The Giver Gets the Glory

 

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, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12)

It is very good news that God designs his glory to be magnified through the exercise of his grace.

To be sure, God is glorified through the power of his wrath (Romans 9:22), but repeatedly the New Testament (and the Old Testament, for example, Isaiah 30:18) says that we should experience God’s grace so that God gets glory.

Ponder how this works in the prayer of 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12.

Paul prays that God would fulfill our good resolves.

How? He prays that they would be done “by [God’s] power.” That is, that they would be “[works] of faith.”

Why? So that Jesus would be glorified in us.

That means the giver gets the glory. God gave the power. God gets the glory. We have faith; he gives power. We get the help; he gets the glory. That’s the deal that keeps us humble and happy, and keeps him supreme and glorious.

Then Paul says that this glorification of Christ is “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus.”

God’s answer to Paul’s prayer that we rely on God’s power to do good works is grace. God’s power to enable you to do what you resolve to do is grace.

That’s the way it works in the New Testament over and over. Trust God for gracious enabling, and he gets the glory when the help comes.

We get the help. He gets the glory.

That’s why Christian living, not just Christian conversion, is good news.

WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 25, 2022. 

SUBJECT : WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER!

Memory verse: “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and shuns evil?” (Job 1 vs 8.)

READ: Job 1 vs 13 - 19:

1:13: Now there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house;

1:14: and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them,

1:15: when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.!”

1:16: While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

1:17: While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

1:18: While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,

1:19: and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

INTIMATION:

The world view of life is that misfortune comes as a direct result of sin. Suffering can be, but is not always, a penalty of sin. When the righteous suffer, it is obvious that it is not sin related. Though, some people try to say that if you suffer, it’s because you have sinned and angered God. But this outlook is incorrect. For instance, Job did nothing to deserve what happened to him. In Job, it says that Job was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1 vs 1.) It is noteworthy that those who love God are not exempt from trouble. Simply because one is a child of God does mot mean that he will escape hardships in this life. 

Job was a righteous man in the Bible who went through many trials, but his faith in God stayed anchored even through all of them. According to the book of Job, the reason the righteous suffer is to test their faith in God, to make them more like Him, and to bring Him glory. Throughout all the drama that took place in Job’s life, he did not sin with his lips (Job 2 vs 10). As a reward for his faithfulness throughout the calamity of his life, God gave him an additional 140 years of life, plus restitution in double of his possessions that he had lost, with more sons and daughters.

The suffering that God allowed Satan to unleash on Job was to prove the point that the righteous can remain faithful in the presence of great personal suffering. Job was a model of trust and obedience to God, yet God permitted Satan to attack him in an especially harsh manner. Although God loves us, believing and obeying him do not shelter us from life’s calamities. Setbacks, tragedies, and sorrows strike Christians and non-Christians alike. But in our tests and trials, God expects us to express our faith to the world. How do you respond to your troubles? Do you ask God, “Why me?” or do you say, “Use me?”

Through no fault of his own, Job lost his wealth, children, and health. For Job, the greatest trial was not the pain or the loss; it was not being able to understand why God allowed him to suffer—in all his righteousness. God alone knew the purpose behind Job’s suffering, and yet He never explained it to Job. In spite of this, Job never gave up on God—even in the midst of suffering. He never placed his hope in his experience, his wisdom, his friends, or his wealth. Job focused on God.

Job showed the kind of trust we are to have. When everything is stripped away, we are to recognize that God is all we ever really had. We should not demand that God explain everything. God gives us Himself, but not all the details of His plans. We must remember that this life, with all its pain, is not our final destiny. Although we may not be able to understand fully the pain the righteous experience, it can lead him or her to rediscover God. However, knowing that God will not allow His children to be tempted beyond what they are able to endure encourages them to remain true to their faith.

God does not punish us through our trials. He sends us those trials to test and deepen our relationship and faith in Him. Job says, “Put him to test every moment” (Job 7 vs 18). The apostle James says, “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But let patience have I s perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1 vs 3 - 4). God wants us to run the race with endurance, and testing our faith is one reason He sends us trials. In sharing in Christ’s sufferings, we also become more mature in the faith, and we begin to imitate His character.

God sends us trial to make us more like Himself. So then you should, “…rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah,” (First Peter 4 vs 13) because our character matures through trials. If you ask anyone who has recently had a hard time, they will never say that it hurt them or they have bad character because of it. Those people will say it has made them stronger and more mature by refining their character. In the end, we’ll be refined and purified by the fire of trials. We’ll come out as sparkling gold; “When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold,” (Job 23 vs 10) as Job confirms.

Everything we do as Christians should glorify God. But you might be asking, “How could suffering bring God glory?” When the righteous endure until the end, praise God amidst tribulation, and trust His control, He gets glory. He even gets glory at the end when we witness to others and we testify of how faithful He has been through it all. The apostle Paul says, “..that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death.” (Philippians 1 vs 20). “Why should God be glorified?” you might ask. Because God deserves all our glory and praise, even when we can’t see what He is doing. 

