LAY UP FOR YOURSELF TREASURES IN HEAVEN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JUNE 23, 2024.

SUBJECT : LAY UP FOR YOURSELF TREASURES IN HEAVEN!

Memory verse: “So When Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.” (Luke 18 vs 22.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 19 - 21: 

6:19: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

6:20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

6:21: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

INTIMATION:

A “treasure” is anything considered to be valuable. Such things are, by natural instinct, adequately cared for, and stored in safe places in order not to lose them. What are your treasures? And where are you laying them up for safety? Jesus made it clear that having your treasures wrongly laid up, leads to our hearts being in the wrong place. But when they are properly laid in safety, you are sure of not losing the stored value in them. Laying up your treasures on earth and earthly things is considered unsuitable because such earthly treasures are temporal; they can perish, stolen, become obsolete, and eventually be destroyed when the earth passes away (Mark 13 vs 31; Second Peter 3 vs 10.) 

Heavenly treasures are not in physical or material substances. They are values stored up in good deeds, and are the only thing you take along with you to eternity. God is not interested in your possessions, money, and wealth. He is only interested in what you use them to do while it lasted here on earth. He is interested on how you used your wealth to build up your relationship with Him and your neighbors. 

It is noteworthy that all the “Ten Commandments” of God are relationship based, none is materialistic. Therefore, having riches carries great responsibility. If you have been blessed with wealth, then thank the Lord. Don’t be proud and don’t build your trust your material wealth. Use your wealth to do good. Be rich in good works; generous, and ready to share. Consequently, building for yourself lasting treasures which follows you to in heaven due to the value God attaches to your good deeds. 

No matter how much money you have, your life should demonstrate that God controls the wealth that He has placed under your care. When your treasures are heavenly bound, definitely your heart will be heavenly bound also. What we treasure most controls us and our thought, whether we admit it or not. If possessions or money becomes too important to you, then loosen your grip to re-establish what controls you or get rid of them. It is for this reason that Jesus admonishes us to make decisions that allow us to live contentedly with whatever we have, and learns to choose eternal values over earthly temporary treasures.

In our memory verse, Jesus said to the rich young man; “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” This man’s wealth made his life comfortable and gave him prestige and power. By telling him to sell everything he owned, Jesus was touching the very basis of his security, trust, and identity, which are earthly temporal treasures, instead of his building his trust in God. The man did not understand that he would be more secure if he followed Jesus than he was with all his wealth. 

When Jesus told this young man that he would “be perfect” if he gave everything he had to the poor, Jesus wasn’t speaking in the temporal, human sense. He was explaining how to be justified and made whole or complete in God’s sight. He was explaining to the young man God’s value system—using your possessions to build up your relationship with Him and others which God place great value on. Jesus does not ask believers to sell all they have. He did not ask most of His followers to sell everything, but rather use their possessions to serve God and others.  

Although this may be His Will for some who are controlled by their possessions, He does ask us all, however, to get rid of anything that has become more important to us in life than God. If your possessions take first place in your life, it would be better for you to get rid of them. We must remove all barriers to serving and trusting in Him fully. 

Don’t spend your time chasing fleeting earthly treasures. Instead store up for yourself treasures in heaven, for such treasures will never be lost nor destroyed by anything. The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use it for God’s kingdom purposes. 

Does love for God touch your wallet? Does your money free you to help others? If so, you are storing up lasting treasures in heaven. If your financial goals and possessions hinder you from giving generously, loving others, or serving God with them, sell what you must to bring your life in line with His purposes. Laying up treasures in heaven is accomplished by all acts of obedience and service to God. 

If Jesus would ask, ‘Could you give your house, or your car, or your level of income, or your position in the society, or your position on the ladder of promotion for His course,’ what would be your response? Definitely your response will show your attitude toward earthly treasures—whether it is your servant or your master, and would reveal who you serve—whether God or mammon. Where do you channel your time, money, and energy to mostly? What do you think about most? The sincere answers to these questions will reveal your real self! if your answer is tending toward earthly things, think of how you should change the way you use your resources in order to reflect kingdom values more accurately?

