THE EVERLASTING LOVE OF GOD FOR US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 11, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE EVERLASTING LOVE OF GOD FOR US!

Memory verse: "Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8 vs 35).

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 accounted 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 death nor life, nor Angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

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

INTIMATION:

When we comprehend the extent to which God went to bring us into eternal glory, then we begin to understand the love of God. When we understand how far Jesus had to go to save us, then we can appreciate the extent to which God had to go to save us. God loved us so much so that He exchanged His Son's life of inestimable value with our worthless sinful lives. Whenever I imagine this act of God, I feel a chill run through my spines, with goose-pimples all over my skin. It is awesome!

Christ had already chosen you, not you chosen Him, and gave His life for you because of His love for you, and quest for you to have life, and have it more abundantly. Have you ever imagined this show of love for us by God? And have you ever heard of any parallel, or equal show of love in history, and now?

Christ was spotless, perfect and rich. For His love for us, He became poor, chose to be a propitiation for our sins, took all our sins—past, present, and future—on Himself, and paid the wages of our sins, which is death (Romans 6 vs 23; Ezekiel 18 vs 4). His death was even a shameful death on the cross, just for us. 

By His death for our sins, He justified us, legally setting us free from sin after haven paid the price for us. He did not stop at that, He descended to hell and met with our accuser and greatest enemy, Satan. He engaged him there, defeated him, and stripped him of all powers. After also defeating death, He took back His life, rose from death and ascended into heaven where He sits at His position of authority—the right hand of His Father, and making intercession for us continually as our advocate before the Father. 

He is our High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, and ever ready to help us through the journey of life. Jesus is at the right hand of God. However, He is not there for the purpose of condemnation, but for the work of intercession on behalf of the saints. His continued intercession means that the Christian has the continual cleansing for sin by His sacrificial blood. It is through His blood and intercession, therefore, that we stand justified before God.

No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be separated from His love. Though believers may have to face hardships in many forms; persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause us to think that Christ has abandoned us. But far be it from the truth, it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love, which is an overwhelming assurance of our being totally secure in Him. Nothing can separate us from His presence.

No one can separate the children of God from their Father, for He is God of all things. All the hardships that Satan would unleash upon Christians cannot separate the children of God from their Father if they remain faithful unto death (Revelation 2 vs 10). Christians have not only conquered sin and death, they have also conquered the world because nothing of this world can separate them from the love of God. 

Satan has no subjective power over the Christian. Satan cannot of his will snatch the Christian from the love of God. He may go about in the world as a roaring lion, but his power of deception is not effective in reference to those who know and love the truth. He does not have the power to subject any Christian against his will who has given himself to God. 

Consequently, in Christ we are super-conquerors, and His love will protect us from any forces in the universe; principalities and powers: unseen evil forces like Satan and his fallen angels—the demons. We are completely secured in Him.

How else can we reciprocate such love but to follow Him, and be in complete obedience to His commands, knowing that His thought for us is forever of good. If he has given His life for us, what else can He not give to us to ensure we live for Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, I thank You for all You wrought for me in redemption out of Your unparalleled love for me. It is my desire to reciprocate this love You showcased for me. Give me the grace, O Lord, for complete obedience to You in my journey in life, and that nothing will ever take my entire focus on You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Is Well-Placed Shame?

 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:20–21)

When a Christian’s eyes are opened to the God-dishonoring evil of his former behavior, the Christian rightly feels ashamed. Paul says to the Roman church, “When you were slaves of sin . . . what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

There is a proper place for looking back and feeling the twinge of pain that we once lived in a way that was so belittling to God. To be sure, we are not to be paralyzed by dwelling on this. But a sensitive Christian heart cannot think back on the follies of youth and not feel echoes of shame, even if we have settled it all with the Lord.

Well-placed shame can be very healthy and redemptive. Paul said to the Thessalonians, “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:14). This means that shame is a proper and redemptive step in conversion, and even in a believer’s repentance from a season of spiritual coldness and sin. Shame is not something to be avoided at all costs. There is a place for it in God’s good dealings with his people.

We can conclude that the biblical criterion for misplaced shame and for well-placed shame is radically God-centered.

The biblical criterion for misplaced shame says, Don’t feel shame for something that honors God, no matter how weak or foolish or wrong it makes you look in the eyes of other people. Or another way to apply this God-centered criterion of misplaced shame: don’t feel shame because of a truly shameful situation unless you are in some way participating in the evil.

The biblical criterion for well-placed shame says, Do feel shame for having a hand in anything that dishonors God, no matter how strong or wise or right it makes you look in the eyes of others.

The reason we should feel shame is disapproval for behavior that dishonors God. The reason we should not feel shame is behavior that honors God, even if people try to shame you for it.

WHEN THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 10, 2022. 

SUBJECT : WHEN THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD! 

Memory verse: "The Lord is our shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 23 vs 1 - 6:

23:1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

23:2: He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.

23:3: He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

23:4: Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

23:5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of My enemies: You anointed my head with oil; my cup runs over.