Suffering affects all of humanity. But we as Christians have hope through Christ. We learn from Job that we shouldn’t fear the outcome, because God is in control of our trials, and He is right there with us through it all.

 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Lord that controls all circumstances, and in You all things consist. I know nothing can separate me from the love of Christ! Yes, not tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. In all these things I am more than a conqueror through You who loves me. I am an overcomer, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Delayed Deliverances

 

Immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. (Acts 16:26)

In this age, God rescues his people from some harm. Not all harm. That’s comforting to know, because otherwise we might conclude from our harm that he has forgotten us or rejected us.

So be encouraged by the simple reminder that in Acts 16:19–24, Paul and Silas were not delivered, but in verses 25–26, they were.

First, no deliverance:

“They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace.” (verse 19)“The magistrates tore the garments off them.” (verse 22)They “inflicted many blows upon them.” (verse 23)The jailer “fastened their feet in the stocks.” (verse 24)

But then, deliverance:

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God . . . and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. (verses 25–26)

God could have stepped in sooner. He didn’t. He has his reasons. He loves Paul and Silas.

Question for you: If you plot your life along this continuum of Paul’s initial suffering and later deliverance, where are you? Are you in the stripped-and-beaten stage, or the unshackled, door-flung-open stage?

Both are God’s stages of care for you. He has not left you or forsaken you (Hebrews 13:5).

If you are in the fettered stage, don’t despair. Sing. Freedom is on the way. It is only a matter of time. Even if it comes through death. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Served in Serving Others

 Jesus said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mark 8:17)

After Jesus had fed both the 5,000 and the 4,000 with only a few loaves and fish, the disciples got in a boat without enough bread for themselves.

When they began to discuss their plight, Jesus said, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand?” (Mark 8:17). What didn’t they understand?

They did not understand the meaning of the leftovers, namely, that Jesus will take care of them when they take care of others. Jesus says,

“When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:19–21)

Understand what? The leftovers.

The leftovers were for the servers. In fact, the first time there were twelve servers and twelve basketfuls left over (Mark 6:43) — one whole basket for each server. The second time there were seven basketfuls left over — seven, the number of abundant completeness.

What didn’t they understand? That Jesus would take care of them. You can’t out-give Jesus. When you spend your life for others, your needs will be met. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 24, 2022. 

SUBJECT : WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US!

Memory verse: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 10 vs 12.)

READ: Deuteronomy 10 vs 12 - 17:

10:12: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all thy heart and with all your soul,

10:13: and to keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good?

10:14: Indeed, heaven and the highest of heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it.

10:15: The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all people, as it is this day.

10:16: Therefore, circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.

10:17: For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

INTIMATION:

Often one asks, “What does God expect of me? This is the most important question anybody could ask. God created us for His predetermined purposes. The Bible in Psalm 139 vs 15 - 17 says, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts for me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

God created us for His purposes and carefully wove us together as is soothing to His predetermined purposes. He prepared beforehand every day of our lives even before we had even lived one day, and every moment laid out before a single day had passed. He put together His precious thoughts for and about us, and these things are already recorded in His book. He, therefore, requires us to walk in His preordained path to achieve His thoughts for us.

In the passage we read today, the Bible gives a summary of what God expects from us in a simple form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1) Have reverence for God. (2) Walk in His ways. (3) Love Him. (4) Serve Him with all your heart and soul. (5) Keep His commands. However, we usually complicate the expectations of God from us with man-made rules, regulations, and requirements. And regrettably we fall short of those man-made conditions, thereby become frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God. Concentrate on His real requirements and find peace. Compliance with all that God requires results in our well-being on earth among ourselves. 

God demands that we submit to Him inside, in our hearts, as well as outside, in our bodies. When this is done, we begin to imitate God’s love and justice in our relationships with others. If our hearts are right with God, then our relationships with other people can be made right too. When your heart has been cleansed and you have been reconciled to God, you will begin to see a difference in the way you treat others. 

Jesus said that loving God with all ourselves is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22 vs 37 - 39). This command, combined with the command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19 vs 18), encompasses all the other Old Testament laws. We are to love God, think constantly about His commandments, teach His commandments to our children, and live each day by the guidelines in His Word. 

God emphasized the importance of parents’ teaching the Bible to their children. The church and Christian schools cannot be used to escape from this responsibility. The Bible provides many opportunities for object lessons and practical teaching. Consequently, it would be a shame to study it only one day in a week. Eternal truths are most effectively learned in constant study and meditation on God’s Word.

Your life reflects your view of life. How you define life determines what you get out of it. When we understand that all the galaxies of the heavens to the minute particles of existence on earth originated from God, and that He is over all, then our response to Him is obedience to His will. Your perspective of life will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talents, and value your relationships.

