How to Train Yourself to Pray Consistently
Sunday, 29 December 2024
A Horrible Destiny
A Horrible Destiny
. . . Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
Do you remember the time you were lost as a child, or slipping over a precipice, or about to drown? Then suddenly you were rescued. You held on for “dear life.” You trembled for what you almost lost. You were happy. Oh, so happy, and thankful. And you trembled with joy.
That’s the way I feel at the end of the year about my rescue from God’s wrath. All day Christmas we had a fire in the fireplace. Sometimes the coals were so hot that when I stoked it my hand hurt. I pulled back and shuddered at the horrendous thought of the wrath of God against sin in hell. Oh, how unspeakably horrible that will be!
Christmas afternoon I visited a woman who had been burned over 87 percent of her body. She has been in the hospital since August. My heart broke for her. How wonderful it was to hold out hope to her from God’s word for a new body in the age to come! But I came away not only thinking about her pain in this life, but also about the everlasting pain I have been saved from through Jesus.
Test my experience with me. Is this trembling joy a fitting way to end the year? Paul was glad that “Jesus . . . delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). He warned that “for those who . . . do not obey the truth . . . there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:8). And “because of [sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6).
Here at the end of the year, I am finishing my trek through the Bible and reading the last book, Revelation. It is a glorious prophecy of the triumph of God, and the everlasting joy of all who “take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:17). No more tears, no more pain, no more depression, no more sorrow, no more death, no more sin (Revelation 21:4).
But oh, the horror of not repenting and not holding fast to the testimony of Jesus! The description of the wrath of God by the “apostle of love” (John) is terrifying. Those who spurn God’s love will “drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night” (Revelation 14:10–11).
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Jesus will “tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15). And blood will flow “from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 184 miles” (Revelation 14:20). Whatever that vision signifies, it is meant to communicate something unspeakably terrible.
I tremble with joy that I am saved! But oh, the holy wrath of God is a horrible destiny. Flee this, brothers and sisters. Flee this with all your might. And let us save as many as we can! No wonder there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteo
us (Luke 15:7)!
AVOID PRESSURES TO SATISFY PLEASURES!
EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
SUNDAY DECEMBER 29, 2024.
SUBJECT: AVOID PRESSURES TO SATISFY PLEASURES!
Memory verse: "Now the sons of Reuben the first born of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright.” (First Chronicles 5 bs 1.)
READ: Genesis 25 vs 29 - 34:
25:29: Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
25:30: And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew; for I am weary.”Therefore his name was called Edom.
25:31: But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
25:32: And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die, so what is this birthright to me?”
25:33: Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
25:34: And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, rose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
INTIMATION:
Pleasure is agreeable emotions or desire, gratification of the senses or of the mind, or inclination which pleases or delights. It is something that gives one joy or delight. It is proper to evaluate our pleasurable desires to ensure they are agreeable with God’s Will, and will not put us into trouble or cause our violating some godly commands. Sometimes they mount pressures on us that we seek to satisfy such pleasures immediately.
Ironically, our pleasures, if they do not have God’s blessing, may destroy us.
In the passage we read today, Esau was pressured by the pleasure of food. Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he would do. We can fall into the same trap. When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel intensely satisfied and sometimes even powerful because we have obtained what we set out to get.
But immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future. We can avoid making Esau’s mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with the long-range consequences before we act. Esau exaggerated his hunger, “I am about to die,” he said. This thought made his choice much easier because if he was starving, what good was an inheritance anyway? The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent.
A birthright was a special honor given to the firstborn son. It included a double of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family’s leader. The oldest son could seek his birthright or give it away if he chooses, but in so doing, he would lose both material goods and his leadership position. By trading his birthright, Esau showed complete disregard for spiritual blessings that would have come his way if he had kept it.
The fact that Esau did not appreciate the significance of the birthright that was due the firstborn is manifested in the fact that he counted the birthright of less value than a dish of stew (porridge). He traded a nation with God’s blessings for a bowl of stew.
Our anchor Scripture is the record of Reuben’s sin of incest (Genesis 35 vs 22) due to his drive to satisfy the immediate pleasure of sexual desire. As the oldest son, Reuben was the rightful heir to both a double portion of his father’s estate and the leadership of Abraham’s descendants, who had grown into a large tribe. But his sin stripped away his rights and privileges and destroyed his family. (Genesis 49 vs 3 - 4.) The real consequences of his sin are ruined life and irreplaceable losses.
We often experience similar pressures. For example, when we feel sexual pressure, a marriage vow may seem unimportant. We might feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else seems to matter and we lose our perspective. Getting through that short pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming temptation. In First Samuel 13, the Bible recorded the pleasurable desire of Amnon to lie with the sister Tamar, which led to deceitful plots by him. When actualized the result was hatred for her, hatred for Amnon by his brother Absalom, and eventual murder of Amnon by his brother Absalom.
Before you give in to temptation of satisfying immediate pleasurable desires, consider the disastrous consequences that may result in your life and lives of others. Our past also affects our present and our future. By sunrise tomorrow, our actions of today will have become part of the past. Yet they will already have begun to shape the future. What actions can you choose or avoid that will positively shape your future?
Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to put boundaries on my desires, to concentrate on those desires that will keep me on the right path of obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
Saturday, 28 December 2024
GIVE GOD THE CREDIT AND GLORY DUE TO HIM!
EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
SATURDAY DECEMBER 28, 2024.
