LOVE YOUR ENEMY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 09, 2022.

SUBJECT: LOVE YOUR ENEMY!

Memory verse: "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men." (Romans 12 vs 17.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 38 - 44:

5:38: You have heard that it it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

5:39: But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

5:40: if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tonic, let him have your cloak also.

5:41: And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

5:42: Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn not away.

5:43: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shalt love Your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

5:44: But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, and persecute you,

5:45: that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

INTIMATION:

If you love your enemies, treat them well, and do good to those who wrong you, that will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. These verses in the passage we read today summarize the core of Christian living. If we love someone the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to forgive. If we have experienced God’s grace, we will want to pass it on to others. And remember, grace is undeserved favor. By giving an enemy a drink, we are not excusing his misdeeds. We are recognizing him, forgiving him, and loving him in spite of his sin—just as Christ did for us. 

The principle of loving one’s neighbor fulfills all that the law would command concerning one’s duty toward his fellow man. A true heart is not one of malice or hate. Hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world. The character that Jesus has explained identifies those who are of the spirit of the Father, and thus, sons of the Father. God’s love is impartial. He loved us when we were His enemies. 

In our fallen world, it is often deemed acceptable by some to tear people down, verbally or get back at them if we feel hurt. However, Jesus teaches that we should pay back wrongs with a blessing, such as praying for the offenders. In God’s kingdom, revenge is an unacceptable behavior, as is insulting a person, no matter how indirectly it is done. Rise above getting back at those who hurt you. Instead of reacting angrily to these people, pray for them.

Wrong that is committed against another originates from Satan. Christians must resist the temptations of Satan (James 4 vs 7). However, retaliation against those whom Satan uses to promote his work is not a Christian principle. Therefore, when we treat those who wrong us, and our enemies with kindness and forgiveness, we are frustrating the works of Satan in this world.

Instead of demanding rights, give them up freely! According to Jesus, it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only He can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. 

When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. Instead, Jesus said we should do good to those who wrong us! Our desire should not be to keep score but to love and forgive. This is not natural—it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as He does. Instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you. 

No Christian should seek to get even with someone who has wronged him. It is not the place of any Christian to seek revenge. Revenge is not the work or behavior of the Christian. Revenge of those who have wronged the innocent is the work of God. By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. Christians should not even retaliate by withholding from those who would ask of them. They must willingly give when compelled by those who would demand of them according to law. 

Lack of love is often easy to justify, even though it is never right. Our neighbor is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need, and love means acting to meet the person’s need. Whenever you see anybody in need, there is no good reason for refusing to help. There is no reward in a love that acts out of selfish motives to do something for others for the purpose of receiving something in return. True love must be unconditional. It must not seek reward. 

In Luke 23 vs 34, Jesus asked God to forgive the people who were putting Him to death—Jewish leaders, Roman soldiers and politicians, bystanders—and God answered that prayer by opening up the way of salvation even to Jesus’ murderers. Jesus was suffering the most horrible, painful death ever devised by sinful man, and he looked at the people responsible for His suffering and eventual death and prayed for their forgiveness. And because we are all sinners, we all played a part in putting Jesus to death. The Good News is that God is gracious. He will forgive us and give us new life through His Son.

Forgiveness involves both attitudes and actions. If you find it difficult to feel forgiving toward someone who has hurt you, try responding with kind actions. If appropriate, tell this person that you would like to heal your relationship. Lend a helping hand. Send him or her a gift. Smile at him or her. Many times you will discover that right actions lead to right feelings. God’s form of retaliation is most effective and yet very difficult to do. By returning good for evil, we are acknowledging God as the balancer of all accounts and trusting Him to be the judge.

The thought of being kind to enemies is always startling in a world where revenge is the common form of justice. God not only introduced this idea to the Israelites, He made a law! Following the laws of right living is hard enough with friends talk less of enemies. When we apply God’s laws of fairness and kindness to our enemies, we show how different we are from the world.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love for me is unparalleled. I cannot thank You enough for all You have done for me. O Lord, endue me with the spirit of boundless love that I may love as Christ loved in obedience to Your word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Grace Must Be Free

 

What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Picture salvation as a house that you live in.

It provides you with protection. It is stocked with food and drink that will last forever. It never decays or crumbles. Its windows open onto vistas of all-satisfying glory.

God built it at great cost to himself and to his Son, and he gave it to you free and clear.

