REJOICE ALWAYS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2023.

SUBJECT: REJOICE ALWAYS!

Memory verse: "Rejoice in the Lord always: Again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4 vs 4.)

READ: Isaiah 12 vs 3; First Thessalonians 5 vs 15:

Isaiah 12:3: Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

First Thessalonians 5:16: Rejoice always.

INTIMATION:

The nature or demeanor of the Christian life-style is one of rejoicing always. One result of the rejoicing life is gentleness or forbearance toward others. Every Christian should have a reputation for being a patient and longsuffering person toward the faults and weaknesses of others (Colossians 3 vs 12 - 15). If one is not forbearing, then his joy will be stolen away by his own impatience with others.  In areas of opinion, Christians should bear with one another’s differences.

Pessimistic and fatalistic attitudes should not be characteristic of the Christians. They should always rejoice because of their hope in the unchanging God whose promise cannot be changed because they come from the One who cannot lie (Numbers 23 vs 19). The Christian can have peace of mind because the promised rest that is yet to come is based on the unchangeable promise of God. 

Joy is a common theme in Christ’s teachings—He wants us to be joyful always. Joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God's love, and work in our lives. God is that there for us in all situations! Joy is lasting because it is based on God’s presence within us. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate relationship with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. 

The fullness of our joy comes from a consistent and intimate relationship with Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We abide in Christ by: (1) believing that He is God’s Son, (2) receiving Him as Savior and Lord, (3) doing what God says, (4) continuing to believe the gospel, and (5) relating in love to the community of believers—Christ’s Body. 

When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us levelheaded, no matter how high or low our circumstances. True joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstances. As we contemplate His daily presence, we will find contentment. 

For instance, the apostle Paul wrote our memory verse to the believers in Philippi while he was in prison. It is quite strange that a man in prison will be telling a church to rejoice. But his attitude teaches an important lesson, our inner attitude do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knows that no matter what happens to him, Jesus Christ was with him. 

If you are not joyful, you will never look at things in the right perspective. Ultimate joy comes from Christ indwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. He who lives within us will fulfill His final purposes for us. As we understand the future He has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God who controls circumstances.

To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the LORD, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed makes us delight in Him. And we will To commit ourselves to the LORD, entrusting everything—our lives, families, jobs, possessions—to His control and guidance. We are to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my everything. My joy is complete in You. My total confidence is in Your assured presence and fellowship with me always, Surely, Your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life as I dwell in Your presence forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE SELFLESS IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 05  2023. 

SUBJECT: BE SELFLESS IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS!

Memory verse: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2 vs 4.) 

READ: Romans 15 vs 1 - 3; First Corinthians 20 vs 24:

Romans 15:1: We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

15:2: Let each one of us please his neighbour for his good, leading to edification.

15:3: For even Christ did not please Himself; but, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

First Corinthians 10:24: Let no one seek his own, but each one the others’s well-being.

INTIMATION:

We are by nature selfish. Activities around us also encourages us to think of self. We are interested in being the first or the best as the world looks out for such people amongst us. Consequently, we are more interested in self than others. Considering others interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was an epitome of selflessness. Christ had every right to exalt His rights over those whom He had created, however, He lowered Himself to be the servant of man. When we care for the problems of others as if they are our problems, we demonstrate Christ’s example of putting others first—being selfless.

The Scriptural recommendation for all actions of believers is not to do what we like best, but what is best for those around us. The opposite approach would be (1) being insensitive and doing what we want, no matter who is hurt by it; (2) being over-sensitive and doing nothing, for fear that someone may be displeased; (3) being a "yes person" by going along with everything, trying to gain approval from people rather than from God. In this age of "me first" and "looking out for number one," the Scriptural recommendation is that we make the good of others one of our primary goals, and in so doing we develop a serving attitude that pleases God.

The only way we can make the paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence on God. Fortunately God doesn't leave us to struggle on our own. He has given us His Spirit to be our helper. The Bible, in First Corinthians 2 vs 12, says, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." God has given us His Spirit, and as believers, His Spirit indwells us enabling us not to think as the unbelievers of this world think.

The body of Christ is a community of people who have one another’s interest at heart in order to preserve themselves in a world of struggles. It is our responsibility as brothers in Christ to help one another. This is in fulfillment of the law of Christ which is to love one another (Galatians 6 vs 2). This law brings individuals together into a common bond and fellowship. And that is “faith working through love.” (Galatians 5 vs 6.) Christians come into a fellowship wherein they have responsibilities toward one another. They come into a fellowship of slaves who seek the best for others. They seek to edify one another in an environment of mutual love. 

Believers should guard against any selfishness, prejudice, or jealousy that might lead to dissension. Showing genuine interest in others is a positive step forward in maintaining unity among believers. We have freedom in Christ, but we shouldn’t exercise our freedom at the cost of hurting a Christian brother or sister. 

