Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2025.

SUBJECT: HOW WELL HAVE YOU USED GOD'S GIFTS ENTRUSTED TO YOU BY HIM?

Memory verse: "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.” (Matthew 18 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 25 vs 14 - 19:

25:14: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered his goods to them.

25:15: And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

25:16: Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

25:17: And likewise he who had received two, gained two more also.

25:18: But he that had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.

25:19: After a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled account with them.

INTIMATION:

All we have on earth; our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, resources, and so on, are all gifts from God and are entrusted to our care and management by Him. We are stewards of whatever God has given us. We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. The Owner is God, and has only given us right to use when we come in. It is for this reason we come into the world bringing nothing with us at birth, and takes nothing away with us at death. God loans the earth to us while we're here. And He will give the same right to another when we depart in death. You just get to enjoy it for a while. He expects us to invest all He entrusted to us wisely. 

God entrusted the care of His creation to man and appointed him the trustee of His property (Genesis 1 vs 28). This role has never been rescinded. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly without excuses. All He has entrusted to our care must be handled and managed properly. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished. 

This stewardship is the major purpose of our lives. Unfortunately, the common culture amongst us is to be careless of what you don't own. But that is not God's idea. Christians should live by a higher standard: "Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it to the best of my ability." (See First Corinthians 4 vs 2.)"

Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate this responsibility toward God. In the story of the loaned money (the talents) according to the passage we read today, the kingdom of heaven is like a businessman who entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he is away. When he returned, he evaluated each servant's performance against given responsibility and rewarded them accordingly. Those who do well, in line with his expectations, he said, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy your lord." (Matthew 25 vs 21.)

In the passage we read today, the master divided the talents among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. Therefore, if anyone failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. It will be obvious he failed due to laziness or hatred toward the master. 

The talent represents any kind of resource God has given us: time, talents, possessions, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until He returns. We are responsible and accountable for whatever God has delivered to us, and should ensure proper usage or investment. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.

In order words, inactivity in the kingdom is not accepted. When the kingdom reign of Jesus is in the hearts of those who have accepted Him as their king, they are moved into action for the king. Inactivity is evidence that the king is not reigning in the hearts of men. The faithful servant does the master's bidding. Each day God presents us with needs and opportunities that challenges us to do what we know is right. We must use our resources—time, talents, abilities, possessions, etc—diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. 

The excuses of the ‘one-talent’ servant actually insulted the integrity of the master. It manifested the fact that he didn’t know the master, and thus, did not know what the master expected. He was rejected on this basis. His inactivity manifested his lack of concern and response to the will of the master. For the believers in Christ, the will of the Master is not burdensome to the one who responds to the love and grace of a loving Father. It's noteworthy that the sin of the ‘one-talent’ servant resulted from his ungrateful response to the master who had given him so much.

Stewardship is the main subject of the kingdom. Even those who are “one talent servants” must do what they can for the king. Emphasis is not on how much one does, for the amount one accomplishes is determined by the personal gifts from God. Emphasis is on doing the Will of the Father. The world is filled with those who buried their talents in the deceptions of indifferent religiosity, and lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4 vs 6.) We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God called us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. The gifts are not ours, but God’s. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we have been given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.

The ‘five talents’ and ‘two talents’ servants were commended on the basis of their faithfulness and stewardship to carry out in their lives the will of the king. If one determines to serve God, then God will give the increase, for it is God’s grace that works in our hearts to bring forth fruit to God. “Well done good and faithful servant” What greater words could ever be heard from God? Christians should be motivated to work for God in order to hear these words from Him. The works they do are in response to the grace of God in their lives. 

At the end of each one’s life on earth one will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well one handled what God entrusted to him or her. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you will be given God's affirmation: He will say, "Good job! Well done!" Secondly, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will make you ruler over many things." Thirdly, you will be honored with a celebration: "Enter into the joy your Lord." 

The neglected use of one’s gift will result in losing everything one has been given. If one refuses to respond to God’s grace, he cannot expect to receive anything as a result of his lazy ingratitude. In the final end of things, the glories that will be given to the Christian will far outweigh that which he has accomplished on earth. He will receive more than what he can earn by works on this earth, all by God’s grace. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are forever faithful. Endue me with the spirit of faithfulness to You in all things, being a worthy and effective steward for I have been entrusted with, and be found worthy of Your approval, and the crown of glory in eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

 Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy. 

