We Work by Grace

 

By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Paul realized that the first part of this verse might be misunderstood: “I worked harder than any of them.” So he goes on to say, “Though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Paul does not trace his obedience back to his thankfulness for past grace. He traces it up to moment-by-moment, ever-arriving grace. He is banking on the promise of God’s future grace to arrive at every moment of need. In every instant of Paul’s intention and effort to obey Christ, grace was at work to produce that intention and that effort. Paul did not bring about his work merely out of gratitude for past grace, but in moment-by-moment reliance on the arrival of promised grace. Paul wants to emphasize that the ever-arriving grace of God is the decisive cause of his work.

Does it really say that? Doesn’t it just say that the grace of God worked with Paul? No, it says more. We have to come to terms with the words, “Though it was not I.” Paul wants to exalt the moment-by-moment grace of God in such a way that it is clear that he himself is not the decisive doer of this work.

Nevertheless, he is a doer of this work: “I worked harder than any of them.” He worked. But he said it was the grace of God “toward me.”

If we let all the parts of this verse stand, the end result is this: grace is the decisive doer in Paul’s work. Since Paul is also a doer of his work, the way grace becomes the decisive doer is by becoming the enabling power of Paul’s work.

I take this to mean that, as Paul faced each day’s ministry burden, he bowed his head and confessed that, unless future grace was given for that day’s work, he would not be able to do it.

Perhaps he recalled the words of Jesus, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). So he prayed for future grace for the day, and he trusted in the promise that it would come with power. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Then he acted with all his might.

HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 15, 2021.

SUBJECT : HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

Memory verse: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 18.)

READ: Luke 17 vs 12 - 19:

17:12: Then as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off.

17:13: And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

17:14: So when He saw them, He said unto them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

17:15: And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

17:16: and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17:17: So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”

17:18: Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?”

17:19: And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

INTIMATION:

We have learned that every good thing that comes to us in this life comes by the grace of God. And until we recognize that truth, we will never be the kind of thankful, grateful people God desires us to be. God's attitude is that if His people really believe Him, then no matter what happens in life they will know that He is big enough to handle it and to make it work out for their good, if they continue to have faith in Him. God desires a thankful people, not a murmuring, grumbling, fault-finding, complaining people. Joy and peace are found in believing, not in murmuring, grumbling, fault-finding, or complaining.

It is God’s will that we should give Him thanks in everything. Since we have been graciously adopted as children of God, and born of the Will of God, we should rest assured of His presence in our lives at all times. Therefore, in everything that happens to us, we should be thankful for God's presence, and for the good that He will accomplish through the happening in our lives. The Scripture says, "All things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8 vs 28). 

God works in 'all things,' not just in isolated incidents, for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. God does not demand that we thank Him, but He is pleased when we do so and uses our responsiveness to teach us more about Himself, revealing Himself more to us for our benefits. 

In the passage we read today, only one of the ten lepers had an attitude of gratitude and returned to give thanks to Jesus. And Jesus recognized this, and asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?” (Luke 17 vs 17 - 18.) Jesus then turned to the thankful man, noted his faith, and pronounced his wholeness or wellness—not just his being cured of leprosy. It is possible to receive God's great gifts with an ungrateful spirit. Nine out of the ten lepers did that. However, only grateful Christians grow in understanding of God's grace. 

The bases of gratitude or thankfulness is declaring God's character and attributes in the presence of others. When we recognize and affirm His goodness we are holding up His perfect moral nature for all to see. And this benefits us because it takes our minds off our problems and needs and focuses on God's power, mercy, majesty, and love, giving glory to God as our worship.

As human beings are subject to selfishness and ingratitude. We can pray and believe God for something, and even be very thankful and grateful for it when we receive it. But it doesn't take us very long and we are no longer thankful and grateful for them. We quickly and easily can fall prey to an ungrateful attitude. For instance, we can believe God for a life partner, and even be thankful and grateful when we are married. Then within a matter of months, we are grumbling, murmuring, and complaining that God gave us a partner that is always "nagging."

Or we are believing God for the fruit of the womb, and thankful and grateful when we got pregnant and delivered to a baby. In a few years we are griping and complaining and questioning God for giving us  "a stubborn child." Or still, we can believe God for a bigger house, and even be thankful and grateful when we first received one. Then within a short period, we can find ourselves griping and complaining because now we have to clean that "big old house!"

You and I have multitudinous opportunities to complain on a regular basis. But all complaining do open the door for the enemy. It doesn't solve problems; it just creates a breeding ground for greater problems. We should be grateful and thankful to God always. In the event of our desiring something more, we then go to the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of grace and supplication—which is the power of God coming into our life to help us solve every problem that we encounter, as well as helping us institute any changes we desire.

Let's learn to respond to the help we are already getting but don't deserve by developing an attitude of gratitude. This is not just an occasional word of thanks, but a continual lifestyle of thanksgiving. The person who has developed an "attitude of gratitude" is one who is thankful and grateful for every single thing that God is doing in his or her life day by day.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of gratitude in all things, knowing that You work in all things for my good because I love You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ESSENTIAL OF A CHRISTIAN WOMAN!

