WHAT YOU SOW YOU REAP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY  DECEMBER 7, 2020.

SUBJECT : WHAT YOU SOW YOU REAP

! 

Memory verse: 

"

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap

." (

Galatians 6

 vs 7

.

)

 

READ: Luke 6 vs 37 - 38:

6:37:Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 

6:38: Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

INTIMATION:

It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn in your farm and pumpkins came up. It's a natural law to harvest what we plant. It's true in other areas, too. It is a principle of life that one reaps what he or she sows. One must not deceive himself into thinking that he or she can escape the consequences of his or her behavior. To think one can, is to mock God, for God says that we will reap what we sow, not only in this life, but also in that which is to come. The thrust of what the Scripture states here is that we will be dealt with in final judgement by God in the same manner by which we treat our fellow men. Therefore, when we measure mercy to others, God will in turn measure mercy to us. If we forgive others, God will in turn forgive us. A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God’s forgiveness. 

This natural law governs rule of our lives, and our relationships with others. How is your relationship with other people? What do you give to others? What do you give to God? Are you resentful? speaking guile? gossiping about others? Do you give love and care to others? Are you judgmental? Do you easily fret? Are you always returning to others as they did to you, especially in wrong doing? These are not Christlike! If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. Every action has its result. If you plant to please your own desires, you'll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you'll harvest joy and everlasting life. 

The passage we read today, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you," has always been misinterpreted in churches and fellowships, especially during offerings and fund raising exercises. They give a money and material interpretations to our giving. But the close and meditation on the preceding verse, will bring to fore the import of the teaching. There is God's judgment awaiting everybody. Although, His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns (Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46), and everyone's life will be reviewed and evaluated. Jesus will look at how we handled gifts, opportunities, relationships, and responsibilities in order to determine our rewards.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to sow right words and deeds in the life of others that I may reap right words and deeds from others as well. Endue me with the spirit of love for You, and others, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HE GIVES THE BEST TO HIS CHILDREN

 He Gives the Best to His Children! 

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” John 14:16 (KJV)

Jesus Christ was a man of prayer in His ministry on the earth. If there was anything that made His ministry stand out, it was His lifestyle of prayer. He woke up each day before dawn to pray and have fellowship with His Father before starting the day (Mark 1:35). All His prayers on this earth were answered, including the one in the opening scripture. When He left for heaven, He indeed sent the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever (Acts 2:1–4). The Holy Spirit is the best gift He has given to the church, and everyone qualifies for this gift once you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. Dear beloved, do you have this best gift? Once you are born again, He takes up residence in your heart. Then you can spend time getting to know Him and fellowshipping with Him through the Word of God. After getting to know Him, ask Him to anoint you with power to witness, and He will do it (Acts 1:8). The evidence of the anointing is speaking in tongues and prophesying. Apart from empowering you to be a good witness of the gospel, He teaches, leads, and guides the believer into all truth (John 16:13). He also shows us future events for us to prepare for them. Beloved, He is the best gift you have, so submit to Him and allow Him to lead you into glory, winning souls, wealth, joy, peace, prosperity, and all the wonderful things God has in store for you. Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My gracious loving Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. My Comforter, I want to know you more each day. Please help me know you and fellowship with you so that I can easily submit to your leading to do greater works for Jesus Christ. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you. 

MY REDEEMER LIVES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 6, 2020.

SUBJECT : MY REDEEMER LIVES!

Memory verse: "

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth

.

" (Job 19 vs 25.)

READ: Job 19 vs 13 - 20:

19:13: He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintance are completely estranged from me.
19:14: My relatives have failed, and my close friends have forgotten me.
19:15: Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, count me as a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
19:16: I cal my servant, but he gives me no answer; I begged him with my mouth.
19:17: My breath is offensive to my wife, and I am repulsive to the children of my own body.
19:18: Even young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me.
19:19: All my close friends abhor me: and those whom I love have turned against me.

19:20: My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

INTIMATION:

The Most High God is our Redeemer and He lives! All we need to do is have faith in Him. There are times of great distress and challenging circumstances in our lives that cause us to lose hope, and think that the end has come for us. But our God says, “C

all upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50 vs 15.) 

At the heart of the book of Job comes His ringing affirmation of faith and confidence in God: “I know my Redeemer lives.” What a tremendous faith Job had, especially in light of the fact that he was unaware of the conference between God and Satan. 

In the passage we read today, the sufferings of Job were overwhelming: in His distress his brothers, relatives, friends, his wife, children, and even his servants dumped him, and his acquaintances abandoned him, little children despised him, and even the ones he loved turned against him. Faced with death and decay Job still anchored his faith, trust, hope, and confidence in God. 

