THE LORD IS GOOD!

The Lord Is Good!
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Nahum 1:7 (KJV)

The LORD is good. Goodness is the nature of the King of glory (Psalms 100:5). Knowing that God is good prompts you to give Him praise. He has given you life to live on this earth. It is not by chance that you are alive today; God made it so. His creation of heaven and earth and everything therein is a demonstration of His goodness (Genesis 1:1–31). He feeds all creation, including you, every day; He protects you from trouble and danger. For these and many other things He has been doing for us, He wants us to trust Him. Beloved, sometimes He allows us to go through challenges so that we can be trained for the tough times ahead of us. In the midst of the trying times, He still wants us to trust Him. Dear beloved, you or your family or dear one may be going through tough times. The Lord knows about it; this is not the time to give up on God; He knows those who trust in Him. Very soon He will come through for you so that you can have a testimony to share about the goodness of God. Praise the Lord! God bless you!

Prayer Point: My dear heavenly Father, I’m grateful to have You as my God. Indeed, You are good and the whole earth is filled with Your glory. I will daily praise You for Your goodness in my life and teach all generations that You are good in Jesus’ name. Amen!

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GOD IS AT WORK IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2021.

SUBJECT:  GOD IS AT WORK IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER!

Memory verse:  "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.) 

READ:  Matthew 11 vs 28 - 30:

11:28: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

11:29: 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.

11:30: For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

INTIMATION:

Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. 

When God starts a project, He completes it! He will help you grow in grace until He has completed His work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work He has started. In your shortcomings always remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to Him. God began a good work in us by His grace. God’s work began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed, and continues throughout our lifetime and will finish when we meet Christ face to face on His return. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ everyday. 

Now, let us consider what the apostle Paul told the believers in Galatia: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith” (Galatians 3 vs 2 - 5.)

The apostle Paul asked the Galatian believers, ‘Did you receive the Spirit of the Lord through your own works and efforts, or by hearing the gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?’ ‘Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?’ Then finally he concluded by asking them, ‘Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?’

They received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on   their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human effort rather than by trusting in Him. God has begun His good work in us and He is going to finish it. He is working within us right now, developing, perfecting and bringing to completion the good work which He initiated (Philippians 2 vs 13). Since He is the only One Who can do that, you and I can relax. The pressure is off us, because the work is the Lord's, not ours. While we relax, we must do our part, and our part is to believe in Him, and love Him. And if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14 vs 31). 

Jesus has said His yoke is easy. The yoke emphasizes the challenges, work, and difficulties of partnering with Christ in life. Though responsibilities weigh us down, even our effort of staying true to God, but Jesus’ partnership remains the best and easy way out, compared to the crushing alternatives of our personal struggles. Jesus doesn’t offer a life of luxurious ease—the yoke still remains an oxen’s tool for working hard. But with Christ, it’s a shared yoke, with weight falling on His bigger shoulders than yours, with more pulling power upfront helping you. Consequently, you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a greater Partner.

In First Thessalonians 5 vs 22 -,24, the Bible says, "Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

The word sanctify simply means "to make holy." Who does this? The God of peace Himself. He is our keeper and sanctifier. God keeps and sanctifies, He makes us pure and wholly consecrated and blameless. God who called us to Himself Is faithful and utterly trustworthy. He will do it! He will do what? He will fulfill His call upon our lives by hallowing (sanctifying) us and keeping us. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your faithfulness never seizes, even in our unfaithfulness. You have promised to be with us till the end of the world. Ensue me with the spirit of complete trust and obedience to You, being confident of this very thing, that You that begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE CONTENT WITH HIS REWARD!

Be Content with His Reward!
“Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” Matthew 20:12 (KJV)

The children of God have been called to work in the vineyard of God. The vineyard represents the various ministries into which we have been called to work. Beloved, if you have the privilege of been called to work in the children’s ministry, for example, work with all your might and serve faithfully. There are those who will be called into the ministry of giving; give liberally and cheerfully (Romans 12:8). Beloved, the Lord will reward each and every one according to what we have done for Him (Romans 2:6–10). When we are rewarded, we should be content with our reward because the Lord knows what is best for us. What He doesn’t want us to do is to compare ourselves with one another and show dissatisfaction over the reward He has given. We should be each other’s keeper, love the fellowship of the brethren, and be happy for one another. Yes, it is true that the parable in the opening scripture is about our common salvation, which every Christian receives. However, it is applicable to other aspects of our lives in the Kingdom of God. Remember that the Word of God is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword; it has one interpretation but multiple applications to the glory of God (Hebrews 4:12). Hallelujah! Hosanna in the Highest!

Prayer point: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me and employing me in Your vineyard. I have learned from Your Word, therefore, I appreciate wherever You put me in Your vineyard. Please give me more grace to overcome the temptation of comparing my reward with others, and always do Your work joyfully and faithfully. Amen!