Happy birthday ma and many happy returns with grace and anointing in Jesus Name.
 

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 14, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE GREAT COMMISSION!

Memory verse:  "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16 vs 15.) 

READ: Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20; Luke 24 vs 47:

Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has  been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

28:19: Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 

28:20: teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Like 24:47: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

INTIMATION:

After haven done this great and supreme sacrifice, that had never been done, and would ever be done by any again, Jesus made a request on His followers—His disciples; to go into all the world, telling everyone “the Good News,” that He had paid the penalty for our sins and those who believe in Him can be forgiven and live eternally with God. They should preach the suffering Christ on the cross and His resurrection. Repentance toward God and God’s remission of man’s sins in obedience to the gospel should be proclaimed to all men beginning from Jerusalem. 

All the four records of the gospel mention a commission that Jesus gives to the disciples to take the good news to the world (Matthew 28 vs 19 - 20; Mark 16 vs 15; Luke 24 vs 46 - 47; John 20 vs 12 - 23). Studied together, Jesus commissioned the disciples to (1) preach Jesus in order to make disciples for Jesus, (2) preach the gospel of His death for our sins and resurrection for our hope in order that men might be saved, (3) immerse disciples in water, and (4) teach the word of Jesus to immersed disciples. They were to immerse all those they had discipled to Him. Therefore, one must be committed to follow Jesus before being immersed into a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Jesus made it clear to the disciples that the gospel is for all the world, not just for the Jews (John 10 vs 16). They must go to every village, town and city of the world. No community must be left untouched by the proclamation of the gospel. The statement of Jesus in our anchor Scripture designates what is to be done (preach), what is to be preached (the gospel), and to whom the preaching must go (every creature). The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection for our hope. This is what must be proclaimed to all the world. The gospel must be preached to every person because every person is a sinner (Romans 3 vs 9 - 10). 

We, as followers of Jesus, are commissioned to spread the “Good News,” and this is the “Great Commission!” Christians today in all parts of the world are telling this gospel to people who haven’t heard about Jesus. We should do this in response to the supreme sacrifice He made for us out of love, and we should return this love by obeying His command (John 14 vs 15).

The driving power that carries missionaries around the world and sets Christ’s church in motion is the faith that comes from the resurrection. Do you ever feel as though you don’t have the skill or determination to be a witness for Christ? You must personally realize that Jesus rose from the dead and lives for you today. As you grow in your relationship with Christ, He will give you both the opportunities and the inner strength to tell His message. 

This is the only request Jesus made on us after had made the aforesaid sacrifices for us. He sacrificed His life (something of immeasurable value) for something completely worthless (our sins). What a sacrifice! He has not left us alone in this service, but promised to be with us always, even up to the end of age, and has accomplished this in the Person of the Holy Spirit—Jesus in Spirit form, indwelling us.

Therefore, haven all these done for us, and all these promises made to us m, what excuse do one have not to engage in witnessing for Jesus? Not doing this is, in my considered opinion, gross disobedience, denying the Savior before men, and consequently, the Savior’s denying you before His Father in heaven!  For Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10 vs 32.) Do you want Jesus to witness for you before the Father in heaven? Then engage in the “Great Commission;” witnessing for Christ here and now. 

Prayer: Abba Father, there is nothing I can do to adequately compensate for what You did for me in redemption? Virtually nothing! My not obeying You in carrying out the “Great Commission” is not just disobedience to You, but also wickedness, and selfishness on my part. May I live to obey You all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ministry — More Important Than Life

 

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:24)

According to the New Testament, “ministry” is what all Christians do. According to Ephesians 4:11–12, pastors have the job of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. But ordinary Christians are the ones who do the ministry.

What ministry looks like is as varied as Christians are varied. It’s not an office like elder or deacon; it’s a lifestyle devoted to making much of Christ and meeting the needs of others.

It means that we “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Whether we are bankers or bricklayers, it means that we aim at advancing other people’s faith and holiness to the glory of God.

Fulfilling your ministry is more important than staying alive. This conviction is what makes the lives of radically devoted people so inspiring to watch. Most of them speak the way Paul did about his ministry here in Acts 20:24: “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.” Doing the ministry that God gives us to do is more important than life.

You may think you need to save your life in order to do your ministry. On the contrary, how you lose your life may be the capstone of your ministry. It certainly was for Jesus — only in his thirties.

We need not fret about keeping ourselves alive in order to finish our ministry. God alone knows the appointed time of our service. He will decide when our death is not an interruption of our ministry, but the last act of our ministry.

Henry Martyn was right when he said, “If [God] has work for me to do, I cannot die.” In other words, I am immortal until my work is done. Therefore, ministry is more important than life.

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JULY 13, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE SUPREME SACRIFICE!

