CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY APRIL 06, 2023.

SUBJECT: CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS! 

Memory verse: "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2 vs 14.)

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 4 - 10: 

2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because for His great love with which He loved us,

2:5: even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you have been saved;)

2:6: and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

2:7: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

2:9: not of works, lest anyone should boast.

2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

INTIMATION:

We are saved and became Christ followers through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift of salvation, we will seek to do good works; helping and serving others with kindness, love, and gentleness. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service and good works. We have been created anew in Christ by obedience to the gospel. We have been so created, not by good works, but for good works. 

The Christ follower owes all that he or she is to God who gave us a reason for transforming our thinking and life (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2). Through the manifestation of God’s grace, Christ followers have been driven by faith to conform their lives to the will of God. They do good works in thanksgiving to the grace of God (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15). The Christ follower is not saved by works of merit that he or she has devised according to his or her own desires. They are saved for the purpose that God might work through them. Therefore, they do good works in response to what God has done for them. 

It is our works that manifest our response to the grace of God. They are indication of our thankful response to God for His gift of grace. It is noteworthy that final judgement will be based on our deeds because they proclaim what sort of heart is within us. When we realize how far God had to send His Son in order to redeem us from condemnation, we respond with a life of thanksgiving. Our good works, therefore, are works of thanksgiving, not works of merit. We should continue to believe in God in order to maintain good works. Our maintaining of good works manifest our belief in God and appreciation for His grace.

While good works can’t save us or even increase God’s love for us, they are true indications of our faith and love for Christ. Discipleship for Christ followers is not optional, but a requirement. Every believer should be involved in good works. In carrying out good works, Christ followers will develop a solid spiritual foundation of a good character that is fit for eternal dwelling. Good works manifest the goodness of one’s heart. We therefore, judge ourselves by our works, for it is by our works that we manifest our hearts (Second Corinthians 5 vs 10). 

Christ followers are the light of the world, and their light should shine before everyone that when they observe or see their light, which is their good works, they will glorify our Father in heaven. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. Christ followers must behave with integrity among the unbelievers in whose presence they live. They must behave in a way that presents hope to others. In doing this, they influence others for good, and also bring glory to God. If your actions are above reproach, even hostile people will end up praising God. Gracious, godly, and winsome behavior on the part Christ followers could even win some of the unsaved souls to the Lord. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for Your free gift of salvation to me. Give me the grace to represent Christ appropriately in good works, that they will see my good works and glorify You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Books at the Judgment

 

All who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:8)

Salvation is secured for all who are written in the book of life.

The reason that being written in the book of life secures our salvation is that the book is called “the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” The names in this book are not saved on the basis of their deeds. They are saved on the basis of Christ’s being slain.

But John says in Revelation 20:12, “I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” So, how then does the record of our lives contained in “the books” have a part in our judgment, if we are saved on the basis of Christ being slain?

The answer is that the books, which record our deeds, contain enough evidence of our belonging to Christ that they function as a public confirmation of our faith and our union with Christ.

Consider Revelation 21:27: “Nothing unclean will ever enter [the New Jerusalem], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Here the result of being written in the “book of life” is not only not perishing, but also not practicing detestable, sinful behaviors.

For example, consider the thief on the cross. Jesus said that he would enter paradise (Luke 23:43). But what will judgment be like for him when the books are opened? More than 99.9% of his life will be sin.

His salvation will be secured by the blood of Christ. His name will be in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.

Then God will open the books. First, he will use the lifelong record of sin to glorify his Son’s supreme sacrifice. And, second, God will read that last page, where the thief’s dramatic transformation on the cross is recorded. This work of God in his life, recorded in the books, about that last day will be the public confirmation of the thief’s faith and union with Christ. And Christ will be the basis of his salvation, not his works.

Therefore, when I say that what is written in the books is a public confirmation of our faith and of union with Christ, I do not mean that the record will contain more good works than bad works.

I mean that there will be recorded there the kind of life in Christ that shows the reality of faith — the reality of regeneration and union with Christ. That is how we enter each day as a Christian: confident that our condemnation is past (Romans 8:1), and that our name is in the book of life, and that the one who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Christ.

