Truer Knowledge Brings Greater Joy

 And all the people went their way . . . to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:12)

The only joy that reflects the worth of God and overflows in God-glorifying love is rooted in the true knowledge of God. And to the degree that our knowledge is small or flawed, our joy will be a poor echo of God’s true excellence.

The experience of Israel in Nehemiah 8:12 is a paradigm of how God-glorifying joy happens in the heart. Ezra had read the word of God to them and the Levites had explained it. And then the people went away “to make great rejoicing.”

Their great rejoicing was because they had understood words — the true words of God. 

Most of us have tasted this experience of the heart burning with joy when the word of God was opened to us (Luke 24:32). Twice Jesus said that he taught his disciples for the sake of their joy.

John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

John 17:13, “These things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

And what we mainly see in the word is the Lord himself — God himself — offering himself to be known and enjoyed. “The Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:21).

The point is that if our joy is going to reflect the glory of God, then it must flow from true knowledge of how God is glorious. If we are going to enjoy God duly, we must know him truly.

GOD’S CONCEPT OF PROSPERITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 06, 2023.

SUBJECT : GOD’S CONCEPT OF PROSPERITY!

Memory verse: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1 vs 8.)

READ: Genesis 39 vs 1 - 3:

39:1: And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down here.

39:2: And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

39:3: And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

INTIMATION:

The dictionary definition of prosperity is the state of being prosperous; successful; good fortune; thriving; affluent; wealth. In our contemporary world, prosperity is viewed and acknowledged as the state of economic well-being: having money, possessions, and wealth. But God's concept of prosperity and good success does not connote the state of economic well-being. It is a function of obedience to God's laws, being strong and courageous to follow God's leading, and constantly reading, studying and meditating on God's Word to ensure you observe them. However, economic well-being can be an aftermath of functioning in God's concept of prosperity. 

In the passage we read today, Joseph, a slave in Potiphar's house, was noted in the Scriptures as a successful and prosperous man. His master saw that all he did prospered in his hands. All these were possible because the Lord was with him. Not because he had a flourishing business, money, or possessions. He, however, feared God, and was obedient to God’s laws. Therefore, prosperity and success are the aftermath of our relationship with God. It is embedded in our obedience to God's laws.

Many people think that prosperity and success come from having money, possessions, wealth, power and so on, hence their relentless desire to get ahead in pursuance of these things. But the strategy for prosperity that God is teaching us from the anchor Scripture goes against such criteria. For God it means being controlled by Him. Therefore, to be prosperous and have good success, you must obey the rules of living found in God's laws, be strong and courageous to obey, and follow His leading. You may not succeed by the world's standards, but you will be a success in God's eyes, and His opinion is final and lasts forever.

Often we can't see what the results or benefits of following God will be, but certainly the results are being prosperous and having good success. So, when you are not certain what to do, obedience to what God has revealed in the Scriptures is the only sure step we can take. So, resolve to set aside time each day to read and meditate on God's Word. Remind yourself of God's words day and night. Act today upon what you know God has said, and He will assure your success in carrying out His purposes, and living for Him.

Instances abound in the Scriptures of those that were prosperous and had good success by obeying God and following His leading. Our father in the faith, Abraham, through obedience became the friend to God, and was blessed in all things: "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord blessed Abraham in all things." (Genesis 24 vs 1.) Obedience to God's laws and following His leading is the panacea to failure.

The most valuable thing in life is your relationship with God, and this is cost-free. He has given us the biggest gift to humanity, that is the "gift of salvation." The onus is on us to avail ourselves of this awesome privilege since God has freely given us the opportunity to accept the gift and the attendant reconciliation with Him through our Messiah Jesus Christ. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. Give me the grace to abide in Your word always that I may please You and enjoy the aftermath of making my way prosperous and having good success in this life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Seven Sources of Joy

 

In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. (2 Corinthians 7:4)

What is extraordinary about Paul is how unbelievably durable his joy was when things weren’t going well.

Where did this come from?

First of all it was taught by Jesus: “Blessed are you when people hate you. . . . Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6:22–23). Troubles for Jesus compound your interest in heaven — which lasts a lot longer than earth.

Second, it comes from the Holy Spirit, not our own efforts or imagination or family upbringing. “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy” (Galatians 5:22). “You received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

Third, it comes from belonging to the kingdom of God. “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

Fourth, it comes through faith, that is, from believing God. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). “I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25).

Fifth, it comes from seeing and knowing Jesus as Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

Sixth, it comes from fellow believers who work hard to help us focus on these sources of joy, rather than deceitful circumstances. “We work with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24).

Seventh, it comes from the sanctifying effects of tribulations. “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4).

