SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY AUGUST 11, 2023.

SUBJECT : SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURITY!

Memory verse: "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 4 vs 26 - 29:

4:26: And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground;

4:27: and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

4:28: For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 

4:29: But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

INTIMATION:

Spiritual growth can be compared to human’s need for food, occasioned by hunger, and the process of farming for food production. No human can survive without food, and hunger drives them to feed. First, the human’s need for food necessitates the farming to produce food. The farmer procures the land, and clears the land for cultivation. The ridges are done, the seeds are planted. Then the farmer waters the plants, and adds nutrients (for example Fertilizer) as the case may be. Weeds grow in the farm and the plants grow among the weeds. The farmer weeds the farm, and tends the plants to maturity. The plants mature and bear fruits, and the fruits are harvested. 

Christ is the farmer, and invades our lives at conversion. When we open our lives, He plants the seed of the Word in our hearts (Luke 8 vs 11). While some open their lives to Him the first time He knocks on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive. The moment we open ourselves to Christ (the farmer), He secures the land, which is our heart, for planting of the seed. The land is cleared, and ridges made. There are a lot more work of watering, weeding, and tending the farm that has to be done. 

Yes, you have given your heart, but a lot more of your life are yet to be surrendered to Him. God is not worried that you have given as much as you understand at that moment. Once Christ has entered, clears the land, makes the ridges, and plants the seed, He begins the process of watering, weeding, and tending to get the best of you. Though there will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt. God has promised that ‘He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.’ (Philippians 1 vs 6.) God promises that His harvest will be magnificent and prolific—the best fruit ever grown. 

Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger and thirst. The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls. God allows hunger in our lives to make us look for food (His provision). Hunger is tantamount to the problems God allows in our lives, to make us always come back to Him. The life's challenges usually "soften us up," and reminds us of our need for Him. 

The maturity of the believer is tantamount to one’s conforming to Christ, and becoming the disciples of Christ, and bearing fruits after His type, our type. Christlikeness is our eventual destination, but the journey involves a lot of activities. These activities start with our believing through worship, belonging to Him through fellowship, and becoming like Him through discipleship. Every day God wants you to become a little more like Him. 

It is easy to grow impatient with God and feel like giving up hope because things are moving too slowly. When we are close to a situation, it is difficult to see progress. But when we look back, we can see that God never stopped working. We should always do spiritual checkups on ourselves. We should look for a growing awareness of Christ’s presence and power in our lives. If we’re not actually seeking to grow closer to God, we are drawing farther away from Him. Your witness may be weak and your efforts may seem to have slow or small influence, but the Word of God is a powerful growth agent. Keep your eyes on the great harvest to come and don’t let bad soil or weeds discourage you from faithful service and witness.

To help you spiritual growth process, think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. Perhaps you need to intensify your study and find helps that provide more substance. Perhaps you need to grow by engaging in new areas of service that express your faith. Seek God for how He would help you keep growing in your faith.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the seed of Your Word being planted in my heart daily. I sincerely desire the Holy Spirit’s leading and tending to the seed to germinate, grow and nurture, that it may produce fruit after the likeness of Christ. As the fruit abide, my joy will be full in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE BLESSED OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 10, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE BLESSED OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Blessed are you who hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now: for you shall laugh." (Luke 6 Acts vs 21.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 3 - 12:

5:3: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5:5: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

5:6: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

5:7: Blessed are the merciful , for they shall obtain mercy.

5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

5:10: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5:11: Blessed are you, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake.

5:12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

INTIMATION:

Jesus, in the longest recorded sermon, described the traits He was looking for in His followers. He said that God blesses those who live out those traits. Each beatitude is an almost direct contradiction of society’s typical way of life. In the last beatitude, Jesus even points out that a serious effort to develop these traits is bound to create opposition. The best example of each trait is found in Jesus Himself. If our goal is to become like Him, applying the beatitudes will challenge the way we live each day.

Each beatitudes tells how to be blessed by God. Blessed means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s kingdom. The Beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. Being “blessed” by God means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what is the cost.

