MONEY IS BOTH A TRUST AND A TEST FROM GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 16, 2023.

SUBJECT: MONEY IS BOTH A TRUST AND A TEST FROM GOD! 

Memory verse: "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16 vs 11.)

READ: Luke 16 vs 9 - 13:

16:9: And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

16:10: He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

16:11: Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

16:12: And If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

16:13: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

INTIMATION:

All we have are gifts from God. He has entrusted to our care and management all that we have. These include our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, possessions, and what is more, are all gifts from God. We are stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. 

The greatest test and trust God put before us is money, hence one quarter of the teachings of Christ during His earth walk was on money. Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God, and the greatest. God uses money or finances to teach us to trust Him. He watches how we use money, and also how trustworthy we are with the money available to us. 

God says there is a direct relationship between how you use your money and the quality of your spiritual life. How you manage your money ("worldly wealth") determines how much God can trust you with spiritual blessings ("true riches"). Let me ask you: “Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can you be trusted with spiritual riches?”

Our use of money is a good test of the lordship of Christ in our lives. It’s noteworthy that money belongs to God, not us; let us use our money wisely. Also money can be used for good or evil; let us use ours for good. Again money has a lot of power; let us use it carefully and thoughtfully. We must use our material goods in a way that will foster faith and obedience to God. If we use our money to help those in need or to help others find Christ, our earthly investment will bring eternal benefit. When we obey God’s Will, the unselfish use of our possessions will follow. 

Money is a trust and a test from God. Now, how do you treasure your money? The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use it for God's purposes, not how much you can accumulate for yourself. How freely can you help others with your money? How much of God's love touches your wallet? If you can freely help others, and God’s love hugely touches your wallet, then you are storing up lasting treasures in heaven. 

The greatest lesson in the passage we read today is in Luke 16 vs 9, Jesus said, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” The shrewd and unjust steward was even commended by the master, because he had dealt shrewdly by making friends with possessions entrusted with him. 

Jesus noted that “The sons of this world (the unbelievers) are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light (believers or Christians)” (Luke 16 vs 8). How? The unbelievers are a lot more better than Christians at making friends with their possessions. Philanthropy (goodwill toward mankind, voluntary promotion of human welfare) is far much practiced by unbelievers than Christians in our society. But this is an error; Christians, as followers of Christ, should be better stewards of the resources God entrusted them with. They should be selfless rather than being selfish. 

God blesses you so as to be a blessing to others. God said to Abraham, "...I will bless you; and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12 vs 2). This is a very important truth. How then do you manage the blessings God entrusted with you? Are you serving Him with them? Are you blessing others with your talent, money, possessions, etc., or are you greedy and selfish with them? 

Money has the power to take God's place in your life. It can become your master. We live in a materialistic society where people serve money. They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their desire for money and what it can buy far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. They become slaves to money.

It is also important to note that our integrity is often put in line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details we could easily ignore. Heaven’s riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little we have), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s kingdom. See that you maintain your integrity in all matters, whether big or small. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to properly and effectively manage Your resources entrusted with me, that I may earn Your approval, and enter into Your rest, in Jesus’ most precious Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE THANKFUL ALWAYS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 15, 2023.

SUBJECT: BE THANKFUL ALWAYS! 

Memory verse: "In everything give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 18.) 

READ:  Read Psalm 92 vs 1 - 2; Ephesians 5 vs 20:

Psalm 9:1: It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;

92:2: To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,

Ephesians 5:20: Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

INTIMATION:

We have learned that every good thing that comes to us in this life comes by the grace of God. I believe that until we recognize this truth, we will never be the kind of thankful, and grateful people God desires us to be.

Often times, in giving thanks, we focus on our blessings and express our gratitude to God for them. But thanks should be on our lips every time. We can never say thank you enough to our parents, how much more to God. When thanksgiving becomes an integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving, and humble.

The Scripture expressly states that in all things God works for our good if we love Him and are the called by Him (Romans 8 vs 28). God is perfect, and takes His time to prepare the called to serve appropriately His preplanned purposes. The preparation involves experiencing troubles, or difficulties, or rejection, and so on. Rest assured that such experiences are for His purpose.