THE TRUE WORSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 05, 2023.

SUBJECT: THE TRUE WORSHIP!

Memory verse: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." (John 4 vs 23.) 

READ: John 4 vs 24; Hebrews 12 vs 28; 

John 4:24: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Hebrews 12:28: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

INTIMATION:

Worship is paying great honor to; to love and admire very greatly. You worship because you know the worth of what you worship. You worship God because you know who He is. When you catch the revelation of God and His worth, the appropriate response is to reverence Him in worship. The truth about God is revealed in His Word. According to our memory verse, Jesus is saying, in this most profound statement, that one must know the word of God in order to worship the God of the word. Ignorance of God’s word leads to one worshipping a god who is the creation of one’s mind, and such is the spirit of idolatry. 

It is in consonance with the true worship that Jesus gave us the greatest commandment of God, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength...” (Mark 12 vs 30.) Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions or feeling about God. To "worship in truth" means to worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible. Your worship is acceptable to God when it’s in truth and in spirit. In truth because of the self-revelation of God to you in His Word, and in spirit because it involves the totality of you—coming from the inside of you. 

“God is Spirit” means He is not a physical being you can see, and is not limited to one place. He is present everywhere, and can be worshiped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Your worship must be genuine, and acceptable. Genuine worship is spirited. You must engage your real you, and your real you is in your spirit. Made in God's image you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with Him. Genuine worship is your spirit responding to God's Spirit—Holy Spirit—Who in turn responds with help. The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8 vs 26), teaches us the words of Christ (John 14 vs 26), and tells us we are loved (Romans 5 vs 5).

The Bible, in First Corinthians 2 vs 11 says, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." The things of a man are known to the spirit of man, and only the spirit of man can genuinely worship God acceptably. It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say, engaging your inner self in all you do. Heartless worship is not worship at all! It is an insult to God. He wants all of you. He is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time. He desires your full devotion, and complete commitment.

Acceptable worship should be a lifestyle. It ought not to be a part of your life; it should be your life. Worship is not just communion, It is your whole life given for service to God, and His pleasure. God is worshipped continually, and in any place. God should be praised at all times; at work, at home, in battle, in jail, and even in bed! Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible, in First Corinthians 10 vs 31, says "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

But how is it possible to do everything to the glory of God? It’s by allowing God's love so permeate our motives that all we do will be to His glory. By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with Him while we do it. You can keep as a guiding principle, asking, "Is this action glorifying God?" Or "How can I honor God through this action?" When we worship, God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts. The Bible says, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (First Samuel 16 vs 7.) Therefore, your heartfelt worship is what God accepts and responds to.

Prayer: Abba Father, I praise You with my whole heart, and all that is within me bless Your Holy Name. O Lord, let Your Word dwell in me richly in all wisdom, that I may worship You acceptably with grace in my heart, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God Strengthens Us Through Others

 

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)

What about the other ten apostles (not counting Judas)?

Satan was going to sift them too. Did Jesus pray for them?

Yes he did. But he did not ask the Father to guard their faith in the very same way he guarded Peter’s.

God broke the back of Peter’s pride and self-reliance that night in the agony of Satan’s sieve. But he did not let him go. He turned him around and forgave him and restored him and strengthened his faith. And now it was Peter’s mission to strengthen the other ten. “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus provided for the ten by providing for Peter. The strengthened becomes the strengthener.

There is a great lesson here for us. Sometimes God will deal with you directly, strengthening your faith alone in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep. But most of the time (we might say ten-elevenths of the time) God strengthens our faith through another person.

God sends us some Simon Peter who brings just the word of grace we need to keep on in the faith: some testimony about how “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Eternal security is a community project. Whenever God encourages your heart with the promise that in Satan’s sifting your faith will not fail, then take that encouragement and double your joy by using it to strengthen your brothers and sisters — with the very strength with which you have been strengthened.

SUBMIT TO GOD’S TIMING IN YOUR JOURNEY OF LIFE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 04, 2023.