The “Poor in spirit”—not proud, conceited, or arrogant are blessed. This character trait clashes with the worldly values of pride and personal independence. We must recognize our humanity, spiritual poverty, and destitution (Romans 7 vs 24 - 25). We must empty ourselves of self-reliance and learn to be humble before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, and consequently are blessed.

Mourning here is grieving over spiritual poverty and sinfulness. The humble person recognizes his or her spiritual poverty, and thus mourns over his or her inadequacies before God. This character trait clashes with the worldly value of happiness at all cost. 

The meek—lowly, mild, gentle, unselfish , not arrogant or self-seeking, will inherit the earth in the sense that they will enjoy the greatest that life has to offer. Because they understand the brevity of life and the temporary nature of material things, their concentration of thought is on that which is above. This character trait clashes with the worldly value of seeking power, and materialism.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who realize their sinful condition and mourn over their sin, hunger and thirst after the justification that can come only from God by His grace. Such people seek the knowledge of God through His Word. It is the Word of God that will supply the knowledge of how to be justified of one’s sin. God is the source of righteousness. 

Those who are merciful sympathize, and have pity on others. They thus seek to relieve the suffering of others because God has had mercy on them in relation to their sin. Their mercy will reap mercy from God. This trait clashes with the worldly value of strength without feeling.

The “Pure in heart” are sincere, without guile or a vile heart of evil motives, and do not seek to find evil on others. They will understand the pure nature of God, and thirst after such purity. This trait clashes with the worldly value of deception.

Peacemakers are those who recognize their own sinfulness and seek peace of mind with others. Such are sons of God for they portray the spirit of God in their relationship with others. They are not contentious, nor do they have a spirit to argue with others. This character trait clashes with the worldly value of personal peace being pursued without concern for the world’s chaos.

God’s way of living usually contradicts the world’s. If you want to live for God, you must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. You must be willing to give when others take, to love what others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up your own rights in order to serve others, you will one day receive everything God has in store for you.

Rejoice is the attitude of those who truly understand the inner nature of the Christian life. They are able to rejoice in persecution for they know that life exists beyond this world. The fact that you are being persecuted proves that you have been faithful, faithless people would be unnoticed. In the future God will reward the faithful by receiving them Into His eternal kingdom, where there is no more persecution. 

The Beatitudes are a standard of conduct for all believers. They contrast kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary). These Beatitudes are not multiple choice—pick what you like and leave the rest. They are interwoven and must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like as Christ’s followers.

Prayer: Abba Father, by You all things consist. Give me the grace to manifest the character traits after the order of our Messiah Jesus Christ that I may be blessed, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Have Mercy on Me, O God

 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1)

Three times: “Have mercy,” “according to your steadfast love,” and “according to your abundant mercy.” 

This is what God had promised in Exodus 34:6–7:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”

David knew that there were guilty who would not be forgiven. And there were guilty who by some mysterious work of redemption would not be counted as guilty, but would be forgiven. Psalm 51 is his way of laying hold on that mystery of mercy.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” We know more of the mystery of this redemption than David did. We know Christ. But we lay hold of the mercy in the same way he did. 

The decisive thing he does is turn, helpless, to the mercy and love of God. Today that means turning, helpless, to Christ, whose blood secures all the mercy we need.

The End of the Gospel

 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:9–11)

What do we need to be saved from? Verse 9 states it clearly: the wrath of God. “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” But is that the highest, best, fullest, most satisfying prize of the gospel?

No. Verse 10 says “much more . . . shall we be saved by his life.” Then verse 11 takes it all the way up to the ultimate end and goal of the gospel: “more than that, we also rejoice in God.” 

That is the final and highest good of the good news. There is not another “more than that” after that. There is only Paul’s saying how we got there, “through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

The end of the gospel is “we rejoice in God.” The highest, fullest, deepest, sweetest good of the gospel is God himself, enjoyed by his redeemed people. 

God in Christ became the price (Romans 5:6–8), and God in Christ became the prize (Romans 5:11).

The gospel is the good news that God bought for us the everlasting enjoyment of God.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 09, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth)." @

(Ephesians 5 vs 9.) 

