Authentic Faith Is Eager for Christ to Come

 Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

What must you do so that you may know that your sins are taken away by the blood of Christ, and that, when he comes, he will shield you from the wrath of God and bring you into eternal life? The answer is this: Trust Christ in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

The text says he is coming to save those who are “eagerly waiting for him.” So how do you get ready? How do you experience the forgiveness of God in Christ and prepare to meet him? By trusting him in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

This eager expectation for Christ is simply a sign that we love him and believe in him — really believe in him, authentically. 

There is a phony faith that wants only escape from hell, but has no desire for Christ. That kind of faith does not save. It does not produce an eager expectation for Christ to come. In fact, it would rather that Christ not come for as long as possible, so that it can have as much of this world as possible. 

But the faith that really holds on to Christ as Savior and Lord and Treasure and hope and joy is the faith that makes us long for Christ to come. And that is the faith that saves.

So I urge you, turn from the world, and from sin. Turn to Christ. Receive him, welcome him, embrace Christ not just as your fire insurance policy, but as your eagerly awaited Treasure and Friend and Lord.

Words for the Wind

 “Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind?” (Job 6:26)

In grief and pain and despair, people often say things they otherwise would not say. They paint reality with darker strokes than they will paint it tomorrow, when the sun comes up. They sing in minor keys, and talk as though that is the only music. They see clouds only, and speak as if there were no sky.

They say, “Where is God?” Or: “There is no use to go on.” Or: “Nothing makes any sense.” Or: “There’s no hope for me.” Or: “If God were good, this couldn’t have happened.”

What shall we do with these words?

Job says that we do not need to reprove them. These words are wind, or literally “for the wind.” They will be quickly blown away. There will come a turn in circumstances, and the despairing person will waken from the dark night, and regret hasty words.

Therefore, the point is, let us not spend our time and energy reproving such words. They will be blown away of themselves on the wind. One need not clip the leaves in autumn. It is a wasted effort. They will soon blow off of themselves.

Oh, how quickly we are given to defending God, or sometimes the truth, from words that are only for the wind. If we had discernment, we could tell the difference between the words with roots and the words blowing in the wind.

There are words with roots in deep error and deep evil. But not all grey words get their color from a black heart. Some are colored mainly by the pain, the despair. What you hear is not the deepest thing within. There is something real and dark within where they come from. But it is temporary — like a passing infection — real, painful, but not the true person.

So, let us learn to discern whether the words spoken against us, or against God, or against the truth, are merely for the wind — spoken not from the soul, but from the sore. If they are for the wind, let us wait in silence and not reprove. Restoring the soul, not reproving the sore, is the aim of our love.

THE PRAYER DUTY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 16, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE PRAYER DUTY!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: Acts 12 vs 5 - 10:

12:5: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

12:6: And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

12:7: Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off from his hands.

12:8: Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals”, and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 

12:9: So he went out and followed him; and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

12:10: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city; which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and went down one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.

INTIMATION:

Praying is a duty assigned to every believer. Apart from the specific functions God created us for in the body of Christ, one common function of all the members is communing with our Father in prayers. Therefore, every believer ought to take their place in the duty of praying always. 

Since prayer is a common denominator for all believers, we all should develop the lifestyle of prayer. The most effective way of developing a lifestyle of prayer is praying at all times. How can anyone pray at all times? One way is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. Another way is to order your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. You don’t have to isolate yourself from other people and from daily work in order to pray constantly. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. 

It’s wrong to think you are not called or set apart to give your life to prayer. It’s a demand on all believers in the body of Christ. And it is for this reason that Jesus said in our memory verse, ‘Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.’ The apostle Paul advised all believers thus, “Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). You may not have been set apart by the Spirit for other special ministries, but not in prayers, because it’s one of the only two ways (the Word and prayer) of getting acquainted with the Lord. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Peter was arrested by King Herod and put in prison after he has killed Jame, and saw that it pleased the Jews. It was the Easter period, and he  intended to bring him to the people after Easter to be killed also. However, constant prayers was offered by the church to God. Consequently, God sent His angel to deliver him from the prison. If the church had failed in its prayer duty the King would have succeeded in his plot to kill him. 

