BEING ALWAYS IN FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2023.

SUBJECT: BEING ALWAYS IN FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD!

Memory verse: “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6 vs 10.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 11; 14 - 18:

6:11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

6:14: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

6:15: and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

6:17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

6:18: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being and watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

INTIMATION:

God Himself is the source of all peace and victory. All powers belong to Him, and it is through the things of God—the things we do in fellowship with God, that plugs us into that Source of power. The Christian’s strength is maintained if he remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of power against Satan.  If there is anything the devil tries to do, is to keep people out of fellowship with the Lord. Satan knows that once you are connected to the source of divine power, it is finished for Him.

The imperative command of being strong in the Lord places the responsibility for being strong on the shoulders of the Christian. If the Christian does not remain strong, it is not the fault of other brothers or the fault of the Holy Spirit. The responsibility for faithfulness is with free-moral saints who must maintain the spiritual armor of the Lord by which strength is maintained against the wiles of the devil. 

Fellowship with the Lord is what ensures a victorious and peaceful Christian life. Salvation is not based on your fellowship; it is based on the blood of Jesus, and your believe and confession of Christ Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. But without fellowship with the Lord, you will struggle the entire time you are here on this earth as a Christian, even though you will be saved because your name is in the Book of life.

When you fellowship with the Lord, you learn to quickly follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. However, you should come apart with the Lord in prayer privately, before you come apart publicly. Spend time with God so you can remain stable as you deal with the daily affairs of life. The Christian’s strength is maintained if he or she remains in fellowship with the Lord who is the source of power against Satan.

Do you know what happens when you spend quality time with God? You begin to act like David when he faced the giant Goliath. You begin to take a stand and demand of the enemy, "Who do you think you are to defy the army of the living God?" (First Samuel 17 vs 26.) As soldiers of the Cross, you and I are not supposed to be afraid of our enemy—the devil. Instead, we are to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6 vs 10.)

The devil comes against those who are doing damage to his kingdom, those who are doing something for God. How then do we withstand the devil? By girding on the full armor of God, taking the shield of faith, by which we can quench his fiery darts, and by wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6 vs 14 - 17.) 

But all of that armor, and all of those weapons come from spending time in fellowship with the Lord; “praying always....” (verse 18). Being strong in fellowship with God is praying always, which strengthens you to properly wear the armor.

It does not mean that you will be in a room with God all the time. If you will give twenty or thirty minutes of sleep in the morning in order to get up early and seek His face, God will honor that sacrifice. It you are willing to turn off the television for thirty minutes in the evening and spend some time in fellowship with the Lord, you will be richly rewarded. 

Christians should maintain a life-style that lends itself to prayer. It is through prayer that not only the inward man is strengthened, but also the work of God is called upon by the Christian to function in his life. 

However, God is a Loving Father, He will not require more of you than what you are able to give Him. He is not an ogre out to make you miserable. He knows what you need in order to have that abundant, enjoyable, victorious life, and it doesn't come from methods, but from Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication without ceasing, that I may be in constant fellowship with You, and be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit to meet my needs in all life’s circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Final Reality Is Here

 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. . . . They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:1–2, 5) 

We’ve seen it before. But there’s more. Christmas is the replacement of shadows with the real thing.

Hebrews 8:1–2, 5 is a kind of summary statement. The point is that the one priest who goes between us and God, and makes us right with God, and prays for us to God is not an ordinary, weak, sinful, dying priest as in the Old Testament days. He is the Son of God — strong, sinless, with an indestructible life.

Not only that, he is not ministering in an earthly tabernacle with all its limitations of place and size while getting worn out and being moth-eaten and being soaked and burned and torn and stolen. No, Hebrews 8:2 says that Christ is ministering for us in a “true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” This is not the shadow. It’s the real thing in heaven. This is the reality that cast a shadow on Mount Sinai for Moses to copy.

According to Hebrews 8:1, another great thing about the reality which is greater than the shadow is that our High Priest is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. No Old Testament priest could ever say that.

Jesus deals directly with God the Father. He has a place of honor beside God. He is loved and respected infinitely by God. He is constantly with God. This is not shadow-reality like curtains and bowls and tables and candles and robes and tassels and sheep and goats and pigeons. This is final, ultimate reality: God and his Son interacting in love and holiness for our eternal salvation.

Ultimate reality is the persons of the Godhead in relationship, dealing with each other concerning how their majesty and holiness and love and justice and goodness and truth shall be manifest in a redeemed people.

HINDRANCES TO GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 13, 2023.

SUBJECT: HINDRANCES TO GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

Memory verse: "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27 vs 4.)

READ: Deuteronomy 31 vs 6; Psalm 23 vs 6; 27 vs 4 - 5: 

Deuteronomy 31:6: Be strong and of a good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He he is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. 

Psalm 23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

INTIMATION:

I have a friend who loves to take long walks with me. We talk and laugh and enjoy each other’s company as we stroll along. The exercise is beneficial, and so is the conversation. The Lord is a lot like my friend. He enjoys walking with us as our companion on life’s pathway. And He brings blessing into our lives when we walk closely with Him.

