God Forgives and Is Still Just

 Nathan the prophet comes to David after his adultery and murder and says, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” (2 Samuel 12:13–14)

This is outrageous. Uriah is dead. Bathsheba is raped. The baby will die. And Nathan says, “The Lord has put away your sin.”

Just like that? David committed adultery. He ordered murder. He lied. He “despised the word of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:9). He scorned God. And the Lord simply “put away [his] sin”?!

What kind of a righteous Judge is God? You don’t just pass over rape and murder and lying. Righteous judges don’t do that.

This was one of Paul’s greatest theological problems — very different from the ones people struggle with today: how can God forgive sin and still be righteous? Here is what Paul said in Romans 3:25–26:

God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

In other words, the outrage that we feel when God seems to simply pass over David’s sin would be good outrage if God were simply sweeping David’s sin under the rug. He is not.

God sees, from the time of David, down the centuries to the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, who would die in David’s place, so that David’s faith in God’s mercy and God’s future redeeming work unites David with Christ. And in God’s all-knowing mind, David’s sins are counted as Christ’s sins and Christ’s righteousness is counted as his righteousness, and God justly passes over David’s sin for Christ’s sake.

The death of the Son of God is outrageous enough, and the glory of God that it upholds is great enough, that God is vindicated in passing over David’s adultery and murder and lying. And ours.

And so God maintains his perfect righteousness and justice while at the same time showing mercy to those who have faith in Jesus, no matter how many or how monstrous their sins. This is unspeakably good news.

GOD DEMANDS A LIFE OF PRAYER FROM US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 14, 2021.

SUBJECT: GOD DEMANDS A LIFE OF PRAYER FROM US! 

Memory verse: "Pray without ceasing,” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 18).

READ: Luke 18 vs 1 - 8:

18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,

18:2: saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’

18:4: And he would not for a while; but afterword he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 

18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

Prayer is to make supplication or petition to God. Prayer is a call to the Father to visit with Him. It is the call of love to the Father to come and fellowship with Him. Prayer is our need crying out for help. It is the voice of faith to the Father. Prayer therefore, is born out of the sense of need, and the assurance that the need will be met. It is facing God with man's needs, with His promise to meet those needs. He taught us to pray, He is one with us in this prayer life, and hence it is part of His program for us.

Most Christians have realized the fact that the Father's heart is hungry for the companionship of His children. His heart hunger is the reason for man and his redemption. God wants a constant fellowship with His children. It was His plan from the beginning hence He visited Adam everyday in the Garden. He loves us and that love impels Him to call us to prayer.

It is God's Will that His children will come to His Throne Room, to stand in His presence  without reproof or condemnation. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ, while teaching His disciples how to pray, said, "When you pray" (Matthew 6 vs 5), and not "if you pray." It is God's intention that His sons will visit their Father, the children coming joyously into the presence of their Loving Parent, and are welcome.

In the passage we read today, Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not faint."

To persist in prayer and not give up or “praying without ceasing,” does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Always praying means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope. 

In prayer we are brought near enough to breathe in the Father’s very presence, coming boldly into the throne room and are standing in His presence. It is going into the presence of the Father and Jesus who seats at the right hand of the Father, engaging the ‘Father and the Son’ in an executive meeting, laying our needs before them and making our requisitions for ability, for grace, to meet our needs. Whatever the needs may be, we are making a demand upon Them.

When we pray always, we are in constant communication with the Father and it enriches us spiritually. We touch the Father through our prayers, and there cannot be any touching of the Master without the Master knowing it. When our need touches Him, it makes a demand upon his ability to meet that need. For instance, one day when the crowd was pressing around the Master, Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" And they said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You,  and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8 vs 45 - 47.) 

Touching the Master is making a demand from Him. The woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, touched Him, making a demand upon His ability to meet her need, and the Master knew it, and she got her need met; she was healed of the disease (See Luke 8 vs 40 - 48). 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Loving and Caring Father, always available to hear my prayer, and attend to my needs. I will ever put my complete trust in You, for I know that with You nothing is impossible, and there is nothing too hard for You. Engrace me to ceaselessly commune with You in prayer, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD.

