THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD IS FOR OUR PROFITING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD IS FOR OUR PROFITING!

Memory verse: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” (Revelation 3 vs 19.)

READ: Hebrews 12 vs 5 - 11:

12:5: And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

12:6: For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

12:7: If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

12:8: But if you be without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

12:9: Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

12:10: For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best for them, but He for our profit, that you may be partakers of His holiness.

12:11: Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

INTIMATION:

Chastening denotes refining or training that involves discipline and correction by reproving, and admonishing that may involve punishment. Correction by reproving, and admonition, even when it involves punishment, is a vital part of discipline, and discipline means “to teach and to train.” God chastens us in line with the aforestated reasons.

Discipline sounds negative to many people because some disciplinarians are not loving. God, however, is the source of all love because He is love (First John 4 vs 8). . He doesn’t punish us because He enjoys inflicting pain, but because He is deeply concerned about our development. He knows that in order to become morally strong and good, we must learn the difference between right and wrong. His loving discipline enables us to do this. And this is to ensure that the glorious destiny He had prepared for us beforehand is not missed by us by reason of disobedience or indiscipline.

God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish but to bring people back to Him. And in Him consists all there is in life. He created all things, and all things are His. He created all things according His predetermined purposes, and works to fulfill His purpose and not to make us happy. God may discipline you to help you out of your uncaring attitude if you are lukewarm in your devotion to God. But He uses only loving discipline. 

Therefore, you can avoid God’s chastening if you are walking in your God’s ordained path of life. And when you fall out of path, you will avoid His discipline by drawing near to Him again through confession, service, worship, and studying His Word. Just as the spark of love can be rekindled in marriage, so the Holy Spirit can re-ignite our zeal for God when we allow Him to work in our heart.

Now, come to think of it, who loves his child more, the father who allows the child to do what will harm him, or the one who corrects, trains, and even punishes the child to help him learn what is right? It’s never pleasant to be corrected and disciplined by God, but His discipline is a sign of His deep love for us. When God corrects you, see it as proof of His love, and ask Him what He is trying to teach you.

Knowing the thoughts of God for us—“thoughts of good and not for evil” (Jeremiah 29 vs 11),—we ought to respond to His discipline (chastening) gratefully, as the appropriate response we owe a loving Father. Instead of accepting it with self-pity, thinking we really don’t deserve it, or be angry and resentful toward God.

Certainly, not every calamity that happens to us comes directly from God. It is difficult to know when God has been disciplining us until we look back on the situation later. But if we rebel against God and refuse to repent when He had identified some sin in our lives, God may use guilt, crises, or bad experiences to bring us back to Him. It’s noteworthy that sometimes, however, difficult times come when we have no flagrant of sin. At times like that, our response then should be patience, integrity, and trust that God will show us what to do.

Just as success in family life, business, or in athletics, is by hard work and consistent discipline, the Christian life is much the same. Some people think it takes too much work, but achieving anything worthwhile requires hard work. Being a Christian is not a shortcut to an easy life. The chastening of God is all for our own profiting; that we may be partakers of God’s holiness, and the inherent yield of peaceable fruit of righteousness if we are trained by it. When you are wise to obey God’s laws—working hard at living as God asks—you discover that no worldly success can compare with the joy of knowing God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are a Loving Father, and Faithful Companion. Your thoughts and plans for me is to take care of me and not to abandon me, to give me the future I hope for if I obey. O Lord, endue me with the spirit of wisdom and obedience to You at all times for my all round profiting, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Our Good Is His Glory

 

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

One common objection to Christian Hedonism is that it puts the interests of man above the glory of God — that it puts my happiness above God’s honor. But Christian Hedonism most emphatically does not do this.

To be sure, we Christian Hedonists endeavor to pursue our interest and our happiness with all our might. We endorse the resolution of the young Jonathan Edwards: “Resolved: To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.”

But we have learned from the Bible (and from Edwards!) that God’s interest is to magnify the fullness of his glory by spilling over in mercy to us — to us sinners, who desperately need him.

Therefore, the pursuit of our interest and our happiness, even if it costs us our lives, is never above God’s interest and God’s happiness and God’s glory, but always in God’s. One of the most precious truths in the Bible is that God’s greatest interest is to glorify the wealth of his grace by making sinners happy in him — in him!

When we humble ourselves like little children and put on no airs of self-sufficiency, but run happily into the joy of our Father’s embrace, the glory of his grace is magnified and the longing of our soul is satisfied. Our interest and his glory become one.

