What Makes God Proud

 

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

I want very much for God to say to me what he said about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: “I am not ashamed to be called your God.”

As risky as it sounds, does this not really mean that God might actually be “proud” to be called my God? Fortunately this wonderful possibility is surrounded (in Hebrews 11:16) by reasons: one before and one after.

Take the one after, first: “God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

The first reason he gives why he is not ashamed to be called their God is that he has done something for them. He made them a city — the heavenly city “whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). So, the first reason he is not ashamed to be called their God is that he has worked for them. Not the other way around.

Now, consider the reason he gives in the front. It goes like this: “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.”

“Therefore” signals that a reason has just been given for why God is not ashamed to be called our God. The reason is their desire. They desire a better country — that is, a better country than the earthly one they live in; namely, a heavenly one where God is.

When we desire this heavenly city — this dwelling place of God — more than we desire all that this world can give, God is not ashamed to be called our God. When we make much of all that he promises to be for us, he is proud to be our God. This is good news.

So, open your eyes to the better country, the city of God that he has prepared for us, and let yourself desire it with all your heart. God will not be ashamed to be called your God.

A BIG AMEN

 

Faith for the Impossible

 

He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20–21)

Paul has in mind a special reason why faith glorifies God’s future grace. Simply put, the reason is that this God-glorifying faith is a future-oriented confidence in God’s integrity and power and wisdom to follow through on all his promises.

Paul illustrates this faith with Abraham’s response to the promise of God: that he would be the father of many nations even though he was old and his wife was barren (Romans 4:18). “In hope he believed against hope,” that is, he had faith in the future grace of God’s promise, in spite of all human evidences to the contrary.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:19–21)

The faith of Abraham was a faith in the promise of God to make him the father of many nations. This faith glorified God because it called attention to all the omnipotent, supernatural resources of God that would be required to fulfill it.

Abraham was too old to have children, and Sarah was barren. Not only that: How do you turn a son or two into “many nations,” which God said Abraham would be the father of? It all seemed totally impossible.

Therefore, Abraham’s faith glorified God by being fully assured that he could and would do the humanly impossible. This is the faith we are called to have. That God will do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 03, 2022.

SUBJECT: COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

Memory verse: "For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (Second Corinthians 8 vs 12.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 41 - 44

12:41: Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

12:42: Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrants.

12:43: So He called his disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury:

12:44: for they all put in our of their abundance; but she out of her put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.

INTIMATION:

Giving is love in action and love is the common thread that runs through every human being. Love is the nature of God, hence the Scripture says “God is love” (First John 4 vs 8). This nature of God fully manifested in His giving—giving of His only begotten Son to the world as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of giving is the true nature of human beings bestowed on us by God through love. Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. (Proverbs 11 vs 24.) 

Christianity is not about receiving, but about giving. Those who come to Jesus must check their motives lest they are motivated to associate with the people of God in order to see what they can receive. The true Christian lives to give, not to re­ceive. Every day he prays, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see opportunities to serve, and make my heart willing in the day of Your power." So let us go on giving and praying, fulfilling God's plan now, as it was fulfilled before our day.

The spirit of all giving is love. When one gives grudgingly, or of necessity, there is little regard. The heart must be right with God to make giving a pleasure to the giver, and acceptable to the Lord—the ultimate receiver and final rewarder. To the true Christian, giving is a very part of his life. To him it is meat and drink; it is joy and peace. Every offering is a new privilege, every call a new opportunity; and to plan for these offerings, to deny self to meet these oppor­tunities, is a part of the richest Christian experience.

The spirit of giving produces inward joy and spiritual growth. God’s gift of grace should move us to willingly respond to the needs of others. As God responded to our need of salvation through His free gift of grace, we should learn that godliness responds in the same way to the physical needs of others. Christians who do not sacrificially contribute do not understand what they have received through the cross of Jesus, nor what they will receive in eternal glory. 

Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives us and gave to us through Jesus Christ." We find in John 3 vs 16, three thoughts that should be the foundation of all our giving. God's motivation for giving was love; he gave himself in the person of Jesus; and God gave in response to our need. Giving can inspire great positive change and healing in a world that deeply needs it. Spiritual and religious leaders espouse the blessings of giving for a reason—it has the power to immediately shift one into a state of grace.

