THE BLESSINGS IN SEEKING THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 28, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE BLESSINGS IN SEEKING THE LORD!

Memory verse: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7 vs 7.)

READ: Psalm 34 vs 4 - 15 & 22

34 vs 4: I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5: They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.

6: This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of his troubles.

7: The angel of the LORD encamps all round those who fear Him, and delivers them.

8: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9: Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

10: The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

11: Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12: Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

13: Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

14: Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

15: The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

22: The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

INTIMATION:

God promises great blessings to His people, but most of these blessings require active participation in seeking Him. In the passage we read, He promised to set us free from our fears (34:4), deliver us from trouble (34:6), guard and defend us (34:7), show us goodness (34:8), supply our needs (34:9), listen when we call to Him (34:15), and redeem us (34:22). The Lord continues to deliver His people in order that they not become desolate. 

But we must do our part. We can appropriate His blessings when we seek Him (34:4, 10), that is, cry out to Him (34:6), trust Him (34:8), fear (reverence) Him (34:9), refrain from lying (34:13), turn from evil, do good, search for peace (34:14), and serve Him (34:22). The fear of the Lord delivers us from the fear of man. The result of keeping one’s face toward the Lord is that the radiance of the Lord flows from one’s heart and is perceived in one’s life. God is ever willing to protect and provide for those who seek peace with man as a result of their desire to do God’s will. 

Prayer is your lifeline to God, hence we should prayer regularly to ensure our line of seeking Him is open at all times. The apostle Paul echoes it thus, "Pray without ceasing." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.) Seeking God in prayers regularly, no matter what, ensures God's guidance and strength that is needed at all times, to appropriate His promised blessings to ourselves. Regular and constant praying habit ensures a disciplined life of prayer. Though our prayers are usually interrupted by pressures of our schedules, developing a regular prayer time makes you develop a prayerful attitude at all times. 

This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, and determining to obey Him fully. This would be obedience to the Lord as a result of recognizing His awesomeness. In order to be God’s son, one must have a right attitude toward God that results in a life-style of obedience to His will. If one will see good in his life, then he must submit to the will of the Lord.

Daniel had a disciplined prayer life and prayed three times daily. He never allowed threats or pressure of his schedules interrupt his prayer life. Daniel was a foreigner, exiled in Babylon, but never gave up his disciplined prayer life amidst all pressures of life. Daniel hugely partook of the attendant blessings associated with seeking God. God bestowed great wisdom on him and he enjoyed the presence and favour of God in his life. Daniel, a captive from Israel, became an adviser of kings in a foreign land. He served as an adviser to two Babylonian kings and two Medo-Persian Kings (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus). (Daniel chapter 6 .)

The Bible interchangeably uses fear of the LORD, for seeking the LORD. The fear of the LORD in the Scriptures denote reverential fear of God, not to dread Him, or being scared of Him. It is to show Him deep respect, reverence, and honor, demonstrated by a humble attitude and genuine worship. We reverence God as a controlling motive of our lives in spiritual and moral matters. It is not mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. A fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the indwelling Spirit of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit absolute dependence and obedience to You that will engender a regular praying life-style, that I may, all the time, appropriate to myself Your promised blessings in seeking You, in Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Forgiven for Jesus’s Sake

 For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

In knowing what is right, God does not consult any authority higher than himself. His own worth is the ultimate value in the universe. Therefore, for God to do what is right means acting in a way that accords with this ultimate value.

The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater.

How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation.

The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.

Because of Christ, we can pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that, because of Christ, instead of only praying, “For your name’s sake, pardon my guilt,” we now pray, “For Jesus’s name’s sake, O God, pardon my guilt.”

First John 2:12 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake,” referring to Jesus. Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”

God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did. Therefore, “For your name’s sake, O Lord” and “For Jesus’s name’s sake” are the same. And that is why we pray with confidence for forgiveness.

ALL WE HAVE ARE GIVEN TO US BY GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 27, 2021.

SUBJECT : ALL WE HAVE ARE GIVEN TO US BY GOD!

Memory verse: "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven." (John 3 vs 27.)

