BE NOTHING AND LET GOD BE ALL!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 20, 2020.

SUBJECT: BE NOTHING AND LET GOD BE ALL! 

Memory verse: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11 vs 29.)

READ: John 5 vs 19, 30; 6 vs 38; 7 vs 16; 8 vs 28, 50; 14 vs 10, 24, 

5:19: The Son can do nothing of Himself. 

5:30: I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the Will of the Father who sent Me.

6:38: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the Will of Him who sent Me.  

7:16: Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but who sent Me.

8:28: Then Jesus said to them, “......I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

8:50: And I do not seek My own glory, there is One who seeks and judges.

14:10: “...The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

14:24: “.....The word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

INTIMATION:

The Gospel of John, the apostle closest to Jesus, have the inner life of our Lord laid open to us. Jesus speaks frequently of His relation to the Father, of the motives by which He is guided, of His consciousness of the power and spirit in which He acts. The words He spoke clearly showed wherein His humility consisted. In His humility, He simply consented to let God be all, and He surrendered Himself to God's working alone. 

The passages we read today reveal the words in which Jesus speaks of His relation to the Father, and shows how unceasingly He uses the words 'not,' and 'nothing,' of Himself. "Not I," is the very spirit of what Christ says of His relation to the Father. These words open to us the deepest roots of Christ's life and work. They tell us how it was that the Almighty God was able to work His mighty redemption work through Him. They show Christ's state of heart which makes Him the Son of the Father. They teach us the essential nature, and life of that redemption which Christ accomplished and now communicates. And It is this: “He was nothing, that God might be all.”

He entirely laid aside His Will and His powers for the Father to work in Him of His own power, His own Will, and His own glory. Jesus, of His whole mission, with all His works, and His teaching, and of all this He said; "It is not I,” "I am nothing,” "I have given Myself to the Father to work,” "the Father is all." What a humble heart! It is in this life of entire self-denial—of absolute submission and dependence upon the Father's will—that Christ found perfect peace and joy, and calls us to do the same. And this should be first and the chief of the marks of the Christ within us, and that which Jesus must give us if we are to have any part with Him. 

He lost nothing by giving all to God. God honored His trust, and did all for Him, and then exalted Him to His own right hand in glory. And because Christ had thus humbled Himself, God was ever before Him, He found it possible to humble Himself before men too, and to be the Servant of all. His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow Him to do in Him what He pleased, not minding whatever men around might say of Him, or do to Him. It is in this state of mind, in this spirit and disposition, that the redemption of Christ has its virtue and efficacy. And It is to bring us to this disposition that we are made partakers of Christ. 

It is to this self-denial that our Savior calls us, to acknowledgment that self has nothing good in it, except as an empty vessel which God must fill, and therefore, its claim to be or do anything may not for a moment be allowed. And this, above and before everything, is in which the conformity to Jesus consists—the being and doing nothing of ourselves, that God may be all. We must learn of Jesus, how He is meek and lowly of heart. He teaches us that true humility takes its rise, and finds its strength in the knowledge that it is God who works all in all, and that our place is to yield to Him in perfect resignation and dependence, in full consent to do nothing of ourselves. 

Until Christians understand the humility of Jesus as the very essence of His redemption, the very blessedness of the life of the Son of God, and the only true relation to the Father, our thirst and aspiration to manifest heavenly bound humility will become a burden, and a far cry.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of self-denial, heavenly bound humility, and total commitment to Your Will, that I may be a partaker of Christ’s nature, and You be all in all in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ARE YOU LIVING FOR HIS PURPOSE?

 Are You Living for His Purpose? 