Although Job struggled with the idea that God was presently against Him, he finally believed that in the end God would be on his side. This belief was so strong that Job became one of the first to talk about the resurrection of the body 

One of the greatest sufferings Job endured was to lose his friends. Not only were the three friends detached from him with their judgmental discourses, all others had also forsaken him. He was alone in his suffering, which loneliness brought great despair. No one was there for him. And yet, he remained faithful to God. Not one word of cursing came out of his mouth. Job said, “In my flesh I shall see God.” In Job’s situation, it seemed unlikely to Him that He would, in his flesh, see God. And that’s just the point of Job’s faith! He was confident that God’s justice would triumph, even if it would take a miracle like resurrection to accomplish this. And at the end God came through for him in his unwavering faith!

I don’t know what you may be passing through or the circumstances surrounding your life at the moment, all you need to do is have faith in our unfailing God; Call upon Him in your day of trouble, and He will deliver you! Know it now, your Redeemer lives! Humble yourself before Him, and He will exalt you. After the drama of Job’s suffering, and with his new understanding of God, Job responded in a positive manner by recognizing his humble nature in comparison to God. This should be our attitude at all times.

What manifested in the integrity of Job was his forgiveness of his friends. In the depths of his calamity he was accused and verbally abused by his friends. Nevertheless, when his ordeal was over, he forgave them. Forgiveness was for himself, for without it his lack of forgiveness would turn to bitterness. He remembered to forgive because God forgave him. 

Evidently, the condition for returning the fortunes of Job was based on Job’s forgiveness of his friends. His forgiveness was manifested when he prayed for them. As Christians, forgiveness should be paramount in our lives! 

As a result of his forgiveness of his friends, Job’s wealth was doubled. He again had children. His daughters were the most beautiful in the land. Evidently, Job became so prosperous after his suffering that he gave the daughters an inheritance as he did their brothers. We do not know how old Job was at the time of his suffering. We would assume that he was an older person because of the position that he held among the people. If we add the 140 years to his age at the time of suffering, we would estimated that he was possibly close to 200 years old when he died. At least he died in his fourth generation of the sons and daughters who were born to Him after suffering.

We notice that the world seems to run by a system of cause and effect, yet there are some effects for which we can’t find a clear cause, and some causes that don’t lead to the expected effects. Often we suffer consequences for bad decisions and actions. Job’s willingness to repent and confess known wrongs is a good guideline for us. Sometimes suffering shapes us for special service to others. Sometimes suffering is an attack by Satan on our lives. And sometimes we don’t know why we suffer. At those times, we should trust God in spite of unanswered questions.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Redeemer, and my faith, trust, and confidence are anchored in You. There is nothing too hard for You, or impossible with You. In any circumstances I found myself, I know this for sure; ‘You will deliver me when I call upon You,’ my Loving Father. I pray that nothing will ever come between us, in the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DO YOU CARE FOR THE LOST SHEEP?

 *Do You Care for the Lost Sheep? 

“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.” Matthew 18:12–13 (KJV)

All human beings were lost because of the Adamic sin, but thanks be to God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price of sin and has now given the opportunity to mankind to come into fellowship with God again. The good news is now being preached. Many are receiving it and becoming born again, and they find themselves in the church. Sometimes people in the church leave the church to either join another church or stay at home. Dear beloved, when you hear that a member of your church has left the church to join another one or is staying at home, do you try to find out the reason why they left? Some may leave for reasons such as they don’t feel loved, their needs are not being met, someone has offended them, they have backslidden, etc. Beloved, Jesus Christ wants us to show concern for the lost sheep, so start by praying for such a person; then ask for their contact number or address and contact them (Galatians 6:1, Philemon 1:10–16). Do well to encourage them in the Lord, and let them know that you are praying for them. Let the pastor or their immediate church leader know about it, and let them follow up. By the grace of God, this member who has left will come back and be established in the Lord. Beloved, you and all those who were involved in the mission of bringing the lost member back to church will rejoice like the owner of the lost sheep in Jesus’ parable, to the glory of God. Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, I’m so blessed by your Word today. Please equip me and use me to bring back the members of my church, Christians who have left the church inappropriately, or those have backslidden, to the glory of your name, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you. 

*

WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?

 Who Are You Working For? 

“For he that is not against us is on our part.” Mark 9:40 (KJV)

The Kingdom of God is full of light and without any spot of darkness. It was not surprising that in His ministry on the earth, Jesus Christ always wanted people to take a particular stand; either they were for Him or against Him. So He said either make a tree good and its fruits good or make the tree bad and its fruits bad (Matthew 12:33). Dear beloved, have you chosen to come into the light of the Kingdom of God or remain in darkness? No hypocrites are entertained, and neither are those who sit on the fence. If you are a born again Christian, let it show in your good conduct that you belong to Jesus Christ. Be able to share the good news of Christ with the people in your sphere of contact. Anyone who interacts with you should clearly know your stand for Jesus Christ, that you truly belong to Him forever and are not ready to compromise your position, just like Agrippa, who almost became a Christian through Apostle Paul’s preaching (Acts 26:28). Remember that if you claim you are a Christian but the things you do are in contrast to the teachings of Christ Jesus, you are against Him, and you will be marked for punishment if you do not repent. Beloved, stand for Christ Jesus, and your life will move from glory to glory even in the midst of challenges. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Prayer Point: My precious heavenly Father, thank you for enlightening me today from your Word. Please give me grace each day to stand for Christ Jesus wherever I find myself. Let many lives be touched and blessed through me because of my stand for Christ even in the midst of challenges. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you. 