READ Deuteronomy 8 vs 11 - 18:

8:11: Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgements, and His statutes which I command you today,

8:12: lest - when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them,

8:13: and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold are multiplied, and all that you have multiplied;

8:14: when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

8:15: who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;

8:16: who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end - 

8:17: then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' 

8:18: And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."

INTIMATION:

All we have; gifts, abilities, talents, and possessions came from God. He gives us the power to get everything we have, and also, asks us to manage it for Him. It's important for us to recognize that He is our source, regardless of how much effort we put into earning a living. In an environment and economy of material prosperity, however, there is always the temptation to forget God. People tend to take for granted all that they receive from God, and thus pride themselves in their own accomplishments. 

Consequently, their allegiance which should have remained focused on God, turned to a focus on themselves as a result. In times of plenty, we often take credit for our prosperity and become proud that our own hard work and cleverness have made us rich. And when we get so busy collecting and managing our gifts, the tendency is that we push God right out of our lives. Don't forget God in your abundance, or He will remove His blessing from you.

The interesting thing about this Scripture in Deuteronomy 8 vs 18, is that God was talking to the children of Israel who would eventually enter into the Promised Land. They were going to be living in homes built for giants. The fields already had the rocks cleared out of them, the furrows were dug, and the crops were planted. The Israelites were going to step in and benefit from the labor of others. God was telling them not to forget the source of their wealth when they went from living in the desert to living in mansions with abundant property. In context, God was saying, "Don't think you got wealthy by your own might or power. I'm the One who made you rich, and I did it to establish My covenant upon the earth." The covenant He made with Abraham (Genesis 12 vs 1 - 3).

The same is true for us today. God is the One who makes us wealthy. The people of our generation live at a level of relative prosperity that most people throughout history couldn't have dreamed of, yet we didn't do anything to be born at this time. We didn't cause ourselves to be born into such opportunity and freedom. It is quite obvious that the ability to prosper is a gift from God, and we can't boast of the opportunities we have been given. 

The apostle Paul emphasizes this in First Corinthians 4 vs 7, "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" Whatever you are; your talent, wisdom, skills etc, whatever assets you have; money, properties, etc, and whatever position you occupy in life, are all the act and doing of the LORD. Acknowledge Him, give Him thanks, and use your gifts properly—for service to Him. You are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12 vs 2).

The remedy of materialism is to remember Him from whom all blessings flow. The materialist creates a god who originates from within himself, and thus, he humanistically worships his own ability to perform and produce.

The humanist focuses on the ability of man to perform, but the saint focuses on God who brings power to one’s effort to work to the glory of God. When we are blessed, therefore, all glory must be given to God who gave us the gifts to produce, and also gave increase to the work of our hands. Our recognition of the fruits of our hands, therefore, is an opportunity to be grateful to God for working in our lives. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Only You strengthens me to do all I do, and all I have You have given me. You have daily loaded me with Your benefits, and I am forever grateful and thankful. Engrace me to properly administer Your gifts to me, that I may be a blessing to others, and a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly applying myself for the interest of the kingdom, in Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus Will Trample All Our Enemies

 

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24)

How far does the reign of Christ extend?

The next verse, 1 Corinthians 15:25 says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The word all tells us the extent.

So does the word every in verse 24: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.”

There is no disease, no addiction, no demon, no bad habit, no fault, no vice, no weakness, no temper, no moodiness, no pride, no self-pity, no strife, no jealousy, no perversion, no greed, no laziness that Christ will not overcome as the enemy of his honor.

And the encouragement in that promise is that when you set yourself to do battle with the enemies of your faith and your holiness, you will not fight alone.

Jesus Christ is now, in this age, putting all his enemies under his feet. Every rule and every authority and every power will be conquered.

So, remember that the extent of Christ’s reign reaches to the smallest and biggest enemy of his glory in your life, and in this universe. It will be defeated.

GOD IS PATIENT AND MERCIFUL!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 26, 2021.

SUBJECT : GOD IS PATIENT AND MERCIFUL!

