Love’s Greatest Happiness

 Love’s Greatest Happiness

No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29–30)

Don’t miss that last phrase: “because we are members of his body.” And don’t forget what Paul said two verses earlier, namely, that Christ gave himself for us “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor.” So in two different ways, Paul makes plain that Christ pursued his joy in pursuing the holiness and beauty and happiness of his people.

The union between Christ and his bride is so close (“one flesh”) that any good done to her is a good done to himself. Which means that the clear assertion of this text is that the Lord is moved to nourish, cherish, sanctify, and cleanse his bride because in this he finds his joy.

By some definitions, this cannot be love. Love, they say, must be free of self-interest — especially Christlike love, especially Calvary love. I have never seen such a view of love made to square with this passage of Scripture.

Yet what Christ does for his bride, this text plainly calls love: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church . . . ” (Ephesians 5:25). Why not let the text define love for us, instead of bringing our definition from ethics or philosophy? According to this text, love is the pursuit of Christ’s joy in the holy joy of the beloved. 

There is no way to exclude self-interest from love, for self-interest is not the same as selfishness. Selfishness seeks its own private happiness at the expense of others. 

Christlike love seeks its happiness in the happiness of others — not at their expense. It will even suffer and die for the beloved in order that its joy might be made full in the life and purity of the beloved. 

This is how Christ loved us, and this is how he calls us to love one another.

DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE IN ETERNITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, 2024.

SUBJECT: DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF LIFE IN ETERNITY! 

Memory verse: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 11.)

READ: Ecclesiastes 12 vs 5:

12:5: Also they are afraid of height, and terrors in the way; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets.

INTIMATION:

You are created to live forever. Life on earth is not all there is. It is just the beginning of life, it is the preparation for the next. Death marks the beginning of life on the other side—in eternity. You will spend far more time on the other side of death than you will here. Earth is only a tryout for your life in eternity. It is a practice workout before the actual game. 

Death is not the end of you. It isn't your termination because you can't be terminated. Death is only a transition into eternity, and there are eternal consequences for everything you do on earth, leading to the part of the eternal divide you will forever live.

Even though we know that everyone will eventually die, death always seems unnatural and unfair, even at a hundred and twenty years. The reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire! (Ecclesiastes 3 vs 11.) One day your heart will stop pumping, and that marks the end of your body and your time on earth, but it will not be the end of you. Your earthly body is just a temporary residence for your real self—your spirit.

At most, you will live a hundred and twenty years on earth (Genesis 6 vs 3), but you will live forever in eternity. Your time on earth is but a small parenthesis to eternal life. You are made to last forever. 

The plain truth is that while life on earth offers many choices, eternity offers only two; heaven or hell. Your relationship with God on earth will determine your relationship with Him in eternity. If you learn to love and trust God's Son, Jesus, accept His finished work on the cross for you, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, you are given the legal right to be the child of God, heir of God, joint heir with His Son, and will spend the rest of eternity with Him. On the other hand, if you reject Him, reject His love, forgiveness, and salvation, thereby committing the only unforgivable sin, you will spend eternity away from God—in hell. 

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Your Will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right then, have it your way.' Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without Him here on earth. 

When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just a preparation for eternity, you will start living in the light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task, and circumstance you are involved in on earth. Suddenly many activities, goals, and even problems that seemed so important will appear trivial, petty, and unworthy of your attention. 

The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears. Eternity focused life changes your value system. You use your time and money wisely. You place higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame or wealth or achievements or even fun. Your priorities are reordered. Keeping up with trends, fashions, and popular values just doesn't matter as much anymore. 

The Scripture in Philippians 3 vs 7 says, "But what things were gain to me, I have counted loss for Christ." The apostle Paul said he thought his past achievements were very important, but now he considers them worthless when compared with what Christ has done for him. If our time here on earth is all there is to life, we would live as if there is no tomorrow. You could exploit life as much as you could, forget being good and ethical, and wouldn't have to worry about any consequences of your actions. You could indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions would have no long-term repercussions. 

