Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE WORTH OF BELIEVERS TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." (Malachi 3 vs 17.)

READ: First Peter 2 vs 9 - 10:

2:9: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2:10: Who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

INTIMATION:

The love of the Father marked all belivers out for the position of sons and daughters way back before the morning stars sang their first anthem, and they are made unto the praise of His glory. He planned that believers should be holy without blemish before Him. He marked them out for the position of sons and daughters through Jesus Christ unto Himself; and they are the marked ones. Believers have been chosen by God as His very own, and His jewels, a special treasure to Him above all people, and they are to Him a kingdom of priests, as Christ has made them kings and priests to God that they shall reign on the earth. 

He has blessed the believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1 vs 3). They are blessed, rich in Him, and have His fullness. The believers are sufficient in His sufficiency. All that He is, they have. They are what He says they are. God the Father sees the belivers as His own righteousness in Christ Jesus, and they are in the Beloved. The believers are complete in Him, and this completeness is over and above all that they can ask or think or desire. 

The believers have been called to represent Him to others. They are united with Christ as members of His body, and they join in His priestly work of reconciling God and people. God has given them eternal life in Christ. Their eternal life with Christ is certain because they are united in His powerful victory. God’s incomparable great power is available to help all believers. 

Now, look at the conclusion of the whole matter as the apostle Paul says: “....We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39.)

These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scriptures. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: hardship, persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But the apostle Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid.

Now you know your worth to God in Christ as a believer. You see your vast responsibility. You can pray appropriately for you now know how. Take your place in Christ. Dare to act your part. Dare to let God use you. Dare to let love reign in your life. Dare to be in your daily life what He says you are. Dare to do what He says you can do. Dare to confess that you are what He says you are. All is yours. Use them. As you act on the Word, the Word reacts in you; it builds up in you, and so you grow in Christ. Believersare partakers of His Nature, of His very substance and Being.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are awesome, merciful, and compassionate. In all the world there’s none like You. Your love for me is unparalleled and unfathomable. You have blessed me with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, and made me partaker of Your divine nature. Forever You are my God and Father. I am persuaded that nothing will ever take away Your love for me, in the mighty Name of Jesus’ I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Beware of Serving God

 Beware of Serving God

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:24–25)

We do not glorify God by providing his needs, but by praying that he would provide ours — and trusting him to answer, and living in the joy of that all-providing care as we lay down our lives in love for other people.

Here we are at the heart of the good news of Christian Hedonism. God’s insistence that we ask him to give us help so that he gets glory. “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). This forces on us the startling fact that we must beware of thinking he needs us. We must beware of serving God, and we must take special care to let him serve us, lest we rob him of his glory. “God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25). 

This sounds very strange. Most of us think serving God is a totally positive thing. We have not considered that serving God may be an insult to him. But meditation on the very meaning of prayer makes this plain. 

In the novel, Robinson Crusoe, the hero, took Psalm 50:12–15 as his favorite text to hope in as he’s stranded on the island: God says, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. . . . Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 

Which means: there is a way to serve God that would belittle him as needy of our service. Oh, how careful we must be not to preempt the mighty grace of God in Christ. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He aims to be the servant. He aims to get the glory as the Giver.

Everyday in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2025.

SUBJECT : ESCHEW SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! 

Memory verse: "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips." (Proverbs 27 vs 2.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 10 - 14:

18:10: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.

18:11: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You, that I am not as other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

18:12: I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

18:13: And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’

18:14: I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

INTIMATION:

Self-righteousness is being overly confident that one acts properly (especially in comparison with others). It’s being overly virtuous. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents him or her from learning anything from God. One should not glory in order to emphasize his own abilities to perform. He should glory in the basis that he or she is in the Lord and thus, it is the Lord working through him or her. When we boast in order to bring glory to Jesus, then we know that our lives are about Jesus, not ourselves. Jesus said, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.” (John 8 vs 54.) One should live a godly life that manifests praise to God, and not give praise to himself. 

The Scripture says, “But He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he ‘whom the Lord commends.” (Second Corinthians 10 vs 17 - 18). God cannot be placed in debt to either save or glorify on the basis of human performance. Those who glorify themselves before God on the basis of their performance are establishing their own standards, and thus, they are arrogantly asking God to accept their standards as payment for their salvation. 

In comparison to the righteousness of God, there is no righteous person. No man can stand righteous before God on the merit of his own works of law or good deeds. Therefore, we cannot establish our own standards of performance, and then, measure ourselves righteous or good before God on the basis of our standards. One can boast only insofar as the grace of God has worked in his or her life to move him or her to respond to the Will of God.

In the passage we read today, the Pharisee boasted concerning his obedience to his self-imposed religious codes and traditions. He checked off his list of righteous deeds that he did and evil deeds that he did not do. He thus trusted in himself, feeling self-confident that his performance of law should satisfy God, and thus, put God in debt to save him. The Pharisee did not go to the temple to pray to God but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. 

The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. I guessed he stood far from the Pharisee because he was judged unrighteous by the Pharisee. However, he stood close to God because he approached God on the basis of his spiritual inadequacies. Because he recognized his spiritual poverty, he trusted in God’s grace for his salvation. He was justified by his faith in God’s grace, not by his perfect law-keeping or performance of good deeds. Those who have self-righteously exalted themselves will be brought down. 

Self-righteous people pride themselves in their self-acclaimed quality of being right or just. Pride is an inordinate self-esteem or conceit. It’s the inner voice that whispers, “My way is best.” Whenever you find yourself looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Pride indicates that a person is self-centered, and thus he will fall over himself as he deals with people. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. God cuts off the proud from His grace. Pride cripples us in our quest for a proper relationship with God. Only God must be exalted is the first step toward developing that relationship with Him. 