Are you experiencing tribulations, or afflictions, perils, or distress, or persecution, or rejection? Whatever you are experiencing, thank God, not for your problems but for the strength He is building in you through the difficult experiences of your life. You can be sure that God’s perfect love will see you through, and at the end, you will be justified, and subsequently glorified, if you love Him, and are among the called by Him (Romans 8 vs 30).

Such experiences can come from anywhere, including your immediate family. You can suffer rejection from your spouse, your children, or parents, friends etc. God uses such to develop the needed qualities required for your service unto Him. Joseph suffered rejection, from his family, sold into slavery, put into prison for uncommitted offense, forgotten by those he helped, but at the long run God justified and glorified him that he became a Prime Minister in a great foreign country at his time.

Therefore, we should thank God, not for everything that happens to us but give Him thanks in everything. Evil does not come from God, so we should not thank Him for it. But when evil strikes, we can still be thankful for God’s presence and strength, and for the good that He will accomplish through the distress.

God's attitude is that if His people really believe Him, then no matter what happens in life they will know that He is big enough to handle it and to make it work out for their good, if they continue to have faith in Him. God desires a thankful people, not a murmuring, grumbling, fault-finding, complaining people. Joy and peace are found in believing, not in murmuring, grumbling, fault-finding, or complaining.

We can even develop a demanding attitude in our relationship with the Lord. We can get to the point that we become upset and aggravated when the Lord doesn't "come across" with everything we think we are entitled to "as King's kids." As His children, we do have rights, and we have an inheritance, but a humble attitude is a "must." Without humility, we will be unappreciative and presumptuous. You and I have multitudinous opportunities to complain on a regular basis. But all complaining does is open the door for the enemy. It doesn't solve problems; it just creates a breeding ground for greater problems. 

Let's learn to respond to the help we are already getting from our ‘Helper,’ the Holy Spirit, which actually we don't deserve, by developing an attitude of being always thankful. This is not just an occasional word of thanks, but a continual lifestyle of thanksgiving. The person who has developed an "attitude of thankfulness" is one who is thankful and grateful for every single thing that God is doing in his or her life day by day.

Prayer: Abba Father, my help comes from You, Who made heaven and the earth. I will forever be grateful for all You have done, and is doing, and is yet to do. Even when it seems that there is nothing to give thanks for, I will thank You for the privilege of my adoption as Your son, and for the gift of life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Is Meekness?

 

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

Meekness begins when we put our trust in God. Then, because we trust him, we commit our way to him. We roll onto him our anxieties, our frustrations, our plans, our relationships, our jobs, our health.

And then we wait patiently for the Lord. We trust his timing and his power and his grace to work things out in the best way for his glory and for our good.

The result of trusting God, and the rolling of our anxieties onto God, and waiting patiently for him is that we don’t give way to quick and fretful anger. But instead, we give place to wrath and hand our cause over to God and let him vindicate us if he chooses.

And then, as James says, in this quiet confidence we are slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19). We become reasonable and open to correction (James 3:17). James calls this “the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).

Meekness loves to learn. And it counts the corrective blows of a friend as precious (Proverbs 27:6). And when it must say a critical word to a person caught in sin or error, it speaks from the deep conviction of its own fallibility and its own susceptibility to sin and its utter dependence on the grace of God (Galatians 6:1).

The quietness and openness and vulnerability of meekness is very beautiful and very painful. It goes against all that we are by our sinful nature. It requires supernatural help.

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ — if you trust him and commit your way to him and wait patiently for him — God has already begun to help you and will help you even more.

And the primary way that he will help you is to assure your heart that you are a fellow heir of Jesus Christ and that the world and everything in it is yours (1 Corinthians 3:21–23). The meek inherit the earth.

GOD DESIRES YOUR FRIENDSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 14, 2023.

SUBJECT: GOD DESIRES YOUR FRIENDSHIP! 

Memory verse: "But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 9 vs 24.)

READ: Jeremiah 9 vs 23 - 24; John 15 vs 13 - 15:

Jeremiah 9:23: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

9:24: But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD.

John 15:13:Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

15:14: You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

15:15: No longer do I call you servants; for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard of My Father I have made known to you. 

INTIMATION:

The realization of the various aspects of your relationship with God makes you get committed to Him. He is your Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Faithful Companion, Redeemer, Father, Savior, and much more. But the most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend! 

