TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2024.

SUBJECT: TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST! 

Memory verse: "For as we have many members in one body, but all members have not the same function.” (Romans 12 vs 4.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 5 - 8:

12:5: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

12:7: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, on teaching;

12:8: or he who exhorts, on exhortation: he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

INTIMATION:

All believers have their places in the body of Christ. Everybody recreated in Christ Jesus is a member of one body of Christ. God has planned with divine wisdom, the body of Christ; and the moment you are born into that body, you have your place in which to function. Just as the body has many parts, and each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for different purposes, and in their differences work together as a unit. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul uses the concept of the human body to teach how Christians should live and work together. Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ. God created you for a purpose as a member of the body of Christ.  He has no unused members. Just as there is no useless member in the physical body; all the members of our physical body have their own functions which they perform. The functions might be either dependent or independent of the other, but they coexist as one single body. 

God gives us gifts so we can build up His church. To use them effectively, we must (1) realize that all gifts and abilities come from God; (2) understand that not everyone has the same gifts; (3) know who you are and what you do best; (4) dedicate our gifts to God’s service and not to our personal success; (5) be willing to utilize our gifts wholeheartedly; not holding back anything from God’s service. God’s gifts differ in nature, power, and effectiveness according to His wisdom and graciousness, not according to our faith. Our role is to be faithful and to seek ways to serve others with what Christ has given us.

The gifts and abilities needed in the body of Christ is not limited to the list apostle Paul made in the passage. There are various units, organs and departments in the church; music, ushering, traffic, evangelism, counseling, children’s department, and so on. Everybody in the body of Christ is gifted with one ability or the other. When you identify your own gifts ask how you can use them build up God’s family. At the same time, realize that your gifts can’t do the work of the church all alone. Be thankful for people whose gifts are completely different from yours. Let your strengths balance their weaknesses, and be grateful that their abilities make up for your deficiencies. Together we can build Christ’s church.

Never suppress your gifts or refuse to use them, because that will be tantamount to rebellion against God. It’s very important to know that the price you pay for staying out of God's Will is quite expensive. You may pay it in sickness, in loss of money, or in unhappiness with your loved ones, and so on. When you are outside His Will you loose your inheritance in Christ as a child of God, and that can be terrible.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to serve You and others in the body of Christ with the abilities, talents, and possessions You endued me with, that I may build my treasure in heaven, earn Your approval, and receive a crown of life which You have promised to those who love You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Battle to Remind

 “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” (Lamentations 3:21–22)

One of the great enemies of hope is forgetting God’s promises. Reminding is a great ministry. Peter and Paul both said that they wrote letters for this reason (2 Peter 1:13; Romans 15:15).

The main Helper in reminding us what we need to know is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). But that doesn’t mean you should be passive. You are responsible only for your own ministry of reminding. And the first one in need of reminding by you is you.

The mind has this great power: It can talk to itself by way of reminder. The mind can “call to mind,” as the text says: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lamentations 3:21–22). 

If we don’t “call to mind” what God has said about himself and about us, we languish. Oh, how I know this from painful experience! Don’t wallow in the mire of godless messages in your own head. Messages like: “I can’t . . .” “She won’t . . .” “They never . . .” “It has never worked . . .”

The point is not that these are true or false. Your mind will always find a way to make them true, unless you “call to mind” something greater. God is the God of the impossible. Reasoning your way out of an impossible situation is not as effective as reminding yourself that God does impossible things.

Without reminding ourselves of the greatness and grace and power and wisdom of God, we sink into brutish pessimism. “I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you” (Psalm 73:22).

The great turn from despair to hope in Psalm 77 comes with these words: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11–12).

This is the great battle of my life. I assume yours too. The battle to remind! Myself. Then others.

TRUE RICHES ARE IN GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 20, 2024.

SUBJECT : TRUE RICHES ARE IN GOD!

Memory verse: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." (Revelation 3 vs 17.)

