Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 03, 2025.

SUBJECT : THE IDEAL MANNER TO PRAISE THE LORD!

Memory verse: "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works." (Psalm 9 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 103 vs 1 - 6 & 8:

103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

103:2: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

103:3: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases;

103:4: Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

103:5: Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

103:6: The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all who are oppressed.

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

INTIMATION:

Praise is to express admiration or approval of; to commend; to extol; to glorify or worship. To praise the Lord is to worship Him; it is expressing one’s appreciation and understanding of His worth; it is saying thank you for each aspect of His divine nature. Your inward attitude about Him is outwardly expressed in praise. When you praise God, you help yourself by expanding your awareness of who He is. 

Praise can be in speech or song. Praising God in a song is not just song about God, It is a song to God. Praising God has several aspects to it. The ideal manner of praising God include: (1) Thanking Him for each of His divine nature—Creator, Merciful, Loving, Faithful, Powerful, Unchanging, Forgiving, Magnificent, Glorious, etc. As you read the Bible, look for other characteristics or divine nature of God for which to thank Him. Thanking Him for them is the best way to ask for the manifestation of those characteristics in your life. It is always good to make a list of such characteristics and keep reminding yourself of them, internalizing them, and make them a permanent part of your worship.

(2) Focus your heart on God. See nothing, know nothing other than God. Not even yourself require any attention. The Scripture says, “I will praise You with my whole heart” (Psalm 9 vs 1; 138 vs 1). To help you to achieve the required fixation on God, just take one attribute of God, such as His mercy, then concentrate on it for an entire week in your meditation and prayer. In no time it will be an integral part of your worship to Him.

(3) Thank God for His many gracious gifts to mankind. Make a list and count your blessings, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. David said, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits...” (Psalm 68 vs 19.) He also said, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand....” (Psalm 139 vs 17 - 18.) 

Now, take for instance, you wake up in the morning, hale and hearty; All the organs in your body are all functioning properly—you can see, talk, walk, taste, feel, hear, breath, sit, stand, smile, run, eat, free your bowel, etc. All these are possible because the various functional organs are working in harmony with the also functional sensory nerves, body cells, body tissues etc. Also the various natural substances—the air, sun, water, etc—are all available to you. 

God has made all these possible, and also has given you other qualitative provisions of emotional, and spiritual stability. The list is unending, and all in one day. Imagine the number of human cells working all at the same time in your body to achieve the good health; they are in billions, and God has made all these functional. What is more worthy than to thank and appreciate this good God. Praise God and tell Him afresh how much you appreciate all these.

(4) Finally, above all, thank God for your relationship with Him through Christ who has given you the gift of salvation, and has been made to you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Praising Him lifts your perceptive from the earthly to the heavenly, and prepares your heart to receive God’s love and the power of His Holy Spirit.

Now, can you find something to praise God wholeheartedly for each day? As you do, you will find your heart elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence, reminding you of God’s faithfulness and character which positively effect your attitude.

Prayer: Abba Father, there is none like You. I can’t thank You enough. With my whole heart I will daily lift You in praise. Let my praise come to You as a sweet smelling sacrifice, that will cause You to come down in Your might and power to attend to my petitions, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 02, 2025.

SUBJECT : GRACE GIVES US FREEDOM TO OBEY!

Memory verse: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:(Hebrews 12 vs 28.) 

READ: Romans 6 vs 15 - 19: 

6:15: What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!

6:16: Do You not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

6:17: But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which you were delivered.

6:18: And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

6:19: I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

INTIMATION:

God’s grace gives freedom to obey. It does not liberate one to sin. It does not become the license to ignore the will of the One who offered grace, but rather freedom to obey Him. Those who would not respond to the grace of God are those who do not understand that God meant that grace should stir up love and thanksgiving (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15). Those who understand grace work from a heart of appreciation for the salvation he had received as a result of God’s grace. 