Though sacrificial giving attracts the grace of God, but Sacrificial giving must be responsible. The apostle Paul says that we should give of what we have, not what we don’t have. He wants believers to give generously, but not to the extent that those who depend on the givers (their families, for example) must go without having their basic needs met. Give until it hurts, but don’t give so that it hurts your family and/or relatives who need your financial support. 

Your willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount you give. You should give in response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ. Christianity is of little value to those who are not willing to sacrifice for their faith. Through sacrifice comes growth. But those who are not willing to make sacrifices for their faith will experience little spiritual growth. As believers, we should consider increasing our giving—whether money, time, or talents—to a point beyond convenience or calculation.

Too often, poor believers complain about their economic situation, and thus, they neglect to manifest the spirit of giving what they have. However, those Christians who realize the tremendous gift of grace that God has given to them, and the eternal glory that is yet to come, will give out of their poverty. The spirit of giving is based on the concepts that Jesus taught on giving; since we have freely received God’s gift, freely we should give to others. If we violate the principle, then we will not grow spiritually in the favor of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I earnestly covet the spirit of giving that I may visibly manifest the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit to others in meeting their needs to the best of my ability, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Who Are the Children of Abraham?

 

“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

You who hope in Christ and follow him in the obedience of faith are Abraham’s descendants and heirs of his covenant promises.

God said to Abraham in Genesis 17:4, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” But Genesis makes plain that Abraham did not father a multitude of nations in a physical or political sense. Therefore, the meaning of God’s promise was probably that a multitude of nations would somehow enjoy the blessings of sonship even though physically unrelated to Abraham.

That’s no doubt what God meant in Genesis 12:3 when he said to Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” From the very beginning, God had in view that Jesus Christ would be the descendant of Abraham and that everyone who trusts in Christ would become an heir of Abraham’s promise. Paul says in Galatians 3:29, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

So, when God said to Abraham 4,000 years ago, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations,” he opened the way for any one of us, no matter what nation we belong to, to become a child of Abraham and an heir of God’s promises. All we have to do is share the faith of Abraham — that is, bank our hope on God’s promises, so much so that, if obedience requires it, we could give up our dearest possession like Abraham gave up Isaac.

We don’t become heirs of Abraham’s promises by working for God, but by being confident that God works for us. “[Abraham] grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20–21). That’s why Abraham could obey God even when obedience looked like a dead-end street. He trusted God to do the impossible — like raise his son from the dead.

Faith in God’s promises — or today we would say, faith in Christ, who is the confirmation of God’s promises — is the way to become a child of Abraham; obedience is the evidence that faith is genuine (Genesis 22:12–19). Therefore, Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.”

Children of Abraham are people from all nations who put their hope in Christ and, like Abraham on Mount Moriah, therefore don’t let the loss of their most precious earthly possession stop their obedience.

You who hope in Jesus Christ and follow him in the obedience of faith are the descendants of Abraham and heirs of his covenant promises.

NEVER SPEAK HARSH WORDS AGAINST GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JUNE 02, 2022.

SUBJECT : NEVER SPEAK HARSH WORDS AGAINST GOD!

Memory verse: "You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him? In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2 vs 17.)

READ: Malachi 3 vs 13 - 17:

3:13: “Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the LORD. “Yes you say, ‘What have we spoken so much against You?’

3:14: You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?

3:15: So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’”

3:16: Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them;  so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD, and who meditate on His name.

3:17: “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.”

INTIMATION:

What you say and what you don’t say are both important. To use proper speech you must not only say right words at the right time but also not say what you shouldn’t. God is Supreme and made all things, including you, according to His plans and purposes which is known to Him alone. The Creator has control over the created. The created, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator—its very existence depends on Him. 

Keeping this perspective removes any temptation of speaking harsh words against God, or having any misgivings against Him in unpleasant life’s circumstances, especially when you are convinced you toed the right path, and put your trust in God. The Scripture says, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9 vs 20.) From birth to death, we are continually in God’s grip. 

It’s important to know the kind of God we worship: He is sovereign; He alone knows the end from the beginning; He is not arbitrary; in all things He works for our good, and in accordance with His plans and purposes; He is trustworthy; He will save all who believe in Him; His thoughts for us is of good not of evil. 

When we understand these qualities of God, we know that His choices are good even if we don’t understand all His reasons: “For all things work together for good to those that love Him, to those who are the called for a purpose.” (Romans 8 vs 28) Never allow life’s circumstances to prompt you to speak harshly against God. Rather focus continually on God who controls all circumstances. 