Some actions may not be wrong, but they may not be in the best interest of others. We are not to consider only ourselves; we must also consider the needs and perspective of others. When people live for themselves with little concern for how their actions affect others, the resulting moral rot contaminates the entire society. Are you part of the problem or the solution?

Now, in your soul winning drive, start asking the Holy Spirit to help you to think of the spiritual need of unbelievers whenever you talk to them. With practice you can develop the habit of praying silent "breath prayers" for those you encounter. Say, "Father, help me to understand what is keeping this person from knowing you." Your goal is to figure out where others are in their spiritual journey and then do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ. You can learn how to do this by adopting the mind-set of the apostle Paul, who said in First Corinthians 10 vs 33, "Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of selflessness and servanthood that I will put the interests of others first in all I do, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 04, 2023. 

SUBJECT: RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE TO ANSWERED PRAYER! 

Memory verse: ""A new commandment I gave to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13 vs 34.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 24 - 27:

7:24: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 

7:25: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

7:26: "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

7:27: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and heat on the house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

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INTIMATION:

Jesus gave the believers a new commandment to govern their new life in Him; that they should love one another as He loved them. Observing to do the new commandment is likened to building on the rock—a solid foundation. It means to be a hearing, responsible disciple, not a phony, superficial one. Practicing obedience becomes the solid foundation to weather the storms of life. 

The Sinai Law taught that one was to love his neighbor as himself (Leviticus 19 vs 18). One’s love of his neighbor, therefore, was based on his love of himself. However, Jesus emphasizes an intensity of love that is different; a love that has no conditions. It is a self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus simply acts out of a selfless attitude.

You also remembered that James speaking in his Book, James 1 vs 22, says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." The lover above is a doer of love. He lives in the love realm. It is not the old Phileo love, but the new kind of love that Jesus brought, "Agape" and so we love in deed and in reality. Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts when we stand before Him in prayer.

Let us now also join this to First John 5 vs 14 - 15, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us , whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." If we walk in love, we are walking according to His Will, and we will never pray out of His Will. And because we are walking according to His Will, He hears us, and the assurances of receiving our petition is therefore, given.

The apostle John gave two conditions upon which prayer is answered. (1) We must ask according to the will of God, for God does not work contrary to His will in answer to prayer. (2) We must ask upon the condition that we are obedient to His will, for God work’s through the lives of those who are carrying out His work in the world. If we ask of God on these two conditions, we can have confidence, or boldness that God will answer our prayers. We can have confidence that God will work on our behalf in order to accomplish that which is in the best interest ps of His children (Romans 8 vs 28)). When we are confident that God hears our prayers, then we will see His answers.

Walking according to His Will leads us right into the heart of the Father. This love life permits us to walk into the very presence of the Father. You may go into the ‘Throne Room’ and stand in His presence and make your petitions known in that name, and as sure as you do, the petition is heard. Unless we walk in love and have yielded to the lordship of love, God cannot manifest Himself through us. The ability of God is realized only in love's freedom to act. Selfishness imprisons love.

The two lives Jesus compares at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, which is the passage we read today, have several points in common: the two men both build, they both hear Jesus’ teaching, and they both experience the same set of circumstances in life. The difference between them isn’t caused by ignorance but by one ignoring obedience to His Word. Externally, their lives may look similar, but the lasting, structural differences will be revealed by the storms of life. 

The immediate difference in your life when you follow Christ may not be obvious, but eventually they will turn out to affect even your eternal destiny. Most people do not deliberately seek to build on a false or inferior foundation; instead, they just don’t think about their life’s purpose. Many people are headed to destruction not out of stubbornness but out of thoughtlessness. They hardly stop and think of where their lives are headed, and the consequences of ignoring the Word of God.

In the ‘new creation,’ you have become doers of love; hitherto, you were doers of selfishness. We have consented to the dethroning of the control of the flesh. Prior to the ‘new creation,’ our physical bodies have sat upon the throne of our lives. But now we are crowning our spirits, or to put it more clearly, we are recognizing the lordship of Jesus Christ and crowning Him as Lord of our whole being.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love nature has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit which is given to me in the ‘new creation.’ O Lord, give me the grace to walk in love, and be helpful in time of need, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 03, 2023.

SUBJECT: BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!

Memory verse: "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13 vs 5.)

READ: Numbers 11 vs 4 - 6:

11:4: Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?

11:5: We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;

11:6: but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

INTIMATION:

Be content with what you have, and be grateful to the Great Provider. Discontentment comes when your attention shifts from what you have to what you don't have. Relishing what you have engenders thankfulness. Resenting what you are missing brings about complaining and ingratitude, and such things are unpleasant to the Lord. When this happens you begin to forget what God has done for you, and is wrapped up in what God hasn't done for you. Consequently, your attitude will make you lose your sense of thanksgiving.

