Love’s Greatest Happiness

 No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29–30)

Don’t miss that last phrase: “because we are members of his body.” And don’t forget what Paul said two verses earlier, namely, that Christ gave himself for us “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor.” So in two different ways, Paul makes plain that Christ pursued his joy in pursuing the holiness and beauty and happiness of his people.

The union between Christ and his bride is so close (“one flesh”) that any good done to her is a good done to himself. Which means that the clear assertion of this text is that the Lord is moved to nourish, cherish, sanctify, and cleanse his bride because in this he finds his joy.

By some definitions, this cannot be love. Love, they say, must be free of self-interest — especially Christlike love, especially Calvary love. I have never seen such a view of love made to square with this passage of Scripture.

Yet what Christ does for his bride, this text plainly calls love: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church . . . ” (Ephesians 5:25). Why not let the text define love for us, instead of bringing our definition from ethics or philosophy? According to this text, love is the pursuit of Christ’s joy in the holy joy of the beloved. 

There is no way to exclude self-interest from love, for self-interest is not the same as selfishness. Selfishness seeks its own private happiness at the expense of others. 

Christlike love seeks its happiness in the happiness of others — not at their expense. It will even suffer and die for the beloved in order that its joy might be made full in the life and purity of the beloved. 

This is how Christ loved us, and this is how he calls us to love one another.

ETERNITY WITH CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 19, 2023.

SUBJECT: ETERNITY WITH CHRIST!

Memory verse: "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come (Hebrews 13 vs 14.)

READ: John 14 vs 1 - 2:

14:1: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

14:2: In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

INTIMATION:

What is it going to be like in eternity with Christ? Although the details of eternity are unknown, we need not fear because Jesus is preparing for the believers and will spend eternity with them. There are few verses in Scripture that describe everlasting life, but these few verses are rich with promises. For instance, the apostle Paul, in First Corinthians 2 vs 9 stated, "But it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Frankly, the capacity of of our brains cannot handle the wonder and greatness of life in eternity with Christ. It will be trying to describe the Internet to an ant. He will create a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65 vs 17; Revelation 21 vs 1), and the believers will live with Him forever. There will be no more death, sickness, lack, want etc. The Bible, in Revelation chapter 21 reveals the idea of the home God is preparing for His children. Words have not been invented that could adequately convey the experience of eternity.

It is a common knowledge that the only time people think about eternity is at funerals, and then it's often shallow, sentimental thinking based on ignorance. Most people feel it's morbid to think about death, but actually it's unhealthy to live in denial of death, and not consider what is inevitable. The Bible in Ecclesiastes 7 vs 2 noted, "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart." 

The most damaging act of contemporary living is short-term thinking. To make the most of your life, you must keep eternity continually in your mind and the value of it in your heart. The child of God is a citizen of heaven where the child enjoys the best of life unlimited. The devil is not a citizen of heaven, and cannot access such life hence his efforts to drag people to his side of total misery. There is far more to life than just here and now! 

We know that right now God is preparing an eternal home for the believers. In heaven, they put on their celestial bodies (Spiritual bodies (First Corinthians 15 vs 40 & 44)), they will be reunited with the departed loved ones who were believers, released from all pains and suffering, rewarded for our faithfulness on earth, and reassigned to do work that they will enjoy doing. They will enjoy unbroken fellowship with God, and He will enjoy them for an unlimited, endless time forever. One day Jesus will say, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25 vs 34.) 

Every moment the believers spend in this earthly bodies is time spent away from their eternal home in heaven with Jesus. The time they spend on this earth, if measured against eternity, is just a blink of an eye, but the consequences of the life on earth will last forever. This calls for serious caution noting that the deeds of this life are the destiny of the next. 

God has a purpose for your life on earth, but it doesn't end here. His plan involves far more than the few decades you will live on earth here. God offers you opportunity to live with him beyond your lifetime on earth. The Bible says in Psalm 33 vs 11, "The counsel of the Lord stands forever. The plans of His heart to all generations." His plans are forever, and His promises last eternally.

Just as the nine months you spent in your mother's womb were not an end in themselves but preparation for life, so is life on earth, a preparation for life in eternity with God, or without God. If you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you don't need to fear death. It is the door to eternity. Death will be the last hour of your time on earth, but certainly not the last of you. Rather than being the end of your life, it will be your birthday into eternal life. 