If we are not yet like Paul when he says, “I am overflowing with joy,” he calls us to be. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). And for most of us this is a call to earnest prayer. Because a life of joy in the Holy Spirit is a supernatural life.

LIFE IN CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 05, 2023.

SUBJECT: LIFE IN CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE!

Memory verse: ”I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14 vs 6). 

READ: Romans 8 vs 1 - 4:

8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

8:3: For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

8:4: that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

INTIMATION:

When we have Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and right living. He alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life because He is life. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. No Christian needs anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved: “And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4 vs 12). 

Jesus, as the way, is our path to the Father, and no one can be saved outside the atonement that has been provided by Jesus on the cross. As the truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises. He is the revelation of the grace that proceeded from God for the salvation of all men. As the life, He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally. In order to have life throughout eternity one must come into a covenant relationship with Jesus (Ephesians 1 vs 3).

Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. He alone can free us from eternal bondage to Satan. He alone has the power and authority to set us free from sin’s control. Believers don’t have to fear death or Hades because Christ holds the keys of both. All we must do is to turn from sin and turn to Him in faith. When we attempt to control our lives and disregard God, we set a course that leads directly to hell. But when we place our life in Christ’s hands, He restores us now and resurrects us later to an eternal, and peaceful relationship with Him.

The Scripture says, “For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.“ (Colossians 2 vs 9 - 10). In union with Christ and through His empowering Spirit, we are complete. We have all the fullness of God, expressed only in Christ, available to us. Those who are in Christ are spiritually complete for God’s eternal purpose to create beings with characters that are fit for eternal dwelling. They are complete because of the grace of God. 

But we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer as we daily live in and for Him. A strange and often hard-to-identify inner vacuum gives most people an uneasy sense of incompleteness. Christ fills that vacuum! You can ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of your life to the fullest. In our lives, some days may not feel like it, but in Jesus, the vacuum is gone; the full power and presence of God have taken up residence in your mind and heart. You are a new person, equipped for life and satisfied in God. Take some risks—God will guide you. Give more generously—God will supply. Love more freely—God will energize you. Say “can do” more often—God will amaze you. 

When we are united with Christ, life takes on both immediate and eternal dimensions. The life in Christ Jesus is the life that Jesus gives immediately to those who trust Him, as well as the life fully realized in eternity. The Scripture says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17). So new life begins at conversion. Yet on the other hand, we groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8 vs 23). The present experience we enjoy provides a foretaste of our complete redemption at Christ’s return. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You, most gracious Lord, for the gift of Your only begotten Son to the world as a propitiation for our sins. In Him we have redemption through His blood and the remission of our sins. I commit my entire life to Him as my personal Lord and Savior. Give me the grace to live for Him and in Him all the days of my life, in Jesus’ great Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

A Dangerous Motive

 

“Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. (Romans 11:35–36)

When it comes to obedience, gratitude is a dangerous motive. It tends to get expressed in debtor’s terms. For example, “Look how much God has done for you. Shouldn’t you, out of gratitude, do much for him?” Or, “You owe God everything that you are and have. What have you done for him in return?”

I have at least three problems with this kind of motivation.

First, it is impossible to pay God back for all the grace he has given us. We can’t even begin to pay him back, because Romans 11:35–36 says, “‘Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid?’ [Answer: Nobody!] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.” We can’t pay him back because he already owns all we have to give him — including all our efforts.

Secondly, even if we succeeded in paying him back for all his grace to us, we would only succeed in turning grace into a business transaction. If we can pay him back, it was not grace. If someone tries to show you a special favor of love by having you over for dinner, and you end the evening by saying that you will pay them back by having them over next week, you nullify their grace and turn it into a trade. God does not like to have his grace nullified. He likes to have it glorified (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

Thirdly, focusing on gratitude as a motive for obedience tends to overlook the crucial importance of having faith in God’s future grace. Gratitude looks back to grace received in the past and feels thankful. Faith looks forward to grace promised in the future — whether five minutes from now or five centuries from now — and feels hopeful. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1).

This faith in future grace is the motive for obedience that preserves the gracious quality of human obedience. Obedience does not consist in paying God back and thus turning grace into a trade. Obedience comes from trusting in God for more grace — future grace — and thus magnifying the infinite resources of God’s love and power. Faith looks to the promise, I will be “with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9), and ventures, in obedience, to take the land.

DEALING WITH SIN THAT EASILY ENSNARES YOU!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MAY 04, 2023.

SUBJECT: DEALING WITH SIN THAT EASILY ENSNARES YOU!

Memory verse: ”Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12 vs 1). 