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours. You have only entrusted to our care things that are Yours. Give me the grace to manage all that You have put in my care adequately for Your kingdom sake as is pleasing to You, that I may lay up lasting treasures for myself in heaven, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Faith Honors Him Whom It Trusts

 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God. (Romans 4:20)

Oh, how I long for God to be glorified in our pursuit of holiness and love. But God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises. 

And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son. 

God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace. That’s the point of Romans 4:20 where Paul describes Abraham’s faith, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God.”

He grew strong in his faith, thus giving glory to God. Faith in God’s promises glorifies him as supremely wise and strong and good and trustworthy. So, unless we learn how to live by faith in the promises of God’s future grace, we may perform remarkable religious rigors, but not for God’s glory. 

He is glorified when the power to be holy comes through humble faith in future grace. 

Martin Luther said, “[Faith] honors him whom it trusts with the most reverent and highest regard, since it considers him truthful and trustworthy.” The trusted Giver gets the glory. 

My great desire is that we learn how to live for God’s honor. And that means living by faith in future grace, which, in turn, means battling unbelief in all the ways it rears its head.

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JUNE 22, 2024.

SUBJECT: BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbushes, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 15 - 20:

7:15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbrushes, or figs of thistles?

7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION: 

There are those who claim to be followers of Christ, but in actual facts they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, deceiving believers with their seemingly godly actions. The Scripture calls them ‘False prophets.’ They are very common today, and prophesy only what the people want to hear, claiming it is God’s message even when it is obvious that the people and the nation are wallowing in sin, and not following God’s ways. 

Their words usually sound religious but they are motivated by money, fame, or power. You can tell who they are because in their teaching they minimize Christ and glorify themselves. We should not be fooled by smooth talk and glowing word. Their miracles are short-lived, their teachings hardly point out people’s sins. They allow and even encourage all kinds of immorality, especially sexual sin. We must be careful to avoid them today. 

Their works can come through books, tape series, or TV messages, and must be evaluated in the light of God’s Word. Beware of special meanings or interpretations that belittle Christ or His work. God admonishes us in the Scripture, thus, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You shall have peace”’; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’” (Jeremiah 23 vs 16 - 17.)

Christians who study God’s Word, asking the Holy Spirit l to reveal the truth, will not be fooled, even though superficial Christians may easily be taken in. The Bible gives us example of believers who carefully checked God’s Word in Acts 17 vs 11; “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily, to find out whether these things were so.” 

True nobility in the sight of God is that one allow God to speak to him through His inspired Word. Those who do not allow God to speak to them through the Bible will be mislead either by their emotions, traditions, or the teachings of the false prophets or teachers. 

The Bible says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world.” (First John 4 vs 1.) There are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from God. One way is to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers, their lifestyles, and the fruit of their ministries. But the most important test of all is what they believe about Christ and the Word of God. 

Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. We should evaluate their words by examining their lives. Just as trees are consistent in the kind of fruit they produce, good teachers or prophets consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral character as they seek to live out the truth of Scriptures. This does not mean that they are perfect, but rather striving to lead a godly lifestyle. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of humility, and obedience to Your Word, that I may please You and have fellowship with You at all times. Give me the grace to prove all things in accordance with the Scriptures, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How We Must Fight for Holiness

 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

There is a practical holiness without which we will not see the Lord. Many live as if this were not so.

There are professing Christians who live such unholy lives that they will hear Jesus’s dreadful words, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). Paul says to professing believers, “If you live according to the flesh you will die” (Romans 8:13).

So, there is a holiness without which no one will see the Lord. And learning to fight for holiness by faith in future grace is supremely important. 

There is another way to pursue holiness that backfires and leads to death. Paul warns us against serving God any other way than by faith in his enabling grace. God is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Any effort to serve God that does not, in that very act, depend on him as the reward of our hearts and the power of our service, will dishonor him as a needy pagan god.

Peter describes the alternative to such self-reliant service of God, “Whoever serves, [let him do so] as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11). And Paul says, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me” (Romans 15:18; see also 1 Corinthians 15:10). 

Moment by moment, grace arrives to enable us to do “every good work” that God appoints for us. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). 