23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

INTIMATION:

The passage we read today is the most quoted of all the psalms simply because in a few words it portrays the life of the righteous. Though the righteous must live in a world that is plagued with suffering and turmoil, they must put their faith in God as they struggle through life. The psalm is a sublime utterance of those who are focused on staying close to God. 

Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. The New Testament calls Jesus the good shepherd (John 10 vs 11), the great Shepherd (Hebrews 13 vs 20), and the Chief Shepherd (First Peter 5 vs 4). As the Lord is a good shepherd, so we are His sheep—not frightened, passive animals, but dependent followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right places and in right ways. 

When we allow God, our shepherd, to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin and go our own way, however, we cannot blame God for the environment we create for ourselves. Our shepherd knows the “green pasture” and “still waters” that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following Him obediently. Rebelling against the shepherd’s leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests.

The psalm listed seven specific things that the Lord provides as He watches over His sheep. Green pastures: When sheep are filled, they lie down. Because of the Lord’s care over us, we are satisfied with the spiritual food that comes from Him, and thus we take our rest in the shadow of His care.

He leads us: Because the sheep know their shepherd, they are willingly led by Him. We know our Lord, and thus He is able to lead us according to His will to places of security. As calm waters naturally soothe one’s mind in times of trouble, so God takes us to places where the turmoil of life can be endured. 

He restores my soul: By the calm waters our inner man is renewed and refreshed. 

He leads us in the “paths of righteousness”: Because of sheep’s trust in the leadership of the shepherd, the sheep will follow the shepherd in going to where he desires that they should go. He thus leads them down paths that take them to that which is good for them. The Lord takes us to His righteousness. He does this in order that His name be glorified among the nations. He is holy and desires that His people be holy. 

We will “fear no evil”: The sheep have confidence in the leadership of the shepherd. Since we have faith that God is head over all things, and that all is under His control, then we are confident that all things will work for our good. For “you are with me”: In God is our faith. He will not forsake those who are His. The assurance of the believer is his faith that God will never turn His back on His people. 

He “comforts me”: The shepherd’s staff (rod) is for the protection of the sheep when they are under attack. The staff is hooked at the end in order to be used to deliver fallen sheep out of pits into which they may stumble. Knowing that the Lord is in our lives for both protection and deliverance reassures us and gives us great comfort. He “prepares a table”: In the case of God’s people, by His provision for their needs, He openly manifests to the nations that they are His people. Anointed my head: The anointing manifests hospitality. 

My cup overflows: God’s provision is not limited. His “Goodness and mercy”: Since God has done so much to and for His people, they are motivated to do good to others and show mercy. Then the sheep “will dwell”: Not only do the righteous dwell in the house of God on earth, they will also be in the security of this house when it is taken into heaven. Believers will dwell with the Lord. God, the perfect shepherd and host, promises to guide and protect us through out our life and bring us into His house forever.

Death casts a frightening shadow over us because we are entirely helpless in its presence. We can struggle with other enemies—pain, suffering, disease, injury—but strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only one person can walk with us through death’s dark valley and bring us safely to the other side—the God of life, our Shepherd. Because life is uncertain, we should follow this shepherd who offers us eternal comfort, and bears the responsibility of guarding the sheep from the perils of life. When one submits to the shepherding of God, he trusts that God will provide all that is necessary for survival. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my shepherd and I am Your sheep. In You I live, and move, and have my being. My complete and unwavering trust is in You. Do with me as is pleasing to You. You are my only hope. May nothing take my attention off You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Talk to God, Not Just About Him

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

The form of the 23rd psalm is instructive.

In Psalm 23:1–3 David refers to God as “he”:

The Lord is my shepherd . . .
he makes me lie down . . .
he leads me . . .
he restores my soul.

Then in verses 4 and 5 David refers to God as “you”:

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me.
You anoint my head with oil.

Then in verse 6 he switches back:

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord.

The lesson we can learn from this form is that it is good not to talk very long about God without talking to God.

Every Christian is at least an amateur theologian — that is, a person who tries to understand the character and ways of God and then put that into words. If we aren’t little theologians, then we won’t ever say anything to each other, or to God, about God, and will be of very little real help to each other’s faith.

But what I have learned from David in Psalm 23 and other psalms is that I should interweave my theology with prayer. I should frequently interrupt my talking about God by talking to God.

Not far behind the theological sentence, “God is generous,” should come the prayerful sentence, “Thank you, God, for your generosity.”

On the heels of, “God is glorious,” should come, “I adore your glory.”

This is the way it must be, if we are feeling God’s reality in our hearts as well as thinking it in our heads and describing it with our lips.

THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 09, 2022. 

SUBJECT : THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK! 

Memory verse: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2 vs 16.)

READ: Galatians 3 vs 2 - 7:

3:2: This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

3:4: Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

3:5: Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:6: Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

3:7: Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

INTIMATION:

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of grace) gives Christians great power to live for God. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. They still try to get closer to God by following rules. While certain Christian disciplines may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul is asking the Galatian believers, "Did you receive the Lord through your own works and efforts or by hearing the Gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?'" He further asked them, "Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?" Then finally he concludes in asking them, "Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?"

