No Detour from Calvary

 No Detour from Calvary

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6–7)

You would think that if God so rules the world as to use an empire-wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, he surely could have seen to it that a room was available in the inn.

Yes, he could have. He absolutely could have! And Jesus could have been born into a wealthy family. He could have turned stone into bread in the wilderness. He could have called 10,000 angels to his aid in Gethsemane. He could have come down from the cross and saved himself. The question is not what God could do, but what he willed to do.

God’s will was that though Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. The “No Vacancy” signs over all the motels in Bethlehem were for your sake. “For your sake he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

God rules all things — even hotel capacities and available Airbnbs — for the sake of his children. The Calvary road begins with a “No Vacancy” sign in Bethlehem and ends with the spitting and scoffing of the cross in Jerusalem.

And we must not forget that he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross” (Luke 9:23).

We join him on the Calvary road and hear him say, “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

To the one who calls out enthusiastically, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus responds, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:57–58).

Yes, God could have seen to it that Jesus have a room at his birth. But that would have been a detour off the Calvary road.

DESIRE TO MEET THE NEED OF OTHERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 05, 2024.

SUBJECT: DESIRE TO MEET THE NEED OF OTHERS!

Memory verse: "Is not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Isaiah 58 vs 7.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 34 - 40:

25:34: Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

25:35: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

25:36: I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

25:37: Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? or thirsty and gave You drink?

25:38: When did we see You a stranger and take You in? or naked and clothed You?

25:39: Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

25:40: And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

INTIMATION:

A need is a necessity, a requirement; a shortage of an indispensable item. It is anything that is necessary but lacking, a condition requiring relief. Helping those in need is one of the most important ways to honor God. God created all things to coexist, and are interdependent. No one is an island. As humans, we are not equally gifted; some are better than others in diverse ways. As we are different so are our needs. Many people have physical and spiritual needs you can meet, either by yourself or with others who are also concerned. 

The passage we read today is a parable Jesus told His disciples to describe the acts of mercy we all can do everyday. These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence; they are simple acts freely given and freely received. We have no excuse to neglect those who have needs. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs. 

How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others. Jesus’ example of caring for the needs of the least of our brethren is a good model of unselfish service. The least of our brethren usually can’t or won’t return a favor. God notices every good deed we do as if He were the one receiving it. Is there something unselfish you can do for someone else today? Although no one else may see You, God will notice.

However, the point in this parable is the importance of serving where service is needed. The focus of the parable is that we should love every person and serve everyone we can. Such love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for Him. The apostle John said, “But whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (First John 3 vs 17 - 18.) These verses give an example of how to lay down our lives for others—to help those in need. How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous as you should be with your money, possessions, and time?

The apostle James says, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” But you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2 vs 15 - 17.) We cannot earn our salvation by serving and obeying God. But such actions of meeting people’s needs show that our commitment to God is real. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, but rather a verification of, faith in Christ.

In our society today, there are many needy people. God has allowed them among us to test our faith or believe in Him. If we say we follow Christ, we should be like Him, who was so unselfish that He gave His life of inestimable value for our own lives that are completely worthless, to save us. We see these needy people lining the streets. How much of their needs do you meet? Or are you so selfish to give to them only when you have surplus to give out? 

John the Baptist, in preparing the way for Christ, spoke to the people when they asked him, “What shall we do then?” And he answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” (Luke 3 vs 10 - 11.) 

Some believers are too disinterested to the needy. How sad when the followers of Christ have are so preoccupied with their own relationships and agendas that they don’t even see those who are in need. The simple acts of giving to the needy, can draw them to Christ. If Jesus is present in our lives, our faces should reflect His love, and our hands extended in fellowship to the needy, and open a way for others to come in. It is possible to become so occupied with spiritual matters that we become oblivious to the needs around us. This may be true especially if we are prejudiced against needy people or if they cause us inconvenience. Instead of being annoyed, be aware of the opportunities that surround you, and make an effort to look for ways to minister to others. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to lay down my life for others—to help the needy, and endue me with the spirit of sharing what I have with others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

For God’s Little People

 For God’s Little People

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (Luke 2:1–5)

Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5:2 shows); and that he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father were living not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth; and that in order to fulfill his word and bring two unheard-of, insignificant, little people to Bethlehem that first Christmas, God put it in the heart of Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be enrolled each in his own town? A decree for the entire world in order to move two people seventy miles!

Have you ever felt, like me, little and insignificant in a world of seven billion people, where all the news is about big political and economic and social movements and outstanding people with global significance and lots of power and prestige?

If you have, don’t let that make you disheartened or unhappy. For it is implicit in Scripture that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God, not for their own sake, but for the sake of God’s little people — the little Mary and the little Joseph who have to be got from Nazareth to Bethlehem. God wields an empire to fulfill his word and bless his children.

