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).

FRIENDSHIP WITH UNBELIEVERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2021.

SUBJECT : FRIENDSHIP WITH UNBELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19 vs 5.)

READ: Luke 5 vs 27 - 32: 

5:27: After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow me.”

5:28: So he left all rose up, and followed Him.

5:29: Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.

5:30: And their scribes and Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

5:31: Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who  are sick.

5:32: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

INTIMATION:

Unbelievers are those skeptical of matters of religious truth; not believing in God, and in the substitutionary work of His Son Jesus Christ for mankind. Consequently, they are not Christ’s followers.

Jesus taught his followers to befriend unbelievers or sinners and lead them to Him. Befriending unbelievers is investable if we are to lead them to Christ. However, we must be wary of those who are viciously evil, immoral, or opposed to all that Christianity stands for. Such people are more likely to influence us for evil than we are to influence them for good. It is obvious that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers, otherwise we could not carry out Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (see Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20).

But we are to distance ourselves from hypocrites; the person with pretense of piety—false or godless persons. Such person pretend or claim to be Christians, yet indulge in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in himself or herself.

Christians or believers usually wrongly interpret the apostle Paul’s teaching regarding association with unbelievers in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 15. He said, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with unbeliever?” 

The apostle Paul urges believers not to be “unequally yoked,” that is, not to be burdened or bear burden together with unbelievers. That is burdens of partnerships in business or any associations of like manner, because this might weaken their Christian commitment, integrity, or standards. Because believers don’t share the same faith with unbelievers, common grounds are usually difficult in such partnership due to different believe systems. It would be a mismatch. Earlier, Apostle Paul had explained that this did not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers (See First Corinthians 5 vs 9 - 10). When believers in leadership positions become allied with unbelievers, values can be compromised and spiritual awareness dulled. Hence the Bible often warns against teaming up with unbelievers.

For married couples, the apostle Paul even urges Christians to stay with their unbelieving spouses if such marriages were consummated before any of the spouse becomes a believer (First Corinthians 7 vs 12 - 13). He wanted believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalties. 

These verses also have strong application to marriage. The apostle Paul did not want single believers to enter into marriage with unbelievers. Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life—commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue, and one spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. Many people discount this problem only to regret it later. Don’t allow emotion or passion to blind you with someone who will not be your spiritual partner. For those who have discovered God’s light, there can be no fellowship or compromise with darkness (First Corinthians 10 vs 20 - 21.) 

Just as when a man and a woman fall in love, so also new believers rejoice at their newfound forgiveness. Associations with unbelievers when the new believers are not yet firmly rooted in Christ may cause them to lose sight of the seriousness of sin, and then they begin to lose the thrill of their forgiveness. In the first steps of your Christian life, you may have had enthusiasm without knowledge. Do you now have knowledge without enthusiasm? Both are necessary if we are to keep love for God intense and untarnished.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with divine wisdom, that I may walk circumspect in dealings with unbelievers that my faith will not be compromised, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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

IN QUIETNESS YOU WILL HEAR THE LORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2021.

SUBJECT: IN QUIETNESS YOU WILL HEAR THE LORD!

Memory verse: "stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence; then I heard a voice saying,” Job 4 vs 16). 

READ: First Kings 19 vs 11 - 13:

19:11: Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rock in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

19:12: and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

19:13: So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

INTIMATION:

Silence is the state of remaining quiet and still, and it engenders full or better concentration. God speaks to us mostly in the quietness of our hearts. And to hear Him requires our being silent, and maintain a quiet disposition for better concentration to be able to hear Him clearly. Therefore, we must seek God in times of silence. How proper for us to be quiet and honor God for His power and might. Take time each day to be silent or quiet and exalt Him. 

Quietness or silence also convey trust and confidence in God, reverently honoring Him and His power and majesty. Take time each day to be still and honor God. God works in quiet ways to bring about His long-range purposes. We should know that no amount of fast talking or hasty activity could speed up God’s grand design. We have nothing to say to God but thank you. 

Quiet time is the time you spend with God alone. This is the greatest secret of developing a close relationship with God, and the most important relationship of your life. Jesus, during His earth walk, separated Himself from everybody to have a quiet time with the Father; “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and their He prayed.” (Mark 1 vs 35.) He also taught His disciples to observe a quiet time with the Lord (Matthew 6 vs 6.) 

God speaks in a still small voice, such that could be heard in quietness of our hearts. Elijah knew that the sound of a still small voice belonged to God. He is often found gently whispering in the quietness of a humbled heart. God doesn’t reveal Himself only in powerful, miraculous ways. To look for God only in something big (rallies, churches, conferences, highly visible leaders) may be to miss Him. God does not need to appear in great physical events as earthquakes and fires, in order to initiate His work. His power can be concealed in a whisper. Are you listening for God? Step back from the noise and activity of your busy life and listen humbly and quietly for His guidance. It may come when you least expect it.