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YOUR GIFT(S) IS FOR GOD’S PURPOSE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 27, 2021.

SUBJECT: YOUR GIFT(S) IS FOR GOD’S PURPOSE! 

Memory verse: "He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works." (Psalm 33 vs 15.)

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 11:

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.

INTIMATION:

God created you to serve His purpose, and gave you the especial gift(s)—talents and abilities—to assist you serve His purpose(s). It is not for you, but for Him. After creation, God was pleased with everything He made, including you, because they were very good. God especially enjoys watching you use the gift(s) He has given you for His predetermined purposes. He intentionally gifted us differently for His purpose and enjoyment. He has made some athletic, some analytical, some extremely strong, some weak, and so on. You may be gifted at mechanics or mathematics or music, or other numerous skills. All these abilities can bring a smile to God's face, and glory to Him when properly employed for His purpose.

God’s purpose for people is not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world. People are to serve and honor God, and He has gifted us for such. God has fashioned your intellect. He gave you talents and abilities, and is very mindful how you utilize them. He gave you all that for His purpose, and is very pleased when you give Him glory by utilizing them to actualize His course. We are God's inheritance, and were chosen and appointed for His purpose in advance. He has designed and wired us in accordance with His will He ordained from inception. 

Now that God did all these, will it please Him if you don't use those gifts for His purpose? You don't bring glory to, or pleasure to Him by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You only bring Him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating you.

The Scripture says in Romans 9 vs 20 - 21; "But indeed O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the things formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" The Creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator. Its very existence depends on Him.

Utilizing the abilities to please God is an act of worship. You can sing, write poems, repair machine, sell a product, write a computer program, do farming, teach, raise a family, preach the gospel, and so on, for the glory of God. He especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities He has given you. He gives you the empowerment to do so. Keeping this perspective removes any temptation to have pride in personal achievement. Any act of priding yourself in those abilities or talents dishonors God, and therefore sinful.

God looks at the attitude of your heart: Is pleasing Him your deepest desire? The Scripture in Second Corinthians 5:9 says, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” Pleasing God should be our utmost goal. When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?” Will you make pleasing God your life's goal? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal. In Second Corinthians 5 vs 10, the apostle Paul continues, "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

The grace of God in freely given us the gift of salvation, and eternal life, not withstanding, each of us will be judged by Christ. The judgement will reward us for how we have lived. God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement for faithful obedience. All Christians must give account for how they have lived.

Prayer: Abba Father, You made and gifted me to serve Your purpose on earth. Engrace me to use Your gifts to serve Your purpose, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE WORD IS WHAT YOU NEED!

The Word Is What You Need!
“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. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:1-5 (KJV)

Knowing that the Word is what you need puts an end to every form of lack. The Word of God is God; it had been with God from the beginning (Genesis 1:1). Beloved, the Word of God knows your beginning and your end. It is the most essential thing you need to succeed in life. It has life to sustain you, light to direct you, and power to overcome all forces of darkness that seek to wage war against you. Everything in the world, including you as a human being, was created by the Word of God. It means, therefore, that as a child of God you can use the Word of God to get whatever you need. Beloved, what you need to do is to search the Scriptures to find the Word that has the solution to your needs and speak them continually in faith, and the Holy Spirit will bring it to pass in your life (Proverbs 25:2). Never lose hope in the Word; be patient in faith and you will see the mighty hand of God in your life. Praise the Lord! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My dear Father, thank You for Your undiluted Word. I’m excited to hear that it has everything I need to make life meaningful. As I begin to search Your Word, please lead me to find all the scriptures that minister to my needs. And as I declare them in faith, thank You for bringing them to pass for me to testify to others that Your Word really works, 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.

THE THOUGHT OF DEATH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE THOUGHT OF DEATH!

Memory verse: “Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7 vs 2.)

READ: Psalm 49 vs 10 - 13:

49:10: For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

49:11: Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

49:12: Nevertheless man, though in honor does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

49:13: This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings.

INTIMATION:

Death is used in the Scripture to denote (a) the separation of the soul (the spiritual part on man) from the body (the material body), the latter ceasing to function and turning to dust. It also means the separation of man from God. Adam died on the day he disobeyed God (Genesis 2 vs 17), and hence all mankind are born in the same spiritual condition (Romans 5 vs 12), from which, however, those who believe in Christ are delivered (John 5 vs 24; First John 3 vs 14). Death, in whichever of the above mentioned senses it is used in Scripture, is always viewed as the penal consequence of sin, and since sinners alone are subject to death. 