OBEDIENCE IS THE GATEWAY TO GOD’S GLORY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 13, 2021.

SUBJECT: OBEDIENCE IS THE GATEWAY TO GOD’S GLORY!

Memory verse: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to Him.” (John 14 vs 21.)

READ: Genesis 22 vs 15 - 18:

22:15: Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

22:16: and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son.

22:17: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

22:18: In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

INTIMATION:

When we generally think of obedience, we think of doing what one is instructed to do. For instance, in speaking to our children we may say, "Will you please obey me and do what you are told?" What we mean is, "Please carry out my instructions." Such uses are not far removed from the intended meaning of Scripture, but far enough that the true essence of the word is lost.

Obedience to God is more than submission to authority. It is a submission which results from believe, trust, and persuasion—out of faith in God. Now, faith is of the heart; you believe in your heart which is invisible to man. While obedience is of the conduct and may be observed. Therefore, when you obey God, you give the only possible evidence that in your heart you believe God. Of course, it is persuasion of the truth that results in faith (we believe because we are persuaded that the thing is true).

In the passage we read today, we saw the glory of God upon Abraham because of obedience; in blessing he was so blessed that he was rich in all things; his descendants were so multiplied that the entire earth are his descendants, either through Isaac or Ishmael. And through his seed the whole earth is blessed in the Person of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that His followers show their love for Him by obeying Him. Love is more than lovely words; it is commitment and conduct. God is so delighted in our obedience to Him. Consequently, our obedience occasions the manifestation of Himself to us, and we are assured of the love of the Father. What will be more glorious than this?

God considers our obedience better than our sacrifices and offerings. Christians today always lay emphasis more on religious rituals, sacrifices, and offerings; like going to church, taking communion, paying tithes, and so on. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion (obedience) to Him. He doesn't have any need of these activities, they have no effect on His status, or nature. Sacrifices and offerings are all for our benefits. But benefits from God to us on these activities are only derivable on the platform of raw and complete obedience to God, otherwise they are empty if our reasons for doing them are selfish. 

The prophet Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (First Samuel 15 vs 22). All we should do is to give God the obedience and lifelong service He desires from us, and He will benefit us as the Scripture says, "You shall eat the good of the land" (Isaiah 1 vs 19). 

Sacrifices and offerings are not bribes to make God overlook our character faults. All God wants is our sincere faith and devotion to Him. The Christian rituals, sacrifices, and offerings are to be outward sign of an inward faith in God. 

Many today have come to place more faith in the rituals of their religion than in God they worship. God does not take pleasure in your outward expressions if your inward faith is missing (Hosea 6 vs 6). Though religious rituals can help people understand God and nourish their relationship with Him, but they are helpful only if it is carried out with an attitude of love and obedience to God.

The consequences of disobedience is grave. It is likened to rebellion and stubbornness to God. Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scriptures equates them with divination (witchcraft) and idolatry (First Samuel 15 vs 23). Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is for an intimate relationship with You, and total submission to Your Will. Endue me with the spirit of raw and complete obedience to You that my outward expression of obedience to You will be a reflection of my inward attitude of faith in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Three Examples of How Faith Fulfills Good Resolves

 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

When Paul says that God fulfills our good resolves by his power through faith (he calls our acts “works of faith”), he means that we defeat sin and we do righteousness by faith, that is, by being satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Christ in the next five minutes, five months, five decades, and into eternity.

Here are three examples of how this might look in your life:

If you set your heart to give sacrificially and generously, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). And the promise, “Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). And the promise, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

If you set your heart to renounce pornography, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29). Much better. Wonderfully better. All-satisfyingly better.

And if you set your heart to speak out for Christ when the opportunity comes, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour” (Matthew 10:19).