READ: Luke 12 vs 15 - 21:

12:15: And He said to them, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

12:16: Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

12:17: And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?”

12:18: So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

12:19: And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”

12:20: But God said to him, “Fool! this night your soul will be required of you: then whose will those things be, which you have provided?”

12:21: “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

INTIMATION:

God’s measure of success is different from ours. Most people think that wealth is a sign of God’s approval, but true riches and good success is a function of our relationship and fellowship with Him. God calls us to faith, not to affluence. Character is more important to Him than our purses. Knowing this truth, we should be concerned about how we get our wealth. Some believers assume that numerous material possessions are a sign of God’s spiritual blessing. 

In our contemporary society, people think that true riches connote having money, possessions, wealth, power and so on, hence their relentless desire to get ahead in pursuance of these things. But true riches are inherent in observing God's laws and being strong and courageous to obey, and follow His leading. You may not be rich by world's standards, but you will be rich in God's eyes, and His opinion is final and lasts forever. 

If you accumulate wealth only to enrich yourself, with no concern for helping others, you will enter eternity empty-handed. Jesus challenges us to think beyond earthbound goals and to use what we have been given for God’s kingdom. Faith, service, and obedience are the way to become rich toward God. We find true wealth by developing our spiritual lives, not by developing our financial assets. God is interested in what is lasting (our souls), not in what is temporary (our money and possessions). What you have in your heart, not your bank account, matters to God and endures for eternity. 

The Scripture in Revelation 3 vs 17 - 18, Jesus said to the Laodiceans church, “Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Wealth, luxury, and ease can make people feel confident, satisfied, and complacent. But no matter how much you possess or how much money you make, you have nothing if you don’t have a vital relationship with Christ. 

Laodicea was known for its great wealth. What the Laodiceans could see and buy had become more valuable to them than what is unseen and eternal. Christ told the Laodiceans to buy their gold from Him (real spiritual treasures). The city was proud of its cloth and dyeing industries; Christ told them to buy white garments from Him (His righteousness). Laodicea prided itself on its precious eye salve that healed many eye problems; Christ told them to buy salve for their eyes so they could see the truth (John 9 vs 39). Christ was showing the Laodiceans that true value was not in material possessions but in a right relationship with God. Their possessions and achievements were valueless compared with the everlasting future of Christ’s kingdom.

Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possess.” (Luke 12 vs 15.) Jesus says that the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy, the exact opposite of what society usually says. A truly fulfilled life is living in a relationship with God and doing His work. If you are trying to find fulfillment only through riches, wealth may be the only reward you will ever get—and it does not last. We should not seek comfort now at the expense of eternal life. Our heavenly rewards will be the most accurate reflection of what we have done on earth, and they will be far greater than we can imagine. How does your current level of wealth affect your spiritual desire? Instead of centering your life primarily on comfort and luxury, find your true riches in Christ.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have put eternity in our hearts. Give me the grace to be eternity conscious that I may serve, obey and anchor my faith and life in You, that I may obtain Your crown of life—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Serve a Bad Boss

 Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (Ephesians 6:7–8)

Consider these five things from Ephesians 6:7–8 in connection to your job.

1) A call to radically Lord-centered living.

This is astonishing compared to the way we usually live. Paul says that all our work should be done as work for Christ, not for any human supervisor. With good will render service “as to the Lord and not to man.”

This means that we will think of the Lord in what we are doing at work. We will ask, Why would the Lord like this done? How would the Lord like this done? When would the Lord like this done? Will the Lord help me to do this? What effect will this have for the Lord’s honor? In other words, being a Christian means radically Lord-centered living and working. 

2) A call to be a good person.

Lord-centered living means being a good person and doing good things. Paul says, “With a good will [render service] . . . whatever good anyone does.” Jesus said that when we let our light shine, men will see our “good works” and give glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

3) Power to do a good job for inconsiderate earthly employers.