God, in His infinite mercy, love, and kindness, made a way for us in Jesus Christ—His only Son—whom He sent as a propitiation for our sins. Those who believed in atonement of sin by Jesus Christ for the world, and have so confessed Him as their Savior and Lord over their lives are known as “Believers.” Those who do not believe are called “Unbelievers.” To those who don’t believe in God, life on earth is all there is, and will strive to live to the fullest. Therefore, it is natural for them to strive for the world’s values: money, popularity, power, pleasure, and prestige. 

For many death is a darkened door at the end of their lives, a passageway to an unknown and feared destiny. But for God’s people, death is a bright doorway to a new and better life, it is just another step in the continuing eternal life we began when we started to follow Jesus. Many people avoid thinking about death, refuse to face it, and are reluctant to even attend funerals. Though it is not encouraging to think morbidly, but it is helpful to think clearly about death. It reminds us that we still have time to change, time to confess our sins and find forgiveness from God. Because everyone will eventually die, it makes sense to plan ahead to experience God’s mercy rather than His justice.

All of us have one similarity. When we die, we leave all we own here on earth. At the moment of death (and all of us will face that moment), we are naked and empty-handed before God. The only things we have at that time are those we have already invested in our eternal heritage. At the time of death, each of us will wish we had invested less on earth, where we must leave it, and more in heaven, where we will retain it forever. To have treasure in heaven, we must place our faith in God, pledge ourselves to obey Him, and utilize our resources for the good of His kingdom. 

For believers, however, death holds no terror because Christ has conquered all fears (see First John 4 vs 18). Death is only the beginning of eternal life with God. Every person must die, but death is not the end; instead, It is the doorway to a new life—eternal life with Christ or eternal condemnation with Satan and his cohorts. While nonbelievers fear death, and are victims of life, swept along by its current and wondering if there is meaning to it, believers can use life well because they understand its true purpose. Realizing that life is short helps us use the little time we have more wisely and for eternal good. 

As believers, we can be secured that God will not forget us when we die. He will bring us to life again to live with Him forever. This provides real security. The psalmist says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116 vs 15.) God stays close to us even in death. Believers are precious to God, and He carefully chooses the time when they will be called into His presence. Let this truth provide comfort when death knocks on the door. God sees, and each life is valuable to Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to face death as a believer, realizing it’s the beginning of life in eternity with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2021.

SUBJECT: RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH!

Memory verse: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.)

READ: Romans 10 vs 1- 5:

10:1: Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

10:2: For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

10:3: For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

10:4: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes.

10:5: For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.

INTIMATION:

Righteousness is the character or quality of being right or just; it was formerly spelt ‘rightwiseness’ which clearly expresses the meaning. It is used to denote an attribute of God. The righteousness of God means essentially the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness, that which is consistent with His own nature and and promises. 

Righteousness is also found in the sayings of the Lord Jesus; (a) of whatever is right or just in itself, whatever conforms to the revealed will of God, (b) whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man, (c) the sum total of the requirements of God, (d) religious duties; distinguished as almsgiving, man’s duty to his neighbor, his duty to God, his duty of self-control, prayer, and fasting.

The apostle Paul, in most of his writing, gives the meaning of righteousness—right action—as that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. The righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any law, or by any merit of man’s own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ. The man who trusts in Christ becomes ‘ the righteousness of God in Him,’ (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21), that is, man becomes in Christ all that God requires him to be, all that he could never be in himself. 

For instance, because Abraham accepted the Word of God, making it his own by the sequel showing, submitting himself to its control, therefore God accepted him as one who fulfilled the whole of His requirements; “For what does the Scripture say? “ Abraham believed God, and it was accounted for him as righteousness.” (Romans 4 vs 3.)  Righteousness is not said to be imputed to the believer save in the sense that faith is reckoned (imputed) for righteousness. The faith thus exercised brings the soul into vital union with God in Christ, and inevitably produces righteousness of life, that is, conformity to the will of God.

It is noteworthy that in order to be saved by the law, a person would have to live a perfect life, not sinning once, and that is impossible. Then why did God give the law since He knew people couldn’t keep it? According to Paul, one reason the law was given was to show people how guilty they are (Galatians 3 vs 19). The law was a shadow of Christ—that is, the sacrificial system educated the people so that when the true sacrifice came, they would be able to understand His work (Hebrews 10 vs 1 - 4). The system of ceremonial laws was to last until the coming of Christ. The law points to our need for a Savior.

Christ has provided our salvation through His incarnation (God in human form) and resurrection. God’s salvation is right in front of us. He will come to us wherever we are. All we need do is to respond and accept His gift of salvation. We can only hold out our empty hands and receive salvation as a gift.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your unparalleled love for us is beyond human reasoning. I greatly rejoice in Your gift of salvation. My utmost heart’s desire is to respond to Your love by my obedience You, Your Word, and service to You and others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!