May God increase our daily faith in the precious promises of God — promises of his inexhaustible, blood-bought, Christ-exalting future grace.

BE CONTENT WITH YOUR WEAKNESS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 12, 2021.

SUBJECT : BE CONTENT WITH YOUR WEAKNESS!

Memory verse: "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." (First Corinthians 1 vs 27.)

READ: Second Corinthians 12 vs 9 - 10:

12:9: But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

12:10: Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong."

INTIMATION:

Humans are imperfect. Each of us has a bundle of flaws and imperfections; physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. You may also have uncontrollable circumstances that weaken you, such as financial or relational limitations. We are God's creatures, and He has allowed these imperfections in our life for His predetermined purposes. Your weaknesses are not an accident. God deliberately allowed them in your life for the purpose of demonstrating His power through you.

A weakness is not a sin or a vice or a character defect that you can change, such as overreacting or impatience. A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or have no power to change. It may be a physical limitation; a handicap, a chronic illness, or disability. It may be emotional limitation; a trauma scar, a hurtful memory, a personality quirk, or a hereditary disposition. Or it may be a talent or intellectual limitation. We are not all super bright or talented.

The most important issue is that God loves you, even in your weakness or limitations. It is for our weaknesses that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the world, as a propitiation for our sins, since we can't handle sin ourselves. Come to think of it, if we are perfect, are we going to need God? The answer is no! God allows those weaknesses in us to always remind us of our need for Him. And He gives us the power to accomplish the seemingly impossible task, our limitations not withstanding. Knowing that the power is His, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily contact with God, our power source. 

Sometimes we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them, instead of owning them up. And that prevents God from using them the way He desires. God has a different perspective on your weaknesses. He has His reasons for creating you the way He did, and that knowledge is known to Him alone. Be totally truthful, and allow Him to use you as He purposed. Although God's method and means are beyond our comprehension, He Himself is not arbitrary, He governs the universe and our lives in perfect wisdom, justice, and love. We think that God only wants to use our strengths, but He also wants to use our weaknesses for His glory.

God is always drawn to people who are weak and admit it. Jesus regarded this recognition of our need as being "poor in spirit." (Matthew 5 vs 3.) It is the number one attitude He blesses. If God considers perfection in using people, obviously nothing could be done, because none of us will be eligible since we are all imperfect. When you think of the limitation in your life, you may be tempted to conclude, "God could never use me." But God is never limited by our limitations. Rather He brings His great power to bear in our situations, haven considered us as ordinary containers—earthen vessels (frail and fallible human beings) (Second Corinthians 4 vs 7). 

Normally, we recognize our limitations, and will not congratulate ourselves and rest at that. We will want to be freed from our weaknesses, not be content with them! However, contentment is an expression of faith in the goodness of God. Therefore, in our limitations, we will turn to God to seek pathways for effectiveness, rather than relying on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our weaknesses not only helps us develop Christian character; it also deepens our worship, because in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength. When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to do God's work on our own, and that can lead to pride. 

God often attaches a major weakness to a major strength to keep our egos in check. A limitation can act as governor to keep us from going too fast and running ahead of God. In recognition of this fact, the apostle Paul said in Second Corinthians 12 vs 7, "...a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure." It's God design to always prove His strength in our affairs, so that we will always come back to Him in difficult times. 

When Gideon recruited an army of 32,000 to fight the Midianites, God whittled it down to just 300, making the odds 450 to 1 as they went out to fight 135,000 enemy troops. It appeared to be a recipe for disaster, but God did it so Israel would know it was God's power, not their own strength, that saved them. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I know by strength shall no man prevail. I will boast in my limitations because I know Your strength is made perfect in my weakness, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Give me the grace to put You first in all things in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

My Soul Thirsts for God

 

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

What makes this so beautiful and so crucial for us is that he is not thirsting mainly for relief from his threatening circumstances. He is not thirsting mainly for escape from his enemies or for their destruction.