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

Living a purposeful life is fulfilling God’s dream. The Most High God has a reason for doing the things He does, some of which are revealed to us from His Word. In the opening scripture, we see the truth of how the universe came into being. There is a person called God who created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). He is a Spirit and has absolute power of creation. There are so many reasons why God created heaven and earth, and everything therein. The primary reason is to reveal His glory (Psalm 19:1–3). In other words, no one would ever know that He exists if there was no creation. Another primary reason is for creation to worship Him and praise Him because He is God and the only object of worship (Exodus 20:3–5). Dear beloved, are you living for His purpose? He sent Jesus Christ to the world and offered Him for the salvation of the world. Thus, He wants every human being to be saved in order to bring them into fellowship with Him. Therefore, every person who believes in Jesus Christ and makes Him Lord and personal Savior is saved to fulfill his or her primary purpose of worshipping and serving the Father of glory forever. Beloved, dedicate the totality of yourself, family, business or job, and everything you own to the worship and service of God, and He will use you to bless the lives of many people. Remember that the whole duty of mankind is to fear God and live in obedience to Him (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Hallelujah! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, thank You for creating me. I dedicate my life and everything I own to You in worship, fellowship, and service. Please use me to be a blessing to many lives on earth 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. 

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR BODY?

 What Are You Doing with Your Body? 

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1–2 (KJV)

Every human being is a triune being—he or she is a spirit, possessing a soul and living in a body (Genesis 2:7). God gave us a soul so that we can express our spirit through our body. The spirit and soul are invisible; due to this, some people overlook the importance of the spirit and the soul and only place emphasis on the body. Beloved, give equal importance to every aspect of your triune being because they all play a vital role in the success of your plans on earth. In the opening scripture, Apostle Paul pleads with believers in Christ Jesus to be conscious of what we use our bodies for. This appeal is directed to our spirit because that is where the Holy Spirit lives. When our spirit is stirred up with the Word of God, then the mind or soul can be led to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. This is done by first acknowledging that God created you and deserves your worship (John 4:23). Thus give your body to Him by simply dedicating your body to Him in a simple prayer, living in holiness onto Him by abstaining from all manner of sins, and engaging in acts of righteousness. Beloved, since this act of worship is a living sacrifice, feed your spirit and soul with the Holy Scriptures daily, meditate on them day and night, and observe to practice them (Joshua 1:8). As you practice them by loving God, loving your own self, and loving people by being kind to them, God will continually transform you and express His perfect will through you for many lives to be blessed. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My holy and righteous Father, I’m glad and happy to feed on Your Word today. I present my body to You today as a living sacrifice. Please lead me to feed on Your Word daily, meditate on this Word day and night, and practice it even if I don’t feel like practicing it because of challenges, in order to be a blessing to many lives 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. 

OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 19, 2020.

SUBJECT: OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST! 

Memory verse: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1 vs 3.)

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 3 - 6, 11 - 14:

1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, 
1:4: just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
1:5: Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
1:6: to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

1:11: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will:
1:12: that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
1:13: In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
1:14: who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory.

INTIMATION:

God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1 vs 3). You are blessed with everything that you need. His very fullness is yours. His love is yours. Yes, He Himself is yours. In Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God—being chosen for salvation, being adopted as His children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God’s will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. The “heavenly places” means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. The blessings come from Christ’s spiritual realm. His righteousness and all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places was given to us in Christ with the intent that we bear fruit with them. We become the disciples of Christ in utilizing the blessings to bear fruit. 

God is making His grace to come leaping toward you in all its fullness, and that grace has within it His all sufficiency for every good work, and in every emergency. Do you understand what He means by "fruits of your righteousness?" It means all the gracious things you are able to do with these heavenly blessings at your disposal, just as Jesus did in His earth walk. All the gracious words that Jesus said and all the mighty acts that He performed were the fruits of His righteousness. I wonder if you have ever thought of it. In our fruit of righteousness God the Father is glorified. And He promised to increase and multiply whatever we do to bear fruit. (John 15 vs 8). 

How little we have appreciated this, that His very sufficiency and ability—all the heavenly blessings—are all at our disposal. How ashamed we ought to be that we have ever talked about our weakness and our lack when the measureless ability of God is ours. You see when He took us over and came into us in the person of the Holy Spirit, and began to build His Word into us, He was building His sufficiency and His ability into us. He was enriching us liberally in everything, no restrictions. Why then do we restrict ourselves? Now, take note of this fact carefully; He is not only our ability, but He is also our sufficiency. 