The “purchase” agreement is called a “new covenant.” The terms read: “This house shall become and remain yours if you will receive it as a gift and take delight in the Father and the Son as they inhabit the house with you. You shall not profane the house of God by sheltering other gods nor turn your heart away after other treasures, but find your contentment in the fellowship of God in this house.”

Would it not be foolish to say yes to this agreement, and then hire a lawyer to draw up an amortization schedule with monthly payments in the hopes of somehow balancing accounts and paying for the house?

You would be treating the house no longer as a gift, but a purchase. God would no longer be the free benefactor. And you would be enslaved to a new set of demands that he never dreamed of putting on you.

If grace is to be free — which is the very meaning of grace — we cannot view it as something to be repaid.

LOVE IS ETERNAL AND WE ARE EVALUATED ON IT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 08, 2022.

SUBJECT : LOVE IS ETERNAL AND WE ARE EVALUATED ON IT! 

Memory verse: "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (First Corinthians 13 vs 13.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46:

25:31: When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

25:32: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

25:33: And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

25:34: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

25:35: For I was hungry and you gave Me food: I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and you took Me in:

25:36: I was naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

25:37: Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and gave a You drink? 

25:38: When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? Or naked, and clothe You?

25:39: Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?

25:40: And the King shall answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, Inasmuch as you’d I’d it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me.’

25:41: Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

25:42: For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food: I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink:

25:43: I was a stranger, and you you did not take Me in: naked, and you did not clothe Me: sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

25:44: Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we You hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

2545: Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

25:46: And they will go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

INTIMATION:

God tells us to make Love a top priority in our life because it has eternal value. Love is the greatest of all human qualities, and it is an attribute of God Himself. Today people are still confused about love. Love involves unselfish service to others, to show it gives evidence that you care. Love leaves a legacy. How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. As mother Teresa said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." Love is the secret of a lasting heritage. In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning that truth sooner rather than later. Don't wait until you're on your deathbed to figure out that nothing matters more than love.

It is a common knowledge that people only remember their loved ones when they are in critical conditions of ill health or near death. This is the time they stand on the edge of eternity, and they never ask of any other thing than their loved ones. I have never heard that anyone said, "Bring me my money in the bank! I want to look at my degrees, and awards one more time. Show me my medals, that gold trinkets I acquired! I want to see all my possessions that I can feel them again." When life on earth is ending, people don't surround themselves with objects. What we want around us is people—the loved ones and those we have relationships with.

In the passage we read today, Jesus tells about The Final Judgment. We will be evaluated on love in eternity. One of the ways God measures spiritual maturity is by the quality of your relationships. In heaven God won't say, "Tell Me about your career, your bank account, your titles, your possessions, and your hobbies." Instead He will review how you treated other people, particularly those in need. 

No wonder all the “Ten Commandments” of God are relationship based. Those who have done well in their love and relationships He will keep on His right side, and declares rather righteous. He will tell them: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; For I was hungry, and you gave Me food: I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me.”

And the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, ....or thirsty....or a stranger....or sick....or naked....or in prison, and come to You.' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You, hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Now look at these statements, "Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying,.." (vs 37), "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (vs 46). Have you seen that showing love is also counted to you for righteousnesses. Those who showed love—cared for other people, Christ called the righteous on His right hand, and He crowned them with eternal life with Him. When you transfer into eternity, you will leave everything else behind. All you're taking with you is your character, your relationship with God, and people. That is why the Scripture says, "In Christ Jesus nothing avails anything except faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5 vs 6.) 

Faith is the base or substructure and substance of God's message. Without faith in the Word (message), you can't go far with God, and His things. (Hebrews 11 vs 6.) Hope is the positive attitude and focus on God and His Word. Love is the action proper. When faith and hope are in line, you are free to love completely because you understand now God and His love nature. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. Give me the grace, O Most High God, to lead a life of Your love nature to obtain Your approval and Your crown of eternal life with You, in Jesus’ most wonderful Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Repay God

 

What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord. (Psalm 116:12–14)

The very use of the language “rendering to God for all his benefits to me” makes me nervous. Payback can so easily imply that grace is like a mortgage. It’s really generous, but you have to pay it back.

Paul said in Acts 17:25, God is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” In other words, you can’t give anything to God or do anything for God that he hasn’t first given to you and done for you.

You see this again in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” So none of our work can ever be a payment to God, because the very work is another gift from God. With every deed we do for God we go deeper into debt to grace.