BLESS AND DO NOT CURSE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 5, 2020.

SUBJECT : BLESS AND DO NOT CURSE!

Memory verse: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

" (Romans 12 vs 14.)

READ: James 3 vs 8 - 12:

3:8: But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

3:9: With it we bless our God and Father; and with it we curse men, who has been made in the similitude of God.
3:10: Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
3:11: Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

3:12: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

INTIMATION:

Christians should always remember God’s law of love—love for God and our neighbor. Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attitude of God Himself (First John4 vs 8). Love should make a Christian always bless others rather than curse them because it sees good at the end everything. Therefore, any Christian practicing God’s law of love is never hypocritical. It is hypocritical for a Christian to speak good of God and evil of his brother or sister in Christ at the same time. Hypocrisy is revealed in the one who speaks both blessings and cursing. Hypocrite seeks to worship God, while at the same time, he or she harbors animosity toward his or her brother or sister in Christ. 

Springs do not bring forth fresh and bitter water. Fig trees do not bear olives and grapevines do not yield figs. In the same manner, a sincere Christian does not speak blessings and cursing. As it is unnatural for trees and vines to bear that which is not common to their fruit. Praises to God and curses of men should not come forth from the same mouth. One cannot propose to giving praise to God while at the same time cursing those who are made after the image of God. Criticizing what God has made in His image and likeness, and the same time praising God for all His goodness is duplicitous, and two-faced because on one hand one is saying that God is good, and on the other hand that what He created is not good. 

Our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are violent and destructive. We were made in God’s image, but the tongue gives us a picture of our basic sinful nature. When our speech is motivated by Satan, it is full of bitter envy, selfish ambition, earthly concerns and desires, unspiritual thoughts and ideas, confusion, and evil. But when motivated by God and His wisdom, it is full of mercy, love for others, peace, consideration for others, submission, sincerity, impartiality, and righteousness. God works to change us from the inside out. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, He gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God. 

It is for this reason that the apostle Paul, in Philippians 4 vs 8 says to us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” 

What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our speech and actions. The apostle Paul tells us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. If one will only meditate on these things, then his or her thoughts will be optimistic about life and others. Do not criticize or curse others, but rather think and speak of those good things you know about others. There is no room in the Christian mentality for pessimistic thinking. When one understands that all things are under the control of the God who can do all things, then he or she sees the best things of life. His or her focus is on that which is good and after the nature of God who is working all things together for good. 

A true heart is not one of malice or hate. Hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world. Jesus said we should love our enemies and treat them well. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is only possible for those who give themselves fully to God, because only He can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. 

Remember that we are not fighting the tongue’s fire in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit will remind us of God’s love, and we won’t react in a hateful manner. When we are criticized, the Spirit will heal the hurt and help us to not lash out.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of self-control that I my speech will bless and not curse, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LEARN FROM YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER

 Learn from Your Heavenly Father! 

“He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.” Psalm 103:9 (KJV)

The Most High God is truly a Father of His creation. There is a lot to learn from Him every day till eternity. He relates to His creation on a personal level. Remember how He personally visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to have fellowship with them (Genesis 3:8). Even after they had sinned against Him, He wasn’t angry with them. Eventually, neither felt remorseful but blamed something else for their choices. Adam was even bold enough to accuse God for providing him with a wife (Genesis 3:12). He is a loving God and the opening scripture buttresses this point: He doesn’t always strive with us or keep His anger forever. These are essential virtues we can learn from Him and put to use till it becomes part of us. Dear beloved, have you learned these virtues from your heavenly Father? We can walk in the virtues of God when we govern our thoughts by the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in our actions. Any time the Holy Spirit convicts us of any sin, let’s accept it and ask Him to forgive us instead of being defensive (Ephesians 4:30). Just as God doesn’t keep His anger forever, we should also learn to exercise control over any form of anger in our lives; we should use it for an act of righteousness like Jesus Christ, and God will be pleased to express His other virtues such as love, joy, peace, gentleness, etc. through us (John 2:14–16). Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for exhorting me today from Your Word. I make a conscious effort today to learn from You. Please prepare me to be a good vessel so that You can freely express Yourself through me in order to be blessed as well as everyone in my sphere of contact in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.