DEAD WORKS - MAY 12

 DEAD WORKS - MAY 12

John 6:28, "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"

JOHN 6:24-29

All throughout history, mankind has been seeking ways to do the works of God. Everyone has a knowledge within them of the reality of God (Rom. 1:18-20), and a desire to be right with Him. However, just as with these Jews, few agree with the Lord as to how to do it. These Jews were willing to do something to obtain salvation, but they were not willing to commit themselves to Jesus and accept His gift.

This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the religions of the world. Religion is willing to make sacrifices to obtain right standing with God, but Christianity recognizes our complete inability to ever do enough to save ourselves and calls for total faith and reliance on what Jesus did for us.

No one deserves salvation. It cannot be earned by what the Bible calls "dead works" (Heb. 6:1; 9:14). Dead works include all religious activities, good deeds, or charity that one may do as a means of being justified before God.

Faith towards God and what He has done through Christ Jesus is the only means of receiving His free gift of salvation. He only asks us to believe.

DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 12, 2024.

SUBJECT : DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD!

Memory verse: “Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 58 vs 14.)

READ: Psalm 37 vs 4 - 5; 145 vs 19:

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

37:5: Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

145:19: He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him, He will also hear their cry and save them.

INTIMATION:

To delight in the Lord means to experience great pleasure and joy in His presence. This happens only when we know Him well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. It’s your quest and thirst to know Him and His ways that commit Him into revealing Himself to you. It’s by God’s grace that we exist. We never entered into any agreements to be created by Him. It’s all His doing, and for His purposes. Therefore, if He has done all by Himself, and for His purposes, it’s obvious that to live and do rightly—living according to His preordained purposes—you must know Him and His ways thoroughly. 

The Scripture tells us to delight in the Lord and commit everything we have and do to Him. And to commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything—our lives, families, jobs, possessions and so on—to His control and guidance. It means to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can care for ourselves, while we willingly wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us. The knowledge of God’s great love for us, that love that drove Him to give His only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins, will indeed make us delighted in Him. Whatever He does is permanent, and His blessings makes rich and adds no sorrow with it.

Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 31 - 33.) To “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. God’s righteousness comes through one’s submission to His Will. Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, must always be first.

He created you and I and has put in place everything we require to live for Him, and according to His purposes. You can only know and have access to His limitless provisions when you delight in Him—strive to know Him and His ways better. Remember He said do this first—seek to know Him and His purposes for you first, and all other things you need, including your desires, will be added to you without struggle. All you have to do is seek Him first, and all other things flows your way as additions!

Before all else, strive after God’s way of doing and being right. Steep your life in God’s reality through the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Him, never worrying about missing out. Put Him first in all you do and let Him take the driving seat in your life. Then you find that all your everyday human concerns will be met. Resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God’s Word, reminding yourself of it day and night, and God will be your constant companion, ensuring your success in carrying out His purposes. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in God’s eyes, and His opinion is the most important. 

Prayer: Abba Father, uphold me with Your free spirit, and endue me with undying passion for You and Your ways, that I may delight myself in You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

 PRAYER FOR TODAY 

BIBLE VERSE:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own

Matthew 6:34 

PRAYER:

Lord, I commit my day into your hands. Take absolute control of everything. I put all my trust in you, Lord. Do not let me be put to shame. I thank you for answered prayer. Amen! 

 Have a fantastic day,Brethren!

SELF SEEKING NOT GOD SEEKING - MAY 11

 SELF SEEKING NOT GOD SEEKING - MAY 11

John 6:26, "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."

MATTHEW 14:34-36; MARK 6:53-56; JOHN 6:22-39

Jesus knew the hearts of all men and therefore, He did not commit Himself to this crowd. Just the day before, these same people tried to take Him by force and make Him their king, but He withdrew and spent the night in prayer.

This crowd looked like they were seeking Jesus, but they were actually trying to use Jesus to seek their own end. It is true that there are many personal benefits to be reaped through serving the Lord, but the benefits are never to become our object. In all things, Christ must have the preeminence (Col. 1:18).