Unfortunately, life is beyond our days on this earth. Lead your life in consciousness of eternity with God as your driving force.

Prayer: Abba Father, one thing I have desired of You, that I will seek after, that the eyes of my understanding being enlightened; that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, and what the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and I may dwell in Your house forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus’s Joy in Marriage

 Jesus’s Joy in Marriage

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

The reason there is so much misery in marriage is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek it in the pleasure of their spouses. The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage in Ephesians 5:25–30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. 

How did he love the church? Verse 25 says he “gave himself up for her.” But why? Verse 26 says, “that he might sanctify” and cleanse her. But why did he want to do that? Verse 27 answers, “that he might present the church to himself in splendor!” 

Ah! There it is! “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church. The joy of presenting the church to himself in blood-bought splendor.

Jesus does not intend to have a dirty and unholy wife. Therefore, he was willing to die to sanctify and cleanse his betrothed so he could present to himself a wife “in splendor.” He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up in suffering for the good of his bride.

Then Paul applies this to husbands in verses 28–30: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.” 

Jesus had said to husbands and wives — and everyone else — “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Marriage is an extraordinary place of application. It is not merely “as” you love yourself. But you are loving yourself. When you love the person with whom God has made you one flesh, you are loving yourself. That is, your greatest joy is found in seeking the greatest joy of your spouse.

DISCOVER WHY YOU WERE CREATED BY GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 18, 2024.

SUBJECT: DISCOVER WHY YOU WERE CREATED BY GOD! 

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 created through him and for Him.” (Colossians 1 vs 16.)

READ: Genesis 1 vs 27 - 28:

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:

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. All these are tailored to the form and nature of our Creator—our God is a God of purpose. 

To live purposefully in this life, we need to understand why we are created, and brought into this world by the Creator. I am not an accident, as well as you. We are here for a purpose. God brought you into the world for a purpose. Discovering that purpose makes life worth living, and you make the best of life here on earth.

All things in life serve their respective purposes. Manufacturers manufacture their products to serve their intended purposes, developers develop for intended purposes, all productions are for different purposes. And everything manufactured, produced, or developed have their respective guidelines, manuals, and instructions for their use. 

God mandated man, His creation in His own image and after His likeness, to have dominion over all other things He created. And 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, and it is the individual contributions, and collective responsibilities of all of us that culminates into achieving the general purpose for which we are created. The purpose of each and everyone of us toward achieving this 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 lives’ purpose. Our Owner, our Creator, created us for a purpose, that is, His purpose. Therefore, if you want to know why you were placed on this earth, you must begin your quest with God. 

All we are, and our purposes in life are in God's hand. Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's purpose looking within yourself. You didn't create yourself, and as such there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created to do! 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.

We cannot arrive at our purpose by starting with a focus on ourselves. We must begin with God, our Creator. 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.

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 discovery is 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.

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. Some of the steps offered by these books are titled; ‘Consider your dreams.’ ‘Clarify your values.’ ‘Set some goals.’ ‘Figure out what you are good at.’ ‘Aim high.’ ‘Go for it!’ ‘Be disciplined.’ ‘Believe you can achieve your goals.’ ‘Involve others.’ ‘Never give up.’

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. 

God created you for a purpose, and determines how that purpose will be served and achieved by you. All these He wrought when you are yet unformed. 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 creation.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live, and move, and have my being. Help me discover my purpose on earth which is imbedded in the knowledge of You and Your Will. Give me the spirit of wisdom and knowledge of You, that Your grace and peace will be multiplied unto me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Purpose of Prosperity

 The Purpose of Prosperity

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them; (2) or you can work to get them; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching, and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what the apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “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).

Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle.

God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35).

YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2024.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT! 

Memory verse: "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings." (Acts 17 vs 26.)