It is noteworthy that believers need no specialized gifts to be functional in the body of Christ. The prayer duty requires no specialities. If anyone thinks that because of lack of training or for lack of one thing or the other, he or she has no place in the body of Christ, the fellow is deluded by the enemy. We all have a place, and with the place comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes a reward or demerit. Know it now that if you don't take your place in the body of Christ, and begin to function, the body of Christ is weakened.

Therefore, one duty that you will ever perform for your family, the church, all Christians, your nation, your friends, your enemies etc, is your prayer duty. Take up your responsibilities now! Do you realize that there are people who will be utterly lost unless you take your place in your prayer duty. Unless you do your part, some people will cry against you through eternity. There are men and women who are defeated and are breaking down in their businesses, homes, and spiritual lives because we haven't prayed. Or better still, you have been occupied with your pleasures and your dreams; while men and women, staggering under the burdens you should have carried, are breaking down.

It is for this reason that God said in Ezekiel 22 vs 30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." The wall spoken of here is not made of stones, but of faithful people united in their efforts to resist evil. God is looking for us to take our places, stand in the gap for others, the nation, Church, our families and so on. He needs us to pray, to be in constant communion with Him, knowing that our requests are only made to Him through prayers. Give yourself to meditation, prayer, and study of the Word. The most important thing in life is to be in the Will of the God. Life will not mean much outside the Will of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication at all times, that I may take my place in the body of Christ, communing with You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Freeness of Grace

 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6) 

The decisive act of God in conversion is that he “made us alive together with Christ” even when “we were dead in our trespasses.” In other words, we were dead to God. We were unresponsive; we had no true spiritual taste or interest; we had no spiritual eyes for the beauties of Christ; we were simply dead to all that ultimately matter

Then God acted — unconditionally — before we could do anything to be fit vessels of his presence. He made us alive. He sovereignly awakened us from the sleep of spiritual death, to see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The spiritual senses that were dead, miraculously came to lif

Ephesians 2:4 says that this was an act of “mercy.” That is, God saw us in our deadness and pitied us. God saw the terrible wages of sin leading to eternal death and misery. “God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive.” And the riches of his mercy overflowed to us in our need. But what is so remarkable about this text is that Paul breaks the flow of his own sentence in order to insert, “by grace you have been saved.” “God . . . made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him

Paul is going to say this again in verse 8. So why does he break the flow of his own sentence in order to add it here? What’s more, the focus is on God’s mercy responding to our miserable plight of deadness; so why does Paul go out of his way to say that it is also by grace that we are save

I think the answer is that Paul recognizes that here is a perfect opportunity to emphasize the freeness of grace. As he describes our dead condition before conversion, he realizes that dead people can’t meet conditions. If they are to live, there must be a totally unconditional and utterly free act of God to save them. This freedom is the very heart of grac

What act could be more one-sidedly free and non-negotiated than one person raising another from the dead! This is the meaning of grac

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6

The decisive act of God in conversion is that he “made us alive together with Christ” even when “we were dead in our trespasses.” In other words, we were dead to God. We were unresponsive; we had no true spiritual taste or interest; we had no spiritual eyes for the beauties of Christ; we were simply dead to all that ultimately matter

Then God acted — unconditionally — before we could do anything to be fit vessels of his presence. He made us alive. He sovereignly awakened us from the sleep of spiritual death, to see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The spiritual senses that were dead, miraculously came to lif

Ephesians 2:4 says that this was an act of “mercy.” That is, God saw us in our deadness and pitied us. God saw the terrible wages of sin leading to eternal death and misery. “God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive.” And the riches of his mercy overflowed to us in our need. But what is so remarkable about this text is that Paul breaks the flow of his own sentence in order to insert, “by grace you have been saved.” “God . . . made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him