The Scripture says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5 vs 3.) Happy are those who are not proud, conceited or arrogant, especially concerning their spiritual relationship with God. One must empty himself of self-reliance and learn to humble himself before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, therefore, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The tax collector’s prayer should be our prayer because we all need God’s mercy everyday. Don’t let pride in your achievements cut you off from God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, take away any spirit of pride and self-righteousness in me. My sincere desire is to humble myself before You as a sinner that needs your mercy everyday of my life. O Lord, let Your humble Spirit dwell in me richly, leading me aright all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

We Can Do Nothing

 We Can Do Nothing

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Suppose you are totally paralyzed and can do nothing for yourself but talk. And suppose a strong and reliable friend promised to live with you and do whatever you needed done. How could you glorify this friend if a stranger came to see you? 

Would you glorify his generosity and strength by trying to get out of bed and carry him? No! You would say, “Friend, please come lift me up, and would you put a pillow behind me so I can look at my guest? And would you please put my glasses on for me?” 

And so your visitor would learn from your requests that you are helpless and that your friend is strong and kind. You glorify your friend by needing him, and by asking him for help, and counting on him.

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” So we really are paralyzed. Without Christ, we are capable of no Christ-exalting good. As Paul says in Romans 7:18, “Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” 

But John 15:5 also says that God does intend for us to do much Christ-exalting good, namely bear fruit: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” So as our strong and reliable friend — “I have called you friends” (John 15:15) — he promises to do for us, and through us, what we can’t do for ourselves.

How then do we glorify him? Jesus gives the answer in John 15:7: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” We pray! We ask God to do for us through Christ what we can’t do for ourselves — bear fruit. 

John 15:8 gives the result: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” 

So how is God glorified by prayer? Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that he will provide the help we need.

Inspiring Gospel song

 

Every day in the Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 10, 2025.

SUBJECT : HOW TO BRING GLORY TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your Name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth." (Psalm 115 vs 1.)

READ: First Corinthians 10 vs 31; First Peter 4 vs 11:

First Corinthians 10:31: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

First Peter 4:11: If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone minister, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION:

Glory means fame, honor, praise, splendor, beauty. We are created to bring glory to God—bestow honor, fame, praise, splendor, and beauty to Him (Isaiah 43 vs 7). Living for God's glory is purposeful, and in accordance with the Will of God. It is the greatest achievement anyone can accomplish with his or her life. God made you to be you, and for a purpose. When the purpose for which He created you is met by you, you give glory to Him. God, in His nature of love and mercy, in return, glorifies those you glorify Him. Jesus said in John 17 vs 5, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." 

How then can we bring glory to Him? There are many ways to bring glory to God, but they can be summarized in God's five purposes for our lives. These purposes are:-

(1) We bring God glory by worshipping Him. Worship is the appropriate response to God's self-revelation. It is our first responsibility to God. We worship God for who He is. God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty. We worship God by enjoying Him. Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God, though they are all acts of worship. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for His purposes. When we use our lives for God's glory, everything we do can become an act of worship. 

(2) We bring glory to God by loving other believers. When you were born again, you became a part of God's family. Following Christ is not only a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God. The apostle Paul said, "Therefore, receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God" (Romans 15 vs 7). Accept each other just as Christ accepted you; then God will be glorified. It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does, because God is love, and it honors Him.  

(3) We bring God glory by becoming like Christ. Once we are born into the family of God, He wants us to grow to spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel, and act. The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring glory to God. 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 like Christ is a progressive experience. God gave you new life and a new nature when you accepted Christ. Now, for the rest of your life on earth, God wants to continue the process of changing your character to eventually conform to Christ’s.

(4) We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts. Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities. The way you're "wired" is not an accident. God didn't give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefit. Some people, well aware of their abilities, believe that they have the right to use their abilities as they please. Others feel they have no special talents at all. Everyone has some gifts; find yours and use them. All our abilities should be used in serving others; none are for our own exclusive enjoyment. 

(5) We bring God glory by telling others about Him. God doesn't want His love and purposes kept a secret. Once we know the truth, He expects us to share it with others. It is for this reason He gave us the great commission to preach the Good News (Mark 16 vs 15). This is a great privilege, introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purpose, and preparing them for their eternal destiny. God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, and as this is done God will receive more and more glory. Second Corinthians 4 vs 15 says, " ... That grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God." God is glorified when people come into a right relationship with Him and begin to bear fruit in their lives.

When the combination of allowing Jesus to permeate our behavior, and subsequently allowing our behavior to affect the lives of others, then truly God is glorified on earth among men. Our actions must be motivated by God’s love so that all we do will be for His glory. Keep this as a guiding principle by asking, “Is this action glorifying God?” or “How can I honor God through this action?” 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to continually do things to glorify You. My utmost heart desire is for an intimate relationship with You, and that I may serve You and others acceptably, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Best Passage Ever

 Best Passage Ever

God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25–26)

Romans 3:25–26 may be the most important verses in the Bible.

God is wholly just! And he justifies the ungodly! Really? A just judge acquitting the guilty!

Not either/or! Both! He acquits the guilty, but is not guilty in doing so. This is the greatest news in the world!

“[God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He takes our sin. We take his righteousness.

“By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Whose flesh? Christ’s. Whose sin condemned in that flesh? Ours. For us then? No condemnation! 

“[Christ] bore our sins in his body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24)

“Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

“If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5)

If the most terrifying news in the world is that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his own righteous character to preserve the worth of his glory by pouring out his wrath on our sin . . .

. . . Then the best news in all the world (the gospel!) is that God has decreed and enacted a way of salvation that also upholds the worth of his glory, the honor of his Son, and the eternal salvation of his elect. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.