From creation, God plan is to be in constant fellowship with man. In the garden of Eden we see God's ideal relationship with us: Adam and Eve enjoyed daily visitation of the Lord, due to His quest for an intimate relationship with them. There were no rituals, ceremonies, or religion; just a simple loving relationship between God and the people He created. While unhindered by sin, Adam and Eve delighted in God, and He delighted in them.

God is known in His creation, and He is close to every one of us. But He is not trapped in His creation—He is supernatural. God is the Creator, not the created. This means that God is sovereign and in control, while at the same time He is close and personal. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure. 

We were made to live in God's continual presence, but after the ‘Fall,’ that ideal relationship was lost due to sin. Only a few people in Old Testament times had the privilege of friendship with God. Moses and Abraham were called "friends of God" (Exodus 33 vs 11 & 17; James 2 vs 23), David was called "a man after [God's] own heart" (Acts 13 vs 22), and Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate friendship with God (Job 29 vs 4; Genesis 5 vs 22; 6 vs 8). But fear of God, not friendship, was more common in the Old Testament.

Then Jesus changed the situation. When He paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available. Unlike the Old Testament priests who had to spend hours preparing to meet God, we can now approach God anytime.

Friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. He called His disciples—and, by extension, all of His followers—His friends (John 15 vs 15). He has called you to be His friend and desires this kind of relationship with you. The Bible, in Second Corinthians 5 vs 18 says, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." God actually is reconciling us to the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity. The Bible, in First John 1 vs 3, says, "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." 

The Scripture in Romans 5 vs 1 - 2 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” As believers we now have entered into a place of undeserved privilege. Not only has God declared us not guilty, He has drawn us close to Himself. Instead of being enemies, we have become His friends—in fact His own children.

The apostle Paul, in Second Corinthians 13 vs 14, concludes his letter to the saints in Corinth by reminding them (and us as well) of the communion and fellowship with the Trinity; "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

Your opinion of God makes it difficult for many to understand why He would want us to be close friends, but the Bible, in Exodus 34 vs 14 says, "For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." God is jealous of sharing your fellowship with any other, indicating how you are valued and wanted by Him. He deeply desires that we know Him intimately.

If any wants to boast, they should boast that they know and understand Him. These are the things that please the Lord. God puts a higher priority on knowing Him personally and living a life that reflects His justice and righteousness, over and above every other things we do. What do you want people to admire most about you? Mine is my relationship with my Maker.

Prayer: Abba Father, I thank You for the privilege of Your friendship with me. I cannot find a friend so faithful; all my sins and griefs You bear, and has given me the great privilege to carry everything to You in prayer. How needless it is for me to bear any pains, or forfeit my peace by not committing everything in prayer to You. I have found my rest in You. May I never lose this privilege, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! The 

Ideas Have Consequences

 

The aim of our charge is love. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Victor Frankl was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau during the Second World War. As a Jewish professor of neurology and psychiatry he became world renowned for his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, which sold over eight million copies.

In it he unfolds the essence of his philosophy that came to be called Logotherapy — namely, that the most fundamental human motive is to find meaning in life. He observed in the horrors of the concentration camps that man can endure almost any “how” of life, if he has a “why.” But the quote that stirred me recently was this:

I am absolutely convinced that the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Maidanek were ultimately prepared not in some ministry or other in Berlin, but rather at the desks and in the lecture halls of nihilistic scientists and philosophers. (“Victor Frankl at Ninety: An Interview,” in First Things, April 1995, p. 41.)

In other words, ideas have consequences — consequences that bless or destroy. People’s behavior — good and bad — does not come out of nowhere. It comes from prevailing views of reality that take root in the mind and bring forth good or evil.

One of the ways that the Bible makes plain the truth that ideas have practical consequences is by saying things like, “Whatever was written in former days was written . . . [that] we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The ideas presented in the Scriptures produce the practical consequence of hope.

Again, Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love” (1 Timothy 1:5). The imparting of ideas through a “charge” or through “instruction” produces love.

Hope and love do not come from nowhere. They grow out of ideas — views of reality — revealed in the Scriptures.

Another way the Scriptures show us that ideas have consequences is by using the word “therefore” (1,039 times in the NASB). “Therefore” means that what follows comes from somewhere. For example, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Or: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Or: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34).