The awareness of God’s presence with us is encouraging and heartwarming. The Bible in James 4 vs 8 promises, ‘Come near to God and He will come near to you.’ 

Even when we are surrounded by family and friends, some problems seem to double in size of their own accord. If we toss and turn in the early morning hours thinking about them, they become ten times as large. But remember, the Bible is full of encouragement. The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you,” if you walk in companionship with Him. Though it seems the whole world has gone wrong around us, we are not alone — God is with us!

When we walk with the Lord, wherever we go, we cannot step outside the boundaries of God’s love and care. We can have fellowship “with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” wherever we are. All we need to do is trust in God’s loving companionship and walk the path He has placed before us.

One of the hindrances to having God as our constant companion may lie in our desire to be independent. We may submit to Him as Father because we see no other choice. But to invite Him into a closer relationship that culminates into having Him as a constant companion—His being actively involved in every area of our lives, and giving His seal of approval to all we do—is found by many as too intimidating and threatening, apparently because they like their space. 

There are some people who want to be independent and not have others, even God, tell or suggest what they should do. We can be certain if we have any of these tendencies, that the adversary is going to use our weaknesses—our mistrust and self-centeredness—to try to keep us separated from God. 

Sometimes our lives are clustered that we have a hard time letting the Lord have control. David’s greatest desire was to live in God’s presence each day of his life. Sadly, this is not the greatest desire of many who claim to be believers. What do you most desire? Do you look forward to being in the presence of the Lord? 

Go to God in prayer asking Him to bring you back to basics with Him. Ask Him to strip from you anything which is not from Him and which is not absolutely necessary for your relationship with Him. Demand that He adds anything He wish and ask Him to be first in your life. 

If you are sincere in this prayer, you will notice that He will start changing you, taking away your desire for things you do not need right now, or at least giving you the ability to resist their attraction. If God is showing you that there a problem for you in an area, pray something similar to the model of prayer below. Make certain it expresses what you want to say to God:

"Lord, I tend to be independent and want to do things on my own without others interfering, not even You. I know this is wrong, but I will need to give up a lifetime habit of being in control of my life. Help me, Holy Spirit, not only to want to do things Your way, but to have the courage to do whatever You show me to do. Help me submit every area of my life to You. Show me where I have not trusted in You fully and how to resist such doubts from now on. Give me Scripture to counter any enemy attack. Then help me to be happy in releasing all of this to You, in order to keep the enemy from making me feel bitter or resentful. Let me see it as a positive thing. I love You and trust You."

God will begin to fine tune your life in order to strip away small hindrances. These things, even though so insignificant, and may not bother many, are definite barriers to your developing companionship with the Lord. A wise person once said, "When God measures you, He puts the tape around your heart, not your head." So how is your heart doing with God? At the level of having God as your faithful companion, you should have a more intense desire to spend quality time with the Lord both in prayer and in the Word. 

Becoming a companion of the Lord will give you a hunger for the Word, in part, because that is how to get to know God better. Scripture will become an important resource through difficult situations as He leads you to specific promises to claim in each circumstance. Studying His Word will touch your emotions and give you a greater sense of His care and your security in Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, one thing that I desire; that You may be my companion all the days of my life. Give me the grace to be steadfast in my trust in You, to have unhindered fellowship with You, and that I may walk in the light of Your presence all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Replacing the Shadows

 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8:1–2)

The point of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has not just come to fit into the earthly system of priestly ministry as the best and final human priest, but he has come to fulfill and put an end to that system, and to orient all our attention on himself, ministering for us first on Calvary as our final Sacrifice and then in heaven as our final Priest.

The Old Testament tabernacle and priests and sacrifices were shadows. Now the reality has come, and the shadows pass away.

Here’s an Advent illustration for kids — and those of us who used to be kids and remember what it was like. Suppose you and your mom get separated in the grocery store, and you start to get scared and panic and don’t know which way to go, and you run to the end of an aisle, and just before you start to cry, you see a shadow on the floor at the end of the aisle that looks just like your mom. It makes you really hopeful. But which is better? The hopefulness of seeing the shadow, or having your mom step around the corner and it’s really her?

That’s the way it is when Jesus comes to be our High Priest. That’s what Christmas is. Christmas is the replacement of shadows with the real thing: Mom stepping around the corner of the aisle, and all the relief and joy that gives to a little child.

UNION WITH UNBELIEVERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2023.

SUBJECT: UNION WITH UNBELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9 vs 13.)

READ: Mark 2 vs 15 - 17: 

2:15: Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

2:16: And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

INTIMATION:

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. He gladly associated Himself with sinners because He loved them, and because He knew that they needed to hear what He had to say. He spent time with all manner of people—poor, rich, bad, good, etc. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ, our union with unbelievers is encouraged to enable us reach out to those who have need for His saving grace, no matter their kind. 

We should befriend those who need Christ, even if they do not seem to be ideal companions. Are there people you have been neglecting because of their reputation? They may be the ones who need most to hear the message of Christ’s love in their lives, and from you.

