THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S LOVE AND GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 01 2022.

SUBJECT: THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S LOVE AND GRACE! 

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

READ: Romans 5 vs 5 - 8:

5:5: Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

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

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

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

INTIMATION:

The love of God was manifested by the death of the Son for those who were unworthy. God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us. If the death of Jesus on the cross were the result of debt that God had to pay for the merit of those who kept the law and performed meritorious deeds, then there would be no manifestation of love and grace. However, since Jesus died for the unworthy sinners—to pay the wages of sin we owed—then love and grace are manifested. Whenever you feel uncertain about God’s love for you, remember that He loved you even before you turned to Him.

The problem of being human is the fact that we cannot live in a manner that is sinless before God. Therefore, we cannot live in a manner that would merit the mercy of God. Mercy is not given out of debt, but out of love and grace. God’s mercy is not something that we merit according to law. It is given out of love and not on the basis that it is legally earned. When we realize how far God had reach to bring us out of sin, we realize how far we were in sin and how hopeless our situation was in sin. However, regardless of our sinfulness, God loved us to the extent that He sent His Son to die for our sins.

If one’s knowledge of God’s love offering of Jesus on the cross does not stimulate a loving response to God, then one’s heart is hardened. It is not a heart that is fit for eternal dwelling. Because God has first loved us, we love in response (Romans 5 vs 8). Because He had mercy on us, we have mercy toward others. The nature of the hearts that are fit for eternal dwelling is merciful because of love.

God’s action toward man was the result of love. Therefore, “We love Him because He loved us first” (First John 4 vs 19.) One must not exercise a simple belief in Jesus, but rather God’s grace to us on the cross through Jesus must stimulate an obedient faith response. The faith response is the condition, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11 vs 6.) Those who do not respond to God’s grace by obedient faith will perish from the presence of God. But those who do believe and respond, will have life because they will remain in the presence of God throughout eternity.

The message of the gospel comes to a focus in our memory verse. God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis of all love relationships—when you love someone dearly, you are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He brought for us. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Jesus’—willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s love.

Now, look at the conclusion of the whole matter as the apostle Paul says, “....We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, 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.” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39.)

These verses contain 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 the apostle Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love has been poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to me. You adopted me as Your son, I am complete in You, and have Your fullness in Christ. You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I am in You, and You in me. Strengthen me with might according to Your glorious power that I may be fruitful in every god work, worthy of Your calling and fully pleasing You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS REALLY WORTHLESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31, 2022.

SUBJECT: LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS REALLY WORTHLESS! 

Memory verse: "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." (First Corinthians 13 vs 3.)

READ: First Corinthians 13 vs 1 - 8:

13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

13:2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

13:3: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

13:4: Love suffers long and is kin; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

13:5: does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

13:6: does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

13:7: bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13:8: Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

INTIMATION:

Life without love is purposeless. In the Bible in Matthew 22 vs 37 - 40, Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Jesus says that if we truly love God and our neighbor, we will naturally keep the all His commandments. The best tact to deal with this is rather than worrying about all we should not do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show love for God and others. After learning to love God, learning to love others is the second purpose of your life. 

We are often preoccupied with our own self, and act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We talk about finding time for our children or making time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just part of our lives along with many other tasks. We think always that we are doing others favor by loving them. But that is wrong, instead we are doing ourselves the favor of walking in the command of God to fulfill His law. God says relationships are what life is all about. 

Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six deal with our relationships with people. But all ten are about relationships! We might say it is in Old Testament laws, but Jesus summarized what matters most to God in two statements: love God and love people. 

Relationships, not achievements or the acquisition of things, are what matters most in life. Now you know this, why will you allow relationships to get the short end of the stick? When our schedules become overloaded, and overcrowded, we start skimming relationally, cutting back on giving the time, energy, and attention that loving relationships require. What is most important to God is displaced by what's urgent to you. 

Busyness is the greatest enemy to relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love God and people. Life minus love equals zero.

Our society confuses Love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this Love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. 

God is love, and a source of our love. He loved us enough to sacrifice His Son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love; everything He did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; He lives in our heart and make us more and more like Christ. God’s Love always involve a choice and an action, and our love should be like His.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are love, and I know You. My utmost heart desire is to live a life hinged on Your greatest commandments—to love You and others. Endue me with the spirit of love, that I may be worthy to be called Your son, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WHAT REAL LOVE IS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 30, 2022.

SUBJECT : WHAT REAL LOVE IS!

Memory verse: "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (First John 3 vs 16.)

READ: Song of Solomon 8 be 6 - 7:

8:6: Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.

8:7: Many waters cannot quench love, not can the floods drown it: if a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.

INTIMATION:

Real love is as strong as death; it cannot be killed by time or disaster and cannot be bought for any price because it is freely given. Real love is priceless, and even the richest king cannot buy it. Love must be accepted as a gift from God and then shared within the guidelines God provides. Accept the love of your spouse as God’s gift, and strive to make your love a reflection of the perfect love that comes from God Himself. 