Do not think, because you experience adversity in your little world of experience, that the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity or our fame but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart. And to that end, he rules the whole world. As Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” And he is always turning it for his saving and sanctifying and eternal purposes among his people.

He is a big God for little people, and we have great cause to rejoice that, unbeknownst to them, all the kings and presidents and premiers and chancellors and chiefs of the world follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in heaven, that we, the children, might be conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ — and then enter his eternal glory.

CRAVE FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 04, 2024.

SUBJECT : CRAVE FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE!

Memory verse: “At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.” (Numbers 9 vs 23.)

READ: Psalm 25 vs 4 - 5, 8 - 10:

25:4: Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.

25:5: Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.

25:8: Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

25:9: The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.

25:10: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

INTIMATION:

Divine guidance comes only to prepared hearts. Such hearts are receptive to God’s guidance, and follow His leading even when they don’t understand His plans. However, the end result always prove that God’s ways are right and the best. Only God’s guidance helps us make the best decisions. Christians who put their absolute trust in God are always guided by Him, though they may not have always recognized God’s guidance, but He is always with them every step of the way. As they go about their daily tasks, God is working in their lives in ways they may not even notice. Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. There are no coincidence with God, all we have is God-incidence. 

How do we receive God’s guidance? The first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s primary guidance system is in His Word, the Bible. Psalm 119 tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God’s direction for our lives. When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance.

When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where God wants you, whether you are moving or staying in one place. God has His reasons for creating the world. He has a purpose for creating all that are in the world, and determines the purposes to be served by all He created. God has predetermined purposes for you, and it is only when you are guided by Him you will be inline with His purposes for You. 

Obviously, you are physically somewhere right now, pray and ask God for guidance. You can pray, “God, what do you want me to do while I’m right here?” Direction from God is not just for your next big move. He had a purpose in placing you where you are right now. Begin to understand God’s purpose for your life by discovering what He wants you to do now, and per time!

We often pray for God’s guidance as we struggle with decisions. What we need is both God's guidance and His guide. We need His map that gives us landmarks and directions along our way and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is the map and the Holy Spirit is constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.

Sometimes we fail to receive God’s guidance if we have not acted on His previous directions. When you feel as if God has abandoned you, check to see if there is anything He has already told you to do which you have not done. You may not receive new guidance from God until you have acted on His previous directions. When you are not sure of God’s guidance, seek to fulfill the mission to all believers—to love, obey, and serve God—until His guidance becomes more clear.

Each day we must put our confidence in something or someone. If you are willing to trust a plane or car to get you to your destination, are you willing to trust God to guide you here on earth and to your eternal destination? Do you trust Him more than  any human being? How futile it is to trust anything or anyone more than God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths, lead me in Your truth and teach me, for on You I will wait all the day, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer for God's Forgiveness

 Prayer for God's Forgiveness

Today, we're praying for God's forgiveness. The devil always uses the guilt of our sin to deny us our salvation. Today, I pray for you as you confess and repent, God's grace to overcome sin will enable you to live a holy life in Jesus Name. David understood God's forgiveness in the whole of Psalms 51.

St. Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

PRAYER POINTS

1.  - Oh Lord deliver me from the sin of the lust of the eyes in Jesus name.

2.  - Oh Lord, deliver me from the sin of fornication in Jesus name.

3.  - Oh Lord, deliver me from the spirit of lying in Jesus name.

4.  - Oh Lord, let me receive your thorough cleansing by your Blood from all my sins today so that I will be victorious in my prayers in Jesus name.

5.  - Oh Lord, every work of iniquity in my life that will bring me back to the world I destroy them in the name of Jesus.

6.  - Oh Lord, save me from every iniquity in my life that make me rise and fall in Jesus name.

7.  - Father, i come against every evil spirit of deceit that bring iniquity into my life, let them be destroyed today in Jesus name

8.  - Oh Lord, let your mercy cover up my sins today and forever in Jesus name.

9.  - Oh Lord that is full of grace and mercy, pardon all my sins so that I will see your face today in Jesus name.

10.  - Oh Lord, let every addiction of the sins of my youth that is still tormenting me today come to an end today, give me a new page so that my past will not continue to haunt me in Jesus Name.

11.  - Oh Lord, I reject every evil thoughts and desires that lives in me today,i cleanse my heart with the blood of Jesus and the word of God in Jesus name.

12.  - Oh Lord, By the blood of your Son Jesus Christ, consume all sins in my life that go contrary against the laws of God in Jesus name.

13.  - Oh Lord, have pity on me for my sins, do not let the consequences of my past sins overwhelm me in Jesus name.

14.  - Oh Lord forgive me for all the evil deeds carried out by my hands in Jesus name.

15.  - Oh Lord! Show me your unconditional mercy, do not let sin drag me into self destruction in Jesus name.

