THE UNIMAGINABLE MERCY OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE UNIMAGINABLE MERCY OF GOD!

Memory verse: “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD who has mercy on you." (Isaiah 54 vs 10.)

READ: Zechariah 3 vs 1 - 5:

3:1: Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

3:2: And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

3:3: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

3:4: Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

3:5: And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.

INTIMATION: 

Mercy signifies, in general, to feel sympathy with the misery of another, and especially sympathy manifested in act. Therefore, “mercy” has been defined as “not giving a person what he or she deserves.” This is exactly what God does for us. Our disobedience demands judgement! But God shows mercy toward us by providing an escape from sin’s penalty through Jesus Christ, who alone saves us from sin. When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve. Yet when we take this step and trust in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we can experience God’s forgiveness.

In the passage we read today, Zechariah’s vision graphically portrays how we receive God’s mercy. We do nothing ourselves. God removes our filthy garments (sins), then provides us with fine, new clothes (the righteousness and holiness of God—Second Corinthians 5 bs 21; Ephesians 4 bs 24; Revelation 19 vs 8). All we need to do is repent and ask God to forgive us. When Satan tries to make you feel dirty and unworthy, remember that the clean clothes of Christ’s righteousness make you worthy to draw near to God. 

Satan accused (“opposed”) Joshua, who here represents the nation of Israel. The accusations were accurate—Joshua stood in filthy garments (sin). Yet God revealed His mercy, stating that He chose to save His people in spite of their sin. Satan is always accusing people of their sins before God. But he greatly misunderstands the breadth of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him (Revelation 12 vs 10), while everyone who is a believer will be saved (John 3 vs 16). To be prepared, we can ask God to remove our clothing of sin and dress us with His goodness. 

God’s mercy is unbelievable. It goes far beyond what we can imagine. In accordance with His nature of being merciful, God wants to forgive us and bring us back to Himself. Some people will not learn this until their world has crashed in around them. Then the sorrow and pain seem to open their eyes to what God has been saying all along. God is so merciful that many times He holds us back from sinning against Him in ways we cannot even detect. Yes, most of the times, we have no way of knowing. God works just as often in ways we can’t see as in ways we can. 

Countless times throughout the Bible we see God showing His love and patience toward men and women in order to save them. Although He realizes that their hearts are evil, He continues to try to reach them. When we sin or fall away from God, we surely deserve to be destroyed by His judgement. But God has promised never again to destroy everything on earth until the judgement day when Christ returns to destroy evil forever

If God gives us the justice that we deserve, none would be able to stand before Him. But the human nature often makes us cry for justice when we feel abused and unfairly treated. In those moments, we forget the reality of our own sin and the righteous judgement we deserve. How fortunate we are that God gives us mercy and grace rather than only justice. The next time you ask God for fair treatment, pause to think what would happen if God gave you what you really deserve. Plead instead for His mercy. If God treated us as with justice alone and not with mercy, we would be wiped out by God’s wrath. God in His kindness forgives us instead of giving us what we deserve. 

Are you separated from God by sin? No matter how far you have wandered, God promises a fresh beginning if only you will turn to Him. Mercy is the nature and act of God, and peace is the resulting experience in the heart of man. 

Prayer: Abba Father, there is nothing I can do to thank you enough for Your mercy that has never failed me. I will stop at nothing to declare at all times Your goodness and mercy in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

CREATED FOR A PURPOSE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 22, 2024.

SUBJECT: CREATED FOR A PURPOSE! 

Memory verse: "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were through him and for Him.” (Colossians 1 vs 16.)

READ: Genesis 1 vs 27 - 28:

Genesis 1:27: So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

1:28: Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over  every living thing that moves on the earth.

INTIMATION:

All that exists finds its beginning in the Son of God. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit created all things through the specific work of the Son. Therefore, everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels, everything got started in God, and finds its purpose in Him. 

God has His reasons for creating the world. He has a purpose for creating all that are in the world, and determines the purpose to be served by all He created. To live purposefully in this life, we need to understand why we are created, and brought into this world by the Creator. You and I are not an accident, we are here for a purpose, and discovering that purpose makes the best of life here on earth.

In the passage we read today, God’s mandate to humans is to have dominion over all other things He created. This is the primary, and general purpose to be served by all of us. To have dominion over something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth, and He exercises His authority with loving care. God delegated some of His authority to the human race, and expects us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. 