The believers in Galatia received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human effort rather than by trusting in God, and His grace to live a changed life.

Now, effort has a place in the Christian life. It does have a part to play. But even then, anything done outside the grace of God will have no real lasting effect. The law is not bad in itself. Even the Scripture says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7 vs 12). The law can make us acceptable to God. 

Yes, the law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness; and (3) drives us to trust the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become Christians, it can guide us to live as God requires.

Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. 

Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. I have learned that the Lord constantly requires us to turn to Him. Why? Because when we do anything apart from Him, we take the credit and glory that rightfully belong to Him. For this reason He will frustrate any of our own efforts to do things outside of Him. Jesus said, "....For without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5).

We are saved by grace (unmerited favor) from God, and only the grace we receive that empowers us to meet specific situations in life. In Luke 11 vs 2 - 4, Jesus thought His disciples how to pray: "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

Our Lord's Prayer clearly shows three things; (1) God our giver, (2) our leader, (3) our deliverer. Our duty then is to ask so that we can receive. (See Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8). We are to the asking and God Himself does the work. Therefore, turn to God in prayer, because only God could bring about changes that you desire in your life. But our duty is to ask in faith. Get your face before the Lord on a regular basis and say the prayer below. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I can't help myself. I am coming to You like a little child. I am totally helpless. I lay this whole situation before You, asking for Your grace. I don't deserve Your help, Father, but You are my only hope. Please do for me what I can't do for myself, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SECRET OF ULTIMATE JOY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 08, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE SECRET OF ULTIMATE JOY!

Memory verse: "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17 vs 13.)

READ: John 15 vs 5 - 11:

15:5: I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

15:6: If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

15:7: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

15:8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

15:9: As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you: abide in My love.

15:10: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

15:11: These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

INTIMATION:

Joy is intense gladness; rapture, delight, rejoicing. It is emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune; characterized by gladness or delight. It is a fruit of the Spirit. The secret of joy is God’s presence within us. As we contemplate His daily presence, we will find contentment. As we understand the future He has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God.

Joy is a common theme in Christ’s teachings—He wants us to be joyful. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate contact with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. The Christian life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in a man or a woman (Galatians 2 vs 20 and Colossians 3 vs 4). Christian joy is Christ’s joy in a Christian, and this means that this deep-down, abiding joy is not found anywhere else except in Him. There are other kinds of joy found in other places, but His joy is found in Him alone. 

In the passage we read today, notice the word “abide” (the same as “remain.”) in these verses – 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 & 11. By “abiding or remaining” in Him and His “abiding or remaining” in us means that His joy will always be in us. Our joy is not an intermittent experience, but a permanent one. It is a joy which is unaffected by circumstances. These first followers of our Lord whom He was addressing, were to pass through many trials and testings, but He told them that nothing could rob them of their joy—His joy in them (see John 16 vs 22). True joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstance, and that joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. 

When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us levelheaded, no matter how high or low our circumstances. Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at His second coming we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfill His purposes for us. 

We can only have the ultimate by having Him. When we read the Bible and receive the truth, we experience great joy as the result of fellowship with the Lord as He speaks to us. His joy was the joy of complete and continual submission to the will of His Father in Heaven. Joy results from knowing that one pleases his father by obedience to the father’s will. The joy that Jesus received by keeping the Father’s word would be transferred to the disciples if they would also keep the Will of the Father.

There is a great difference between joy and fullness of joy. The vessel may be partly filled or completely filled. Our Lord’s desire for us is that we should experience fullness of joy continually (Psalm 16 can 11; John 17 vs 13 and First Peter 1 vs 8). It is a remarkable and a wonderful thing that true Christian joy is not only unaffected by adverse circumstances, but it is actually promoted by such trials and testings (James 1 vs 2).

His desire is that His joy should be complete in us. How can this be, for He is there in heaven and we are here on earth? The answer is by the Holy Spirit. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit. 

Prayer: Abba Father, the secret of joy in Christ is knowing the joy is available to me and I can rejoice in Him at all times. Endue me with the spirit of joy and give me the grace to continually experience the fullness of joy in Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Make Satan Know His Defeat

 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

The more real Satan appears in our day — the more obviously active — the more precious the victory of Christ will become to those who trust him.

The New Testament teaches that when Christ died and rose again, Satan was decisively defeated. A time of limited freedom is granted to him, but his power against God’s people is broken and his destruction is sure.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)“[Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)“[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)

In other words, the decisive blow was struck at Calvary. And one day, when Satan’s time of limited freedom is over, Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire . . . and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

What does this mean for those of us who follow Jesus Christ?

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies!” (Romans 8:33)“[Neither] angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)“They [the saints] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)

Therefore, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” He has been defeated, and we have been given victory. Our task now is to live in that victory and make Satan know his defeat.