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2025.

SUBJECT : THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF PRIDE!

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

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

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 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 Scriptures, also denotes being boastful, haughty, vainglory, presumptuous, and puffed up. Many people are lofty in their thoughts. Even many Christians 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. That is the consequence of pride.

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. 

Pride leads to disgrace, punishment, destruction; it produces quarrels, ends up in downfall, and brings one low. 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 points. 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 originate from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. 

When people are 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 this 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.

For the proud, "I am 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. 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.

Avoid pride when God prospers you, and makes you powerful. If God has given you wealth, influence, popularity, and power, be thankful, but 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. It is true that "pride goes before destruction." 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a humble spirit, 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!

Let Goods and Kindred Go

 Let Goods and Kindred Go

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:32–35)

The Christians in Hebrews 10:32–35 have earned the right to teach us about costly love.

The situation appears to be this: In the early days of their conversion, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. The others were confronted with a difficult choice: Shall we go underground and stay “safe,” or shall we visit our brothers and sisters in prison and risk our lives and property? They chose the way of love and accepted the cost.

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.”

But were they losers? No. They lost property and gained joy! They joyfully accepted the loss.

In one sense, they denied themselves. It was real and costly. But in another sense, they did not. They chose the way of joy. Evidently, these Christians were motivated for prison ministry the same way the Macedonians (of 2 Corinthians 8:1–9) were motivated to relieve the poor. Their joy in God overflowed in love for others.

They looked at their own lives and said, “The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life” (see Psalm 63:3).

They looked at all their possessions and said, “We have a possession in heaven that is better and lasts longer than any of this” (see Hebrews 10:34).

Then they looked at each other and said — perhaps sang — something like Martin Luther’s great hymn:

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2025.

SUBJECT : GOD FORGIVES SIN!

Memory verse: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5 vs 32.)

READ: Isaiah 1 vs 18 - 20:

1:18: "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

1:19: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

1:20: But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword", for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

INTIMATION:

The Greek word for sin is harmartia, which means “miss the mark.” Sin, therefore, is one missing the mark of perfection in order to be considered righteous before God. Those who are involved in sin are known as sinners. Sin has been preached to us so long and we have been told so often that we are unworthy and unfit, and this has kept us with a sense of inferiority which has been destructive to a faith life. This has made many to keep a distance from our holy and perfect God, and their guilt feelings of sin keep them from praying (seeking the face of God), which is their only means of restoration, because only God forgives sin. 

Sometimes one may feel that he has done something terrible, and could never come close to God. Consequently, the effect of sin keeps one away from praying. However, it is noteworthy that perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Though the stain of sin seems permanent, but only God can remove such stain of sin from our lives. We don't have to go through life permanently soiled. God's Word assures that if we are willing and obedient in turning to Him, Christ will forgive and remove our most indelible stains of sin.

No matter how long you have been away from God, He is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn to God. In Judges 16 vs 28 - 30, we would observe that in spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the philistines' heathen temple and worshipers. He killed more people at his death than he did in his life because of the mercy of God when he turned to Him in prayer.

Christ came for sinners like you and I, and He expects us, the sinners, to come to Him for mercy. We can only go to God in prayer, acknowledging our need and admitting that we don't have all the answers, and God will come to our help. He desires to show mercy and His mercy endures forever. God is infinitely merciful. All of us are compassed with infirmity, and only God can succor us. Hence we are to pray boldly for mercy. When we go to God in prayer, repent of our sin, and seek His forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive us, but we must come to Him in prayer. He then withholds punishment deserved by us and gives His kindness in excess. God's mercy is everlasting and total. 

God can forgive all sins, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. The unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God, and His power in Christ, expressed through the Holy Spirit. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. It reveals a heart attitude of unbelief and unrepentance, that attributes to Satan the work that the Holy Spirit accomplishes. Such people have turned their backs on God and rejected all faith, and are unwilling to ask for forgiveness. Even when they receive the prompting of the Holy Spirit, convicting them of sin, they reject it. 

