GOD IS EVER CARING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 14, 2025.

SUBJECT: GOD IS EVER CARING!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ:  Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, do the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children. 

INTIMATION:

God has deep interest in all that concerns you and I. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers our human condition. His mercy takes everything into account. God will deal with us compassionately. 

Our weakness should not be used as a justification for sin. God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet and this is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness of our sins. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.

In Matthew 6 vs 31 - 33, the Scripture states:

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall drink?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

To "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don't actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life, remembering that He cares!

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, and to admit your needs, and let God take care of you. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight of those struggles, including our sins.

Our Loving Father will never leave us; that is His promise to us. But the enemy of our souls wants us to doubt God, and to question His ability. Obviously, if you told a big enough lie long enough, people would believe it. And this undoubtedly, is the trick the father of lies, Satan, has used from the beginning of human history.

In the Garden of Eden our first parents were set up to live happily ever after, haven been placed in a paradise-like setting by a Loving, Caring, and Personal God. They had been given everything they could ever want, but with only one small restriction: "Don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 

We easily will say today, 'What a simple innocuous request and easy to obey.'

But when they were enticed by the “tempter,” - the devil, they fell into his trap of questioning the love and goodness of the One from whom they had only experienced good. What a monstrous lie! But they bought the lie hook, line and sinker! And mankind has been wretched ever since, but for God's intervention through His Son, Jesus Christ!

We do the same today. We willingly swallow the lie that we cannot trust our Heavenly Father. We allow our earthly hurts from parents or others to distrust our view and our understanding of God. Our many feelings, emotions, fears, and human experience effectively block a clean perception, consequently stifling all truth about Him. 

Pray that God will help you not allow negative human relationships and experience interfere with having a close relationship with your Loving, and Caring Father, and hindering your enjoying the never ending and limitless benefits of His care.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so caring and loving that You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. What a supreme sacrifice You made for me! Forever You remain my only God. Endue me with the spirit of love, compassion, trust, and complete obedience to You, who has given all for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Your Thought are Deep by Rev. Sam Adeyemi

 

Talk to Your Tears

 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5–6)

There is nothing sad about sowing seed. It takes no more work than reaping. The days can be beautiful. There can be great hope of harvest. 

Yet the psalm speaks of sowing “in tears.” It says that someone “goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” So, why are they weeping?

I think the reason is not that sowing is sad, or that sowing is hard. I think the reason has nothing to do with sowing. Sowing is simply the work that has to be done, even when there are things in life that make us cry. 

The crops won’t wait while we finish our grief or solve all our problems. If we are going to eat next winter, we must get out in the field and sow the seed, whether we are crying or not.

If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that you will “reap with shouts of joy.” You will “come home with shouts of joy, bringing [your] sheaves with [you].” Not because the tears of sowing produce the joy of reaping, but because the sheer sowing produces the reaping, and you need to remember this even when your tears tempt you to give up sowing.

So, here’s the lesson: When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears, “Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed, sermon to be written).”

Then say, on the basis of God’s word, “Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So, go ahead and flow if you must. But I believe — though I do not yet see it or feel it fully — I believe that the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And my tears will be turned to joy.”

PRIDE, THE BANE OF MANY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 13, 2025.

SUBJECT : PRIDE, THE BANE OF MANY!

Memory verse: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16 vs 18.)

READ: Psalm 12 vs 3; 101 vs 5;  Proverbs 8 vs 13; 11 vs 2; 13 vs 10; 16 vs 5; 29 vs 23: 

Psalm 12:3: May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.

Psalm 101:5: Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy, the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.

Proverbs 8:13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

11:2: When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.

13:10: By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.

16:5: Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

29:23: A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.

INTIMATION:

Pride is inordinate self-esteem or conceit; disdainful treatment of others. Pride, in the Scripture, also denotes being boastful, haughty, vainglory, presumptuous, and puffed up. 

Many believers are lofty in their thoughts. They always believe that to surrender to Jesus Christ is all that is required, and all other things will by itself fall into places. A humble and contrite spirit, which are the major requirements for believers, are grossly lacking in them. And that is the consequence of pride.

When they have been driven by pride into wrong doing, they try their best to rationalize their actions, using such words as; "He spoke to me harshly and I gave it back to him," "I was provoked to anger, and I reacted the way I did." It is often their desire to return evil for evil, tear people down verbally or get back at them, if they feel hurt. But that is ungodly, God encourages us to pay back wrongs by praying for the offenders, to seek peace and pursue it. If we love life and desire to see good days, we should eschew evil and do good.

"I was wrong" or "I am sorry" are difficult phrases to utter because they require humility. Pride is an ingredient in every quarrel. It stirs up conflict and divides people. Examine your life truthfully, and you will acknowledge that pride has been leading to quarrels. Humility, by contrast, heals. Guard against pride. If you find yourself constantly arguing, always trying to rationalize your actions and behaviors, examine your life for pride. Be willing to admit your mistakes, and be open to godly advice of others, and ask for help when you need it.

Pride is the inner voice that whispers, "My way is best." It is resisting God's leadership, negating His concepts, and believing that you are able to live without His help. Whenever you find yourself doing this, or wanting to do it your way and looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. 

Proud people take little account of their weaknesses and do not anticipate stumbling blocks. They think they are above the frailties of common people, but they are always caught in that web. In this state of mind they are easily tripped up. Ironically, proud people seldom realize that pride is their problem. 

Humility is the cure of pride. Pride leads to disgrace, punishment, destruction; it produces quarrels, ends up in downfall, and brings one low. In contrast, humility leads to wisdom, honor, and takes advice. The proud attitude heads the list of seven things God hates: 

"These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6 vs 16 - 19.)