When Jesus promises in Matthew 6:6, “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you,” this is a reward he wants us to seek. He does not lure us with joy we shouldn’t have! But this reward — this joy — is the overflow of turning away from human praise, and going into our closet to seek God.

Therefore, Christian Hedonists do not put their happiness above God’s glory. They put their happiness in God himself and discover the glorious truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

The Power of a Superior Promise

 

I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts. (Psalm 119:45, my translation)

An essential element of joy is freedom. None of us would be happy if we were not free from what we hate and free for what we love.

And where do we find true freedom? Psalm 119:45 says, “I shall walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts.”

The picture is one of open spaces. The word frees us from smallness of mind. “God gave Solomon . . . breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29). The word frees us from threatening confinements. “He brought me out into a broad place” (Psalm 18:19).

Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The freedom he has in mind is freedom from the slavery of sin (John 8:34). Or, to put it positively, it is freedom for holiness.

The promises of God’s grace provide the power that makes the demands of God’s holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear and confinement. Peter described the freeing power of God’s promises like this: “Through [his precious and very great promises] you become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4).

In other words, when we trust the promises of God, we sever the root of corruption and sinful desire by the power of a superior promise.

How crucial is the word that breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures! And how vigilant we should be to light our paths and load our hearts with the word of God!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

THE LORD'S PASSION FOR US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE LORD'S PASSION FOR US!

Memory verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3 vs 16.)

READ: Romans 5 vs 6 - 11:

5:6: For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

5:7: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

5:9: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

5:10: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

5:11: And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

INTIMATION:

God is filled with compassion and wants us to realize we are loved and cared for. This is one of God's most outstanding and obvious characteristics. The message of the Gospel comes to a focus in His passion for us as is stated, and demonstrated in our memory verse. Here God sets the pattern of true love or passion for others, setting the pattern for all true love relationships. 

When you love someone dearly, you are ready and willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. For His passion, God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay, and unheard of in history. Jesus accepted wholeheartedly, His propitiation for our sins, accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins on the cross (Ezekiel 18 vs 4 & Romans 6 vs 23). He, in exchange, offered us the new life that He had bought for us. Exchange of something completely worthless (our sinful lives) with something of inestimable value (the life of Jesus Christ—the Son of God).

The apostle Paul, in the passage we read, expounded the passion of God for us. He explained that when we were weak and helpless because we could do nothing on our own to save ourselves, Christ had to come to rescue us. He came at exactly the right time in history in accordance with God's plan and schedule. It is God that controls all history, and He controlled the timing, method, and events surrounding Jesus' death. God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us and is passionate about our well being.

The apostle Paul explained that the love that caused God to create the world for an extension of His kingdom, and caused Christ to die in our place, is the same love that sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us daily. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that saved us and is available to us in our daily lives. 

God is a Passionate Father. In Psalms 103 vs 13 the psalmist reminds us, "As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him." Jesus demonstrated this the day the disciples found themselves on the Sea of Galilee, and a storm was brewing, which is typical of the Sea of Galilee even today. The boat containing these disciples started to take in water because of the turbulence. When the boat started sinking, the disciples asked the ultimate question, "Lord, don't You care?" Of course He cares!

Many of us have at one time or the other felt like that, "Lord where are You when I really need You?" "God, I'm going under. Don't You care?" But a believer and a child of God will remember the promise found in First Peter 5 vs 7, "Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you." Does God care about your health? Yes! Does He care about your finances? Yes! What about that relationship that has never become what you hoped it would? Yes, He does care! He cares about the minutest details of your life that even the very hairs of your head are counted. (Matthew 10 vs 30). Though you may not know He cares, rest assured He does.

Be assured that, having begun a life with Christ, you have a reserve power and love to call on each day for help to meet every challenge or trial. Too often, in our spiritual life, although we may need to love God more, there is a much higher need to recognize just how much He loves us. When our relationship is such that we feel God's love and His passion for His children, we naturally begin to love Him more. You can pray for His power and love as you need it.