READ: Psalm 139 vs 13 - 16:

139:13: For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 

139:14: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

139:15: My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

139:16: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the day's fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

INTIMATION:

You are not an accident. Your birth was not a mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned for you, but God did. Long before your conception in your mother's womb, God had already conceived you in His mind. He is the "Alpha" - the very beginning. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, not luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment. The days fashioned for you is already written in His Book, and only Him will conditionally fulfill the number of those your days (Exodus 23 vs 25). 

Every single detail of your body is by God's prescription. He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair, and every other feature. Your body is made according to His needs of you, and impacts you with the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality. Because God made you for a reason, He also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. God also planned where you would be born and where you would live for His purpose. Your race and nationality are no accident. God left no detail to chance. He planned it all for His purpose.

Nothing in your life is arbitrary. It's all for a purpose predetermined by the Owner—God! Regardless of the circumstances of your birth or who your parents are, God had a plan in creating you. It doesn't matter whether your parents are good, bad, or indifferent. While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God the Creator. God's purpose even took into account human error, and even sin.

Though omnipresent and omniscient, God is mindful of every individual of His creation. In the passage we read today, the psalmist was concerned that our understanding of the awesomeness of God might lead us to believe that He is indifferent to the details of His creation, and thus might overlook individuals. 

Remember King David, Bathsheba, and Solomon. David and his son Solomon were Israel's two most famous kings. Bathsheba was lover and wife to one—David, and mother to the other—Solomon. Her adultery with David almost brought an end to the family through which God planned to physically enter His world. Out of the ashes of that sin, however, God brought good. Eventually Jesus Christ, the salvation of mankind, was born to a descendant of David and Bathsheba.

God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates, be it human, animal, or plant. All are designed with a purpose in His mind. The motive of God for creating us was His love. And it was with that same motive He gave us a Savior. 

God’s character goes into the creation of every person. Therefore, you should have as much respect for yourself as your Maker and Owner has for you. God made you for a reason, and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is, and by what He does for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, You own me, and created me for a purpose, show me that path of life predetermined for me by You, that I may walk in it to achieve Your purpose for me, that I may lead a purposeful life to earn Your approval, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer Against Evil Pattern

 PRAYER AGAINST EVIL PATTERN.

Today, we're praying against evil pattern in our lives and family.

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

PRAYER POINTS

1.  - O Lord, manifest your glory in my family, in the name of Jesus.

2.  - Every curse of disorder upon my family, be broken by fire, in the name of Jesus.

3.  - Crying shall not be my lot again, in the name of of Jesus.

4.  - Every river of sadness, dry up by fire, in the name of Jesus.

5.  - I disconnect my life from all evil calendars in the name of Jesus.

6.  - Every evil pattern of infirmity in my life, break in the name of Jesus.

7.  - I command every pattern of Chronic disease in my life to cease, in the name of Jesus.

8.  - You evil pattern of poverty, die, in the name of Jesus.

9.  - Every giant of almost -there in my family, drop dead, in the name of Jesus.

10.  - Every evil pattern of non-achievement in my family clear out now, in the name of Jesus.

11. Today, we're praying against evil pattern in our lives and family.

12.  - Every garment of evil pattern against my divine goal, roast, in the name of Jesus.

13.  - Every messenger of death operating in my family line, die in the name of Jesus.

14.  - Every stronghold of death and tragedy in my family, scatter by fire, in the name of Jesus.

15.  - O God arise, and let every witchcraft power release my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

16.  - Every pattern of household witchcraft in my family, I bury you today, in the name of Jesus.

17.  - Every plantation of witchcraft in my family, what are you waiting for? Die, in the name of Jesus.

18.  - The failure that happened in the lives of my parents, will not happen in my life, in the name of Jesus.

19.  - Every bacteria of poverty in my life, die in the name of Jesus.

20.  - O Lord, let my life attract prosperity, in the name of Jesus.