Christians have freedom in Christ, but the definition of freedom in the context of Christianity is more narrow than the normal use of the word in common language. Christians use freedom as a tool for a life of exuberant service. It’s the foundation that God gives to us to reach our highest potential. Because God gives us freedom from religious rules and eternal guilt, we must not seek to indulge our own desires; instead, we should reach for the best God has for us. And our freedom should sing of power, joy, and love—accountable to God, devoted to others.

We are to love because He first loved us (First John 4 vs 19). We are to have mercy because He first extended mercy to us (James 2 vs 13). We are to work more abundantly because He worked abundantly toward us (First Corinthians 15 vs 10). If there is no love, mercy, and abundant work on the part of one who has been the recipient of the grace, then he or she has misunderstood grace. God’s grace is in vain in the life of the one who manifests no response to God.

Christians have been rescued by God out of the bondage of legal justification and are now free from the necessity of justification by law-keeping and meritorious deeds. Though the Christian may be set free from justification by law-keeping, he or she is not free from the law of Christ as a standard of moral behavior. Therefore, grace establishes law of Christ in the life of the one who walks in gratitude for the grace of God. Law is established because the obedient son cries out “Abba Father” in his realization that he cannot direct his own paths. He thus cries out for the guidance of the Father. The Father responds with direction, and thus, law is brought into the life of the one who responds by faith in the grace of God.

Those who lose their thanksgiving and gratitude for their salvation, often claim that God’s grace covers all sin regardless of the moral behavior of the believer. Such is a gross misunderstanding of grace. We cannot sin so that grace may abound (Romans 6 vs 1). Though the Christian may be set free from justification by law-keeping, he or she is not free from the law of Christ as a standard of moral behavior. Under grace, one’s love of God, not law, is the motivating factor that stimulates us to be subservient to the Will of God. If one is not motivated to work and serve, he or she has no appreciation for the grace of God. 

Some would seek to use their liberty from law as an occasion for sin. Some would sin in order to supposedly increase the grace of God in their lives. Even today, some Christians minimize the sinfulness of sin, believing that how they live has little to do with their faith. But what a person truly believes will show up in how he or she acts. Those who truly have faith will show it by their deep respect for God and their sincere desire to live according to the principles in His Word.

Prayer: Abba Father, make all grace abound toward me, that I will always have all sufficiency in all things, and have an abundance for every good work in doing Your Will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Devastated and Delighted

 Devastated and Delighted

“The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6)

What would the doctrines of grace — the old Puritan term for the Calvinistic teaching of God’s sovereign grace in our salvation (TULIP) — what would those doctrines of grace sound like if every limb in that tree were coursing with the sap of Augustinian delight (that is, “Christian Hedonism”)?

Total depravity is not just badness, but blindness to God’s beauty, and deadness to the deepest joy.

Unconditional election means that the completeness of our joy in Jesus was planned for us before we ever existed, as the overflow of God’s joy in the fellowship of the Trinity.

Limited atonement is the assurance that indestructible joy in God is infallibly secured for God’s people by the blood of the new covenant.

Irresistible grace is the commitment and the power of God’s love to make sure we don’t hold on to suicidal pleasures, and to set us free by the sovereign power of superior delights.

Perseverance of the saints is the almighty work of God not to let us fall into the final bondage of inferior pleasures, but to keep us, through all affliction and suffering, for an inheritance of fullness of joy in his presence, and pleasures at his right hand forevermore.

Of those five, unconditional election delivers the harshest and the sweetest judgments to my soul. That it is unconditional destroys all self-exaltation (that’s the harsh part); and that it is election makes me his treasured possession (that’s the sweet part).

This is one of the beauties of the biblical doctrines of grace: their worst devastations prepare us for their greatest delights.

What prigs we would become at the words, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6), if this election were in any way dependent on us. But to protect us from pride, the Lord teaches us that we are unconditionally chosen (Deuteronomy 7:7–9). “He made a wretch his treasure,” as we so gladly sing.