16.  - Oh Lord, In humility, I turn from my wicked ways today, forgive me and heal my land in Jesus name.

17.  - Oh Lord! help me to rebuke the power of sin in my life before it expose me openly in Jesus name.

 18. Oh Lord! Let your mercy prevail over your judgment in my life in Jesus name.

May God's mercy speak on your behalf in Jesus Name. Don't hesitate to share your testimony on form on https://miheanyi.blogspot.com or you send your testimony to WhatsApp or Telegram on +2349016233784.

The Long-Awaited Visitation

 The Long-Awaited Visitation

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” (Luke 1:68–71)

Notice two remarkable things from these words of Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, in Luke 1.

First, nine months earlier, Zechariah could not believe his wife would have a child. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, he is so confident of God’s redeeming work in the coming Messiah that he puts it in the past tense: “he has visited and redeemed his people.” For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done. Zechariah has learned to take God at his word and so has a remarkable assurance: God “has visited and redeemed!” (Luke 1:68).

Second, the coming of Jesus the Messiah is a visitation of God to our world: The God of Israel has visited and redeemed. For centuries, the Jewish people had languished under the conviction that God had withdrawn: the spirit of prophecy had ceased; Israel had fallen into the hands of Rome. And all the godly in Israel were awaiting the visitation of God. Luke tells us that another old man, the devout Simeon, was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). Likewise, the prayerful Anna was “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

These were days of great expectation. Now the long-awaited visitation of God was about to happen — indeed, he was about to come in a way no one expected.

BE HOSPITABLE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD

TUESDAY DECEMBER 03, 2024.

SUBJECT : BE HOSPITABLE!

Memory verse: “Di not neglect to entertain strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13 vs 2.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 9 - 13:

12:9: Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

12:10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

12:11: Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12:12: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

12:13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

INTIMATION:

Being hospitable is a disposition of receiving and entertaining strangers and guests with cordiality, kindness, and generous liberality, and without expecting any reward. Being hospitable is about focusing on the other person, understanding their needs and offering to help them to meet those needs. 

When you do that, people become comfortable with you. When someone is comfortable with you, he or she will share more, opening the opportunity to learn from one another and they will begin to look for ways to help you should you need something someday. 

Hospitality is the act of being hospitable, and it is a characteristic of those who have understood the principle of love. It's a way to show love. One’s brotherly love must extend beyond those he or she personally knows. It must extend to strangers; those who are passing through one’s area. It’s foundational in building relationships. Being receptive, respectful and open to others says, “you are important to me.” If you let others know you value them, they will most likely have a similar feeling about you.

A person’s reputation is largely connected to his hospitality—the sharing of home and food. Even strangers were to be treated as highly honored guests. Hospitality also prompts you to remember what you have to offer. Meeting another’s need for food or shelter is one of the most immediate and practical ways to obey God. It is also a time-honored relationship builder. This thought should be on our minds the next time we have the opportunity to meet a stranger’s need.

Hospitality of the early Christians was a means by which the evangelists could go forth and preach the gospel. When one is hospitable to a fellow brother in Christ as he passes through, he may be entertaining a messenger of God as he went on his way preaching the gospel. In so doing one may unwittingly entertain angels of God which is tantamount to entertaining God. In the Bible, three Old Testament people unwittingly entertained angels: (1) Abraham (Genesis 18), (2) Gideon (Judges 6), (3) Manoah (Judges 13). 

Some people say they cannot be hospitable because their homes are not large enough or nice enough. But even if you have no more than a table and two chairs in a rented room, there are people who would be grateful to spend time in your home. Giving hospitality is very important today because so many people struggle with loneliness. In our self-centered society, we can show that we care by being hospitable. 

Christian hospitality differs from social entertainment. Entertaining focuses on the host: The home must be spotless; the food must be well prepared and abundant; the host must appear relaxed and good-natured. Hospitality, by contrast, focuses on the guests’ needs, such as a place to stay, nourish in food, a listening ear, or just acceptance. 

Hospitality can happen in a messy home. It can happen around a dinner table where the main dish is as simple as a canned soup. It can even happen while the host and the guest are doing chores together. Don’t hesitate to offer hospitality just because you are too tired, too busy, or not wealthy enough to entertain.

We would benefit from inviting people to eat with us—visitors, fellow church members, young people, those in need. God wants us to be generous, and hospitable with non-Christians. It allows you to meet interesting people and gain a broader perspective. When you are approachable and engage with others, they will open up and share their knowledge and insights, and through such friendship some may be won to Christ. 

Are there visitors in your church with whom you could share a meal? Do you know single people who would enjoy an evening of conversation? Is there any way your home could meet the needs of traveling missionaries? Hospitality simply means making other people feel comfortable and at home. This makes us happier as children of God doing His will.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of hospitality—showing kindness and generous liberality without reward to guests and strangers. Help me to lead a love life that is very pleasing to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!