Paul’s aim is to empower Christians, with Lord-centered motives, to go on doing good for supervisors who are not considerate. How do you keep on doing good in a job when your boss ignores you or even criticizes you? Paul’s answer is: stop thinking about your boss as your main supervisor, and start working for the Lord. Do this in the very duties given to you by your earthly supervisor.

4) Encouragement that nothing good is done in vain.

Perhaps the most amazing sentence of all is this: “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.” This is amazing. Everything! “Whatever good anyone does.” Every little thing you do that is good is seen and valued and rewarded by the Lord.

And he will pay you back for it. Not in the sense that you have earned anything — as if you could put him in your debt. He owns you, and everything in the universe. He owes us nothing. But he freely, graciously chooses to reward us for all the good things done in faith.

5) Encouragement that insignificant status on earth is no hindrance to great reward in heaven.

The Lord will reward every good thing you do — “whether he is a bondservant or is free.” Your supervisor may think you are a nobody — a mere bondservant, so to speak. Or he may not even know you exist. That doesn’t matter. The Lord knows you exist. And in the end no faithful service will be in vain.

TRUST IN GOD NOT YOURSELF!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 19, 2024.

SUBJECT : TRUST IN GOD NOT YOURSELF!

Memory verse: "Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.” (Second Corinthians 1 vs 9.)

READ: Jeremiah 17 vs 5 - 8:

17:5: Thus says the LORD; “Cursed be the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.

17:6: For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

17:7: “Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the is LORD.

17:8: For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out her roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green; and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

INTIMATION:

Trusting in God is relying, resting on the integrity of God; putting your confidence, hope, faith in God in all things. God is our constant help, and He desires it to be so. He made it so that we may depend on Him and will always come to Him. We often depend on our own skills and abilities when life seems easy and only turn to God when we feel unable to help ourselves. But as we realize our own powerlessness without God and our need for His constant help in our lives, we come to depend on Him more and more. God is our source of power, and we receive His help by keeping in touch with Him. With this attitude of dependence, problems will drive us to God rather than away from Him. Learn to rely on God daily.

In emphasizing our need to trust in God, rather than ourselves, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5.) We should not trust in ourselves but in God. The Bible speaks of "Trust in God" about forty five (45) times in the Scriptures. Therefore, there is no gain-saying the fact that trusting in God is key. And the confirmation, according to the Scriptures, is in the mouth of much more than two or three witnesses, hence it is thoroughly established.

This is not to say we should never make effort to achieve or accomplish anything in life, but our own efforts are never adequate. As believers, we are to put out an effort that is made through the grace of God at work in us. In other words, we don't attempt anything without asking for God's help. We lean on Him the whole way through each project. We maintain an attitude that says, "Apart from Him I can do nothing." "For by strength no shall shall prevail." (First Samuel 2 vs 9.)

We are not to be involved in natural, carnal efforts because the result is only fatigue and frustration, disappointment and destruction. But to completely lean on the grace of God to accomplish all our lives challenges. Failing to trust God often brings even greater problems than those we originally faced. When we run from God, we inevitably run into problems. He brought you this far and won’t let you down now. We can continue trusting God by remembering all He has done for us. 

God will never abandon those who seek Him. God’s promise does not mean that if we trust in Him we will escape loss or suffering; it means that God Himself will never leave us no matter what we face. Lack of trust in God always prevents us from receiving His best. The psalmist says in Psalm 18 vs 2, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." 

In the passage we read today, the Scripture says, “ “Cursed be the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17 vs 5). When you put your trust in yourself, rather than God, you are cursed. In contrast, those who trust in the Lord flourish like trees planted along a riverbank. In times of trouble, those who trust in human beings will be impoverished and spiritually weak, so they will have no strength to draw on. But those who trust in the Lord will have abundant strength, not only for their needs, but for the needs of others. 

Prayer: Abba Father, all powers belong to You. In You I put my trust. By Your strength I can do all things. Endue me with the spirit of complete dependence upon You in all things, knowing by You all things consist, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Remedy for Pride

 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13–16)

James is talking about pride and arrogance and how they show up in subtle ways. “You boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

When you take three categories of temptation to self-reliance — wisdom, power, and riches — they form a powerful inducement toward the ultimate form of pride; namely, atheism. The safest way for us to stay supreme in our own estimation is to deny anything above us. 