If we want to live in the power of these great practical “therefores,” we must be gripped by the ideas — the views of reality — that go before them and stand under them. Ideas have consequences. So, let’s bring all our ideas under the authority of God’s word.

At the Bottom of It All

 

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:4–5)

The experience of Charles Spurgeon is not beyond the ability of any ordinary Christian.

Spurgeon, who lived from 1834 to 1892, was a contemporary and friend of George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. He served the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for over thirty years as the most famous pastor of his day.

His preaching was so powerful that people were converted to Christ every week. His sermons are still in print today and he is held up by many as a model soul winner.

He recalls an experience when he was sixteen that shaped his life and ministry for the rest of his days.

When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this.

I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths [the doctrines of sovereign, overcoming grace] in my own soul — when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron, and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown, on a sudden, from a babe into a man — that I had made progress in Scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, that clue to the truth of God.

One weeknight, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher’s sermon, for I did not believe it.

The thought struck me, How did you come to be a Christian? I sought the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord? The truth flashed across my mind in a moment — I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so?

Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, “I ascribe my change wholly to God.”

What about you? Do you ascribe your conversion wholly to God? Is he the bottom of it all? Does this cause you to praise the glory of his sovereign, overcoming grace?

ASPIRE TO ATTAIN PERFECTION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 13, 2023.

SUBJECT: ASPIRE TO ATTAIN PERFECTION! 

Memory verse: "Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5 vs 48.)

READ: Second Corinthians 3 vs 18; First John 3 vs 2 - 3:

Second Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

First John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

3:3: And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

INTIMATION:

“Perfect” comes from the Greek word “Teleios” which signifies having reached its end, finished, or complete. It’s used primarily for a person’s physical development, then with ethical imports; fully grown, mature. It also, conveys the idea of goodness without necessary reference to maturity, but rather completeness in deeds.

For Christ, being perfect is bringing to an end by completing or accomplishing His earthly course in the accomplishment of His Father’s Will. This involves the successive stages culminating to His Death on the cross that made Him perfect legally and officially, for all that He would be to His people on the ground of His sacrifice.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus laid the foundation for our perfection in His Supreme sacrifice for us. The Bible, in Hebrews 10 vs 14, says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” We have been made perfect before the Father by His death for our sins, yet we are “being sanctified” (made holy). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ, once for all, made His believers perfect (complete) in God’s sight—holy and without blemish as planned by God from the beginning for His people. 

Jesus Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believers, is making us holy (progressively cleansed and set apart for His special use) in our daily pilgrimage here on earth. Daily we are being transformed into the image of God from one stage to another—“from glory to glory,” by the Holy Spirit. We should not be surprised, ashamed, or shocked that we have not attained perfection, and still need to grow. God is not finished with us. We can encourage this growth process by deliberately applying Scripture in all areas of our life, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving Him control of our desires and goals. Perfection or completeness will be attained at the second coming of Christ—“we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.”

All parts of our lives and character should be in the process of becoming conformed, both inwardly and outwardly, to God's standards. We should be like our Heavenly Father—holy in everything we do. After people commit their lives to Christ, they sometimes still feel a pull back to their old ways, nonetheless, we should aspire to be perfect just as He is.

Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for His special use and set apart from sin and its influence. We're to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. God's quality in our lives make us different. Our focus and priorities must be His. All these are in direct contrast to our old ways, we cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. 

How can we aspire to attain perfection? We do the following: 1. In character, we aspire to be like Christ. However, in this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible; 2. In holiness, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values just like the Pharisees. But unlike the Pharisees we are to be devoted to God's desires rather our own and carry His love and mercy into the world; 3. In maturity, we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once; 4. In love, we seek to love others as completely as God loves us. We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level—perfect yet with much room to grow. It’s noteworthy that our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ.

Christ calls all of His disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in every area, becoming like Him. Those who try to be perfect will one day be perfect even as Christ is perfect. By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him. In the gospel, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it. Through learning about Christ’s life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like. As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change. Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience, the more we follow Christ, the more we will be like Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Holy Sovereign God, and created me in Your own image and after Your likeness. Give me the grace to aspire to be like You in Christ—perfect, and without faults, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!