READ: Galatians 5 vs 22 - 25:

5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

5:23: gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

5:24: And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires.

5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

INTIMATION

The fruit of the Spirit is generated in the life of the one who lives after the principle of loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and his neighbor as himself. Those who have turned from depending on themselves, have turned to depend on the direction of God. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in the lives of those who seek direction from God for moral attitudes and behavior. This is a manifestation of those whose lives are motivated by thanksgiving. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of one’s recognition of God’s grace in his or her life. It is the result of recognizing God’s mercy and therefore, presenting oneself a living sacrifice (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2). 

The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to His: We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbors.

As we study through the fruit of the Spirit, it is significant to note that love is the foundation upon which all the qualities of the fruit are built. If one loves his neighbor as himself, then he will bring forth in his life these characteristics of godly behavior. One fruit leads to another. We begin with love. The result of love is joy, then peace with our neighbor then longsuffering. 

God reached out to humanity with agape (love), that is, His grace was unconditional. We did not earn it. When one recognizes this degree of love, he will in turn express such to others. Love then becomes the foundation upon which we establish relationships with others. Love produces joy, for in giving unconditional love to others, the serendipity, or result, is joy in one’s own heart. The natural result of joy is peace in one’s heart, and also peace with others. 

The natural result of peace with God, because of His mercy and grace is, our own longsuffering and mercy toward others. This is the capacity to patiently endure with the faults of others. Then kindness is the inner gentle nature of the individual that is produced as a result of dependence on the grace of God. When one loves his neighbor he will seek to be kind in attitude toward his neighbor in order to guard the peace that exists between himself and his neighbor. 

Kindness then leads to doing good to our neighbor. The outward expression of inner kindness is doing good toward others. Since God was faithful in saving us by grace, recognition of such will produce faithfulness toward our fellow man. We become committed to our neighbor because we have developed a relationship that is based on love of one another. 

The spiritual nature of the saved is characterized by a meek or gentle attitude toward others. The meek is courteous and considerate of their neighbors. Gentleness refers to one’s ability to control outbursts of emotion in order to guard the relationship of peace that we have with our neighbor. The gentle person is in control of his being. Therefore, the natural result of the gentle person is self-control and self-discipline when it comes to maintaining the loving relationship we have established with others.

Law does not work against the preceding qualities, or those who possess them. In fact, the one who behaves after the fruit of the Spirit does not need law to tell him how he should behave in relation to his neighbor. Love motivates him to be considerate in all things in his relationship with others. The foundation upon which law stands is love. Law governs our interaction with one another. Love of our neighbor motivates us to act in a lawful manner in our relationship with one another as the organic body in society.  

Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God’s law. A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart. 

If your desire is to have the qualities listed in 5 vs 22 - 23, then you know that the Holy Spirit is leading you. At the same time, be careful not to confuse your subjective feelings with the Spirit’s leading. Being led by the Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. Live each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.

Prayer: Abba Father, by Your faithfulness and mercy You gave us an Helper in the Person of the Holy Spirit m. My utmost heart desire is to be continually led by the Holy Spirit, and that I will have the qualities listed in the fruit of the Spirit manifested in my relationship with one another, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 08, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." (Galatians 5 vs 17.) 

READ: Galatians 5 vs 16 - 25:

5:16: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

5:18: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

5:19: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

5:20: Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

5:21: Envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and  the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

5:23: gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

5:24: And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires.

5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

INTIMATION

The ‘flesh’ is the meaty part of animal and human bodies, the human and weaker or carnal aspect of human nature as opposed to the spiritual or nobler part. While the ‘spirit’ is the invisible, nonmaterial part of human. The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and they are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. The flesh is selfish, and in it is rooted the sinful self-interest in us as humans. And this is at odds with the spirit because the spirit is incompatible with selfishness. 