The deliberate rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy, because it is rejecting God Himself. Blasphemy is a malicious and injurious speech against the work of God. It is such because the accusers are assigning the work of God to Satan. It cannot be forgiven simply because those who are making the accusations will not accept the message by obedience to the gospel. Such persons remove themselves from the only force that can lead them to repentance and restoration to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, there is no other. Before You there is no God, with You there is no other God, and there will be no other God after You. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquities, and cleans me from my sins, in Jesus name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Ammunition Against Anxiety

 Ammunition Against Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

One of the things we are thankful for when we let our requests be known to God is his promises. These are the ammunition in the cannon that cuts down the unbelief that produces worry. So here’s how I fight.

When I am anxious about my ministry being useless and empty, I fight unbelief with the promise of Isaiah 55:11. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

When I am anxious about being too weak to do my work, I battle unbelief with the promise of Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

When I am anxious about facing opponents, I battle unbelief with the promise, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

When I am anxious about the welfare of those I love, I battle unbelief with the promise that if I, being evil, know how to give good things to my children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

And I fight to maintain my spiritual equilibrium with the reminder that everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for Christ’s sake, shall “receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30).

When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

And I take the promise with trembling: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3–5).

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2025.

SUBJECT: ASPIRE TO ATTAIN PERFECTION! 

Memory verse: "Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5 vs 48.)

READ: Second Corinthians 3 vs 18; First John 3 vs 2 - 3:

Second Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

First John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

3:3: And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

INTIMATION:

“Perfect” comes from the Greek word “Teleios” which signifies having reached its end, finished, or complete. It’s used primarily for a person’s physical development, then with ethical imports; fully grown, mature. It also, conveys the idea of goodness without necessary reference to maturity, but rather completeness in deeds.

For Christ, being perfect is bringing to an end by completing or accomplishing His earthly course in the accomplishment of His Father’s Will. This involves the successive stages culminating to His Death on the cross that made Him perfect legally and officially, for all that He would be to His people on the ground of His sacrifice.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus laid the foundation for our perfection in His Supreme sacrifice for us. The Bible, in Hebrews 10 vs 14, says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” We have been made perfect before the Father by His death for our sins, yet we are “being sanctified” (made holy). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ, once for all, made His believers perfect (complete) in God’s sight—holy and without blemish as planned by God from the beginning for His people. 

Jesus Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believers, is making us holy (progressively cleansed and set apart for His special use) in our daily pilgrimage here on earth. Daily we are being transformed into the image of God from one stage to another—“from glory to glory,” by the Holy Spirit. We should not be surprised, ashamed, or shocked that we have not attained perfection, and still need to grow. God is not finished with us. We can encourage this growth process by deliberately applying Scriptures in all areas of our lives, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving Him control of our desires and goals. Perfection or completeness will be attained at the second coming of Christ—“we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.”

All parts of our lives and characters should be in the process of becoming conformed, both inwardly and outwardly, to God's standards. We should be like our Heavenly Father—holy in everything we do. After people commit their lives to Christ, they sometimes still feel a pull back to their old ways, nonetheless, we should aspire to be perfect just as He is.

Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for His special use and set apart from sin and its influence. We're to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. God's quality in our lives make us different. Our focus and priorities must be His. All these are in direct contrast to our old ways, we cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. 

How can we aspire to attain perfection? We do the following: 1. In character, we aspire to be like Christ. However, in this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible. 

2. In holiness, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values just like the Pharisees. But unlike the Pharisees we are to be devoted to God's desires rather our own and carry His love and mercy into the world 

3. In maturity, we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once. 

4. In love, we seek to love others as completely as God loves us. We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level—perfect yet with much room to grow. It’s noteworthy that our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ.

Christ calls all of His disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in every area, becoming like Him. Those who try to be perfect will one day be perfect even as Christ is perfect. By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him. In the gospel, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it. Through learning about Christ’s life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like. As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change. Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience, the more we follow Christ, the more we will be like Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Holy Sovereign God, and created me in Your own image and after Your likeness. Give me the grace to aspire to be like You in Christ—perfect, and without faults, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!