NEVER SPEAK HARSH WORDS AGAINST GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 06, 2024.

SUBJECT : NEVER SPEAK HARSH WORDS AGAINST GOD!

Memory verse: "You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him? In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2 vs 17.)

READ: Malachi 3 vs 13 - 17:

3:13: “Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the LORD. “Yes you say, ‘What have we spoken so much against You?’

3:14: You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?

3:15: So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’”

3:16: Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them;  so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD, and who meditate on His name.

3:17: “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.”

INTIMATION:

What you say and what you don’t say are both important. To use proper speech you must not only say right words at the right time but also not say what you shouldn’t. God is Supreme and made all things, including you, according to His plans and purposes which is known to Him alone. The Creator has control over the created. The created, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator—its very existence depends on Him. 

Keeping this perspective removes any temptation of speaking harsh words against God, or having any misgivings against Him in unpleasant life’s circumstances, especially when you are convinced you toed the right path, and put your trust in God. The Scripture says, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9 vs 20.) From birth to death, we are continually in God’s grip. 

It’s important to know the kind of God we worship: He is Sovereign; He alone knows the end from the beginning; He is not arbitrary; in all things He works for our good, and in accordance with His plans and purposes; He is trustworthy; He will save all who believe in Him; His thoughts for us is of good not of evil. 

When we understand these qualities of God, we know that His choices are good even if we don’t understand all His reasons: “For all things work together for good to those that love Him, to those who are the called for a purpose.” (Romans 8 vs 28) Never allow life’s circumstances to prompt you to speak harshly against God. Rather focus continually on God who controls all circumstances. 

At times the wicked prospers, leaving the godly people wondering why they bother to be good and not prospering. Eventually, the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly takes on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. 

Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth. Look around you and observe the wealth of many whose source of wealth is questionable. After their death, the wealth usually develop wings and begin to fly away in the hands of their survivors.

As humans, our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are harsh and faithless. Which of these speech patterns reflects your true identity? We were made in God’s image, but the tongue gives us a picture of our basic sinful nature. God works to change us from the inside. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, He gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God.

God will remember those who remain faithful to Him, and who love, fear, honor, and respect Him. God’s “jewel” are those faithful to Him. Jesus said, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11 vs 6.) Being offended in Him who made you, for His plan and purpose, is the most senseless thing anybody can do. You had no contributions of any sort in His work and, therefore, no choices are available to you. Knowing that His counsel stands and He does His pleasure (Isaiah 46 vs 10) should inform us to resign completely to His leading, and never murmur against Him. 

Prophet Habakkuk said, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3 vs 17 - 18.) 

In the face of either a hostile environment, or turbulent international affairs, we should stand firm in the Lord. The words of Prophet Habakkuk above are words of one who through faith had transcended the affairs of this world. They are the words of one who would not allow his environment to determine his spirit. For such people their faith is their victory (First John 5 vs 4). This should be the words of a genuine Christian, for ‘Christian life’ is a ‘faith life!’

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to, and trust in You, that I may do Your will, humbly and wholeheartedly accept Your counsel and leading, even when it seems the world is collapsing on me, and there is no hope for any good in sight, that I will continually rejoice in my God, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Do You Neglect Your Salvation?

 Do You Neglect Your Salvation?

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)

Is there a sense of greatness in your mind about your salvation? Or do you neglect it?

Do you respond to the greatness of your salvation? Or do you treat it the way you treat your last will and testament, or the title to your car, or the deed on your house? You signed it once and it is in a file drawer somewhere, but it is not a really great thing in your mind. You rarely think about it. It has no daily effect on you. Basically, you neglect it.

But when you neglect your great salvation, what are you really neglecting? Here’s what he is saying when he says, “Don’t neglect your great salvation!”

Don’t neglect being loved by God. 

Don’t neglect being forgiven and accepted and protected and strengthened and guided by almighty God. 

Don’t neglect the sacrifice of Christ’s life on the cross. 

Don’t neglect the free gift of righteousness imputed by faith. 

Don’t neglect the removal of God’s wrath and the reconciled smile of God. 

Don’t neglect the indwelling Holy Spirit and the fellowship and friendship of the living Christ. 

Don’t neglect the radiance of God’s glory in the face of Jesus. 