Paul is going to say this again in verse 8. So why does he break the flow of his own sentence in order to add it here? What’s more, the focus is on God’s mercy responding to our miserable plight of deadness; so why does Paul go out of his way to say that it is also by grace that we are save

I think the answer is that Paul recognizes that here is a perfect opportunity to emphasize the freeness of grace. As he describes our dead condition before conversion, he realizes that dead people can’t meet conditions. If they are to live, there must be a totally unconditional and utterly free act of God to save them. This freedom is the very heart of grac

What act could be more one-sidedly free and non-negotiated than one person raising another from the dead! This is the meaning of grac

e.e.d?.”e.s.) e.e.d?.”e.s. of grace.

IN ALL THINGS TRUST GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 15, 2024.

SUBJECT: IN ALL THINGS TRUST GOD! 

Memory verse: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34 vs 19.)

READ: Psalm 34 vs 18 - 19; 50 vs 15; 71 vs 20:

34:18: The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

34:19: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

50:15: Call upon Me in the days of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

71:20: You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

INTIMATION:

Troubles or problems come to every member of the human race. Christianity doesn’t guarantee trouble-free life. They come in different magnitudes, some minor, and some big. Problems don't make any appointments before coming, they don't respect age, nationality, or levels of income, or success. They usually show up when you least expect them, and stay in your life much longer than you want them to.

We often wish we could escape problems; the pain of grief, loss, sorrow, and failure, or even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear us down. God promises to be our source of power, courage, and wisdom, helping us through our problems. Sometimes He chooses to deliver us from those problems. When troubles come, don’t get frustrated with God. Instead, admit that you need God’s help and thank Him for being by your side.

Problems and difficulties are painful but inevitable. Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem-free life. Consequently, as life gets tough, they draw back disappointed. Instead, they should determine to prevail with God through life’s storms. You can’t prevail with God unless you have troubles to prevail over. They sometimes present themselves as opportunities for growth. As Christians, our reactions, and attitude when faced with problems determine how long we stay in the problem, and how we obtain the promises and provisions of God inherent in our proper conduct in those problems. 

Many Christians find out that when they determine to follow God, they immediately encounter great obstacles. Don't let any obstacles or problems you encounter in following God, make you miss His glorious destiny for you. Don't run away from problems, because that will not solve them, and they have the capacity of drawing you away from your promise land. It is wise to face them squarely, accepting God's promise of help (Psalm 50 vs 15), and act as we should. Remember, no problem is too complicated for God if you are willing to let Him help you. Of course, nothing is impossible with God (Mark 10 vs 27), and nothing too hard for Him (Genesis 18 vs 14; Jeremiah 32 vs 17 & 27).

When God is at work, troubles, suffering, setbacks, and hardship may still occur. We are encouraged to face the troubles or difficulties with happiness when they do come. Problems have a way of developing patience and character by teaching us to trust God to do what is best for us. Always look for ways to honor God in your present situation of problems, remembering that God will not abandon you. 

A case study of Joseph (Genesis 37 - 50) showed a man who encountered many troubles in his journey of life; he was betrayed and deserted by his family; he was exposed to sexual temptation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. But his positive response and confidence in God transformed each set back into a step forward. He didn’t spend much time asking “Why?”. His approach was “What shall I do now?” Those who met Joseph were aware that wherever he went and whatever he did, God was with him. When you are facing setback, the beginning of a Joseph-like attitude is to acknowledge that God is with you. There is nothing like His presence to shed new light on a dark situation. 

Also, carefully watch out for His predetermined plan for you. His promise and provision awaits those who tarry to the end. Remember this always, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those  who love Him" (James 1 vs 12).