Your view of life may, inadvertently, be based on a faulty metaphor. To fulfill the purposes God made you for, you will have to challenge conventional wisdom and replace it with the biblical metaphors of life. This is what the Scripture tells us in Romans 12 vs 2 that states, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."  (Romans 12 vs 2.)

Now that you have known what God requires of you, walk in the light of God’s requirements, and fulfill His purpose of life for you. God walks with you when you are in His predetermined path, and ensures you are on the right track. Walking in God’s predetermined path for you is tantamount to entering into an agreement with Him. Such agreements are irrevocable and eternal. Even though we rarely uphold our end of the agreement, God would always be faithful to His part. 

God’s mercy is unconditional. No matter how many times we turned from God, He is always there to restore us. It is comforting to know that despite our inconsistencies and sins, God loves us unconditionally. Eternal life is achieved not on the merit system but on the mercy system. God loves us no matter who we are or what we have done. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to please You and walk in Your ways. My purpose in life is not in myself to determine. Guide me through life’s journey that I may not miss the path You already determined for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

UNEXPECTED BY BISHOP TD JAKES

 

WHAT TRUE WEALTH IS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 23, 2022.

SUBJECT: WHAT TRUE WEALTH IS!

Memory verse: "Because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and Its flower falls away." (First Peter 1 vs 24.)

READ: James 1 vs 9 - 11:

1:9: Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

1:10: but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he shall pass away.

1:11: For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

INTIMATION:

Wealth is large possessions; a comparative abundance of things which are objects of human desire; especially abundance of worldly estate; affluence; opulence; riches. They have economic utility, a monetary value or an exchange value. However, wealth is designated as “true wealth” when it is of lasting value that endures to eternity. We find “true wealth” by developing our spiritual life, not by developing our financial assets. God is interested in what is lasting (our souls), not in what is temporary (our money and possessions).

Everything in this life—possessions, accomplishments, people—will eventually fade away and disappear. Only God’s will, Word, and work are permanent. We must stop grasping the temporary and begin focusing our time, money, and energy on the permanent: the Word of God and our eternal life in Christ.

True wealth, according to Biblical injunction, is more of a spiritual undertaking than anything material. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible’s view of heavenly wealth remains constant. Christ in several analogies spoke about the vanity and banality of material possessions; about the stupidity in putting ones faith in such perishable items that cannot stand the test of time; about the foolishness in chasing after transient things that will not guarantee us a future of limitless enjoyment—eternity with Christ.

It is noteworthy that the “Ten Commandments” of God are all relationship based; the first four on relationship with God, and the last six on relationship with one another. Nothing in the commandments has anything to do with material possessions, hence wealth, power, and status mean nothing to God. Therefore, “true wealth” is achieved by our relationship with God and one another.

You can’t take anything with you when you die.

No one can bring material wealth into eternity. Heaven and hell don’t have banks or parking garages. Money and belongings aren’t any good to someone six feet under. What you have won’t change your circumstances when you die. No amount of possessions gives us a better or worse position after life. Jesus warned us about this when He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal ...” (Matthew 6 vs 19 - 20).

There’s nothing inherently wrong with wealth. God is the one who generously gives people success with resources and money (Ecclesiastes 5 vs 19). But when we become more concerned about the gifts rather than the giver, possessions become toxic and pointless (Ecclesiastes 5 vs 10). Obsession with wealth ruins our relationship with God and with other people. God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the condition of our wallets. 

There must be a difference between our possessions and what is valuable in God’s economy. Our time on Earth is temporary, and we’re all headed to eternity to somewhere. We can make the most of everything now and prepare for an eternity with God later by listening to Jesus and doing what He says.

What is valuable both now and in eternity is what God cares about: treating people right, forgiveness and loyalty (Matthew 23 vs 23; Micah 6 vs 8). We’re meant to use possessions and love people, not love possessions and use people. Our eternal perspective affects our earthly priorities. We can choose to focus our lives on temporary wealth, but God offers us treasure that lasts forever—true wealth: a relationship with Him that begins here and continues for eternity in heaven. What will we benefit if we give up on what really matters to get a few more possessions? Nothing’s worth more than knowing Jesus.

With true wealth and eternity in mind, therefore, strive to treat each person as Christ would treat him or her. Don’t become arrogant. Work hard and become successful in life but don’t think of yourself as better than others because of your material wealth. In Deuteronomy 8 vs 18 Moses reminds us, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

Don’t put your hope in your wealth. Proverbs 23 vs 5 says, “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” A good job or business and its steady earnings can be here today and gone tomorrow.

Be rich in good deeds. A good deed is a free and voluntary act of service toward another person. Doing good deeds for others is the fruit of your salvation in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2 vs 10 tells us: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

Be generous and willing to share. Generous people are synergistic. They build organizations and contribute to the success others. Think about it: who wants to do business with someone who only takes?

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obsession for true wealth. Give me the grace to love You and others, with all my heart, mind, and soul, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!