CONFESSING OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 04, 2025.

SUBJECT: CONFESSING OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

Memory verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (First John 1 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 32 vs 1 - 5:

32:1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

32:2: Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

32:3: When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.

32:4: For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

32:5: I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

INTIMATION:

To confess our sins is to agree with God, acknowledging that He is right to declare what we have done as sinful and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. It means affirming our intention of forsaking that sin in order to follow Him more faithfully. God wants to forgive sinners. Forgiveness has always been part of His loving nature, and He dramatically showed it to the world through the offering of His only Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins. The instant you confess your sin, He is faithful, just, and righteous to forgive, and restore fellowship with you. 

Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sin over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed His beloved Son to die so He could offer us pardon. God forgives disobedience, puts sin out of sight, and cleans our record of guilt. Now you are to forgive yourself and forget your sins and go on in love with Him. For you to continually remind yourself of your past errors and sins is to deny the efficacy of His forgiveness and the value of His Word.

When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit provided we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. We don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don’t need to fear that God will reject us if we don’t keep our state perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess the sins we commit thereafter, not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation since our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him. Joy cannot be made full without fellowship. 

In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing, we are (1) agreeing with God that our sin truly is sin and that we are willing to turn from it, (2) ensuring that we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently from ourselves, and (3) recognizing our tendency to sin and relying on His power to overcome it.  For the aforementioned reasons we need to continually confess our sins.

There is no need walking in broken fellowship a minute after you have committed sin. The devil is the author of that sin. Then to walk in broken fellowship, grieving over your blunder, is only adding joy and glory to the devil. The instant you have done wrong and your fellowship is impaired, ask for the Father's forgiveness and go on in fellowship with Him. 

In First John 2 vs 1, the Scripture says, 

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Jesus Christ is the righteous Advocate. He can go into the Father's presence when we are under condemnation and shrink from meeting Him. He is always righteous, and can always plead our case. The instant we ask the Father's forgiveness, Jesus takes up our case before the Father and our fellowship is restored.

However, true confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it. For the sin(s) that easily beset you, seek the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome it; humbly go to God in prayer for His help through the Holy Spirit indwelling you.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are our sacrificial Savior, our faithful Companion, and ever Merciful Father. In Your loving nature, You gave us Your only begotten Son to die for our sins, and He paid the price of sin we owed. Forever I remain deeply grateful to You for the free gift of salvation. Give me the grace me with the spirit of delightsome obedience to You in all areas of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Smallest Faith

 The Smallest Faith

It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:16)

Let us make crystal clear at the beginning of the year that all we will get from God this year, as believers in Jesus, is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains come our way will all be mercy. 

This is why Christ came into the world: “in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:9). We were born again “according to his great mercy” (1 Peter 1:3). We pray daily “that we may receive mercy” (Hebrews 4:16); and we are now “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 1:21). If any Christian proves trustworthy, it is “by the Lord’s mercy [he] is trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 7:25). 

In Luke 17:5–6, the apostles plead with the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And Jesus says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In other words, the issue in our Christian life and ministry is not the strength or quantity of our faith, because that is not what uproots trees. God does. Therefore, the smallest faith that truly connects us with Christ will engage enough of his power for all you need.

But what about the times that you successfully obey the Lord? Does your obedience move you out of the category of supplicant of mercy? Jesus gives the answer in the following verses of Luke 17:7–10.

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Therefore, I conclude, the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mere mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of God’s tree-moving power. And flawless obedience leaves us utterly dependent on mercy.

The point is this: Whatever the timing or form of God’s mercy, we never rise above the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on what we do not deserve. 

Therefore let us humble ourselves and rejoice and “glorify God 

for his mercy!”

BE A TRUE FRIEND!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 03, 2025.

SUBJECT: BE A TRUE FRIEND!

Memory verse: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17 vs 17.) 

READ: First Samuel 20 vs 11 - 17:

20:11: And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field. So both of them went out into the field.

20:12: Then Jonathan said to David, “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and, indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

20:13: May the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you, as He has been with my father.

20:14: And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;

20:15: but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

20:16: So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies.

20:17: Now Jonathan caused David to vow, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

INTIMATION:

A friend is an intimate associate; an association of familiarity and companionship. It is a close or intimate acquaintance; a favorer, wellwisher, or supporter. A true friend will stick close, listen, care, and offer help where it is needed—in good times and bad. It is better to have one such friend than dozens of superficial acquaintances. Instead of wishing you could find a true friend, seek to become one. There are people who need your friendship. Ask God to reveal them to you, and then take on the challenge of being a true friend.

There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty; being available to help in times of distress or personal struggles. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they are not getting anything out of the friendship. Think of your friends and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages.

As I said earlier, loyalty is the greatest evidence of true and genuine friendship. Loyalty is one of life’s most costly qualities. It is the most selfless part of love. To be loyal, you cannot live only for yourself. Loyal people do not only stand by their commitments, they are willing to suffer for them.

In the passage we read today, Jonathan is a shining example of loyalty. Sometimes he was forced to deal with conflicting loyalties: to his father, Saul, and to his friend David. His solution to that conflict teaches us both how to be loyal and what must guide loyalty. In Jonathan, truth always guided loyalty. Even the opportunity that Jonathan had to assume the power of his father never affected his loyalty to his friend David, and he refused to think of assuming that position of power. That revealed the godly nature of him. His faith in the work of God through David was greater than any thirst for power. 