The apostle Paul beautifully put it in First Corinthians 2 vs 12 thus, "Now we have received, not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." These things that are given to us are in the finished work of Christ. We have access to all the riches of His grace unveiled in that finished work of Christ. Jesus, in His benevolence, and knowing our inabilities, came in His Spirit form to abide with us, and be our Helper (John 14 vs 18), and also, primarily to reveal God and Himself to us, and also our inheritance in Him. That great, mighty Holy Spirit who has come to make His home in our body is guiding us into all the reality of the wealth that has been given to me in Christ. He is making us know what the resurrection means to us: that if we were raised together with Christ, we are masters of the forces that operated in slaying Jesus; that we are now taking Jesus' place in this earth walk. 

Take for instance, the Word of God created this universe; created this earth with all its richness; the flowers and fruits, its wealth of minerals, chemicals, and oils etc. His efficiency in that living Word created these things. Now He is building into us that Living Word with its supernatural efficiency. Now, a prayer life of the believer, backed with this whole knowledge, becomes invincible. All we need to do now is to take our place and act our part for it is God who is at work within us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2 vs 13). Not only is He building Himself into us, but He is there to work through us.

Jesus was fearless in the presence of the enemy in every place. He had no fear of a storm at sea. He had no fear of lack. He wasn't afraid of death. He raised Lazarus who had been dead four days. He wasn't afraid of a mob. He exercised power over nature and its forces. Those were some of the fruits of His righteousness. When these fruits abound in us they will make us like Jesus, and these fruits can abound in us. Therefore, build yourself up in His Word, submit to the Holy Spirit do His great works of reminding and revealing the truth in the Word that you may be a true disciple of Christ, abounding in every good work.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have given everything I need to be sufficient in all things, and have made Your grace to overflow toward me that I should efficiently abound in good work in Your vineyard. May Your Spirit build me up in Your Word that I may abound in wisdom and knowledge of You, and my inheritance in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD.

ARE YOU BEING OPPRESSED

 Are You Being Oppressed? 

“The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.” Psalm 103:6 (KJV)

Knowing that you are under oppression is the beginning of your liberty. Identifying the source of your oppression is vital to your liberty. It is not uncommon to view many oppressions as coming from the devil and his demons (Acts 10:38). It is easier to deal with oppression when it is identified as coming from your own actions; what you need to do is to change the course of your actions and you will walk in liberty. Dear beloved, as said earlier, many oppressions come from the enemy, and he will try to stir up anger, sorrow, or worry in you to think that God doesn’t care about you (Ephesians 4:26–27, Matthew 6:25–32)). If you become angry at God, there is no way you will ever be grateful to Him. You may not even pray as you want to, and the enemy will make your situation worse. Beloved, when you sense oppression or afflictions in any aspect of your life, take them up in prayer and the Holy Spirit will lead you to the source of the oppression; if it as a result of your own actions, then ask God to forgive you, lead you, and you will be fine (Philippians 4:6). But if it is the devil and his demons in there, stand and resist them steadfastly every day and they will disappear (James 4:7). Indeed, God will work out His righteousness in you and judge your oppressors for you to walk in victory. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My dear heavenly Father, thank You for assuring me that You will work out Your righteousness in me and judge my oppressors. Please lead me to do my part by making prayer my lifestyle and praying every day, even if I don’t feel like praying. Please guide me also to take the right actions in order not to invite oppression into my life, 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. 

BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 18, 2020.

SUBJECT: BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD! 

Memory verse: "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20 vs 32.)

READ: Second Timothy 3 vs 16 - 17:

3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

3:17: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

INTIMATION:

The Word of God is the means by which God instructs those who seek to be His children. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless he is guided in life by the inspired Word of God. God’s Word is profitable for motivating repentance in one’s life and direction of his behavior. Obedience to the Word of God will deter one from the wrong direction of life. Study of, and meditation on the Word of God will mold one’s mind for correct thinking and behavior. 