In the Scripture we read today, the apostle Paul describes two forces fighting within us—the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature (our desires or inclinations that stem from the body). These forces, however, are not equal—the Holy Spirit is infinitely stronger. But if we rely on our own wisdom, we will make wrong choices. If we try to follow the Spirit by our own human effort, we will fail. Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit 

“Flesh lusts against the Spirit”: The life that is directed by the Spirit is opposed to the life that has been given over to fulfill the carnal desires of the flesh. Because of this, individuals must always choose between the will of God and their own will. Those who do not exercise self-discipline will eventually give themselves over to the work of the flesh.  

We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins, such as sexual immorality and demonic activities. They also include less obvious sins, such as hostility, jealousy, and selfish ambition. Those who ignore such sins or refuse  to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.

The Christian life is within the realm of the Spirit’s direction through the word of God. When we live according to the direction of God’s word, we are living in the Spirit. In order to be within the realm of the Spirit one must behave after the Spirit-inspired word of God, that is, “Walk in the Spirit.” The emphasis is on walking in a spiritual life after the spirit-inspired word as opposed to following the carnal desires of the flesh, or walking after a legal performance of law and works. Living after a spiritual manner is living after the direction of the Holy Spirit which He gives through the word of God (Hebrews 4 vs 12). 

Christians would not know how to behave themselves in a godly manner if they were not directed by the inspired instructions of the Bible. Therefore, credit for the spiritual life that is according to the word of God must go to the Spirit’s work of inspiration through the word of God. When one follows the inspired word, he or she truly walks in spirit. 

“Works of the flesh”: The apostle Paul gives a general list of those behavioral patterns of life that are considered desires of the carnal nature of man. These actions or works are in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit, that is, the product that comes forth from the one who is dependent on God. In the flesh is no good thing (Romans 7 vs 18). The flesh produces dead works (Hebrews 9 vs 14). Those who are living after the flesh are not pleasing God (Romans 8 vs 8). Therefore, we should not feed the flesh with that which it desires (Romans 13 vs 14). 

“Led by the Spirit”: Those who seek a spiritual relationship with God will seek God’s direction through the inspired word of God. Those who are led by the Spirit depend on GOD. They depend on God for salvation because they realize that they cannot keep law perfectly. Walking after the flesh brings condemnation because no man can behave in a manner to be justified before God through works of law. The system of justification by perfect law-keeping and meritorious deeds brings condemnation because it is a denial of the sufficiency of the grace of God. However, grace and faith bring life because God’s grace saves. Grace motivates obedience to law, and thus, law is established in the life of the obedient. 

Have you ever worried about whether or not you are really a Christian? A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God living in him or her. If you have sincerely trusted Christ for your salvation and acknowledged Him as Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives within you and you are a Christian. You can be assured that you have the Holy Spirit because Jesus promised that He would send Him. Since you now believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that eternal life comes through Him, you will begin to act as Christ directs. You will find help in your daily problems and in your praying; you will be empowered to serve God and do His will.

Prayer: Abba Father, by Your mercy and grace You have saved us and adopted us as Your children. O Lord, the privilege of sonship I will never take for granted. My utmost heart desire is to serve You acceptably; being a vessel of honor in Your handsaw as to accomplish all You have purposed for me here on earth with the spirit of obedience to Your will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Ruler of All Nature

 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. (Proverbs 16:33)

In modern language we would say, “The dice are rolled on the table, and every play is decided by God.” 

In other words, there are no events so small that he does not rule them for his purposes. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” Jesus said. “And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:29–30). 

Every roll of the dice in Las Vegas, every tiny bird that falls dead in a thousand forests — all of this is God’s command. 

In the book of Jonah, God commands a fish to swallow a man (1:17), he commands a plant to grow for shade (4:6), and he commands a worm to kill it (4:7). 

And far above the life of fish and worms, the stars take their place and hold their place at God’s command. 

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

How much more, then, the natural events of this world — from weather to disasters to disease to disability to death.

His law he enforces;

the stars in their courses

and sun in its orbit obediently shine;

the hills and the mountains,

the rivers and fountains,

the deeps of the ocean

proclaim him divine.

(“Let All Things Now Living,” Katherine Davis)

Let us therefore stand in awe and be at peace, knowing that no natural event is outside of God’s wise and good purposes, and perfect control.