Memory verse: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (Second Peter 3 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14:

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 a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

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

 

INTIMATION:

We have an inspired record of God’s dealings with the nation of Israel in order to understand how gracious God can be with our rebellion. One of such records is the passage we read today. God was patient with Israel. He was forgiven. He cared for them as a father lovingly cares for his children. God will not always reprimand, though there were times when His children had to be disciplined. But God will not continuously do so day after day. 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 His mercy, He only disciplines. 

We serve a patient God who is timeless in His desire that men turn to serve Him. Though He is patient, there will be a time when He will bring the destruction on the unrighteous. We do not serve a mean God. He is not one who seeks to eternally destroy man from His presence. He is not a God who ha predestined some to destruction. He does not want men to be destroyed in the great destruction that will be coming upon those who do not obey the gospel. (See Second Thessalonians 1 vs 7 - 9.) On the contrary God desires that men repent. He desires that they turn their lives to obedient behavior of the divine will.

Our Heavenly Father extends grace far beyond the usual time by waiting or enduring without complaint or reprisal. The Bible in Exodus 34 vs 6 - 7 says: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty....." In His kindness God holds back His judgement, giving people time to repent. It is easy to mistake God's patience for approval of wrong way we are living. Self evaluation is difficult, and it is even more difficult to expose our conduct to God and let Him tell us where we need to change. In our thought, we just don't put God in our timetable. 

God is not slow; He is just not in our timetable. Because of the open invitation; without any time frame attached, or given, to us to come to Him, we tend to put Him out of our timetable. Like God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. As Christians we must pray constantly that God will point out our sins, so that He can heal them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be amazed at God's patience with others than humbled by His patience with us.

God is ever merciful. He is good and His mercies endures forever. Though this Nature of God is repeated severally in the Bible, but the psalmist in Psalm 136 repeated it throughout the psalm. Repeating this phrase, "For His mercy endures forever," shows the truth in it, and makes the important lesson sink in. "Mercy" is a translation of a Hebrew word that includes aspects of love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. We never have to worry that God will run out of love because it flows from a well that will never run dry.

Mercy the translation of the Greek word "Eleos," which is the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it. God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2 vs 4), and out of His mercy has provided salvation for all men (Titus 3 vs 5), for Jews (Luke 1 vs 72), and Gentiles (Romans 15 vs 9). He is merciful to those who fear Him (Luke 1 vs 50), for they are compassed with iniquity, and He alone can succor them. 

Now that we have known of God's patience and merciful nature, we should not overstretch it or take it for granted. But we should be ready to meet Christ any time, even today, planning our course of service as though He may not return for many years, and if we miss it now, we may have missed it forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are a merciful, patient, and just God. Let Your mercy locate me today, and always that I may find grace to do according to Your precepts at all times, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Shadows and Streams

 

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. (Psalm 104:31–34)

God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself.

God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us to look at his creation and say: If the mere work of his fingers (just his fingers! Psalm 8:3) is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!

These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass. What will it be to see the glory of the Creator himself! Not just his works! A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul’s end.

Jonathan Edwards expressed it like this:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

This is why Psalm 104 comes to a close in verses 31–34 with a focus on God himself. “I will sing praise to my God while I have being. . . . For I rejoice in the Lord.” In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God himself.

When God’s Love Is Sweetest

 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:25–26)

If you only hope for unconditional love from God, your hope is great, but too small.

Unconditional love from God is not the sweetest experience of his love. The sweetest experience is when his love says, “I have made you so much like my Son that I delight to see you and be with you. You are a pleasure to me, because you are so radiant with my glory.”

This sweetest experience is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God.

Unconditional love is the source and foundation of the human transformation that makes the sweetness of conditional love possible. If God did not love us unconditionally, he would not penetrate our unattractive lives, bring us to faith, unite us to Christ, give us his Spirit, and make us progressively like Jesus.

But when he unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind: his own.

We see this in Ephesians 5:25–27. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [unconditional love], that he might sanctify her . . . and present the church to himself in splendor” — the condition in which he delights.

It is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence.

But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it. “The name of our Lord Jesus [will] be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:12).