From the beginning of creation, God desires to associate with us in our quiet times. In the Garden of Eden, God visited Adam and Eve in the cool of the day; “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3 vs 8.) It was during their quiet time that they experienced the presence of God. And the greatest search and want of every human being is the presence of God.

A daily quiet time will make you have a personal relationship with the Lord. Nothing else can make you have a personal relationship with the Lord. Coming to church a thousand times is different from having a personal one to one interaction with the Lord. And it is this personal interaction with the Lord which many Christians lack. Many people may be working in a company, they know the name of the Managing Director, some can recognize him when he comes around, but not many has a personal relationship with him because they do not interact with him personally. It is proper for us to be still now, reverently honoring God and His power and majesty. Take time each day to be still and honor God. He works in quiet ways to bring about His long-range purposes.

Prayer: Abba Father, early will I seek You daily. My soul thirsts for You in quietness and confidence. I yearn for a personal relationship with You. May I have the privilege and honor to daily draw near to You, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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).

A LIFE WELL LIVED!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2021.

SUBJECT : A LIFE WELL LIVED!

Memory verse: "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." (Acts 13 vs 36.)

READ: Acts 13 vs 20 - 23:

13:20: "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

13:21: And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

13:22: And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' 

13:23: From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior - Jesus -.

INTIMATION:

God created all things to serve His purposes. You and I are created for some purposes. Those who lived purposefully for God were remarkably acknowledged by Him, and that is, "A life well lived." In our memory verse, the Bible strikingly said about David, "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." David, in his generation served remarkably in the Will of God. He had, "A life well lived."

In the passage we read today, It is then not surprising that God testified of David, called him a man after His own heart. The Scripture said, "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My Will." (Acts 13 vs 22.) There is no greater compliment than that statement. Imagine such epitaph chiseled on your tombstone: That you served God's purpose in your generation. My prayer is that people will say that about me when I die. It is also my prayer that people will say it about you, too. The phrase is the ultimate definition of "A life well lived."

A life well lived is all about purpose-driven life, doing God's Will in the world that earns you eternal glory—to live with Him forever. God created you, at this time in history, for a purpose. Neither past or future generations can serve God's purpose in this generation, but only we, in this generation, can. Like Esther God created you "for such a time as this." (Esther 4 vs 14.) God is looking for people to use. The Bible, in Second Chronicles 16 vs 9, says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him...." Will you be a person God can use for His purposes? Will you serve God's purpose in your generation? Will God say of you, "He will live his life well, serving My purpose in his generation?"

Any Christian chasing after, "A life well lived," would have the counsel of the apostle Paul recorded in First Corinthians 9 vs 24 - 27, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Paul said that he ran straight to the goal with purpose in every step. His only reason for living was to fulfill the purposes God had for him. He said, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1 vs 21.) He was not afraid of either dying or living. Either way, he would fulfill God's purposes. If he lived, it is for good to others whom he labors to teach the ways of Christ. And if he died, he would join Christ to live in eternity with Him. Either way he wins.

The sports race illustration used by the apostle Paul above, explains the required purpose and discipline for believers. As Christians, the required life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. We are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study and meditation, and worship, equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Don't merely observe from the grandstand; don't just turn out to jog a couple of laps each morning. Train diligently as your spiritual progress depends upon it.

One day history will come to a close, but eternity will go on forever. When fulfilling your purposes seems tough, don't give in to discouragement. Remember your reward, which will last forever. The Bible says, "For our light afflictions, which is for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 17.) Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 

Prayer: Abba Father, eternity with You is my utmost desire. Help me in my quest for a life pleasing to You, according to Your plan and purpose, that I may come boldly to Your throne of grace, and obtain mercy, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Not Nearly Hedonistic Enough

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20)

The message that needs to be shouted from the houses of high finance is this: Secular man, you are not nearly hedonistic enough!

Quit being satisfied with the little 2% yields of pleasure that get eaten up by the moths of inflation and the rust of death. Invest in the blue-chip, high-yield, divinely insured securities of heaven.

Devoting a life to material comforts and security and thrills is like throwing money down a rat hole. But investing a life in the labor of love yields dividends of joy unsurpassed and unending:

“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. [And thus] provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail” (Luke 12:33).

This message is very good news: Come to Christ, in whose presence are fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Join us in the labor of Christian Hedonism. For the Lord has spoken: It is more blessed to love than to live in luxury! More blessed now, and forever.