Prayer: Abba Father, in everything I give You thanks, for I know Your thoughts for me is of good, and not of evil. Your plan and purpose for me must prevail because I put my trust in You. In all things You remain my God, and I will stop at nothing in putting my trust in You in all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Window of the Heart

consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (hebrews 12:3)

one of the most remarkable capacities of the human mind is the capacity to direct its own attention to something it chooses. we can pause and say to our minds, “think about this, and not that.” we can focus our attention on an idea or a picture or a problem or a hop

it is an amazing power. i doubt that animals have it. they are probably not self-reflective, but rather governed by impulse and instinc

have you been neglecting this great weapon in the arsenal of your war against sin? the bible calls us again and again to use this remarkable gift. let’s take this gift off the shelf, and dust it off, and put it to us

for example, paul says in romans 8:5–6, “those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit. for the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (my translation

this is stunning. what you set your mind on determines whether the issue is life or deat

many of us have become far too passive in our pursuit of change and wholeness and peace. i have the feeling that in our therapeutic age we have fallen into the passive mindset of simply “talking through our problems” or “dealing with our issues” or “discovering the roots of our brokenness in our family of origin

but i see a much more aggressive, non-passive approach to change in the new testament. namely, set your mind. “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (colossians 3:2

our emotions are governed in large measure by what we consider — what we dwell on with our minds. for example, jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider: “consider the ravens. . . . consider the lilies” (luke 12:24, 27

the mind is the window of the heart. if we let our minds constantly dwell on the dark, the heart will feel dark. but if we open the window of our mind to the light, the heart will feel the ligh

above all, this great capacity of our minds to focus and consider is meant for considering jesus (hebrews 12:3). so, let’s do this: “consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted

.”t.).)..”h.).e.t.e. or fainthearted.”

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 2024.

SUBJECT: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (First Timothy 6 vs 12.)

READ: Second Timothy 4 vs 1 - 8:

4:1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;

4:2: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears away from the truth, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

4:4: and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

4:5: But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

4:6: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8: Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

INTIMATION:

Christianity is religion that anchors on our faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ—His Son, and the exercising of that faith in our day to day lives. It is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act while we watch. Your believe or faith must be active; training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what you know is right. 

It is a faithful calling by God into relationship with Him, and fellowship with His Son. He is calling you to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. The “calling” is hard work in obedience and discipline. 

But the beauty of the work is that you are not alone; an Helper—the Holy Spirit, has been freely given to us by God the Father and the Son to help us in the fight. To fight the good fight of faith is to allow faith in God do its work in you. It’s to contend perseveringly against opposition and temptations of your faith in God. The main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. All these elements are given prominence in the life of the believer.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to know Him, to be like Him, and to be all He had in mind for us. This goal should take all of our energies, and not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. It takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation, and requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, while running with endurance, and struggling against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eye on Jesus, and we must always keep Him at sight. We are running toward our heavenly reward, and the essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. 

The winning streak in our faith fight is self-discipline, and it requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage, and (3) say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do.” Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, but requires channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle told his spiritual son, Timothy, the things to do in his good fight of faith; preach the Good News—the gospel—to take a stand for Christ and tell others about His love, as it is the most important responsibility Christ has given to the Body of Christ and its members. It may be inconvenient, but he must be prepared for, courageous in, and sensitive to God-given opportunities to tell the Good News. He said he should be convincing in his message, rebuking his hearers for their wrongdoings, and exhorting them—urging them strongly in the right attitudes. And he should be sensitive in his work of ministry, keeping a clear mind in every situation so as to be morally alert to temptation, resistant to pressures, and vigilant when facing responsibilities.

The Scripture, in Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 2, is a perfect reference to encourage us in the fight. It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

We have read in the Bible of many that fought the good fight of faith and prevailed (See Hebrews chapter 11), and have so many great cloud of witnesses around us today. This simply tells us it is doable. To effectively run the race that God has set before us, we must not let anything deter us; life’s circumstances, worldly pleasures, and pressures, and so on. We must strip off the excess weight that slows us down. 

How can we do that? (1) Be God-focused, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (2) On worldly pleasures and pressures, drop certain activities that are distractions to your heavenly race, wisely choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. For instance, if you have a secret weight such as pornography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a warrior spirit to enable me fight the good fight of faith, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of my faith, and to endure to the end so as to receive the crown of glory—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!