or overcome every obstacle or problem in your lives. 

Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for His purpose. What you call ‘coincidence,’ somebody calls it ‘Godincidence.’ Stop now and think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. Obviously, as a child of God, He has led you to the point you are right now. He never promised us a trouble-free life, but rather He promised to be with us even in our troubles. As you grow older, you will look back and see God’s involvement more clearly than you do now. He will make all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where He wants you, whether you’re moving or staying in one place, and you are sure of achieving the purpose for which you are created because the Creator and determinant of the purpose is guiding you. As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. You are physically somewhere now. He has a purpose in placing you where you are right now. Begin to understand God’s purpose for your life by discovering what He wants you to do now where you are. We must not close the door on what God can do. 

How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is that you must be spiritual, and desire to be guided. You must realize that God’s primary guidance system is in His Word, the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives. When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance. We need both a map that gives us directions and a constant companion who had an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is such a map, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.

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.

God describes some people as being like horses or mules that have to be controlled by bits and bridles (Psalm 32 vs 9). Rather than letting God guide them step by step, they stubbornly leave God only one option—chastisement. If God wants to keep them useful for Him, He must use discipline and punishment. God longs to guide us with love and wisdom rather than punishment. He offers to teach us the best way to go. Accept the advice written in God’s Word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire my help to come from you who created heaven and earth; who has all knowledge, and knows the end from the beginning. My absolute trust is on You. Guide me, O Lord, that I may remain in the path You fashioned for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 30, 2020.

SUBJECT : GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

Memory verse: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God."

 (Psalm 42 vs  1.)

READ: Exodus 33 vs 8 - 11:

33:8: So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 

33:9: And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

33:10: All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each one in his tent door.

33:11: So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend...

INTIMATION:

Throughout our lives, we look for those rare individuals with whom we feel relaxed and comfortable, and can share our heart, our secrets, and rest assured they will not betray us, who will always be there for us, and in whom we can have confidence—individuals we can respect and who in turn admire us and want us to be successful. God wants to be in that type of role with us, but He is even better than any earthly companion. 

For God is a perfect companion: the One who knows the road we are traveling on and all of the problems that lay ahead; the One who can give us dependable advice; the One who wants to share our life with us and will not put us down when we stumble; the One who will never desert us if we fail or do not live up to His standards. He accepts us just as we are, wants to be with us forever, is able to help us be all that we can be, and can enable us either to avoid or overcome every obstacle or problem in our lives.

Such companionship with God starts with a spiritual heart relationship with Him.  In the passage we read today, Moses had such heart relationship with God, that he enjoyed the presence of God most times. God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. In our heart relationship with God we respond and obey out of love. When we realize God's desire to be a Faithful Companion in our relationship, we find Him less an authority figure and more a desirable companion, Who is no less in charge in our lives. We now realize He is on our side, and wants the best for us. 

Unfortunately many people never really seek Him with all their hearts. To obey “from your heart” means to give yourself fully to God, to love Him “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22 vs 37). Many are content to learn as a child would. That is, learning and following rules in order to avoid big problems, but not as willing to spend any great period of time with the Lord in the free time they have. There is little delight in the relationship, only obedience out of necessity. Therefore. the people’s efforts to know and obey God’s commands can best be described as “halfhearted.” Consequently, they lose the best companionship they could ever get.  

Those who seek God and long to understand Him find eternal life. One of the special privileges we have as believers is sharing our heart with God, and in turn learning more about His heart toward us and others. We get to see His overwhelming goodness, infinite patience, unchanging love, and unending mercies as we read the Bible—His "Code of Conduct," and "Owner's Manual" to us. The Holy Spirit makes the Word come alive in our hearts and points things out from it that are specifically for us and our situation. 