Against this backdrop, It is therefore, wise to listen to the counsel of most preachers, ‘Prepare yourself each day in life for eternity, living as if each day is your last day of your life on earth, being ready at all times to meet with your Creator.’

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to be with You forever. Give me the grace to always have this consciousness in me, being ready at all times to meet with You, that I may receive my crown of glory, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus’s Joy in MarriageJesus’s Joy in Marriage

 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

The reason there is so much misery in marriage is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek it in the pleasure of their spouses. The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage in Ephesians 5:25–30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. 

How did he love the church? Verse 25 says he “gave himself up for her.” But why? Verse 26 says, “that he might sanctify” and cleanse her. But why did he want to do that? Verse 27 answers, “that he might present the church to himself in splendor!” 

Ah! There it is! “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church. The joy of presenting the church to himself in blood-bought splendor.

Jesus does not intend to have a dirty and unholy wife. Therefore, he was willing to die to sanctify and cleanse his betrothed so he could present to himself a wife “in splendor.” He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up in suffering for the good of his bride.

Then Paul applies this to husbands in verses 28–30: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” 

Jesus had said to husbands and wives — and everyone else — “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Marriage is an extraordinary place of application. It is not merely “as” you love yourself. But you are loving yourself. When you love the person with whom God has made you one flesh, you are loving yourself. That is, your greatest joy is found in seeking the greatest joy of your spouse.

ETERNITY IN HEAVEN OR HELL?

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18, 2023.

SUBJECT: ETERNITY IN HEAVEN OR HELL?

Memory verse: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 11.)

READ: Revelation 20 vs 12 - 15:

20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of life. And the dead were judged out of their works, by the things which were written in the books.

20:13: The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

20:14: Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

20:15: And anyone not found written in the Book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

INTIMATION:

You are created to live forever. Life on earth is not all there is. It is just the beginning of life, it is the preparation for the next. Death marks the beginning of life on the other side—in eternity. It isn't your termination because you can't be terminated. Death is only a transition into eternity, and there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth, leading to the part of the eternal divide you will forever live. Earth is only a tryout for your life in eternity. It is a practice workout before the actual game. Your time on earth is but a small parenthesis in eternity. You are made to last forever. 

Even though we know that everyone will eventually die, death always seems unnatural and unfair, even at a hundred and twenty years. The reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire! One day your heart will stop pumping, and that marks the end of your body and your time on earth, but it will not be the end of you. Your earthly body is just a temporary residence for your real self—your spirit.

The plain truth is that while life on earth offers many chances, eternity offers only two; heaven or hell. Your relationship with God on earth will determine your relationship with Him in eternity. If you learn to love and trust God's Son, Jesus, accept His finished work on the cross for you, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, you are then given the legal right to be the child of God, heir of God, joint heir with His Son, and will spend the rest of eternity with Him. On the other hand, if you reject Him, reject His love, forgiveness, and salvation, thereby committing the only unforgiving sin, you will spend eternity apart from God—in hell. 

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Your Will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right then, have it your way.' Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without Him here on earth. When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and realize that life is just a preparation for eternity, you will start living in light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task, and circumstance. Suddenly many activities, goals, and even problems that seemed so important will appear trivial, petty, and unworthy of your attention. 

The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears. Eternity focused life changes your value system. You use your time and money wisely. You place higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame, wealth, achievements, and even fun. Your priorities are reordered. Keeping up with trends, fashions, and popular values just doesn't matter as much anymore. 

The Scripture in Philippians 3 vs 7, the apostle Paul says, "But what things were gain to me, I have counted loss for Christ." He said he thought his past achievements were very important, but now considers them worthless when compared with what Christ has done for him. If our time here on earth is all there is to life, we would live as if there is no tomorrow. You could exploit life as much as you could, forgeting being good and ethical, and wouldn't have to worry about any consequences of your actions. You could indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions would have no long-term repercussions. 

Only a fool would go through life unprepared for what we all know will eventually happen. We need to think more about eternity. The big question is, “Where do you plan to spend your eternity, and how ready are you for the choice made?”

Prayer: Abba Father, in my life everyday draw me nearer to You. Brush off my rough edges, and refine me for a life with You in eternity, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Purpose of Prosperity

 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them; (2) or you can work to get them; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching, and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what the apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle.

God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35).

GOD TESTS NEVER TEMPTS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2023.

