JESUS CHRIST’S NEW COMMANDMENT OF LOVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2022.

SUBJECT : JESUS CHRIST’S NEW COMMANDMENT OF LOVE!

Memory verse: "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5 vs 2.)

READ: John 13 vs 34 - 35:

13:34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

13:35: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

INTIMATION:

The commandment to love others is both old and new. It’s old because it comes from the Old Testament: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19 vs 18). And also in the New Testament: “...You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22 vs 39). However, Jesus gave us a new commandment that radically interpreted, in a new way, the concept of love for others: “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). 

The commandment of love for our neighbors as we love ourselves is predicated on service and treatment to another. The idea is embodied in the saying, ‘Do to others what you like them to do to you.’ It’s love expressed through self-service and servanthood. In fact, it can be defined as “selfless giving.” Loving others as ourselves means actively working to see that their needs are met. Just as you don’t willingly let yourself go hungry, you take care of your body, you clothe yourself reasonably well, you make sure there is a roof over your head, you try not to let yourself be cheated or injured, you should ensure you treat others in the same manner. This is the kind of love we need to have for our neighbors. We must treat all people the way we would like to be treated

However, in the new law Jesus Christ gave us, He demands that we do more than mere treating others as we would like to be treated; but willingly sacrificing ourselves for others—lovingly inconveniencing ourselves for the happiness of others. Our great King, Jesus Christ gave us the law; “You should love one another as I have loved you” (John 15 vs 12). Jesus loved us enough to give His life for us. And then He said; “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15 vs 13). We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, suffering for others etc.

When you love yourself, you definitely would not want to suffer needs. Likewise, ensure your neighbor does not suffer need. But Jesus, in the new commandment, says, ‘If we need to suffer to ensure others’ needs are met, we should suffer.’ That is the manner He loved us: “He gave His life that we may have life, not just life but life in abundance (John 10 vs 10). 

Just as children imitate their parents, we should imitate Jesus 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. 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—give sacrificially. 

Sincere love involves selfless giving: a self-centered person can’t truly love. God’s love and forgiveness free you to take your eyes off yourselves and to meet others’ needs. By sacrificing His life, Christ showed that He truly loves you. Now you can love others by following His example and giving yourself sacrificially. Jesus’ love knew no bounds, He reached beyond friends to enemies and persecutors. Can you see yourself do so?  

Love should be the unifying force and the identifying mark of the 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 relationship with others.

Prayer: Abba Father, You so much loved me that You sacrificed Your life for me. Give me the grace to love others in like manner, ready and willing to suffer need on the altar of meeting my neighbor’s need, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Five Reasons Death Is Gain

 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

How is it “gain” to die?

1) Our spirits will be made perfect (Hebrews 12:22–23).

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

There will be no more sin in us. We will be done with the inner war and the heartrending disappointments of offending the Lord who loved us and gave himself for us.

2) We will be relieved of the pain of this world (Luke 16:24–25).

The joy of the resurrection will not yet be ours, but the joy of freedom from pain will be. Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man to show the great reversal that is coming at death.

“[The rich man] called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.’”

3) We will be given profound rest in our souls (Revelation 6:9–11).

There will be a serenity beneath the eye and care of God that surpasses anything we have known here on the softest summer evening by the most peaceful lake at our most happy moments.

I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer.

4) We will experience a deep at-homeness (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

The whole human race is homesick for God, without knowing it. When we go home to Christ, there will be a contentment beyond any sense of security and peace we have ever known.

5) We will be with Christ (Philippians 1:21–23).

Christ is a more wonderful person than anyone on earth. He is wiser, stronger, and kinder than anyone you enjoy spending time with. He is endlessly interesting. He knows exactly what to do and what to say at every moment to make his guests as glad as they can possibly be. He overflows in love and with infinite insight into how to use that love to make his loved ones feel loved. Therefore Paul said,

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

THE IDEAL MANNER TO PRAISE THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE IDEAL MANNER TO PRAISE THE LORD!

Memory verse: "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works." (Psalm 9 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 1 - 6 & 8:

103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

103:2: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

103:3: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases;

103:4: Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

103:5: Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

103:6: The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all who are oppressed.