However, the union with unbelievers has inadvertently been contrasted by many to the apostle Paul’s sayings in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 16, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols....”

Here the apostle Paul advises that believers and unbelievers cannot be joined together effectively for a common purpose, such as business partnership. A Christian should certainly not bind him or herself to any non-Christian who would lead him or her into compromising his or her Christian principles. A Christian should refrain from aligning him or herself with another wherein Christian principles and values are subjugated to the morals and behavior of unbelievers. The difference in their beliefs can weaken the believer’s commitment, integrity or standards, especially for new converts, and those not yet deeply rooted in Christ. 

The apostle Paul had earlier explained that this does not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers which is against Christ’s leading, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (First Corinthians 5 vs 9 - 10.) 

The apostle Paul made it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers—otherwise we could not carry our Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20). Rather, we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a believer, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. 

By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in Himself or herself. He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. 

Jesus said to the Father, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the the world.” (John 17 vs 18.) Jesus did not ask God to take believers out of the world but instead to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be the salt and light (Matthew 5 vs 13 - 16), and we are to do the work that God sent us to do. 

One must do his or her work in the secular world in order to support his or herself, whether with unbelievers or believers. The “world” is defined by the nature of its behavior. Being in the world indicate being involved in the evils of the secular world (covetousness, idolatry, adultery, etc), against the tenets of Christianity. If Christians would disassociate from those of the world, they would have to separate themselves from the world and live in isolation. While living in the world, Christians must be cautious about their associations with those of the world, and should not compromise their Christian faith. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to effectively witness for Christ amongst the unbelievers without any form of compromises in my day to day activities and my union with unbelievers, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Why Jesus Came

 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This, I think, is my favorite Advent text because I don’t know any other that expresses so clearly the connection between the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life — between the incarnation and crucifixion. These two verses make clear why Jesus came; namely, to die. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to walk them step-by-step through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this, a phrase at a time:

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood . . . ”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God” (John 1:12). In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” especially in view. 

It is true that “God so loved the world, that he gave [Jesus]” (John 3:16). But it is also true that God was especially gathering “the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“ . . . he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood] . . . ”

This means that Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood, and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith — and what the Bible teaches.

“ . . . that through death . . . ”

The reason he became man was to die. As God pure and simple, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the purpose of Christmas. This is what most people today need to hear about the meaning of Christmas.

“ . . . he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil . . . ”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33) — on what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil — the one mortal weapon that he has — is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“ . . . and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the Now.

If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free. Free for joy. Free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!

BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 11, 2023.

SUBJECT: BE ETERNITY CONSCIOUS!

Memory verse: "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 18.)

READ: Psalm 39 vs 5 - 6:

Psalm 39:5: Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.

39:6: Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps riches, and does not know who will gather them.

INTIMATION:

To make the most of your time on earth, you must maintain an eternal perspective. You should be mindful of eternal inheritance than what you can get now. Everything you see and have now will one day pass away. This will keep you from majoring on earthly things which are minor and help you concentrate on the thing that is eternal, and that is the ultimate! 

The ‘Faithful Christian’ will concentrate on the things that are eternal and not on the things that are of this world. His mind sees beyond this world to the existence of the new heavens and new earth that is yet to come. Therefore, he is not willing to sacrifice the eternal for the enjoyment of the temporary. Though the Christian may enjoy the benefits of this world, but should not  be obsessive over the temporary of this world to the exclusion of the eternal.

Ironically, the brevity of life on this earth has been of little concern to many people. They spend so much time securing their lives on earth but take little or no thought about where they will spend eternity. Wisdom, riches, and personal achievements matter very little after death—and everyone must die. We must not build our lives on perishable pursuits, but on the solid foundation of God. Then even if everything we have is taken away, we still will have God, Who is all we really need anyway.

Nothing seen or experienced in this life is worth the eternal life with God, and nothing we have here on earth will matter a thing in eternity. Even now, so much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don't trade your life for temporary things. The Bible, in First Corinthians 7 vs 31, says, "....For the form of this world is passing away." We should be unhindered by the cares of this world, not getting involved with the burdensome pursuit of earthly things, and should deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you because the world, as you see it, is on its way out.

You've probably heard the expression "You can't take it with you.” That is absolutely right. But the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there! The Bible, in First Timothy 6 vs 18 - 19, says, "Let them do good, that they are rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life." Be wise, be selfless, and be rich in good works.

Because life is so short, there is folly in trying to amass riches. For this reason, the wise see past the temporary futility of riches in order to focus on those things that go beyond life. By the time one realizes the futility of a wasted life in seeking riches, it is often too late to repent and turn to God. Jesus warned us on distractions by earthly things when He said in Luke 9 vs 62, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." What does Jesus want from us? Total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. We can't pick and choose among Jesus' ideas and follow Him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown.

Prayer: Abba Father, by You all things consist. Endue me with the spirit of complete obedience and trust in You for You are the Owner of all things. I pray that the cares of this world will not hinder me from fighting the good fight of faith that I may lay hold of eternal life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!