READ: Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 4:

12:1: Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

12:2: looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

12:3: For consider Him who endured such hostility of sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

12:4: You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

INTIMATION:

The Christian life involves hard work. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. True Christian life is a battle against the filthiness of the flesh and the spirit; ensuring we are cleansed—turning away from sin, and turning toward God. The things that are in this world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life, easily ensnares believers. To live effectively, we must lay aside every weight and sin which easily ensnares us, keeping our eyes on Jesus. In the wilderness, Satan also tempted Jesus away from His destiny through the same lusts and pride. He tempts all people today through the same means in order to draw people away from God. 

Following the carnal desires of the flesh, to live after our selfish ambitions, and satisfy the desires of our flesh, is one of the sins that easily ensnares us. We must always choose between the will of God and our own will. We must discipline our bodies and bring it into subjection to the will of God. In the world there are temptations that are produced wherein one is drawn away from the love of God to satisfy the desires of the flesh in an ungodly manner. Resist such temptations with all your stamina, and seek the Holy Spirit help. 

The starting point of dealing with sins that easily ensnare us is self-discipline. It requires an honest look at your strength and weaknesses, with emphasis on the later. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage, and the like, and (3) say no to laziness in favor of ‘can do’ and ‘will do.” Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. Recognize your weak points and guard against breaking at them. It takes determination and prayers for Holy Spirit guidance or leading to redirect weakness into strength. 

Christians should not relish their sinful past—remembering or memorizing their sinful past lifestyle—which can have great urge to go back to the old ways. We have all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because of our hope in Christ, we can let go of the past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don’t dwell on your past. Where possible, relinquish any relationships that can take you back the old paths, including anything that can call the old days back to memory. Make a strong commitment to break away from that past, including refusing contacts such as phone calls from such partners in crime. 

To run the race that God has set before us, we must also strip off the excess weight that slows us down. How can we do that? (1) Choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. Make wiser choices. (2) Drop certain activities that culminates into weight for you. Try dropping them for a while; then check the results in your life. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. If you have a secret “weight” such as pornography, gambling, social media chats and friendships, alcohol, etc. admit your need and get help today. 

Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we think we can never please God with our life. God knows our imperfections hence His sending His Sin as a propitiation for us. However, He expects us to mature or be complete in our Christian race, not flawless in every detail. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit’s power, knowing that Christ will reveal and fill in any discrepancies between what we are and what we should be. Christ’s provision is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven.

All sin hinders one’s faithfulness in running the Christian race. One must be actively consistent and enduring in the race. If one is not actively engaged in the race, then he or she is in a state of falling away. The Christian must look forward to the glory that is yet to be revealed (Romans 8 vs 18). His hope of heaven should be strong enough to motivate him to remain in the race regardless of the sufferings of the present world. One’s physical life is surely of little value in comparison to the eternal life that one will receive in the presence of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to deal with the sin that easily ensnares me. Help me to run with stamina and vigor the Christian race that I may receive the crown of glory prepared for those who endured to the end, in Jesus’ great Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Ask Forgiveness

 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9)

I recall hearing one of my professors in seminary say that one of the best tests of a person’s theology was the effect it has on our prayers. 

This struck me as true because of what was happening in my own life. Noël and I had just been married and we were making it our practice to pray together each evening. I noticed that during the biblical courses which were shaping my theology most profoundly, my prayers were changing dramatically. 

Probably the most significant change in those days was that I was learning to make my case before God on the ground of his glory. Beginning with “Hallowed be Thy name” and ending with “In Jesus’s name” meant that the glory of God’s name was the goal and the ground of everything I prayed. 

And what a strength came into my life when I learned that praying for forgiveness should be based not only on an appeal to God’s mercy, but also on an appeal to his justice in crediting the worth of his Son’s obedience. God is faithful and just and will forgive your sins (1 John 1:9).

In the New Testament, the basis of all forgiveness of sins is revealed more clearly than it was in the Old Testament, but the basis, namely, God’s commitment to his name, does not change. 

Paul teaches that the death of Christ demonstrated God’s righteousness in passing over sins, and vindicated God’s justice in justifying the ungodly who bank on Jesus and not themselves (Romans 3:25–26). 

In other words, Christ died once for all to clear the name of God in what looks like a gross miscarriage of justice — the acquittal of guilty sinners simply for Jesus’s sake. But Jesus died in such a way that forgiveness “for Jesus’s sake” is the same as forgiveness “for the sake of God’s name.” There is no miscarriage of justice. God’s name, his righteousness, his justice is vindicated in the very act of providing such a God-honoring sacrifice. 

As Jesus said as he faced that last hour, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (John 12:27–28). That is exactly what he did — so that he might be both just and the justifier of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26).