True friends are not only honest about themselves, but they are also honest about you. They are able to have difficult conversations in telling you things that sometimes you may not be eager to hear. The key is that they do it in love and with grace. Jonathan said to David that nothing would destroy their bond of friendship, though they would not be in the presence of one another in the future. Regardless of the circumstances or environment, good friends are friends for life. 

Jonathan realized that the source of truth was God, who demanded his ultimate loyalty. It was his relationship with God that gave Jonathan the ability to deal effectively with the complicated solutions in his life. He was loyal to Saul because Saul was his father and the king. He was loyal to David because David was his friend. His loyalty to God guided him through the conflicting demands of his human relationships.

The conflicting demands of our relationships challenge us as well. If we attempt to settle these conflicts only at the human level, we will be constantly dealing with a sense of betrayal. But if we communicate to our friends that our ultimate loyalty to God and His truth, many of our choices will be much clearer. The truth in His Word, the Bible, will bring light to our decisions. Do those closest to you know who has your greatest loyalty? 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of selflessness, love, and loyalty to You and others. Give me the grace to be a true friend, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Jesus Did to Death

 What Jesus Did to Death

Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27–28)

The death of Jesus bears sins. This is the very heart of Christianity, and the heart of the gospel, and the heart of God’s great work of redemption in the world. When Christ died he bore sins. He took sins not his own. He suffered for sins that others had done, so that they could be free from sins.

This is the answer to the greatest problem in your life, whether you feel it as the main problem or not. There is an answer to how we can get right with God in spite of being sinners. The answer is that Christ’s death is an offering “to bear the sins of many.” He lifted our sins and carried them to the cross and died there the death that we deserved to die. 

Now what does this mean for my dying? “It is appointed [to me] to die once.” It means that my death is no longer punitive. My death is no longer a punishment for sin. My sin has been borne away. My sin is “put away” by the death of Christ. Christ took the punishment.

Why then do I die at all? Because God wills that death remain in the world for now, even among his own children, as an abiding testimony to the extreme horror of sin. In our dying we still manifest the external effects of sin in the world. 

But death for God’s children is no longer his wrath against them. It has become our entrance into salvation not cond

emnation.

GREATNESS IN GOD’S EYES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 02, 2025.

SUBJECT: GREATNESS IN GOD’S EYES!

Memory verse: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23 vs 11.)

READ: Mark 10 vs 42 - 45:

10:42: But Jesus called them to Himself and saith to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

10:43: Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

10:44: And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.

10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

INTIMATION:

Our care for others is a measure of our greatness—our position of authority—in God’s eyes. In both our memory verse and the passage we read today, Jesus challenged society’s norms. To Him greatness comes from serving—giving of yourself to serve God and others. Service keeps us aware of others’ needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. Jesus came as a servant. The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the servant of all. God gives us authority, not for self-importance, ambition, or respect, but for useful service to God and His creation. 

Jesus is great, and a perfect example of lasting greatness in the eyes of God. During His earth walk, He said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10 vs 45). He was the model servant, and He showed is servant attitude to His disciples when He washed their feet (John 13 vs 1 - 17). Washing guests’ feet was a job for a household servant to carry out when guests arrived. But Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, as the lowliest slave will do, and washed and dried His disciples’ feet. If even He, God in the flesh, is willing to serve, we His followers must also be servants, willing to serve in any way that glorifies God.

In contemporary society businesses, organizations, and institutions measure greatness by personal achievement. In Christ’s kingdom, however, service is the way to get ahead. Jesus said that true greatness comes from serving others. The desire to be on top will hinder, not help. Rather than seeking to have your needs met, look for ways that you can minister to the needs of others.

When a dispute arose among the disciples of Jesus as to which of them would be the greatest, Jesus brought a child before Himself, and said to His disciples, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” (Luke 9 vs 48.) In Jesus’ eyes, whoever welcomes a child welcomes Him. Ministering to the need of a less privileged person is the same as giving an offering to God. By contrast, harming others or failing to care for them is a sin, even if they are unimportant people in the world’s eyes. It is possible for thoughtless, selfish people to gain a measure of worldly greatness, but lasting greatness is measured by God’s standards. What do you use as your measure, personal achievement or unselfish service?

How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others. Jesus’ example of giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty child is a good model of unselfish service (Matthew 10 vs 42). A child usually can’t or won’t return a favor. God notices every good deed we do or don’t do as if He were the one receiving it. Is there something unselfish you can do for someone also today? Although no one else may see you, God will notice.

Greatness is measured not by what you have but by your faith in God. Are you willing to follow Christ’s example of serving? Whom can you serve today? There is a special blessing for those who not only agree that humble service is Christ’s way, but who also follow through and do it (John 13 vs 17).

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of selfless service to You and others, just as Christ gave us example, that I may achieve greatness in Your eyes, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Cross Over to 2025

 

Grace for the New Year

 Grace for the New Year

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 only God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it. It is an actual power from God that acts and makes good things happen in us and for us.

God’s grace was God’s acting in Paul to make Paul work hard: “By the grace of God . . . I worked harder than any of them.” So when Paul says, “Work out your own salvation,” he adds, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). Grace is power from God to do good things in us and for us.

This grace is past and it is future. It is ever-cascading over the infinitesimal waterfall of the present, from the inexhaustible river of grace coming to us from the future, into the ever-increasing reservoir of grace in the past.

In the next five minutes, you will receive sustaining grace flowing to you from the future, and you will accumulate another five minutes’ worth of grace in the reservoir of the past. The proper response to the grace you experienced in the past is thankfulness, and the proper response to grace promised to you in the future is faith. We are thankful for the past grace of the last year, and we are confident in the future grace for the ne

w year.