In the passage we read today, the Israelites murmured, and were dissatisfied with what God has provided for them. At the instance of that they forgot to give thanks to God for all He has done, and is still doing for them. They didn’t seem to notice what God was doing for them—setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land—because they were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. They could think of nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they left behind, forgetting that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery, which the Lord had saved them from, was the cost of eating the food. 

We become satisfied when we realize God’s sufficiency for our needs, and be thankful to Him continually. When we are discontented with what we have, we are indirectly saying that God has been unfair to us or that He can’t take care of us—or at least that He won’t take care of us the way we want. That is doubting the integrity of God who already said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and only Him can supply all your needs (Philippians 4 vs 19).

Contentment brings about happiness, and happiness is associated with an attitude of gratitude. Against this backdrop, let us self-evaluate ourselves by thinking of what occupies our attention most of the time. Are we content with what we have—grateful for what God has given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? We should not allow our unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God's gift of life, food, health, work, friends etc, and be thankful to Him.

In every circumstances we face in life we should be content with such things that we have, or what God is doing in our lives, and reasonably be thankful to Him. We should take a cue from the apostle Paul who knew how to be content, happy and rejoicing in the Lord whether he had plenty or whether he was in need. He said, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4 vs 11 - 12). The secret of contentment lies in your knowing God, trusting in His promises, and drawing on His power for strength to face the challenges of life. He will supply all your needs, but in a way that He knows is best for you.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Loving Father, and Faithful Companion. Endue me with the spirit of contentment in all things, knowing that You have promised that You will never leave me nor forsake me, and will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

DO YOUR GOOD DEEDS QUIETLY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 02, 2023.

SUBJECT : DO YOUR GOOD DEEDS QUIETLY!

Memory verse: "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” (Matthew 23 vs 5.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 1 - 4:

6:1: Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

6:2: Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6:3: But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

6:4: that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

INTIMATION:

God is interested in the motives of our actions. God is not pleased by a good act with a wrong motive. He wants all our doings to be God-centered, not self-centered; done not to make us look good but to make God look good. To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret, with no thought of acclaim or reward. 

Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas: generosity, prayer, and fasting. When we pray, when we fast, and when we give, the Bible says that we must be pure in our motives. If we do what we do for the sake of being seen by others, then being seen by others is our only reward. If, however, we do what we do in obedience to God, then God will reward us. 

When Jesus says, ‘not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,’ He is teaching that our motives for giving to God and others must be pure. It is easy to give with mixed motives, such as, giving or doing something for someone because it will benefit you in return. So many believers hide under the cloak of the Scripture such as: “A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18 vs 16), to give for personal gains, expecting some favor in return. But believers should avoid all scheming and give for the pleasure of giving and as a response to God’s love. 

God only rewards such gifts that are devotionally motivated, not those that are with attachments of returns, favor, or recognition. The Bible is explicit on this when it said, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord; and He will pay back what he has given.” (Proverbs 19 vs 17.) Jesus said, “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the thankful and evil.” (Luke 6 vs 34 - 35.)

If one does good in order to receive the recognition of men, then he or she has received his or her reward. Christians should let their light shine (Matthew 5 vs 16), but not for the purpose of drawing attention to themselves. In drawing attention to your act of giving, the drawn attention would be all the reward you would receive. Christians should give in a manner by which they do not intentionally seek the praise of men. Christians should not give or do good for public displays or acclaim. Their giving should be as private as possible in order that one’s motives for giving be kept pure. 

Many people do good acts for appearance and recognition by the crowd, not really out of devotion. God is personal, and relates with us on personal grounds, not on public opinion about us. It is obvious that when we do something well, we want to tell others and be recognized. But recognition is dangerous—it can lead to inflated pride. How much better it is to seek the praise of God rather than the praise of people. Then, when we receive praise, we will be free to give God the credit. Doing something only for our recognition is not a loving sacrifice. With your next good deed, ask, “Would I still do this if no one would ever know I did it?” 

In the passage we read today, Jesus again exposed the hypocritical attitudes of the religious leaders. They don’t care about being holy—just looking holy in order to receive people’s admiration and praise. Jesus used the word “Hypocrites,” to describe such people who do good acts for appearances only, not out of compassion or other good motives. Their actions may be good, but their motives are hollow. These empty acts are their only reward, but God will reward those who are sincere in their faith.

Today, like the Pharisees, many people say they follow Jesus, but they don’t live by His standards of love. We must make sure that our actions match our beliefs. And that is when our motives are pure and God-centered.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of selflessness, and godly motives in all my doings, and that You will be first in all my life, taking the driver’s seat and absolutely controlling my thoughts, and actions, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!