TITHE AND OFFERING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 26, 2022. 

SUBJECT: TITHE AND OFFERING!

Memory verse: "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3 vs 10.)

READ: Deuteronomy 14 vs 22 - 23:

14:22: You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.

14:23: And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 

INTIMATION:

Tithe and offering are practices that have been with God from the beginning. Tithing (giving one-tenth of your increase) is a commandment from God, and not a choice. 

Giving (offering) is inherent in God's Nature. After creating man, God, in His Nature, gave to man: "And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. (Genesis 1 vs 29 - 30.)

Many ancient peoples observed the practice of tithing—that is, giving a tenth of their earnings (or produce, harvest etc,) back to a leader or a god. The first instance of tithing in the Bible is Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek. The Israelites were required to tithe of their crops, fruit, and herds. The tithe was received by the Levites to support them. The Levites in turn, gave “a tithe of the tithe” to support the priests. 

The passage we read today makes the purpose of tithing very clear—to teach us the fear of the Lord, and put Him first in our lives. We are to give God the first and best of what we earn. For example, what we do first with our money shows what we value most. Giving the first part of our paycheck to God immediately focuses our attention on Him. It also reminds us that all we have belongs to Him. A habit of regular tithing can keep God at the top of our priority list and give us a proper perspective on everything else we have. 

No one is exempt from returning to God a portion of what is received. The tithing principle is still relevant, God expects all His followers to supply the material needs of those who devote themselves to meeting the spiritual needs of the community of faith. Ask God for direction on what you should give and to help you give generously.

Paying of your tithes and offerings may seem like a hard thing to do at first, because most people will think they are giving out their hard earned resources. But who gave you what you have? Or who gave you the power to get them? It is the same God (Deuteronomy 8 vs 17 - 18). Until you realize God's reason for asking you to do it, you will struggle with obedience to that commandment.

As it is now, It is difficult and expensive to offer God our best (that is, the first part of what we earn). It is always tempting to shortchange God because we think we won’t get caught. But our giving shows our real priorities. When we give God the leftovers, it is obvious that He is not at the center of our lives. Give God the honor of having first claim on your money, time, and talents. 

It has been observed as a hard step of faith for many Christians especially those new in the faith. But it is a step in which God commands us to prove Him, "Try Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts." And when you try Him in tithes and offerings, He will prove Himself by opening for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

His reason for asking you to give to Him is testing of your faith and trust in Him, because He will still return it to you. God has bound Himself to give to people as they give to Him. If they give liberally, He will return to them liberally, if they are stingy with Him, He will be stingy with them. But God will give back whatever is given to Him. 

God is so faithful and committed to your welfare if you obey His commandment. He has even promised to ensure that all He has given you will remain with you and you will enjoy them hence His rebuking the devourer for your sake, and also, He will ensure you prosper in your endeavors, "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 3 vs 11.)

Prayer: Abba Father, all I have comes from You, and without You I can do nothing! Engrace me with the spirit of raw obedience in returning to You in tithes and offerings, which is absolutely for my own good, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What is the definition of theology?

The word “theology” comes from two Greek words that combined mean “the study of God.” Christian theology is simply an attempt to understand God as He is revealed in the Bible. No theology will ever fully explain God and His ways because God is infinitely and eternally higher than we are. Therefore, any attempt to describe Him will fall short (Romans 11:33-36). However, God does want us to know Him insofar as we are able, and theology is the art and science of knowing what we can know and understand about God in an organized and understandable manner. Some people try to avoid theology because they believe it is divisive. Properly understood, though, theology is uniting. Proper, biblical theology is a good thing; it is the teaching of God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The study of theology, then, is nothing more than digging into God’s Word to discover what He has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know Him as Creator of all things, Sustainer of all things, and Judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things. When Moses asked who was sending him to Pharaoh, God replied “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The name I AM indicates personality. God has a name, even as He has given names to others. The name I AM stands for a free, purposeful, self-sufficient personality. God is not an ethereal force or a cosmic energy. He is the almighty, self-existing, self-determining Being with a mind and a will—the “personal” God who has revealed Himself to humanity through His Word, and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

To study theology is to get to know God in order that we may glorify Him through our love and obedience. Notice the progression here: we must get to know Him before we can love Him, and we must love Him before we can desire to obey Him. As a byproduct, our lives are immeasurably enriched by the comfort and hope He imparts to those who know, love, and obey Him. Poor theology and a superficial, inaccurate understanding of God will only make our lives worse instead of bringing the comfort and hope we long for. Knowing about God is crucially important. We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about God. The world is a painful place, and life in it is disappointing and unpleasant. Reject theology and you doom yourself to life with no sense of direction. Without theology, we waste our lives and lose our souls.