Pride and lies go hand in hand. The proud will always seek to defend their actions, requiring to put up a defense. Such defense are fraughted with lies in other to drive home their point. We may be tempted to believe that some lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But God does not overlook lies, flattery, deception, or boasting. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. The tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (See James 3 vs 5 - 6). Be careful how you use yours.

Avoid pride when God prospers you, and makes you powerful. It is true that "pride goes before destruction."  If God has given you wealth, influence, popularity, and power, be thankful, and be careful. God hates pride. While it is normal to feel elation when we accomplish something, it is wrong to be disdainful of God or to look down on others. Give God credit of what you have, and use your gifts in ways that pleases Him. Remember, no matter what your position in society, God expects you to honor, worship, and obey Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a humble heart, that I may constantly examine my ways, thoughts, and actions to eliminate any form of pride. Give me the grace to admit my faults, my wrongs, and to boldly say "I am sorry," in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

“You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65) When Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb. They gave it their best shot — in vain. It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried. It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He let himself be libeled and harassed and blackballed and scorned and shoved around and killed. I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18) No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready. When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27). The world thinks Jesus is done for — out of the way — but Jesus is at work in the dark places. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He let himself be buried — “no one takes [my life] from me” — and he will come out in power when and where he pleases — “I have authority to take it up again.” “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Jesus has his priesthood today “by the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16). For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. Trust him and go with him, no matter what. You cannot lose in the end.

 You Cannot Lose in the End

“You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65)

When Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb.

They gave it their best shot — in vain.

It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried. 

It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He let himself be libeled and harassed and blackballed and scorned and shoved around and killed.

I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18) 

No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready.

When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27). 

The world thinks Jesus is done for — out of the way — but Jesus is at work in the dark places. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He let himself be buried — “no one takes [my life] from me” — and he will come out in power when and where he pleases — “I have authority to take it up again.” 

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Jesus has his priesthood today “by the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).

For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. 

Trust him and go with him, no matter what. You cannot lose in the end.

IF YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 12, 2025.

SUBJECT : IF YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS! 

Memory verse: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." (John 6 vs 21.)

READ: John 6 vs 16 - 21:

6:16: Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

6:17: got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus has not come to them.

6:18: Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

6:19: So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

6:20: But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

6:21: Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

INTIMATION:

It’s only in Jesus that we can find the purpose of our lives. God sent Him to the world as a revelation of Himself, and we can only truly know God through Jesus. Therefore, receiving Jesus willingly into your life immediately takes you to the source of the revelation of your purpose of being created. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 1 vs 11, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will." It is in Christ that we find out who we are (we obtain an inheritance), and what we are living for (the purpose of Him for us), and He did it all according to His Will. He works all things according to his overall plans and purposes in everything and for everyone.

Jesus means “the Lord saves.” Jesus came to earth to save us because we can’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in our lives. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus didn't come to help people save themselves, He came to be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Receiving Jesus willingly into your life is the only immediate way to receiving salvation. Thank Christ for His death on the cross for your sin, and then ask Him to take control of your life. Your new life begins at that moment.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14 vs 6). He is the only way to God. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours. As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. The Scripture says, “And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4 vs 12). Jesus is the only means through which we can be saved. One cannot devise his or her own system of religion and expect to be saved on his or her own conditions. One cannot be saved outside the atonement that has been provided by Jesus on the cross. 

As the truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises. Jesus is the revelation of the grace and truth that proceeded from God for the salvation of all men. Salvation, therefore, must be accomplished through the revelation of the mystery of God that was revealed through Jesus (Ephesians 3 vs 3 - 5). Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception of Satan. He shows us clearly the way to everlasting life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. 

Jesus is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to humankind. In His light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Savior). When we follow Jesus, the true light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our lives. If He guides your life, you’ll never need to stumble in darkness. Jesus gives life. The life He gives is abundantly rich and full. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately. Life in Christ is lived in higher plane because of His overflowing forgiveness, love, and guidance. 

He who is life can surely restore life. Whoever believes in Christ has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or diminish in any way. The answer to man’s mortality is found only in Jesus. One cannot find life outside the sacrificial blood of Jesus (John 8 vs 13). In order to have life throughout eternity, one must come into a covenant relationship with Jesus. Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him, like a branch attached to the vine. Apart from Christ our efforts are unfruitful. Have you willingly received Jesus into your life as your personal a Lord and Savior? Do that now and you will receive the nourishment and life offered by Christ the vine!

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for gift of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the revelation of the purpose of our lives in Him. I have willingly received Him into my life, and have confessed Him as my personal Lord and Savior. In Him I live and move and have my being. Give me the grace to stay absolutely and everlastingly focused on Him, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Great King’s Wine

 The Great King’s Wine

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

I have never heard anyone say, “The really deep lessons of my life have come through times of ease and comfort.” But I have heard strong saints say, “Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him, has come through suffering.”

This is a sobering biblical truth. For example: “For [Christ’s] sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Paraphrase: No pain, no gain. Or:

Now let it all be sacrificed, if it will get me more of Christ. 

Here’s another example: “Although he was a son, [Jesus] learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The same book said he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). 

So learning obedience does not mean switching from disobedience to obedience. It means growing deeper and deeper with God in the experience of obedience. It means experiencing depths of yieldedness to God that would not have been otherwise attained. This is what came through suffering. No pain, no gain.

Samuel Rutherford said that when he was cast into the cellars of affliction, he remembered that the great King always kept his wine there. Charles Spurgeon said, “They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.”

Do you not love your beloved more when you feel some strange pain that makes you think you have cancer? We are strange creatures indeed. If we have health and peace and time to love, it can become a thin and hasty thing. But if we are dying, love becomes a deep, slow river of inexpressible joy, and we can scarcely endure to give it up.

Therefore brothers and sisters, “Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of various kings” (James 1:2).