Memory verse:  "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes, He became poor that you through His poverty might become rich.” (Second Corinthians 8:9.) 

READ: Philippians 2 vs 6 - 8:

2:6: Who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 

2:7: But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross.

INTIMATION:

In the beginning God created us in His image and after His likeness. He created us out of love, modeled us to be like Him, and to live the best of life without lack or want. But our first parents were grossly influenced that they doubted His integrity, and disobeyed Him. It was for the reason of our haven done things wrong—disobeyed God’s laws—that we were separated from God our Creator. Separation from God is death; but, by ourselves, we can do nothing to become reunited with God.

His sincere, and genuine love, and concern for us occasioned His sending His only begotten Son to the world for our liberation. His Son, Jesus, was God’s unique Son, Who never disobeyed God and never sinned. Consequently, only Him can bridge the gap between the sinless God and sinful people. Jesus’ incarnation was the act of the preexistent Son of God voluntarily assuming a human body and human nature. Without ceasing to be God, He became a human being, the man called Jesus. He didn’t give up His deity to become human, but He set aside the right to His glory and power. 

Jesus came as a propitiation for us, freely offered His life for us; He knew no sin, but was made sin for our sakes, taking all our wrongdoing upon Himself, dying a shameful death on the cross in our place, and saving us from the consequences of sin—including God’s judgement and death. He gave His life so that we can have life, not only having life, but having it more abundantly.

Before the incarnation and the manifestation of God through Jesus, Jesus was originally in the totality of God in being, essence and experience: He was in the “form” of God—Spirit (John 4 vs 24), and “equal with God” in essence, being, eternity, and work. Since He was God, then He would not have existed in any other state of being than what God is. However, in order to accomplish the redemption of mankind, He did not consider His being as God something that could not be forsaken for the benefit of His creation. 

Jesus was willing to lay aside or empty Himself of His being and essence as God in order to incarnate in the flesh of man. Therefore, He did not have on earth the totality of that which He had before the incarnation. In some way, He made a supreme sacrifice in incarnation in order to accomplish the plan of redemption for the salvation of man: In contrast to lordship, He took on slavehood. In contrast to existence in spirit, He took on the physical. In order to become the slave of humanity, He has to take on the form of humanity. In order to make the divine sacrifice for the sins of humanity, He had to incarnate into the form of those for whom He would die. 

The magnitude of His transition from God to man (Deity to flesh) was awesome and incomprehensible. In the lowered state of incarnation, Jesus was not only in the form of man, but also in a different relationship with the Godhead than what He had before incarnation. In the form of man, He maintained an obedient relationship to God, the Father. He voluntarily died on the cross because it was the will of God. 

Jesus, as a Deity, was rich in all things; haven all things created by Him and for Him. But He became poor by giving up His rights as God and becoming human. In His incarnation, God voluntarily became man—the person Jesus of Nazareth. As a man, Jesus was subject to place, time, and other human limitations. He did not give up His eternal power when He became human, but He did set aside His glory and His rights. In response to the Father’s Will, He limited His power and knowledge. Christ became poor when He became human because He set aside so much. Yet by doing so, He made us rich because we received salvation and eternal life. What a “SUPREME SACRIFICE!”

Jesus took our past, present, and future sins upon Himself so that we could have new life. Because all our wrongdoing is forgiven, we are reconciled to God. Furthermore, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the proof that His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross was acceptable to God, and His resurrection has become the source of new life for those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. All who believe in Him may have this new life and live it in union with Him. This great and supreme sacrifice, has never been done before, and would  ever be done by any again.

Prayer: Abba Father, there is nothing I can do to adequately compensate for what You did for me in redemption. Virtually nothing! Give me the grace, O Lord, to obey You in all things all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Moves You to Minister?

 

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8)

Faith has an insatiable appetite for experiencing as much of God’s grace as possible. Therefore, faith presses toward the river where God’s grace flows most freely, namely, the river of love.

What other force will move us out of our contented living rooms to take upon ourselves the inconveniences and suffering that love requires?

What will propel us . . .

to greet strangers when we feel shy?

to go to an enemy and plead for reconciliation when we feel indignant?

to tithe when we’ve never tried it?

to speak to our colleagues about Christ when we are timid?

to invite new neighbors to a Bible study?

to cross cultures with the gospel?

to create a new ministry for alcoholics?

to spend an evening driving a van?

to invest a morning praying for renewal?

None of these costly acts of love just happens. They are impelled by a new appetite — the appetite of faith for the fullest experience of God’s grace. We want more of God. And we want this more than we want our private, disturbance-free security and comfort.

Faith loves to rely on God and see him work miracles in us. Therefore, faith pushes us into the current where the power of God’s future grace flows most freely — the current of love.

I think this is what Paul meant when he said that we should sow to the Spirit (Galatians 6:8). By faith, we should put the seeds of our energy in the furrows where we know the Spirit is at work to bear fruit — the furrows of love.