A relationship that culminates into companionship entails learning from superior partner. As we spend time with God, our relationship allows us to learn about Him, about ourselves, and about others. We come to appreciate Him more as we get to know Him better. We become more relaxed in His presence as we now are His companion. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire You as my companion. Build in my heart Your steadfast Spirit, so as to follow and obey You in every aspect of my life. My utmost heart desire is an intimate relationship with You. Help me to accomplish this, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BEHOLD

 BEHOLD

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2" 

Devotion : "Behold" means see with the eyes of your spirit, grasp and have fellowship with it. In other words, the Prophet Isaiah is telling us that if we can only see with the eyes of our spirit, grasp and have fellowship with the Lord, we will come to the conclusion that God is indeed our salvation; we will trust in Him and not be afraid. Furthermore, we will know Him by the name of Jehovah, our strength and our song. The opening scripture should encourage people to be intimate with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever, Hallelujah! Share your thoughts here!

GRACE GIVES US FREEDOM TO OBEY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 29, 2020.

SUBJECT : 

GRACE GIVES US FREEDOM TO OBEY!

Memory verse: 

“T

herefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:(Hebrews 12 vs 28.) 

READ: Romans 6 vs 15 - 19: 

6:15: 

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!

6:16: Do You not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
6:17: But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which you were delivered.
6:18: And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
6:19: I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

INTIMATION:

God’s grace gives freedom to obey. It does not liberate one to sin. It does not become the license to ignore the will of the One who offered grace, but rather freedom to obey Him. Those who would not respond to the grace of God are those who do not understand that God meant that grace should stir up love and thanksgiving (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15). Those who understand grace work from a heart of appreciation for the salvation he had received as a result of God’s grace. 

Christians have freedom in Christ, but the definition of freedom in the context of Christianity is more narrow than the normal use of the word in common language. Christians use freedom as a tool for a life of exuberant service. It’s the foundation that God gives to us to reach our highest potential. Because God gives us freedom from religious rules and eternal guilt, we must not seek to indulge our own desires; instead, we should reach for the best God has for us. And our freedom should sing of power, joy, and love—accountable to God, devoted to others.

We are to love because He first loved us (First John 4 vs 19). We are to have mercy because He first extended mercy to us (James 2 vs 13). We are to work more abundantly because He worked abundantly toward us (First Corinthians 15 vs 10). If there is no love, mercy, and abundant work on the part of one who has been the recipient of the grace, then he or she has misunderstood grace. God’s grace is in vain in the life of the one who manifests no response to God.

Christians have been rescued by God out of the bondage of legal justification and are now free from the necessity of justification by law-keeping and meritorious deeds. Though the Christian may be set free from justification by law-keeping, he or she is not free from the law of Christ as a standard of moral behavior. Therefore, grace establishes law of Christ in the life of the one who walks in gratitude for the grace of God. Law is established because the obedient son cries out “Abba Father” in his realization that he cannot direct his own paths. He thus cries out for the guidance of the Father. The Father responds with direction, and thus, law is brought into the life of the one who responds by faith in the grace of God.

Those who lose their thanksgiving and gratitude for their salvation, often claim that God’s grace covers all sin regardless of the moral behavior of the believer. Such is a gross misunderstanding of grace. We cannot sin so that grace may abound (Romans 6 vs 1). Though the Christian may be set free from justification by law-keeping, he or she is not free from the law of Christ as a standard of moral behavior. Under grace, one’s love of God, not law, is the motivating factor that stimulates us to be subservient to the will of God. If one is not motivated to work and serve, he or she has no appreciation for the grace of God. 

Some would seek to use their liberty from law as an occasion for sin. Some would sin in order to supposedly increase the grace of God in their lives. Even today, some Christians minimize the sinfulness of sin, believing that how they live has little to do with their faith. But what a person truly believes will show up in how he or she acts. Those who truly have faith will show it by their deep respect for God and their sincere desire to live according to the principles in His Word.

Prayer: Abba Father, make all grace abound toward me, that I will always have all sufficiency in all things, and have an abundance for every good work in doing Your will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!