The fight for good works is a fight to believe the promises of future grace.

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BE NOT ANXIOUS RATHER PRAY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 21. 2024.

SUBJECT : BE NOT ANXIOUS RATHER PRAY!

Memory verse: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4 vs 6).

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 33:

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

6:31: Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall we wear?'

6:32: For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you needs all these things.

6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

INTIMATION:

Anxiety is being uneasy with fear, worry, crave or desire regarding something, In our memory verse, the Scripture tells us not fret or worry about anything. Instead pray concerning anything that makes you fret. Imagine not worrying or being anxious for anything! It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, in our business, at school, etc. Worry or anxiety in itself can change nothing. Take the required action of committing all things in prayers to the Owner of the whole world. The reason we worry or burn with anxiety is because we have not trusted God and His promises enough. 

Don’t fret or worry, instead of worrying, commit everything in the hands of God in prayer. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. There is nothing impossible with, nor difficult for God. Therefore, steep your life in God’s reality, put Him first in your life; let Him fill your thoughts with His desires, take His character for your pattern, and serve and obey Him in everything.

In turning your worries into prayers, locate in the Scriptures the promise of God relevant to your situation, and put Him into remembrance of His promises (Isaiah 43 vs 26), He hastens to perform His Word (Jeremiah 1 vs 12.) Then rest assured you will receive your petition because you have prayed according to His will. The Scripture says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked Him.” (First John 5 vs 14 - 15.)

In the passage we read today, Jesus tells us to stop worrying about those needs that God promises to supply. God knows you have those needs (Matthew 6 vs 32), and He is well able to supply your needs. Worry has its negative effects on us; it may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, reduce your ability to trust in God. Worry immobilizes, but genuine concern moves you to action.

Worry is distinct from planning. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares. Many a time we run away from God because of our sin, thinking that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passively. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who control circumstances.

Prayers: Abba Father, my trust is in You for I know You will never leave me nor forsake me. Daily You load me with Your benefits. My soul blesses, and rejoices in You. I put my cares upon You, knowing You care for me. Give me the grace not to be anxious for anything, but rather surrender everything in prayers to Your hands, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Satisfaction That Defeats Sin

 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

What we need to see here is that the essence of faith is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ.

Defining faith this way emphasizes two things. One is the God-centeredness of faith. It is not merely the promises of God that satisfy us. It is all that God himself is for us in Jesus. Faith embraces God in Christ as our treasure — not just God’s promised gifts.

Faith banks its hope not just on the real estate of the age to come, but on the fact that God will be there (Revelation 21:3). “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’” 

And even now what faith embraces most earnestly is not just the reality of sins forgiven (as precious as that is), but the presence of the living Christ in our hearts and the fullness of God himself. In Ephesians 3:17–19 Paul prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

The other thing emphasized in defining faith as being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus is the term “satisfaction.” Faith is the quenching of the soul’s thirst at the fountain of God. In John 6:35 we see that “believing” means “coming” to Jesus to eat and drink the “bread of life” and the “living water” (John 4:10, 14), which are nothing other than Jesus himself. 

Here is the secret of the power of faith to break the enslaving force of sinful attractions. If the heart is satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus, the power of sin to lure us away from the wisdom of Christ is broken.

Grace Is Pardon — and Power!

 By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift and power of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. 

This is plain, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15:10. Paul describes grace as the enabling power of his work. It is not simply the pardon of his sins; it is the power to press on in obedience. “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Therefore, the effort we make to obey God is not an effort done in our own strength, but “by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified” (1 Peter 4:11). It is the obedience of faith. Faith in God’s ever-arriving gracious power to enable us to do what we should.

Paul confirms this in 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 by calling each of our acts of goodness a “work of faith,” and by saying that the glory this brings to Jesus is “according to the grace of our God” because it happens “by his power.” Listen for all those phrases:

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The obedience that gives God pleasure is produced by the power of God’s grace through faith. The same dynamic is at work at every stage of the Christian life. The power of God’s grace that saves through faith (Ephesians 2:8) is the same power of God’s grace that sanctifies through faith.