SUBJECT: GOD TESTS NEVER TEMPTS!

Memory verse: "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." (James 1 vs 13.)

READ: First Corinthians 10 vs 13:

10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

INTIMATION:

God is our leader, He doesn't lead us into temptations, but sometimes allows us to be tested by them, and is with the believer in the temptations. God tests people, but He does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin. People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations. It is the work of the "evil one" to steer them from the faith. 

 However, God allows Satan to tempt people in order to refine their faith and to help them grow in their dependence on Christ. We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey His Word. As His children, we should pray to be delivered from the temptations of Satan ("the evil one") and his deceit. 

God's test is not to trip us and watch us fall, but to deepen our capacity to obey Him, and help us develop His character. Just as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are tested we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop our character. It takes intense heat to purify gold and silver. Similarly, it often takes the heat of trials for the Christian to be purified. Through trials, God shows us what is in us and clears out anything that gets in the way of complete trust in Him.

The apostle Peter says in First Peter 1 vs 7, "That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." As gold is heated, impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off. Steel is tempered or strengthened by heating it in fire. Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions refine and strengthen out faith, making us useful to God. Therefore, when tough times come your way, realize that God may want to use them to refine your faith and purify your heart.

All Christians struggle with temptation. Sometimes it is so subtle that we don't even realize what is happening to us. God helps us to recognize temptation and gives us the strength to overcome it when we ask, and helps us choose God's way instead. 

God has promised that He won't allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear: "No temptation has overtaken you except such that is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (First Corinthians 10 vs 13.)

In our world filled with moral decadence, depravity, and sin-inducing pressures; wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone. Nobody should think he or she is alone in this situation, knowing that many others are in it, and many also have resisted temptation through God's leading. God knows our weaknesses and strength, and any temptation can be resisted because God will help you resist it. 

God helps us to resist temptation by helping us to recognize those people and situations that give us troubles, and those things that tempt us. The immediate solution is to run from anything you know is wrong, and choose to do only what is right. This you can achieve when you pray to God for help. Also acquaint yourself with friends who love God and can offer help when you are tempted.

Running from a tempting situation is your first step on the way to victory. Second Timothy 2 vs 22 advises thus: "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Running away is sometimes considered cowardly. But wise people realize that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take. 

It is advisable to remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin. In so doing, you can handle any recurring temptation that is difficult for you to resist. Some people think that Christianity is a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act. But the use of active and forceful verbs: flee, pursue, run, shows we must have an active faith, obeying God with courage and doing what we know is right. 

In John 17 vs 15, Jesus prayed to the Father thus; "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one." This request made by Jesus our Messiah, to God, our Father in heaven, shows that only Him can keep us from Satan, the evil one. He does that through His leading us by His Word, the revelations He gives in fellowship with Him, and the help of the Holy Spirit (our Helper). 

God doesn't come down to physically hold us by the hand to lead us. Therefore, acquaint yourself with Him through His Word, and ceaselessly fellowship with Him in prayer, and always listen to the nudging of the Spirit in your heart for His leading and help. 

Prayer: Abba Father, by You all things consist. By strength shall no man prevail. Endue me with Your divine strength to resist the evil one and his deceitful temptations, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Fear and Hope in God’s Jealousy

 “The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)

God is infinitely jealous for the honor of his name, and responds with terrible wrath against those whose hearts should belong to him but go after other things, like a spouse running after another lover. 

For example, in Ezekiel 16:38–40 he says to faithless Israel,

“I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber. . . . They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare. They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.”

I urge you to listen to this warning. The jealousy of God for your undivided love and devotion will always have the last say. Whatever lures your affections away from God with deceptive attraction will come back to strip you bare and cut you in pieces. 

It is a horrifying thing to use your God-given life to commit adultery against the Almighty.

But for those of you who have been truly united to Christ and who keep your vows to forsake all others and cleave only to him and live for his honor — for you the jealousy of God is a great comfort and a great hope. 

Since God is infinitely jealous for the honor of his name, anything and anybody who threatens the good of his faithful wife will be opposed with divine omnipotence. That’s good news for the faithful wife — the faithful people of God.

God’s jealousy is a great threat to those who play the harlot and sell their heart to the world and make a cuckold out of God (James 4:3–4). But his jealousy is a great comfort to those who keep their covenant vows and become strangers and exiles in the world.