Our conquest is ensured in our building up ourselves in the Word of God by doing all that is required of us in the Word. Today’s memory verse was the apostle Paul’s recommendation to the believers when he was leaving the church at Ephesus. He may never see them again and he commended them to the Father. He turned them over into the hands of love, and he said, ‘I not only do this, but I commend you to the word of His grace.’ The apostle Paul's epistles are the words of His grace, and so the whole New Testament makes up the Book of the Word of the Father's grace.

If the apostle Paul is to be here with us now, he would say, "I want you to study it. I want you to prove yourself capable of doing the Word." There will be ability in the Word as you study it to put you over and make you a conqueror. To merely know the Word has no real value in it unless it becomes a part of your life in practicing it. As you begin to live the Word, then it becomes a part of your very being—enters into your blood, into your very system. Consequently, the strength and ability of God becomes a part of you, and you would be overwhelmed by “the exceeding greatness of His power toward you who believe, according to working of His mighty power.” 

The apostle Paul entrusted the Ephesians elders to the guidance of the revealed word of God. It would spiritually build them up if they allowed God to work in their lives through the word. If they remained faithful to the word of God, they would receive the result of their faith which was the salvation of their souls in heaven. God’s people must be entirely dependent on the Word of God for direction. Neither subjective emotional experiences nor traditions should be allowed to be the foundation upon which disciples of Christ base their faith. 

Since the Word of God will be our only standard by which we will be judged, then it is imperative that we direct our lives according to what is written. One must come to the Scriptures with the attitude that within them lies wisdom and answers to all problems of life. With such an attitude toward the Scriptures, one will benefit from his study of God’s Word. The fact that the Scriptures are sufficient to guide one to eternal dwelling, implies that one must trust in God’s speaking to him through the revealedWord of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, build me up in Your Word, and give me the wisdom and knowledge of the riches of my inheritance in Jesus Christ that is revealed in Your Word, and the exceeding greatness of Your mighty working power toward those who put their trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD IS EVER CARING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 17, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD IS EVER CARING!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, do the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children. 

INTIMATION:

God has deep interest in all that concerns you and I. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers our human condition. He cares for us as a father lovingly cares for his children. Though there are times when His children needs to be disciplined, but God would not continually do so day after day. His mercy takes everything into account and He deals with us compassionately. Because of His forgiveness and mercy, He does not punish His people with what they deserve for their sins. Their rebellion would justly deserve death, but because of of His mercy, He only disciplines. 

God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet, and this is a symbolic portrait of how God separates us from sins that He has forgiven us. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets. It’s normal to think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight of those struggles, including our sins. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, and to admit your needs, and let God take care of you. 

Our loving Father will never leave us; that is His promise to us. But the enemy of our souls wants us to doubt God, and to question His ability. Obviously, if you told a big enough lie long enough very often, people would believe it. And this undoubtedly, is the trick the father of lies, Satan, has used from the beginning of human history. In the Garden of Eden our first parents were set up to live happily ever after, having been placed in a paradise-like setting by a Loving, Caring, and Personal God. They had been given everything they could ever want, but with only one small restriction: "Don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 

We easily will say today, 'What a simple innocuous request and easy to obey.'

But when they were enticed by the “tempter,” the devil, they fell into his trap of questioning the love and goodness of the One from whom they had only experienced good. What a monstrous lie! But they bought the lie hook, line and sinker! And mankind has been wretched ever since, but thanks be to God for His intervention through His Son, Jesus Christ! It’s noteworthy that sometimes we do the same these days; we willingly swallow the lie that we cannot trust our Heavenly Father. We allow our earthly hurts from parents or others to distrust our view and our understanding of God. Our many feelings, emotions, fears, and human experience effectively block a clean perception, consequently stifling all truth about Him. 

Pray that God will help you not allow negative human relationship and experience interfere with having a close relationship with your Loving, and Caring Father, and hindering your enjoying the never ending and limitless benefits of His care.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so caring and loving that You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. What a supreme sacrifice You made for me! Forever You remain my God. Endue me with the spirit of love, compassion, trust, and complete obedience to You, Who has given all for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!