Our society confuses love with lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love (real live) is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others. Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attribute of God Himself (First John 4 vs 8). Love involves unselfish service to others. Real love is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 

We must not define love after the definitions of the world. We must define love after the manner by which Jesus loved us. The extent to which He loved us is manifested in the action of His incarnation and death for our sins. Our love for one another, therefore, must be manifested in our interpersonal activity in one another’s lives. 

As I have previously stated, real love is in action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. We can lay down our lives for others by; by serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we will die for others than to truly live for them. This is because it involves putting others’ desires first. Jesus taught the same principle of love in John 15 vs 13.

Jesus is an epitome of real love. His example of real love was demonstrated in His disciples. Jesus knew He would be betrayed by one of them, He knew one of them will deny Him, and that all of them will desert Him for a time. Still “He loved them to the end” (John 13 vs 1). God knows us completely, as Jesus knew His disciples (John 2 vs 24 - 25; 6 vs 64). He knows the sins we have committed and the ones we will yet commit. Still, He loves us. 

How do you respond to that kind of love? We respond by loving others with the intensity of love that Jesus showered on us. It is a love that has no conditions. It is self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus, simply acts out a selfless attitude of appreciation for all that God has done in one’s life in reference to salvation. Therefore, such love is a show of appreciation of what God did for us on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ.

Our love of perfection causes us to be irritated or angered by some negative attitudes of others. This may cause some negative reactions from us. This does not mean we don’t love them, but because of our quest for perfection. Even sometimes we are irritated or angered by others, and we don’t know why. Not all irritability stems from sinful or selfish motives, although the irritable treatment of others surely is wrong. Much irritability comes from a love of perfection, a deep desire that programs, meetings, and structures be run perfectly. 

A desire to run things perfectly can erupt into anger at events or people who get in the way or ruin that desire. Jesus was in like manner irritated and angered when He went to the temple and saw the activities of money changers in the temple. The Bible recorded that He “drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” 

Though Jesus was irritated by their actions hence His actions against them. However, Jesus’ action didn’t not take His love for them away, He still died on the cross for their sins. Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exists only with God. We need to love Him and our fellow Christians, not the visions we have for perfection here on earth. 

Prayer: Abba Father, My desire is to be a living example to others of Your unparalleled love for humanity. Endue me with the same Spirit of love, and give me the grace to practice love for others as much as You loves me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WHY LOVING OTHERS IS SO IMPORTANT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY AUGUST 29, 2022.

SUBJECT : WHY LOVING OTHERS IS SO IMPORTANT!

Memory verse: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13 vs 34.)

READ: First John 3 vs 14 - 15: 

3:14: We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

3:15: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

INTIMATION:

To love others was not a new commandment. The Sinai law taught that one was to love His neighbor as himself (Leviticus 19 vs 18). God gave the commandment, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” One’s love of his neighbor, therefore, was based on his love of himself. But to love others as much as Christ loved others was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love is very important because it will not only bring unbelievers to Christ, it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. 

However, Jesus emphasizes an intensity of love that is different. It is a love that has no conditions. It is self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus, simply acts out a selfless attitude of appreciation for all that God has done in one’s life in reference to salvation. Therefore, such love is a show of appreciation of what God did for us on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus meant that love in action would be the identifying characteristic of His disciples that would separate them from the rest of the world. Therefore, loving others as Christ loved us should be an identity for the believers. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love. Such Christlike love will show we are His disciples (John 13 vs 35).

The apostle John affirms that a Christian can know that he is saved. The evidence of the salvation is his behavioral relationship he maintains with his brother and the commandments of God (John 14 vs 34 - 35). As the world identifies the Christian to be of God by his life-style. The apostle affirms that the same life-style is evidence of one’s sonship. The evidence that one has passed out of the unregenerate life of sin and into the eternal life in Christ is the loving relationship one maintains with his brother in Christ.

The love for others as Christ loves us occasions reaching beyond friends to enemies and persecutors (Matthew 5 vs 43 - 48). Love should be the unifying force and the identifying mark of Christian community. Love is the key to walking in the light, because we cannot grow spiritually while we hate others. Our growing relationship with God will result in growing relationships with others. 

Real love is in action, not in feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can we “lay down our lives”? By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we will die for others than truly live for them—this involves putting others’ desires first. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of someone in particular who needs this kind of love today. Give all the love you can, and then try to give a little more. 

As children imitate their parents, we should imitate Christ. His great love for us led Him to sacrifice Himself so that we might live. Our love for others should be of the same kind—a love that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love. 

The apostle John echoes Jesus’ teaching that whoever hates his brother is a murderer at heart (Matthew 5 vs 21 - 22). Christianity is a religion of the heart, outward compliance alone is not enough. Bitterness against someone who has wronged you is an evil cancer within you and will eventually destroy you. Don’t let a “root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12 vs 15) grow in you or your church. 

Prayer: Abba Father, My desire is to a living example to others of Your unparalleled love for humanity. Endue me with the same Spirit of love, and give me the grace to practice love for others as much as You loves me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

SHOW YOUR LABOR OF LOVE FOR CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY AUGUST 28, 2022.