SUBJECT: GIVE GOD THE CREDIT AND GLORY DUE TO HIM!
Memory verse: “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner.” (Like 17 bs 18.)
READ: Genesis 41 vs 15 - 25:
41:15: And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”
41:16: So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
INTIMATION:
Glory primarily signifies an opinion, and hence, the honor resulting from a good opinion. It is used of God’s nature in self-manifestation, that is, what He essentially is and does, as exhibited in whatever way He reveals Himself in these respects, and primarily in the Person of Christ, in whom essentially His glory has ever shone forth and ever will do.
When His grace and His power manifest, it constitute His glory. And we should always give due acknowledgment of the exhibition of His attributes and ways. How easily we take credit for what God does through us! This rubs God of the honor that He alone deserves. Instead, we should, in any achievements in our lives, give credit to God thereby pointing people to God so that we give Him the glory.
In our anchor Scripture, Jesus asked the question here to stimulate all to think concerning their obligation of returning credit to God for all that He would do in our lives, and through us, especially in showing mercy to man. The gratitude of the one leper in contrast to the ingratitude of the nine, illustrates how often men forget God’s blessings in both the materials and spiritual realms.
In the passage we read today, Joseph made sure that he gave the credit to God. We should be careful to do the same. To take the honor for ourselves is a form of stealing God’s honor. Don’t be silent when you know you should be giving glory and credit to God. When the interpretation of dreams came up, Joseph focused everyone’s attention on God. Rather than using the situation to make himself look good, he turned it into a powerful witness for the Lord. One secret of effective witnessing is to recognize opportunities to relate God to the other person’s experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speak as Joseph did.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had a dream and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Then he gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell him his own dream and its interpretation. However, none of them was able to tell the king his dream, nor its interpretation. But Daniel did. In Daniel 2 vs 27 - 30, before Daniel told the king anything else, he gave credit to God, explaining that he did not know the dream through his own wisdom but only because God revealed it.
In Daniel 2 vs 47 - 48, the Scripture says. “The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.”
Nebuchadnezzar honored Daniel and Daniel’s God. If Daniel had taken the credit himself, the king would have honored only Daniel. Because Daniel gave God the credit, the king honored both of them. Part of our mission in this world is to show unbelievers what God is like. We can do that by acts of love and compassion, and if we give God credit for our actions, they will want to know more about Him. Give credit and glory to God for what He is doing in, and through you.
God appreciates giving Him credit and glory due to Him hence Christ’s question concerning the lepers that were cleansed. And the benefits include. (1) perfection of the blessings, (2) preservation of the blessings, and (3) qualification for more blessings; Joseph was made a prime minister in a foreign land, Daniel was made a great man, and received many great gifts, and was made the ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon, and the leper that returned was made whole.
Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a heart of gratitude for Your acts and works in my life, and to testify of Your works in my life at all times. Give me the grace never to take credits and glory due to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
Friday, 27 December 2024
Glory Is the Goal
Glory Is the Goal
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)
Seeing the glory of God is our ultimate hope. “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). God will “present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24).
He will “make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9:23). He “calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12). “Our blessed hope [is] the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Jesus, in all his person and work, is the incarnation and ultimate revelation of the glory of God. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). “Father, I desire that they . . . may be with me where I am, to see my glory” Jesus prays in John 17:24.
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1). “The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
“We impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7). “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). “Those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).
Seeing and sharing in God’s glory is our ultimate hope through the gospel of Christ.
Such a hope, that is really known and treasured, has a huge and decisive effect on our present values and choices and actions.
Get to know the glory of God. Study the glory of God and the glory of Christ. Study the glory of the world that reveals the glory of God, and the glory of the gospel that reveals the glory of Christ.
Treasure the glory of God in all things and above all things.
Study your soul. Know the glory you are seduced by, and know why you treasure glories that are not God’s glory.
Study your own soul to know how to make the glories of the world collapse like the pagan idol Dagon in 1 Samuel 5:4. Let all glories that distract you from the glory of God shatter in pitiful pieces on the floor of the world’s temples. Treasure the glory of God
above all this world.
What Is Your Aim?
What Is Your Aim?
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. . . . And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17)
When you get up in the morning and you face the day, what do you say to yourself about your hopes for the day? When you look from the beginning of the day to the end of the day, what do you want to happen because you have lived?
If you say, “I don’t even think like that. I just get up and do what I’ve got to do,” then you are cutting yourself off from a basic means of grace and a source of guidance and strength and fruitfulness and joy. It is crystal clear in the Bible, including these texts, that God means for us to aim consciously at something significant in our days.
God’s revealed will for you is that when you get up in the morning, you don’t drift aimlessly through the day letting mere circumstances alone dictate what you do, but that you aim at something — that you focus on a certain kind of purpose. I’m talking about children here, and teenagers, and adults — single, married, widowed, moms, and every trade and every profession.
Aimlessness is akin to lifelessness. Dead leaves in the back yard may move around more than anything else — more than the dog, more than the children. The wind blows this way, they go this way. The wind blows that way, they go that way. They tumble, they bounce, they skip, they press against a fence, but they have no aim whatsoever. They are full of motion and empty of life.
God did not create humans in his image to be aimless, like lifeless leaves blown around in the backyard of life. He created us to be purposeful — to have a focus and an aim for all our days. What is yours today? What is yours for the new year? A good place to start is 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God.”
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