So in Psalm 116 what keeps the paying of vows free from the dangers of being treated like a debt payment is that the “payment” is, in reality, not an ordinary payment, but another act of receiving which magnifies the ongoing grace of God. It does not magnify our resourcefulness.

The psalmist’s answer to his own question, “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits?” is, “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” In other words, I call on the Lord to fill the cup. To pay back the Lord means to go on receiving from the Lord so that the Lord’s inexhaustible goodness will be magnified.

Lifting up the cup of salvation signifies taking the Lord’s satisfying salvation in hand and drinking it and expecting more. We know this because of the next phrase: “I will . . . call on the name of the Lord.” I will call for more help. What shall I render to God for graciously answering my call? Answer: I shall call again. I will render to God the praise and the tribute that he is never in need of me, but is always overflowing with benefits when I need him (which I always do).

Then the psalmist says, in the third place, “I will pay my vows to the Lord.” But how will they be paid? They will be paid by holding up the cup of salvation and by calling on the Lord. That is, they will be paid by faith in the promise that more grace — all-sufficient grace — is always on the way.

God-Given Foes and God-Given Faith

 

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . not frightened in anything by your opponents. . . . For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. (Philippians 1:27–29)

Paul told the Philippians that living worthy of the gospel of Christ meant fearlessness before enemies. Then he gave the logic of fearlessness.

The logic is this: God has given you two gifts, not just one — faith and suffering. That’s what verse 29 says. “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” Granted to you to believe, and granted to you to suffer.

In this context that means: Both your faith in the face of suffering, and your suffering are gifts of God. When Paul says, don’t be frightened by your opponents, he had two reasons in his mind why they don’t need to be frightened:

One reason is that the opponents are in the hand of God. Their opposition is a gift from God. He governs it. That’s the first point of verse 29.

And the other reason not to be afraid is that your fearlessness, that is, your faith, is also in the hand of God. It too is a gift. That is the other point of verse 29.

So the logic of fearlessness in the face of adversity is this double truth: Both your adversity and your faith in the face of adversity are gifts of God.

Why is this called living “worthy of the gospel of Christ”? Because the gospel is the good news that Christ’s blood of the covenant infallibly obtained for all his people the sovereign working of God to give us faith and to govern our enemies — always for our eternal good. That’s what the gospel secured. Therefore, to live that way shows the power and goodness of the gospel.

Therefore, fear not. Your adversaries can do no more than God grants. And he will grant all the faith you need. These promises are blood-bought and sealed. They are gospel promises.

OUR DEBT OF CHRISTLIKE LOVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 07, 2022.

SUBJECT: OUR DEBT OF CHRISTLIKE LOVE!

Memory verse: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15 vs 12.) 

READ: Romans 13 vs 8 - 10:

13:8: Owe no one anything except to love one another: for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

13:9: For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

13:10: Love does no harm to a neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

INTIMATION:

Christlike love is a debt that we owe. We are permanently in debt to Christ for His love He lavishly poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in turn. Because Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbors. Jesus, our role model, asked God to forgive the people who were putting Him to death (Luke 23 vs 34). Jesus was suffering the most horrible, painful death ever devised by sinful man, and He looked at the people responsible for His suffering and prayed for their forgiveness. And because we are all sinners, we all played a part in putting Jesus to death. 

The extent to which Jesus went to give Himself for us—His life of inestimable value for our lives of sin that is completely worthless, manifests the extent of the love that Christ demonstrated toward us, and is commanding us to have the same for one another. The greatest expression of love that can be made is that one lay down his or her life for another. This is what Jesus did for us, and wants us to do for one another: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13 vs 34; 15 vs 12) This is called the “royal Law, and was given by our great King Jesus Christ.

The verses in the passage we read today discuss the foundation upon which Christian behavior rests. Love is the motivation of Christian behavior, and thus, it is the glue that binds the fellowship of the children of God. The one who loves his neighbor as himself will go beyond what is stated by the requirements of law. He does not view the law as a legal set of rules one accomplishes in order to relieve himself from further obligations. Therefore, in carrying out the principle of loving one’s neighbor as himself, he will do what the law requires, but go beyond the requirements of law.

Let us be imitators of God as dear children (Ephesians 5 vs 1). Just as children imitate their parents, we should imitate Christ. Our love for others should be of the same kind—a love that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service. Christlikeness (Christianity) is based on love. All human relationships that are true and enduring find their bond in the action of love. Jesus says we should love everyone, including our enemies and treat them well. Doing this shows that Jesus is truly the Lord of your life. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only Him, through the help of the Holy Spirit, can deliver people from natural selfishness, and help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. 