All Christians should be consumed with theology—the intense, personal study of God—in order to know, love, and obey the One with whom we will joyfully spend eternity.

Forever Satisfied

 

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

This text points to the fact that believing in Jesus is a feeding and drinking from all that Jesus is. It goes so far as to say that our soul-thirst is satisfied with Jesus, so that we don’t thirst anymore.

He is the end of our quest for satisfaction. There is nothing beyond, and nothing better.

When we trust Jesus the way John intends for us to, the presence and promise of Jesus is so satisfying that we are not dominated by the alluring pleasures of sin (see Romans 6:14). This accounts for why such faith in Jesus nullifies the power of sin and enables obedience.

John 4:14 points in the same direction: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In accord with John 6:35, saving faith is spoken of here as a drinking of water that satisfies the deepest longings of the soul. And the satisfaction becomes productive, like a well overflowing.

It’s the same in John 7:37–38: “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’”

Through faith, Christ becomes in us an inexhaustible fountain of satisfying life that lasts forever and leads us to heaven, and on the way sets us free from the sinful illusions of other satisfactions. This he does by sending us his Spirit (John 7:38–39).

I KNOW WHOM I BELIEVED!.

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 25, 2022. 

SUBJECT : I KNOW WHOM I BELIEVED!.

Memory verse: "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (Second Timothy 1 vs 12.)

READ: Romans 8 vs  35 - 39:

8:35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

8:36: As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are counted as sheep for the slaughter."

8:37: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

8:38: For I am persuaded that neither things present nor things to come,

8:39: Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

How many of us can proudly say, "I know Whom I have believed." But the apostle Paul, in our memory verse, affirmed his total confidence, and trust in God, especially in times of tribulations, to protect him. This is not a claim of strong faith, rather, it is a trust in the One so powerful that even a weak or little faith, as small as a mustard seed, is sufficient in all circumstances. His confidence in Christ was as a result of his intimate relationship with Him. He made this very challenging statement in his Epistle, because he knew whom he trusted with personal knowledge; he knew Christ so well that no earthly experience could break the bond of love by which Christ held him. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul reaffirms God's profound love for His people. It contains one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms; persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But nothing can possibly separate us from Christ. His demeaning death on the cross for us is proof of His unconquerable love for us. 

No matter the problems or setbacks we face, we can trust fully in God knowing that He is still in control, and there is nothing too difficult for Him to handle. It is for this reason we should cast all our cares upon Him, knowing He cares for us, and victory is ours through our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever has been committed to Him, we are assured that He will keep until the day of His coming again. For He has promised thus: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. This is the Will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise them up at the last day." (John 6 vs 37 & 39.)

Jesus said He would not lose even one person whom the Father had given Him. Thus, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God's promise of everlasting life. He will not let His people be overcome by Satan and lose their salvation. 

Our victory is our faith in God, knowing that whatever is born of Him overcomes the world (First John 5 vs 4). We are sons of God, and will always triumph in Christ. In our walk as believers, we partner with Christ all through the race, with more weight resting on the bigger shoulders than ours, Someone with more pulling power up front helping, and compelling us to run the race to the end so as to obtain the crown of glory kept for us. In Christ we are participating in life's responsibilities with a great Partner, who has promised to give us rest from our labor, and heavy laden (Matthew 11 vs 28).

The apostle Paul's trust and confidence in God was conc. that even the persecutions he suffered, and his imprisonment couldn't stop his ministry. He was writing the churches from prison, and carried on his ministry through others like his spiritual son Timothy. While in prison, he had lost all his material possessions, but he would never lose his faith. He trusted God to use him regardless of his circumstances. He so trusted God that he was not bothered about his bleak situation. He gave all his concerns to Christ, trusting Him to guard his faith and safely guard all he has entrusted to Him until the day of His return.