In Psalms 145 vs 18 the psalmist tells us, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth." What this means is that He is never too busy for you. When you pray, you will never get busy signal. He hears you and ready to meet your real need. Jesus had a very special term He used to describe the personal and passionate nature of God. He called Him, "Abba." The word Abba is an Aramaic word used to describe the most intimate, personal nature of a father. He is never too busy for you. He is never more concerned about a crisis in one individual than another. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for Your passion for me. You have daily loaded me with Your benefits, always forgiving me my iniquities, healing me all my diseases, redeeming my life from de struction, satisfying my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's, and crowning me with loving kindness and tender mercies. May I not miss my path in You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DESPERATE FAITH BY BISHOP TD JAKES

 

Live Confident in God’s Sovereign Power

 The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe . . . (Ephesians 1:19)

The omnipotence of God means eternal, unshakable refuge in the everlasting glory of God no matter what happens on this earth. And that confidence is the source and power of radical obedience to the call of God.

Is there anything more freeing, more thrilling, or more strengthening than the truth that God Almighty is your refuge — all day, every day, in all the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life?

If we believed this, if we really let this truth of God’s omnipotence get hold of us, what a difference it would make in our personal lives and in our ministries! How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God!

The omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ.

The omnipotence of God means reverence, recompense, and refuge for his covenant people.

I invite you to accept the terms of his covenant of grace: Turn from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; and the omnipotence of God Almighty will be the reverence of your soul, the recompense of your enemies, and the refuge of your life — forever.

MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2021.

SUBJECT: MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

Memory verse: "And if it seem evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the Rivet, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24 vs 15.)

READ: First King 18 vs 20 - 24:

18:20: So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on mount Carmel.

18:21: And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word.

18:22: Then said Elijah to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

18:23: Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it: and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it.

18:24: Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God who answers by fire, He is God. And all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”

INTIMATION:

God always leaves us with a choice. God doesn’t force His will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow Him or reject Him. This decision, however, is a blessing-or-curse; a life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for He would like us to choose blessing rather than curse, life rather than death. We are daily confronted with this decision in circumstances of life we face. And daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.

At a time in the history of the Israelites, Moses placed this choice before them; “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His status, and His judgements, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30 vs 15 - 16 & 19.) 

Moses challenged Israel to choose life; to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience His blessings. God has called us to keep His commands, while reminding us that His laws are not hidden from us or beyond our reach (Deuteronomy 30 vs 11 - 14). God has detailed His laws in the Bible for our information and study, therefore, no one would say, “I will obey God if you know what He wants.” 

Obeying God is reasonable, sensible, and beneficial. Some people have complained that obedience to God’s laws is too difficult for a mere human. But God, in His infinite mercy, love, and benevolence, has given us an Helper in the person of the Holy Spirit, to abide with us forever, and help us in our inadequacies, and infirmities. Therefore, if you have ever given such complains above, know that they are unacceptable excuses. The most difficult part of obeying God’s laws is simply deciding to start now. 

In our memory verse, Joshua also reminded the Israelites of their privilege of choice. The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven His trustworthiness in their lives, or obey the local gods in their new lands they inhabited, which were only man-made idols. Joshua took a stand with his household to serve God. In taking a definite stand for the Lord, he displayed his spiritual leadership, and encouraged others to follow him. He made a commitment to God, and was determined to set an example of living by that decision.

It is easy to slip into a quiet rebellion—going about life in your own way. Some of us are controlled by our own limited personality, or the world’s standard of success—possessions, status, wealth etc. Power, status, appearance, or material possessions can become our gods if we devote our lives to them. Any substitute to God’s control is completely imperfect and deceitful. 

Once you have chosen to be controlled by God’s Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day. The way we live shows others the strength of our commitment to serving God. It is important to take a stand for the Lord. If we just drift along with whatever is pleasant and easy, we will someday discover that we have been worshiping a false God—ourselves. May you never worship a false god, in the mighty name of Jesus. 

In the passage we read today, Elijah challenged the people to take a stand—make a choice to follow whoever is the true God. Although the prophets of Baal raved all afternoon, no one answered them. Their god was silent because it was not real. In times of need when they desperately call out to these gods, there will only be silence. They can offer no true answers, no guidance, and no wisdom.

People waver between the two choices of who to follow, or deliberately be looking the other way because of the sinful pleasures and other temporary benefits that come with turning a blind eye to obeying God’s laws. It’s easy to be deceived by the temporary benefits of wealth, popularity, status, and achievement, and to be blind to the long-range benefits of God’s kingdom. It only takes faith to look beyond the world’s value system to see the eternal values of God’s kingdom. Therefore, today make your choice.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my all in all. Whatever You cannot do for me, let it remain undone. Whatever You cannot give me, let me never have it. I rather die than put my trust in anything but You. Endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!