SUBJECT: SUBMIT TO GOD’S TIMING IN YOUR JOURNEY OF LIFE! 

Memory verse: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”. (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 1.)

READ: Ecclesiastes 3 vs 2 - 8:

3:2: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;

3:3: A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up;

3:4: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time dance;

3:5: A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

3:6: A time to gain, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

3:7: A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

3:8: A time to love, and a time to hate; A time to war, and a time of peace.

INTIMATION:

God has plans and purposes for all people, and for all things. He provides circles of life, each with its work for us to do. Times for the good, and times for the bad. All these are from God and are purposed by Him in His perfect plan. However, the major problem of many of us is not submitting ourselves to God’s timing and plans, but rather we always want to put God into our own timing and plans. And it will never work.

God’s timing is of great essence in the journey of life. The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God's perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God's timing, and instead want ours. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without His advice. God plans all things in our lives at His appropriate and perfect timing. Even the problems we encounter may be part of His plan and come at His timing. Although we may face many problems that seem to contradict God's plan, these should not be barriers to believing Him, but rather opportunities to discover that without God life's problems have no lasting solutions! 

From our perspective, God sometimes seems slow to intervene on our behalf. But what might appear slow to us is good timing in God’s perspective. It’s easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on Him. When God is silent and you are in deep anguish, review the great acts of God throughout biblical history, then review what He has done for you. This will remind you that God is at work, not only in history, but also in your life today.

For instance, Jesus was a close friend to Lazarus and his family. He loved this family and often stayed with them. When Lazarus was sick, the family sent for Jesus wanting Him to come immediately. He stayed where he was for more two days, and eventually Lazarus died. Jesus knew their pain but didn’t respond immediately. His delay had a specific purpose (See John 11). God’s timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want. But He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose. Patiently await His timing, for He controls all times, methods, circumstances, and events 

God’s response doesn’t always come the moment we want it. He only responds when He knows the right time has come, for He knows the best time to act. When you feel that God has forgotten you in your troubles, remember that God has a time schedule we can’t see.

God will act when He is ready. It is a common knowledge that children have difficulty grasping the concept of time. “It’s not time yet” is not a reason they easily understand because they only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, likened to children, we can’t understand God’s perspective about time. We want everything according to our timing, unaware that God’s timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God’s timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan. Don’t take matters into your own hands. 

God’s timing is inherent in our becoming the persons God ordained us to be. We are forever in the process of becoming the person we will be. The word becoming implies the direction we are taking in our spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual growth and development. Life is a journey: it's not a destination. Every ending is a new beginning to our future, and every beginning is an ending to our past.

It's obvious that this is unachievable without Christ. By our own abilities, we will always crash. The Bible notes in First Samuel 2 vs 9, "…For by strength no man shall prevail." It's only God that makes all things possible with us. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4 vs 13). It is the power we receive in union with Christ that sufficiently helps us to do God's Will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, show me the path of life that I may work in it. In Your leading and timing I am assured of the lines fallen unto me in pleasant places, and the destination ordained for me is sure to come, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Are You Born Again?

 

The question that only you that have the answer

How to Respond When You Falter

 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19)

Christians do not live only in defeat. But neither do we live only in perfect victory over sin. And in those times when we fail to triumph over sin, Romans 7:13–25 shows us the normal way a healthy Christian should respond. 

We should say:

I love the law of God. (verse 22)I hate what I just did. (verse 15)Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (verse 24)Thanks be to God! The victory will come through Jesus Christ my Lord. (verse 25) 

In other words, no Christian wants to live in defeat. No Christian settles for living in defeat. But if we are defeated for a time, we shouldn’t lie about it. 

No hypocrisy. No posing. No boasted perfectionism. No churchy, pasted smiles or chipper superficiality. 

And even more, God save us from blindness to our own failures and the consequent quickness to judge others. 

God, help us to feel worse about our own shortfalls than the failure of others. 

God, give us the honesty and candor and humility of the apostle Paul in this text! “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).