This is why the proud preoccupy themselves with looking down on others. C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you” (Mere Christianity).

But to preserve pride, it may be simpler to just proclaim that there is nothing above to look at. “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 10:4). Ultimately, the proud must persuade themselves that there is no God.

One reason for this is that God’s reality is overwhelmingly intrusive in all the details of life. Pride cannot tolerate the intimate involvement of God in running the universe, let alone the detailed, ordinary affairs of life.

Pride does not like the sovereignty of God. Therefore, pride does not like the existence of God, because God is sovereign. It might express this by saying, “There is no God.” Or it might express it by saying, “I am driving to Atlanta for Christmas.”

James says, “Don’t be so sure.” Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live, and we will get to Atlanta for Christmas.”

James’s point is that God rules over whether you get to Atlanta, and whether you live to the end of this devotional. This is extremely offensive to the self-sufficiency of pride — not even to have control over whether you get to the end of the devotional without having a stroke!

James says that not believing in the sovereign rights of God to manage the details of your future is arrogance.

The way to battle this arrogance is to yield to the sovereignty of God in all the details of life, and rest in his infallible promises to show himself mighty on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9), to pursue us with goodness and mercy every day (Psalm 23:6), to work for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4), and to equip us with all we need to live for his glory (Hebrews 13:21).

In other words, the remedy for pride is unwavering faith in God’s sovereign future grace.

BE SELFLESS AS CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 18, 2024.

SUBJECT : BE SELFLESS AS CHRIST! 

Memory verse: "Bear one another's burdens, and fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6 vs 2.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 3 - 5; First Corinthians 10 vs 24:

Philippians 2:3: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

2:4: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

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

INTIMATION:

Being selfless is laying aside right; putting others first. Selflessness is having no regard to self, being altruistic—living and acting for the interest of others. It is inconveniencing yourself for the happiness, and benefit of others. Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is a classic example of a selfless life. He was humble, willing to give up His rights in order to obey God and serve people. Consequently, the apostle Paul advises us thus: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Like Jesus, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of love for God and others. 

Everyone chooses his or her attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others. Jesus Christ's ministry on earth was anchored on selflessness, and was the basis for our salvation. He died for us; paid a ransom for us because we could not do it ourselves. His death released us from our slavery and bondage of sin. Jesus remarked in Mark 10 vs 45; "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

Living a selfless life as Christ did brings about spiritual unity. We must love one another and be one in spirit and purpose. When we co-operate in working together, caring for the problems of others as if they were our problems, we demonstrate Christ's example of putting others first, and consequently, fulfill the law of Christ. Always think of yourself the way Jesus thought of Himself. Though He is God, and equal with God in status, but didn't think so much of Himself that He had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Many people, even Christians, live only to make a good impression on others or to please themselves. However, selfish ambition or conceit (overbearing, having a high opinion of oneself) brings discord. Unfortunately, selfishness abound in the Body of Christ. Christians—members of the Body of Christ—compete amongst themselves with the motive to undo the other; backbiting, gossiping, witch-hunting, working against the interest of others etc. such evil behaviors are the products of selfishness. Even the leaders who should lead by example even struggle in traffic jam, in fuel cue, in difficult circumstances to take the first turn etc. Though it is difficult to lead such a lifestyle but we need to start from somewhere and let the Holy Spirt help us accomplish the rest.

Someone would say, “Can a selfless lifestyle of service possible.” Yes it is! Worthy of note was the Christlike selfless service of the late Mother Teresa; a unique personality who devoted her life to the service of God and others as a nun in the Roman Catholic faith. In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counseling programs, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow—to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. Give me the grace to lead a selfless lifestyle of service to You and fellow humans. treating others with respect and common courtesy, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!I’m