103:8: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

INTIMATION:

Praise is to express admiration or approval of; to commend; to extol; to glorify or worship. To praise the Lord is to worship Him; it is expressing one’s appreciation and understanding of His worth; it is saying thank you for each aspect of His divine nature. Your inward attitude about Him is outwardly expressed in praise. When you praise God, we help yourself by expanding your awareness of who He is. 

Praise can be in speech or song. Praising God in a song is not just song about God, It is a song to God. Praising God has several aspects to it. The ideal manner of praising God include: (1) Thanking Him for each of His divine nature—Creator, Merciful, Loving, Faithful, Powerful, Unchanging, Forgiving, Magnificent, Glorious, etc. As you read the Bible, look for other characteristics or divine nature of God for which to thank Him. Thanking Him for them is the best way to ask for the manifestation of those characteristics in your life. It is always good to make a list of such characteristics and keep reminding yourself of them, internalizing them, and make them a permanent part of your worship.

(2) Focus your heart on God. See nothing, know nothing other than God. Not even yourself require any attention. The Scripture says, “I will praise You with my whole heart” (Psalm 9 vs 1; 138 vs 1). To help you to achieve the required fixation on God, just take one attribute of God, such as His mercy, then concentrate on it for an entire week in your meditation and prayer. In no time it will be an integral part of your worship to Him.

(3) Thank God for His many gracious gifts to mankind. Make a list and count your blessings, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. David said, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits...” (Psalm 68 vs 19.) He also said, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand....” (Psalm 139 vs 17 - 18.) 

Now, take for instance, you wake up in the morning, hale and hearty; All the organs in your body are all functioning properly—you can see, talk, walk, taste, feel, hear,  breath, sit, stand, smile, run, eat, free your bowel, etc. All these are possible because the various functional organs are working in harmony with the also functional sensory nerves, body cells, body tissues etc. Also the various natural substances—the air, sun, water, etc—are all available to you. 

God has made all these possible, and also has given you other qualitative provisions of emotional, and spiritual stability. The list is unending, and all in one day. Imagine the number of human cells working all at the same time in your body to achieve the good health; they are in billions, and God has made all these functional. What is more worthy than to thank and appreciate this good God. Praise God and tell Him afresh how much you appreciate all these.

(4) Finally, above all, thank God for your relationship with Him through Christ who has  given you the gift of salvation, and has been made to you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Praising Him lifts your perceptive from the earthly to the heavenly, and prepares your heart to receive God’s love and the power of His Holy Spirit.

Now, can you find something to praise God wholeheartedly for each day? As you do, you will find your heart elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence, reminding you of God’s faithfulness and character which positively effect your attitude.

Prayer: Abba Father, there is none like You. I can’t thank You enough. With my whole heart I will daily lift You in praise. Let my praise come to You as a sweet smelling sacrifice, that will cause You to come down in Your might and power to attend to my petitions, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

I'M YOURS BY LYANNABUCHI

 

We All Need Help

 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Every one of us needs help. We are not God. We have needs. We have weaknesses. We have confusion. We have limitations of all kinds. We need help.

But every one of us has something else: We have sins. And therefore at the bottom of our hearts we know that we do not deserve the help we need. And so we feel trapped.

I need help to live my life, and to handle death, and to cope with eternity — help with my family, my spouse, my children, my loneliness, my job, my health, my finances. I need help. But I don’t deserve the help I need.

So what can I do? I can try to deny it all and be a superman or a superwoman, who doesn’t need any help. Or I can try to drown it all and throw my life into a pool of sensual pleasures. Or I can simply give way to the paralysis of despair.

But God declares over this hopeless situation: Jesus Christ became a High Priest to shatter that despair with hope, and to humble that superman or superwoman, and to rescue that drowning wretch.

Yes, we all need help. Yes, none of us deserves the help we need. But no to despair and pride and lechery. Look at what God says. Because we have a Great High Priest, the throne of God is a throne of grace. And the help we get at that throne of grace is mercy and grace to help in time of need. Grace to help! Not deserved help — gracious help. That’s why the High Priest, Jesus Christ, shed his own blood.

You are not trapped. Say no to that lie. We need help. We don’t deserve it. But we can have it. You can have it right now and forever. If you will receive and trust in your High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, and draw near to God through him.