I know Whom I believed. I know that nothing about me is impossible with Him, and nothing about me is difficult for Him. I know in returning and rest in Him will I be saved, and in quietness and confidence in Him shall I draw my strength. This, I say of me, is true for all believers. Therefore, believe in the Lord your God, and you will be saved. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, and there is no other. It is in my trust and confidence in You I draw my strength. I cast my cares upon You because You cares for me. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in You in all thing. Help me to comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ministry and the Fear of Man

 

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8)

A great obstacle to serving the Lord, especially among the young, is the fear of rejection and opposition.

All kinds of thoughts enter the mind about how some people might not like the way we act or speak. People might disagree or be offended. I might make a mistake and get criticized.

The fear of man is a great hindrance to ministry.

So God says, Don’t fear, because I will be with you and I will deliver you. God’s presence and approval is more valuable than all the accolades of men. And God says that, in and through all your troubles, I will deliver you. You will triumph in the end. You will be more than a conqueror.

And the same thing is promised to all of us in Christ Jesus today:

“[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6)“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

So God said to young Jeremiah, and God says to young people today whom he is calling to serve him — and to the rest of us — “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’” — or I’m too old, or I’m too anything (Jeremiah 1:7). Why?

Because your life is rooted in the unshakable, sovereign purposes of God. You have been chosen and consecrated and formed and appointed for a great purpose.Because God’s authority, not your own, is behind your serving and your speaking.And because God himself will be with you to deliver you in all your trials.

WE ARE STEWARDS OF ALL GOD HAS GIVEN US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 24, 2022.

SUBJECT: WE ARE STEWARDS OF ALL GOD HAS GIVEN US! 

Memory verse: "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?" (First Corinthians 4 vs 7.)

READ: Genesis 12 vs 1 - 3; John 3 bs 27:”; First Peter 4 vs 10: 

12:1: Now the Lord said unto Abram, get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 

12:2: I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 

12:3: I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you: and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

John 3:27: John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” 

First Peter 4:10: As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

INTIMATION:

The gifts and blessings we have did not originate from us; all such things are the gift of God. We cannot claim any credit for that which has been given to us through the grace of God. Since all the gifts originated from God, whether miraculous or not, then they must be used according to the will of God. The God-given natural gifts that every Christian has must be used for the benefit of others. God has given gifts for our ministry to others. 

The one who possesses the gift has power over the exercising of the gift. Therefore, the Holy Spirit do not subject to His control the one who possesses the gift. Those who possess the gift are the stewards of the gift, and thus, have the choice of exercising the gift. Gifts are given for the purpose of ministry to others. Gifts are not given for one’s own profit alone. They are given in order to serve the needs of others as well. 

A lot of Christians say they know God is the source of everything, but their lives don't reflect an understanding of that truth. But when you see yourself as a steward and recognize all you have as God's blessing. Even when you work for your paychecks, the money you make is not yours, but put in your hands to serve the purpose of the ultimate Owner—God. This understanding totally changes the role money plays in your life. It ceases to control you and simply becomes a tool for service to the Owner. This simple change in mindset from owner to steward will make a tremendous difference for, and in you.

Many people see making a living as resulting from the sweat of their brow, and they don't see God as their source. They separate their lives into spiritual matters and personal matters. When it concerns spiritual matters they rely on God, but when it comes to private or personal matters, it becomes their baby. For instance, when you think that money comes by your own sweat and tears, then you keep a much tighter hold on it, you think it's all up to you, and consequently, you become attached to your money, and it actually becomes your master. 

God wants to be the source of everything in your life. The Lord never intended you to carry any burden, not even the burden of financial responsibility, and He wants to lift that burden off you. Many Christians have made a firm commitment of their lives to the Lord concerning spiritual things, but when it comes to possessions, they see them as private to them. The pressures of life lead them to view possessions as something they must control, and that kind of ownership mentality leads to lot of problems.