Only the devastating freeness and unconditionality of electing grace — followed by all the other works of saving grace — let us take and taste such gifts for our very own without the exaltation of self.

This is the month of the resplendence of God's kindness

He Does All That He Pleases

 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

This verse teaches that whenever God acts, he acts in a way that pleases him.

God is never constrained to do a thing that he despises. He is never backed into a corner where his only recourse is to do something he hates to do.

He does whatever he pleases. And therefore, in some sense, he has pleasure in all that he does.

This should lead us to bow before God and praise his sovereign freedom — that, in some sense, he always acts in freedom, according to his own “good pleasure,” following the dictates of his own delights.

God never becomes the victim of circumstance. He is never forced into a situation where he must do something in which he cannot rejoice. He is not mocked. He is not trapped or cornered or coerced.

Even at the one point in history where he did what in one sense was the hardest thing for God to do, “not spare his own Son” (Romans 8:32), God was free and doing what pleased him. Paul says that the self-sacrifice of Jesus in death was “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). The greatest sin, and the greatest death, and the hardest act of God was, in some profound way, pleasing to the Father.

And on his way to Calvary, Jesus himself had legions of angels at his disposal. “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18) — of his own good pleasure — “for the joy that is set before him,” as it says in Hebrews 12:2. At the one point in the history of the universe where Jesus looked trapped, he was totally in charge doing precisely what he pleased — dying to glorify his Father in justifying the ungodly, like you and me.

So, let us stand in awe and wonder. And let us tremble that not only our praises of God’s sovereignty, but also our salvation through the death of Christ for us, hang on this: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever he pleases.”

Welcomed to the month of elegance of God's grace

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 01, 2025.

SUBJECT : FAITH ATTRACTS GRACE! 

Memory verse: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2 vs 8.) 

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 4 - 10:

2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

2:5: even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),

2:6: and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God,

2:9: not of works, lest anyone should boast.

2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

INTIMATION:

Faith attracts the grace of God. Where there is faith in God His grace abounds. It’s for this reason we are saved. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Him. Please note these two words 'by' and 'through' because the vital difference between these two words will help keep in proper perspective the different roles and functions of grace and faith.

Grace is the unmerited favor and benevolence of God. This enables us to draw from God’s power through the Holy Spirit to meet our needs. While faith is the substance; the confidence, conviction, confirmation of things we have hope for, and the evidence or proof of things we have not yet seen but convinced of their reality. Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.

The key words that describe faith are confidence, conviction, confirmation and certainty. These qualities need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character—He is who He says He is. The end point is believing in God's promises—He will do what He says He will do. Therefore, when we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. It is the 'believe'—the confidence and conviction—in God, and assurance—confirmation and certainty—of His promises, that is faith. And it is through faith in Him that His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) we receive God's blessings.

The major problem believers have is that once we are saved by ‘grace through faith,’ we immediately make the mistake of turning from living by grace to living by works. We begin to match God's blessings by our works. Or put in another form, we want to buy God's blessings by our works. What do I mean by this? We begin to think we have prayed enough or not enough to get God's blessings—answer to our prayers, or we have been operating enough or not enough in the fruit of the Spirit to get or not to get His blessings, or that we weren't nice when we got caught in some situations, consequently, we cannot be blessed by Him. 

We think of everything we did right or wrong and figure that it automatically qualifies or disqualifies us, as it were, for any of God's blessings. All these are works, though in themselves are good and should be done, but are not the channel or reason for receiving from God. Remember what the Scripture says in Romans 5 vs 8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is amazing! God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us. It is not by works of ours. 

God didn’t stop at that. He comes alongside us and be within us to help us do the right things expected of us. He gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. But we have to do our own part; submit to God’s control and let Him work. It is even "God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2 vs 13), and He does this by His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) indwelling us. Disconnect from Him, and you can do nothing. (John 15 vs 5).