Love will carry one beyond the limitations of law. Commandments limits; love expands. Commandments restrict; love frees. Commandments lead us to believe how little we can do; love opens the door of unlimited possibilities. Our vertical relationship with God is established on the foundation of love. Our horizontal relationship with our fellow man is established on love. The principle of love permeates and identifies the very nature of Christianity. This is the principle by which one can determine both the true God and those who serve Him. This is the new commandment of Jesus by which His disciples are identified. Any faith that does not maintain this principle cannot be the true faith that has originated from a God who is love. 

When we fail to love, we are actually breaking God’s law. Examine your attitude and actions toward others. Do you build people or tear them down? When you’re ready to criticize someone, remember God’s law of love and say something good instead. Saying something beneficial to others will cure you of finding fault and increase your ability to obey God’s law of love. It is easy to excuse our indifference to others merely because we have no legal obligation to help them and even to justify harming them if our actions are technically legal! But Jesus does not leave loopholes in the law of love. Whenever love demands it, we are to go beyond human legal requirements and imitate the God of love. 

When we believers lose the motivation of love, we become critical of others. We stop looking for good in them and see only their faults. Soon we lose our unity. Have you talked behind someone’s back? Have you focused on others’ shortcomings instead of their strength? Remind yourself of Jesus’ command to love others as you love yourself. When you begin to feel critical of someone, make a list of that person’s positive qualities. When problems need to be addressed, confront in love rather than gossip. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You manifested Your unparalleled love for us by given Your only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins. Endue me with the spirit of love that I may imitate You as Your child, and love You and others as You loved me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

SUFFERING CANNOT SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2022.

SUBJECT: SUFFERING CANNOT SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE! 

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: Job 3 vs 23 - 26:

3:23: Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?

3:24: For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings pour out like water.

3:25: For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.

3:26: I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.

INTIMATION: 

Nothing of this world can separate the Christian from the love of God. Trials and grief, whether temporary or enduring, do not destroy the real purpose of life. The physical sufferings that are launched against him by the forces of evil is an effort to separate him from the love of God. But they are not enough to separate the Christian from the love of God. 

Life is not given merely for happiness and personal fulfillment but for us to serve and honor God. The worth and meaning of life is not based on what we feel but on the one reality no one can take away—God’s love for us. Don’t assume that because God truly loves you, He will always prevent suffering. The opposite may be true. God’s love cannot be measured or limited by how great or how little we may suffer.

In Romans 8 vs 38 - 39, the apostle Paul teaches us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. And even in the spiritual realm, 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 (First Peter 5 vs 8), 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. 

The Bible, in the aforementioned  erases, contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms. 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. 

Though the righteous might have to endure the greatest of sufferings, they must realize that God is working out His purpose for the existence of the world. In His majesty He has everything in control. God will always call on our faith in the fact that He is in control. Though Satan is introduced as an adversary in the life of the saint, the saint must never forget that it is God who is controlling our existence and the existence of the universe. Since nothing that exists is outside the control of God, then God must be trusted to care for that which is in existence. 

God works in “all things”—not just isolated incidents—for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill His purpose. Note also that this promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by Him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ. 

In the passage we read today, Job felt that God was treating him as an enemy when, in fact, God was his friend and thought highly of him (Job 1 vs 8; 2 vs 3). In his difficulty, Job pointed at the wrong person. It was Satan, not God, who was his enemy. Job has been careful not to worship material possessions but to worship God alone. Here he was overwhelmed by calamities that mocked his caution, and he complained about trials that came despite his right living. All the principles by which he had lived were crumbling, and Job began to lose his perspective.

Because we stress ultimate causes, most people believe that both good and evil come from God, they also thought we are responsible for our own destinies. But the evil power loose in this world accounts for much of the suffering we experience. God has profound love for His people. No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be separated from God’s love. Suffering should not drive us away from God but help us to identify with Him and allow His love to heal us.

Prayer: Abba Father, I am persuaded that Your thoughts for me is of good and of evil. Though the devil throws his darts at me, I know You will turn everything for my longe-range good. Stemming from Your love for me, You gave Your only Son to die for my sins, and I know there is nothing You not give and do for me to live for You. Endue me with the spirit of love, that I may love You and others as You love me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!