Jesus exposed the true intentions of the people's hearts by preaching a strong message of commitment. Those who were self-centered were offended and left while those who were willing to lay down their lives to experience God's abundant life remained. Commitment to God Himself (not what He can produce) is what always separates the true worshippers of God from the false.

As Jesus began to explain in these verses that He was the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6) and that they would have to come through Him, the people grew angry. It always angers the flesh to think that all our righteous acts can't save us, but Jesus made it clear that our only part in salvation is to believe. Believe what? Believe on Jesus and His sacrifice - not ours. Salvation is a gift and cannot be purchased (Rom. 10:2-3).

Many times, we get so intent on seeking God in one area that we forget the greatest miracle of all, which is the love and redemption given to us from God through His Son. God loves us so much!

HAVE A CONTINUED ATTITUDE OF PRAYER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024.

SUBJECT : HAVE A CONTINUED ATTITUDE OF PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Pray without ceasing." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 1 - 8:

18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 

18:2: saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary,’

18:4: And He would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

It is the desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. It is through prayer that, not only the inward man is strengthened, but also the work of God is called upon by the believer to function in his or her life. Prayer is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. Most Christians have realized the fact that the Father's heart is hungry for the companionship of His children. His heart hunger is the reason for man’s redemption. God wants a constant fellowship with His children. It was His plan from the beginning hence He visited Adam everyday in the Garden. He loves us and that love impels Him to call us to prayer.

Prayer is the call of Love of the Father to come and fellowship with Him. Prayer is our need crying out for help. It is the voice of faith to the Father. It is for this reason that the Lord wants us to always pray; always be in His presence. Prayer, then, is facing God with man's needs, with His promise to meet those needs. It is born out of the sense of need, and the assurance that the need will be met. The Lord taught us to pray, He is one with us in this prayer life. Prayer is part of God's program for us.

It is God's Will that His children will come to His Throne Room, to stand in His presence without reproof or condemnation. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ, while teaching His disciples how to pray, said, "When you pray" (Matthew 6 vs 5), and not "If you pray." It is God's intention that His children will visit their Father, the children coming joyously into the presence of their Loving Parent, and are welcome.

The apostle Paul, in consonance with the Lord’s demand, says we should pray without ceasing; persist in prayer and not give up; continuing steadfastly, and earnestly in it, and being vigilant in it with thanksgiving (Romans 12 vs 12; Colossians 4 vs 2). To persist in prayer does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. It means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. Emphasis here is not on a continued action of prayer, but on a continued attitude of prayer. In other words, the believer should be in a state of mind that he or she can at all times take part in the action of praying to the Father; being of an attitude at all times that is conducive for offering prayer to God. 

When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope. When we pray, we are in constant communication with the Father and it enriches us spiritually. We touch the Father through our prayers, and there cannot be any touching of the Master without the Master knowing it. When our need touches Him, it makes a demand upon his ability to meet that need. 

For instance, one day when the crowd was pressing around the Master, Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" And they said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8 vs 45 - 47.) Touching the Master is making a demand from Him. The woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, touched Him, making a demand upon His ability to meet her need, and the Master knew it, and she got her need met—she was healed of the disease (See Luke 8 vs 40 - 48). 

In the passage we read today, we learned that the Lord wants us to persist in prayer and not give up. It’s a Christian behavior, and an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn’t die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God’s way of working His Will in one’s life. He is ever present—Omnipresent—, always listening, always answering, may be not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best as the All-knowing—Omniscient God. If the unjust judge responds to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God respond to us? If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Loving Father, and Faithful Companion. Endue me with the spirit of continuous prayer and supplication to You, making my requests known to You, with thanksgiving, believing that You will come through to me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

SALVATION: A RELATIONSHIP - MAY 10

 SALVATION: A RELATIONSHIP - MAY 10

Mark 6:54, "And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,"

MARK 6:53-56

The word "know" can mean many things from as little as "to perceive with the senses or the mind" to a much deeper meaning of "a thorough experience with."