SUBJECT: SHOW YOUR LABOR OF LOVE FOR CHRIST!

Memory verse: "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love, which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6 vs 10.)

READ: First Thessalonians 1 vs 2 - 4:

1:2: We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

1:3: remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

1:4: knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

INTIMATION:

Your labor of love for Christ is primarily your commitment to Christ out of love for Him. Through your ministry you prove your faithfulness to the saints and Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me..” (John 14 vs 21.) “ “...If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word...” (John 14 vs 23.) Jesus said that His followers show their love for Him by their commitment and conduct toward His commandments. Jesus, before ascension, left His followers with specific commandments which is called the “Great Commission”: 

“And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20.)

“And He said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not  believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16 vs 15 - 16.)

Prior to His ascension, Jesus left the disciples with those last words of instruction: They are under His authority, and are to go into all the world with the Good News,”, telling everyone that He had paid the penalty for sin and that those who believe in what He has done for us on the cross and declare it are forgiven and live eternally with God. In spreading the “Good News” many people will join them as disciples of Christ. The new believers will be baptized and will be taught to obey God. It’s not an option but a command to all who call Jesus “Lord.”

The commission is to go all over the world preaching the “Good New.” You can start from your family, next door, your colleague in the office, and to town, state etc. Your assignment can be within the area you are capable to reach. There are other believers in other places to do the same work. Now that the whole has become a global, and life has been made less stressful by technology, you can reach anywhere in the world staying at a place. 

It’s obvious we are not all evangelists, pastors, preachers, apostles, prophets, and so on, in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfill thr “Great Commission.” Where you cannot go, or what you cannot do, your money or possession can assist you through others to accomplish the same task in obedience to Christ. As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us.

Christians today in all parts of the world are telling this gospel to people who haven’t heard about Christ. On personal assessment, where are you in this assignment of laboring in love for Christ! Do you ever feel as though you don’t have the skill or determination to be a witness for Christ? Even if you don’t, God has blessed with other gifts you can serve Him with. You must personally realize that Jesus arose from the dead and lives for you today. You are bought with a price, therefore, you are committed to Him, and should glorify Him with whatever you have. As you grow in your relationship with Christ, He will give you both the opportunities and the inner strength to spread His message.

For instance, the apostle Paul, in comparing himself to other disciples. gave instances of his labor for Christ in First Corinthians 11 vs 23 - 29, enumerated all he had encountered in witnessing for Christ. Can you, as a Christian, make a list of encounters and achievements in this regard? This should the  starting point for all believers.

Jesus chose the believers and appointed us to go and bear fruit, and our fruit should remain. We didn’t choose Him, He chose us. Being chosen by God comes from the heart of God (not our minds), and should be an incentive to please God (not ignore Him), and should give birth to gratitude (not complacency). Human responsibility requires that we actively confess Christ as Lord, focus on living to please Him, and share the gospel with others. God’s choice of us energizes us to obey and to serve. Our choice of God challenges us to build lives worthy of Him. As you consider God’s selection of you. how do you respond? 

God is just in all His ways. He never forgets or overlook our hard work for Him. Though, you may not be receiving rewards and acclaim presently, but God knows your efforts of love and ministry. Jesus said, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every one according to His work” (Revelation 22 vs 12). Let God’s love for you and His ultimate knowledge of your service for Him bolster you as you serve, and face disappointment and rejection here on earth, knowing that your reward awaits you.

Prayer: Abba Father, I love You with all my heart, and my labor of love for You abound. Give me the grace to be steadfast in my service to You, Your kingdom, and others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Forgiven for Jesus’s Sake

 For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

In knowing what is right, God does not consult any authority higher than himself. His own worth is the ultimate value in the universe. Therefore, for God to do what is right means acting in a way that accords with this ultimate value.

The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater.

How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation.

The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.

Because of Christ, we can pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that, because of Christ, instead of only praying, “For your name’s sake, pardon my guilt,” we now pray, “For Jesus’s name’s sake, O God, pardon my guilt.”

First John 2:12 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake,” referring to Jesus. Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”

God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did. Therefore, “For your name’s sake, O Lord” and “For Jesus’s name’s sake” are the same. And that is why we pray with confidence for forgiveness.

Jesus Will Trample All Our Enemies

 

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24)

How far does the reign of Christ extend?

The next verse, 1 Corinthians 15:25 says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The word all tells us the extent.

So does the word every in verse 24: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.”

There is no disease, no addiction, no demon, no bad habit, no fault, no vice, no weakness, no temper, no moodiness, no pride, no self-pity, no strife, no jealousy, no perversion, no greed, no laziness that Christ will not overcome as the enemy of his honor.

And the encouragement in that promise is that when you set yourself to do battle with the enemies of your faith and your holiness, you will not fight alone.

Jesus Christ is now, in this age, putting all his enemies under his feet. Every rule and every authority and every power will be conquered.

So, remember that the extent of Christ’s reign reaches to the smallest and biggest enemy of his glory in your life, and in this universe. It will be defeated.