Don’t neglect the free access to the throne of grace. 

Don’t neglect the inexhaustible treasure of God’s promises. 

This is indeed a great salvation. Neglecting it is very evil. Don’t neglect so great a salvation. Because if you do, will there be an escape from judgment? That’s what the writer asks: “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

So, being a Christian is a very serious business — not a sour business, but a serious business. We should be blood-earnest about being happy in our great salvation. 

We will not be deflected by this world into the fleeting and suicidal pleasures of sin. We will not neglect our eternal joy in God — which is what the goal of this salvation is. We will gouge out our eyes rather than be lured away from such a great salvation.

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 05, 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 Him 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 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!

The Real Problem with Anxiety

 The Real Problem with Anxiety

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30)

Jesus says that the root of anxiety is inadequate faith — “little faith” — in our Father’s future grace. 

One reaction to this might be: “This is not good news! In fact, it is very discouraging to learn that what I thought was a mere struggle with an anxious disposition is rather a far deeper struggle with whether I trust God.”

My response to this discouragement is to agree, but then to disagree. 

Suppose you had been having pain in your stomach and had been struggling with medicines and diets of all kinds, to no avail. And then suppose that your doctor tells you, after a routine visit, that you have cancer in your small intestine. Would that be good news? You say, emphatically not! And I agree.

But let me ask the question another way: Are you glad the doctor discovered the cancer while it is still treatable, and that indeed it can be very successfully treated? You say, yes, I am very glad that the doctor found the real problem. Again I agree. 

So, the news that you have cancer is not good news. But, in another sense, it is good news, because knowing what is really wrong is good, especially when your problem can be treated successfully.

That’s what it’s like to learn that the real problem behind anxiety is “little faith” (as Jesus says) in the promises of God’s future grace. And he is able to work in wonderfully healing ways when we cry out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 04, 2024.

SUBJECT: BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD! 

Memory verse: "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20 vs 32.)

READ: Second Timothy 3 vs 16 - 17:

3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

3:17: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

INTIMATION:

The Word of God is the means by which God instructs those who seek to be His children. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless he is guided in life by the inspired Word of God. God’s Word is profitable for motivating repentance in one’s life and direction of his behavior. Obedience to the Word of God will deter one from the wrong direction of life. Study of, and meditation, on the Word of God will mold one’s mind for correct thinking and behavior. 

Our conquest is ensured in our building up ourselves in the Word of God by doing all that is required of us in the Word. Today’s memory verse was the apostle Paul’s recommendation to the believers when he was leaving the church at Ephesus. He may never see them again and he commended them to the Father. He turned them over into the hands of love, and he said, ‘I not only do this, but I commend you to the word of His grace.’ The apostle Paul's epistles are the words of His grace, and so the whole New Testament makes up the Book of the Word of the Father's grace.

If the apostle Paul is to be here with us now, he would say, "I want you to study it. I want you to prove yourself capable of doing the Word." There is ability in the Word as you study it to put you over and make you a conqueror. To merely know the Word has no real value in it unless it becomes a part of your life in practicing it. As you begin to live the Word, then it becomes a part of your very being—enters into your blood, into your very system. Consequently, the strength and ability of God becomes a part of you, and you would be overwhelmed by “the exceeding greatness of His power toward you who believe, according to working of His mighty power.” 

The apostle Paul entrusted the Ephesian elders to the guidance of the revealed word of God. It would spiritually build them up if they allowed God to work in their lives through the Word. If they remained faithful to the Word of God, they would receive the result of their faith which was the salvation of their souls in heaven. God’s people must be entirely dependent on the Word of God for direction. Neither subjective emotional experiences nor traditions should be allowed to be the foundation upon which disciples of Christ base their faith. 

Since the Word of God will be our only standard by which we will be judged, then it is imperative that we direct our lives according to what is written. One must come to the Scriptures with the attitude that within them lies wisdom and answers to all problems of life. With such an attitude toward the Scriptures, one will benefit from his or her study of God’s Word. The fact that the Scriptures are sufficient to guide one to eternal dwelling, implies that one must trust in God’s speaking to him through the revealed Word of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, build me up in Your Word, and give me the wisdom and knowledge of the riches of my inheritance in Jesus Christ that is revealed in Your Word, and the exceeding greatness of Your mighty working power toward those who put their trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Meaning of Suffering

 The Meaning of Suffering

He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:26)

We do not choose suffering simply because we are told to, but because the One who tells us to describes it as the path to everlasting joy.