At times the wicked prospers, leaving the godly people wondering why they bother to be good and not prospering. Eventually, the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly take on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. 

Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth. Look around you and observe the wealth of many whose source of wealth is questionable. After their death, the wealth usually develop wings and begin to fly away in the hands of their survivors.

As humans, our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are harsh and faithless. Which of these speech patterns reflects your true identity? We were made in God’s image, but the tongue gives us a picture of our basic sinful nature. God works to change us from the inside. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, He gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God.

God will remember those who remain faithful to Him, and who love, fear, honor, and respect Him. God’s “jewel” are those faithful to Him. Jesus said, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11 vs 6.) Being offended in Him who made you, for His plan and purpose, is the most senseless thing anybody can do. You had no contributions of any sort in His work and, therefore, no choices are available to you. Knowing that His counsel stands and He does His pleasure (Isaiah 46 vs 10) should inform us to resign completely to His leading, and never murmur against Him. 

Prophet Habakkuk said, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3 vs 17 - 18.) 

In the face of either a hostile environment, or turbulent international affairs, we should stand firm in the Lord. The words of Prophet Habakkuk above are words of one who through faith had transcended the affairs of this world. They are the words of one who would not allow his environment to determine his spirit. For such people their faith is their victory (First John 5 vs 4). This should be the words of a genuine Christian, for ‘Christian life’ is a ‘faith life!’

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to, and trust in You, that I may do Your will, humbly and wholeheartedly accept Your counsel and leading, even when it seems the world is collapsing on me, and there is no hope for any good in sight, that I will continually rejoice in my God, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS GOD’S GLORY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 01, 2022. 

SUBJECT: OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS GOD’S GLORY!

Memory verse: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to Him.” (John 14 vs 21.)

READ: Genesis 22 vs 15 - 18:

22:15: Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

22:16: and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—

22:17: blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

22:18: In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

INTIMATION:

When we generally think of obedience, we think of doing what one is instructed to do. For instance, in speaking to our children we may say, "Will you please obey me and do what you are told?" What we mean is, "Please carry out my instructions." Such uses are not far removed from the intended meaning of Scripture, but far enough that the true essence of the word is lost.

Obedience to God is more than submission to authority, and results from believe, trust, and persuasion. Faith is of the heart—you believe in your heart, and is invisible to man, while obedience is of the conduct and may be observed. When a man obeys God, He gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. Of course, it is persuasion of the truth that results in faith (we believe because we are persuaded that the thing is true).

In the passage we read today, we saw the glory of God upon Abraham because of obedience; in blessing he was so blessed that he was rich in all things; his descendants were so multiplied that the entire earth are his descendants, either through Isaac or Ishmael. And through his seed the whole earth is blessed in the Person of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that His followers show their love for Him by obeying Him. Love is more than lovely words; it is commitment and conduct. God is so delighted in our obedience to Him. Consequently, our obedience occasions the manifestation of Himself to us, and we are assured of the love of the Father. What will be more glorious than this?

The consequences of disobedience is grave. It is likened to rebellion and stubbornness to God. Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scriptures equates them with divination (witchcraft) and idolatry (First Samuel 15 vs 23). Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God.

God considers our obedience better than our sacrifices and offerings. Christians today always make religious rituals, sacrifices, and offerings; like going to church, taking communion, paying tithes, and so on. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion (obedience) to Him. He doesn't have any need of these activities, they have no effect on His status, or nature. 

Sacrifices and offerings are all for our benefits. But benefits from God to us on these activities are only derivable on the platform of raw and complete obedience to God, otherwise they are empty if our reasons for doing them are selfish. The prophet Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (First Samuel 15 vs 22). All we should do is to give God the obedience and lifelong service He desires from us, and He will benefit us as the Scripture says, "You shall eat the good of the land" (Isaiah 1 vs 19). 

Sacrifices and offerings are not bribes to make God overlook our character faults. All God wants is our sincere faith and devotion. The Christian rituals, sacrifices, and offerings are to be outward sign of an inward faith in God. Many today have come to place more faith in the rituals of their religion than in God they worship. God does not take pleasure in your outward expressions if your inward faith is missing (Hosea 6 vs 6). Though religious rituals can help people understand God and nourish their relationship with Him, but they are helpful only if it is carried out with an attitude of love and obedience to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is an intimate relationship with You in total submission to Your Will. Endue me with the spirit of raw and complete obedience to You in my outward expression of my inward attitude of faith in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!