It’s not wrong to want relief, and to pray for it. It is sometimes right to pray for the defeat of enemies. But more important than any of that is God himself.

When we think and feel with God in the Psalms, this is the main result: We come to love God, and we want to see God and be with God and be satisfied in admiring and exulting in God.

A likely translation of the end of verse 2 is, “When will I come and see the face of God?” The final answer to that question was given in John 14:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:4. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” And Paul said that when we are converted to Christ we see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

When we see the face of Christ, we see the face of God. And we see the glory of the face of Christ, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and 6, when we hear the story of the gospel of his death and resurrection. He calls it “the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Or (verse 6): “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

May the Lord increase your hunger and your thirst to see the face of God. And may he grant your desire, even today, through the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

FORSAKE YOUR PRIDE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 11, 2021.

SUBJECT : FORSAKE YOUR PRIDE!

Memory verse: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16 vs 18.)

READ: Isaiah 2 vs 11 - 17:

2:11: The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

2:12: For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up; and it shall be brought low;

2:13: Upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;

2:14: Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;

2:15: Upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall;

2:16: Upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops.

2:17: The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

INTIMATION:

Pride is inordinate self-esteem or conceit. It is the inner voice that whispers, “My way is best.” It is resisting God’s leadership and believing that you are able to live without His help. Whenever you find yourself wanting to do it your way and looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Pride indicates that a person is self-centered, and thus he will fall over himself as he deals with people. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. God cuts off the pride from His grace. 

The Scripture says, “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord, though they join forces, none will go unpunished.” (Proverbs 16 vs 5.) God Himself is an epitome of humility. The Creator of all things, seen and unseen, does not pride Himself in His creation. Even when He came into the world to save sinful humanity, He came as a humble servant in the person of Jesus Christ, and He did not come to the proud of this world. He came to the lowly and common people (Luke 1 vs 51). 

God will turn away from the proud because the proud will not submit to His will. Therefore, the arrogant people present themselves for rejection, while the humble are exalted. Though God is exalted above the heavens, at the same time the omnipresent God dwells in the hearts of the humble and contrite. (Isaiah 57 vs 15). 

The proud attitude heads the list of seven things God hates. And the harmful results of pride are constantly contrasted with humility and it’s benefits. Pride leads to disgrace (Proverbs 11 vs 2), produces quarrels (Proverbs 13 vs 10), leads to punishment (Proverbs 16 vs 5), leads to destruction (Proverbs 16 vs 18; 18 vs 12), ends in downfall (Proverbs 18 vs 12), brings one low (Proverbs 29 vs 23). Pride is harmful when it causes us to (1) look down on others, (2) be selfish with our resources; (3) force our solutions on others’ problems; (4) think God is blessing us because of our own merits; and (5) be content with our plans rather seeking God’s plan. 

Pride cripples us in our quest for a proper relationship with God. Realizing that only God must be exalted is the first step toward developing that relationship with Him. Nothing can compare with, or rival the place God must have in our hearts and minds. To place our hope elsewhere is nothing but false pride. Place your confidence in God alone.

Those who are arrogant will not submit their lives to the will of God. They resist submission, and thus, God resists giving His grace to them in order that they might be saved.

The Scripture says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5 vs 3.) Happy are those who are not proud, conceited or arrogant, especially concerning their spiritual relationship with God. One must empty himself of self-reliance and learn to humble himself before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, therefore, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

The Scripture in Second Chronicles 32 vs 25 says, “But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown to him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem.” We are not told the the specifics of Hezekiah’s pride. Much has been done for him by God, but it seems he failed to give thanks to God for all His blessings. Instead Hezekiah became somewhat self-confident, and thus God sought to humble him. Therefore, humble yourself before God that He may exalt you. Be proud and consequently be humiliated and destroyed. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my whole pride is in You, who made earth and all therein, and outstretched the heavens. In You I live, and move and have my being. Outside of You I am completely nothing. Engrace me with the spirit of humility, that I may humble myself before You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!