This knowing, then, is not just intellectual, but a personal, intimate understanding. Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ. Eternal life is having an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son. This intimacy with God is what salvation is all about. Forgiveness of our sins is not the point of salvation. This intimacy with the Father is. Of course, Jesus did die to purchase forgiveness for our sins because unforgiven sins block us from intimacy with God. Sin was an obstacle that stood between God and us. It had to be dealt, with and it was. But anyone who views salvation as only forgiveness of sins and stops there is missing out on eternal life.

Salvation was intended to be presented as the way to come back into harmony with God. Instead, it has often been presented as the way to escape the problems of this life and later the judgment of hell. It is possible to get born again with that kind of thinking, but more often than not, people who get saved through that type of ministry view the Lord as someone to help them through times of crisis and not someone to know in an intimate way. Jesus died for us out of love (Jn. 3:16) - a love that longed to have intimate communion with man.

Most non-believers are so occupied with their "hell on earth" that they don't really think or care about their eternal future. They are fed up with religion. They are looking for something that will fill the emptiness inside. Only an intimate relationship (eternal life) with our Father can do that. We need 

to tell them.

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 10, 2024.

SUBJECT : WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 1 - 2; Second Corinthians 5 vs 21: 

Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

8:2: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Second Corinthians 5:21: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

INTIMATION: 

“In Christ” means the covenant relationship that one establishes with Christ at the time of immersion into Christ by baptism. When one is baptized into Christ, he or she comes into this relationship with Christ. In Christ one does not consider things according to the flesh, but according to the spiritual nature of those who are in such covenant relationship with Christ. Since Christians have become new creatures in Christ, they consider all things from a new perspective.

One is new in Christ, not only because he has been cleansed of sins, but also because of his or her perspective of life after obedience to the gospel. When one is immersed into Christ he becomes a new creation, having been washed of all sins. However, though one is washed of sin, he or she still must bring his or her life into conformity with conduct that is directed by the Word of God. As a new creation one must maintain the commitment to follow after the example of Jesus life and teachings. 

Christianity is the life of God imparted to man, plus the wealth of the riches of God's nature also imparted to man, and the Spirit's unveiling of the wealth of God that was revealed in Christ. This truth was a faith-provoking, and a love-stimulating thing; realizing what Christ has done for us in His redemptive work. Honestly, for a genuine believer, It revolutionizes the intellect, and thrills the spirit. It lifts a man out of the natural to the supernatural. 

When the mind of a Christian is renewed on the strength of the covenant rights in relationship with Christ, he or she can take his or her place as a child of God. He can enjoy a child's rights and privileges. He can assume a child's responsibility and step into the riches of the grace of God. That comes when a believer loses his sin consciousness, his sense of inferiority, noting that when you confess Christ and believe in your heart His redemptive work for you, you are a new creation, old things are passed away, and all things have become new. Your old self has been crucified with Christ, and your new self has risen up with Him in the new creation.

The sin consciousness is never lost in you until you know about righteousness. It does not only mean doing right deeds, righteousness means the ability to stand in the Father's presence without a sense of guilt, inferiority, or sin, just as free in the Father's presence as was Jesus. In the new creation we have righteousness reckoned for us; for our sake He made His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, virtually to be in sin who never knew any sin, so that in, and through Him we might become endued with the righteousness of God.

In the redemptive work of Christ, all sins; past, present, and future have been forgiven you provided you have fellowship in Christ. Why is it so? When we trust in Christ, and accept the redemption He wrought for us, we make an exchange—our sin for His righteousness. Our sin was poured into Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is poured into us at our conversion. In Christianity that is what is meant by Christ's atonement for sin. 

We not only have righteousness reckoned to us, but also imputed and imparted to us in the new creation. The new man is created according to God, in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4 vs 24). That thrills the heart. The very fact of a new creation demands a perfect righteousness which is given in Christ. In the new creation, we have now a perfect relationship—God is our very Father, we are His sons and daughters, able to stand in His presence without any sense of guilt or sin consciousness because of His righteousness imputed and imparted to us. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Abba Father, what a great and loving Father we have in You; ever merciful, and with unfailing compassion. When I meditate on Your loving kindness toward me, and remember what You wrought for me in redemption, I feel great chill run through my spines. O Lord, endue me with the spirit of complete obedience, gratefulness, and faithfulness to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!