For those who have faith in God, that is, those who have believed—adhered to, trusted in, and relied on God—do enter His rest because His grace is sufficient (the power of the Holy Spirit) to meet their needs (see Hebrews 4 vs 3). You will enter His rest when you receive His grace and you will lead your life as the apostle Paul advised Philippians 4 vs 4 - 6; "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men....Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." That is life of who has entered His rest.

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust and complete confidence is in You. Give me the grace to lead a life pleasing to You, that I may enter Your rest, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY AUGUST 31, 2025.

SUBJECT : YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW! 

Memory verse: "And, behold, I am come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according as his work." (Revelation 22 vs 12.) 

READ: Galatians 6 vs 7 - 10; Ephesians 6 vs 8; Colossians 3 vs 25:

Galatians 6:7: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

6:8: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

6:9: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

6:10: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Ephesians 6:8: Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Colossians 3:25: But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

INTIMATION:

It is a principle of life that one reaps what he sows. One must not deceive himself into thinking that he can escape the consequences of his behavior. To think one can, is to mock God, for God says that we reap what we sow, not only in this life, but also in that which is to come (Romans 2 vs 6). It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn in your farm and pumpkins came up. It's a natural law to harvest what we plant. It's true in other areas, too. If you gossip, and guile found in your tongue, know it now, you will definitely reap what you sow, and God's final judgement will find you out. 

Every action has result. If you plant to please your own desires, you'll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you'll harvest joy and everlasting life. Our God is certainly not a partial God, His reward is with Him, to give to everyone according to his works. There is God's judgment awaiting everybody. Although, His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns (Matthew 25 vs 31 - 46), and everyone's life will be reviewed and evaluated. Jesus will look at how we handled gifts, opportunities, relationships, and responsibilities in order to determine our rewards.

The Word of God in Luke 6 vs 37 - 38 says: "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." How is your relationship with other people? What do you give to others? What do you give to God? Are you resentful? speaking guile? gossiping about others? Do you give love and care to others? Are you judgmental? Are you always returning to others as they did to you, especially in wrong doing? 

Remember whatever you do will be returned to you in full measure. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, it's noteworthy these qualities will come back to us in full measure. If you forgive, it demonstrates that you have received God’s forgiveness. We will be dealt with in final judgement by God in the same manner by which we treat our fellow man. Therefore, when we measure mercy to others, God will in turn measure mercy to us. 

Christians must be zealous to do good works, for this is one reason why they have been brought forth in Christ (Ephesians 2 vs 10). They must not become lazy or discouraged in doing that which brings glory to the Father. Christians do good, not for the purpose of putting God in debt of rewarding one with heaven (Romans 4 vs 4). They do good because they are saved, not in order to become saved. They do good because they are in Christ, not in order to come to Christ. 

Prayer: Abba Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You at all times. And let me do to others as I will want them to do to me, and be continually zealous of doing good works, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Lion and the Lamb

 The Lion and the Lamb

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew 12:18–21, quoting Isaiah 42)

The Father’s very soul exults with joy over the servant-like meekness and compassion of his Son.

When a reed is bent and about to break, the Servant will tenderly hold it upright until it heals. When a wick is smoldering and has scarcely any heat left, the Servant will not pinch it off, but cup his hand and blow gently until it burns again.

Thus the Father cries, “Behold, my Servant in whom my soul delights!” The worth and beauty of the Son come not just from his majesty, nor just from his meekness, but from the way these mingle in perfect proportion.

When the angel cries out in Revelation 5:2, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” the answer comes back, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).

God loves the strength of the Lion of Judah. This is why he is worthy in God’s eyes to open the scrolls of history and unfold the last days.

But the picture is not complete. How did the Lion conquer? The next verse describes his appearance: “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). Jesus is worthy of the Father’s delight not only as the Lion of Judah, but also as the slain Lamb.

This is the peculiar glory of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son — the stunning mingling of majesty and meekness.