He beckons us into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty, or to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve, or to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain, but rather to manifest, in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of his all-satisfying promises — the all-satisfying greatness and beauty of his own glory as the fulfillment of all of them.

Moses “[chose] to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. . . . For he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:25–26). Therefore, his obedience glorified the reward — all that God is for him in Christ — not the resolve to suffer.

This is the essence of Christian Hedonism. In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy. God himself shines as the brightness at the end of our tunnel of pain.

If we do not communicate that he is the goal and the ground of our joy in suffering, then the very meaning of our suffering will be lost. 

The meaning is this: God is gain. God is gain. God himself is gain. That’s the meaning of our suffering.

The chief end of man is to glorify God. And it is truer in suffering than anywhere else that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 03, 2024.

SUBJECT: COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

Memory verse: "For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (Second Corinthians 8 vs 12.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 41 - 44

12:41: Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

12:42: Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrants.

12:43: So He called his disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury:

12:44: for they all put in out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.

INTIMATION:

Giving is love in action and love is the common thread that runs through every human being. Love is the nature of God, hence the Scripture says “God is love” (First John 4 vs 8). This nature of God fully manifested in His giving—giving of His only begotten Son to the world as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of giving is the true nature of human beings bestowed on us by God through love. Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. (Proverbs 11 vs 24.) 

Christianity is not about receiving, but about giving. Those who come to Jesus must check their motives lest they are motivated to associate with the people of God in order to see what they can receive. The true Christian lives to give, not to re­ceive. Every day he prays, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see opportunities to serve, and make my heart willing in the day of Your power." So let us go on giving and praying, fulfilling God's plan now, as it was fulfilled before our day.

The spirit of all giving is love. When one gives grudgingly, or of necessity, there is little regard. The heart must be right with God to make giving a pleasure to the giver, and acceptable to the Lord—the ultimate receiver and final rewarder. To the true Christian, giving is a very part of his life. To him it is meat and drink; it is joy and peace. Every offering is a new privilege, and every call a new opportunity. And to plan for these offerings, to deny self to meet these oppor­tunities, is a part of the richest Christian experience.

The spirit of giving produces inward joy and spiritual growth. God’s gift of grace should move us to willingly respond to the needs of others. As God responded to our need of salvation through His free gift of grace, we should learn that godliness responds in the same way to the physical needs of others. Christians who do not sacrificially contribute do not understand what they have received through the cross of Jesus, nor what they will receive in eternal glory. 

Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives us and gave to us through Jesus Christ. We find in John 3 vs 16, three thoughts that should be the foundation of all our giving. God's motivation for giving was love; He gave Himself in the person of Jesus; and gave in response to our need. Giving can inspire great positive change and healing in a world that deeply needs it. Spiritual and religious leaders espouse the blessings of giving for a reason—it has the power to immediately shift one into a state of grace.

Though sacrificial giving attracts the grace of God, but sacrificial giving must be responsible. The apostle Paul says that we should give of what we have, not what we don’t have. He wants believers to give generously, but not to the extent that those who depend on the givers (their families, for example) must go without having their basic needs met. Give until it hurts, but don’t give so that it hurts your family and/or relatives who need your financial support. 

Your willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount you give. You should give in response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ. Christianity is of little value to those who are not willing to sacrifice for their faith. Through sacrifice comes growth. But those who are not willing to make sacrifices for their faith will experience little spiritual growth. As believers, we should consider increasing our giving—whether money, time, or talents—to a point beyond convenience or calculation.

Too often, poor believers complain about their economic situation, and thus, they neglect to manifest the spirit of giving what they have. However, those Christians who realize the tremendous gift of grace that God has given to them, and the eternal glory that is yet to come, will give out of their poverty. The spirit of giving is based on the concepts that Jesus taught on giving; since we have freely received God’s gift, freely we should give to others. If we violate the principle, then we will not grow spiritually in the favor of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I earnestly covet the spirit of giving that I may visibly manifest the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit to others in meeting their needs to the best of my ability, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!