To achieve the general purpose God created us all to serve, we are to individually serve our specific purposes predetermined by Him. The individual contributions and collective responsibilities of all of us culminates into achieving the general purpose for which we are created. And the respective purposes each and everyone of us is to serve toward achieving the goal is determined by God Himself. In Jeremiah 10 vs 23 the Bible says; ".....The way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." 

The quest for the purpose of life for everyone of us has puzzled many for thousands of years. This is because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We usually ask self-centered questions like; "What do I want to be?" "What should I do with my life?" "What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future?" But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose. 

Our Owner, our Creator, created us for His purposes. Therefore, if you want to know why you were placed on this earth, you must begin with God. We exist only because God wills that we exist. We were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.

Many books have been written that suggests ways to discover the purpose of your life. All of them are classified as "self-help" books because they all approached the subject from a self-centered viewpoint, and predictable steps to finding your life's purpose. Of course, these recommendations often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you apply yourself to it. 

But “being successful,” and “fulfilling your life's purpose,” are not, at all, the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, and achieve your set objectives, becoming a star, or a raving success by the world's standard, and still miss the purpose for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. 

Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning looking within yourself. You didn't create yourself, and as such there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If you are handed over an invention you have never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose.

The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it directly, or refer to the owner's manual. The same is true for discovering your life's purpose; Ask God—your Maker, or refer to the Owner's Manual—the Bible. The intended discovery is achieved by revelations inherent in the Word of God. He has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the Owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His manual you can find these answers.

Just as all things in life serve their respective purposes. And everything manufactured, produced, or developed have their respective guidelines, manuals, and instructions for their effective, useful, and intended use. In like manner, God created you for a purpose, and determines how that purpose will be served and achieved by you. All of that knowledge is with Him. Knowing that in Him all knowledge of you is hidden, why then do you seek your purpose in life outside of Him. Go to Him, and you will discover the purpose of your being created.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened that I may discover Your purpose for me on earth which is imbedded in the knowledge of You and Your Will, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

We Will Rule All Things

 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

What does Jesus mean when he says this to the church in Laodicea?

Sit with Jesus on his throne? Really?

This is a promise to everyone who conquers, that is, who presses on in faith to the end (1 John 5:4), in spite of every threatening pain and luring, sinful pleasure. So if you are a true believer in Jesus, you will sit on the throne of the Son of God who sits on the throne of God the Father.

I take “throne of God” to signify the right and authority to rule the universe. That’s where Jesus sits. “He must reign,” Paul said, “until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). So when Jesus says, “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne,” he promises us a share in the rule of all things.

Is this what Paul has in mind in Ephesians 1:22–23? “He put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

We, the church, are “the fullness of him who fills all.” What does that mean? I take it to mean that the universe will be filled with the glory of the Lord (Numbers 14:21). And one dimension of that glory will be the complete and unopposed extension of his rule everywhere.

Therefore, Ephesians 1:23 would mean: Jesus fills the universe with his own glorious rule through us. Sharing in his rule, we are the fullness of his rule. We rule on his behalf, by his power, under his authority. In that sense, we sit with him on his throne.

None of us feels this as we should. It is too much — too good, too amazing. That’s why Paul prays for God’s help that “the eyes of your hearts [would be] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:18).

Without omnipotent help now, we cannot feel the wonder of what we are destined to become. But if we are granted to feel it, as it really is, all our emotional reactions to this world will change. The strange and radical commands of the New Testament will not be as strange as they once seemed.

The Anchor of Joy

 

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11)

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Jesus revealed a secret that protects our happiness from the threat of suffering and the threat of success. That secret is this: Great is your reward in heaven. And the sum of that reward is enjoying the fullness of the glory of Jesus Christ (John 17:24).

Jesus protects our happiness from suffering when he says,

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

Our great reward in heaven rescues our joy from the threat of persecution and reviling.

He also protects our joy from success when he says,

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

The disciples were tempted to put their joy in ministry success. “Even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17). But that would have severed their joy from its only sure anchor.

So Jesus protects their joy from the threat of success by promising the far greater reward of heaven. Rejoice in this: that your names are written in heaven. Your inheritance is infinite, eternal, sure.

Our joy is safe. Neither suffering nor success can destroy its anchor. Great is your reward in heaven. Your name is written there. It is secure.

Jesus anchored the happiness of suffering saints in the reward of heaven. And he anchored the happiness of successful saints in the same.

And thus he freed us from the tyranny of worldly pain and pleasure — worldly suffering and worldly success.

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!