REFUSE THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2022.

SUBJECT : REFUSE THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY!

Memory verse: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 1 vs 1 - 6:

1:1: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

1:2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law he meditate day and night.

1:3: He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

1:4: The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

1:5: Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

1:6: For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

INTIMATION:

Ungodliness is total lack of reverence for God, characterized by depravation, wickedness, sinfulness and so on. Therefore, the ungodly are those who do not honor God, who act in contravention of God’s demand. They are depraved (corrupt), wicked, sinful, outrageous, irreligious, unconscionable (immoral, not in accordance with conscience) persons. 

The Bible admonishes us not to seek counsel from the ungodly; those who refuse to honor God—those who discredit or ridicule Him. Such attitude is the same as mocking God; they ridicule those things God consider as important. Following them or taking their advice will obviously lead one to becoming indifferent to God’s will. 

God judges people on the basis of their faith in Him and their response to His revealed will. Those who diligently try to obey God’s will are blessed. In contrast, those who don’t trust and obey God have meaningless lives that blow away like dust. Only two paths of life lie before us—God’s way of obedience, or the way of rebellion and destruction. Be sure to choose God’s path because the path you choose determines how you will spend eternity.

The ungodly are unbelievers, who do not share the same faith with believers. They can be your relatives, colleagues, friends and acquaintances, and this makes it easy for them to find a common ground to counsel you on issues, and may lure you to do wrong and sin against God. Friends, relatives, colleagues can make you fall. It is difficult for people to accept the fact that friends and acquaintances may lure them to do wrong. 

Many people who want to be accepted would never confront or criticize a relative or friend for wrong plans or actions. Many other people can’t even see how their friends’ actions could lead to trouble. The most effective way of avoiding the counsel of your ungodly relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances is to stay away from them—separating from them.

However, separation involves more than keeping a distance from sinful people and practices; it means staying close to God. It involves more than avoiding worldly people and entertainment; it extends to how we spend our time and money. There is no way to separate ourselves totally from all sinful influences. Nevertheless, we are to resist the sin around us, without either giving up or giving in. When you know what God wants you to do, make a clean break with sinful practices. Happy is the one who does not have a life-style of sin. Happiness comes from doing the the will of the Lord. 

While we should be accepting others, we need a healthy skepticism about human behavior. When you feel yourself being heavily influenced, proceed with caution. Don’t let anybody cause you to fall into sin. Instead be a heavy influence on them, and cause them to.turn to Christ. We should not make staying away from unbelievers a lifestyle, but rather a consequence of their behavior. Although Christians should avoid some places, but wherever they find themselves, they should let the light of God’s Word coming from them  illuminate the hearts of all the people around them.

Jesus demonstrated that we must go among unbelievers to help them. There is a difference, however, between being with unbelievers and being one of them. Acting like unbelievers—tagging along with them—harms your witnessing for God. Ask yourself about the people you enjoy: If you are with them often, will you become less obedient to God in outlook or action? If the answer is yes, carefully monitor how you spend your time with these people and their effect on you. Do your friends build up your faith or do they tear it down? True friends should help you to draw closer to God, not hinder your relationship with Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace never to take or seek the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But let my delight be in Your law; and in it I will meditate day and night. In You alone do I put my trust forever. Help me, O Lord, to be a light to the unbelievers around me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Piercing Power of the Word

 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The word of God is our only hope. The good news of God’s promises and the warnings of his judgment are sharp enough and living enough and active enough to penetrate to the bottom of my heart and show me that the lies of sin are indeed lies.

Abortion will not create a wonderful future for me. Neither will cheating, or dressing provocatively, or throwing away my sexual purity, or keeping quiet about dishonesty at work, or divorce, or vengeance. And what rescues me from this deception is the word of God.

The word of God’s promise is like throwing open a great window of bright morning sunlight on the roaches of sin masquerading as satisfying pleasures in our hearts. God has given you his good news, his promises, his word to protect you from the deep deceptions of sin that try to harden your heart and lure it away from God and lead it to destruction.

Be of good cheer in your battle to believe. Because the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, it will penetrate deeper than any deception of sin has ever gone and reveal what is truly valuable and what is truly worth trusting and loving.