The first step toward becoming responsible with your possessions is to get this mindset that they do not belong to you. Instead of clinging to your possessions, you need to think thus: ‘I am a steward of what God has entrusted to my care.’ ‘God has blessed me with these talents and abilities.’ ‘God has blessed me with my job.’ ‘God is blessing me, and God has given me all the resources I have.’ ‘It is not up to me to run my finances the way I want to.’ ‘I'm a steward.’ ‘I have the responsibility to serve God with all He has given me; my talents, my money, my abilities, my wisdom’ and so on.

People with an ownership mentality end up trying to do everything themselves, but stewards freely receive God's blessing. Look at how God promised to bless Abraham in the passage we read today. God said here that He would bless Abraham, and that He would make Abraham's name great. When you read the entire story of Abraham, you see that God wasn't talking about intangible spiritual benefits. He was talking about physical earthly blessings. 

Abraham didn't become rich through his own hard work. He became wealthy because the blessing of God was on his life (Hebrews 6 vs 13 - 14). Abraham was blessed in everything he did, even when he made mistakes. Then God concluded by given him the assignment to carry out with the blessings, “he was to be a blessing,” and all the families of the earth will be blessed in him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of real and responsible stewardship of all you have blessed me with, that I may serve You with all the resources You put in my care, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD YEARNS TO BE YOUR FRIEND!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 23, 2022. 

SUBJECT: GOD YEARNS TO BE YOUR FRIEND! 

Memory verse: "But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 9 vs 24.)

READ: Jeremiah 9 vs 23 - 24; John 15 vs 13:

Jeremiah 9:23: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

9:24: But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD.

John 15:13: Greater Love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

INTIMATION:

The realization of the various aspects of your relationship with God makes you get committed to Him. He is your Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Faithful Companion, Redeemer, Father, Savior, and much more. But the most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend! 

From creation, God’s plan is to be in constant fellowship with man. In the garden of Eden we see God's ideal relationship with us: Adam and Eve enjoyed daily visitation of the Lord, due to His quest for an intimate relationship with them. There were no rituals, ceremonies, or religion, just a simple loving relationship between God and the people He created. While unhindered by sin, Adam and Eve delighted in God, and He delighted in them.

God is known in His creation, and He is close to every one of us. But He is not trapped in His creation. He is supernatural. God is the Creator, not the creation. This means that God is sovereign and in control, while at the same time He is close and personal. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved by God is God's greatest pleasure. 

We were made to live in God's continual presence, but after the Fall, that ideal relationship was lost due to sin. Only a few people in Old Testament times had the privilege of friendship with God. Moses and Abraham were called "friends of God" (Exodus 33 vs 11 & 17; James 2 vs 23), David was called "a man after [God's] own heart" (Acts 13 vs 22), and Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate friendship with God (Job 29 vs 4; Genesis 5 vs 22; 6 vs 8). But the fear of God, not friendship, was more common in the Old Testament.

Then Jesus changed the situation. When He paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available. Unlike the Old Testament priests who had to spend hours preparing to meet God, we can now approach God anytime.

Friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. The Bible, in Second Corinthians 5 vs 18 says, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." 

God actually is reconciling us to the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity. The Bible, in First John 1 vs 3, says, "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." 

The apostle Paul, in Second Corinthians 13 vs 14, concludes his letter to the saints in Corinth by reminding them of the communion and fellowship with the Trinity; "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

Your opinion of God makes it difficult for many to understand why He would want us to be close friends, but the Bible, in Exodus 34 vs 14 says, "(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)." God is jealous of sharing your fellowship with any other, indicating how you are valued and wanted by Him. He deeply desires that we know Him intimately.

If any wants to boast, they should boast that they know and understand Him. These are the things that please the Lord. God puts a higher priority on knowing Him personally and living a life that reflects His justice and righteousness, over and above every other things we do. What do you want people to admire most about you? Mine is my relationship with my Maker.

Prayer: Abba Father, what a friend I have in Jesus Christ! I cannot find a friend so faithful; All my sins and griefs You bear, and has given me the great privilege to carry everything to You in prayer. How needless it is for me to bear any pains, or forfeit my peace in You by not committing everything in prayer to You. I have found my solace in You, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!