Wisdom!

Wisdom!

Proverbs 3:7 AMP

Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.

Proverbs 8:13 AMPC

The reverent fear and worshipful awe of thm8 Lord [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate.

Indeed, Solomon is recorded in the bible as the wisest man who ever lived. When you consider the books that are generally attributed to him, you find the themes of enthusiasm and romance of youth in the book of Songs of Solomon; themes of the wisdom and responsibility of adulthood in the book of Proverbs from where the verses above are taken, and then the themes of the reflections and lessons of old age in the book of Ecclesiastes. That is essentially all of life's full coverage, from birth to death. God is invested in my entire life too, from birth to death, and He wants me to submit all to Him. That is an offering God will never turn down. 

God blessed Solomon with wisdom because he asked God for it, and we see the impact of a life that God blesses. Two of the great lessons that the life of Solomon teaches me are that God is ready, willing and able to give us all that we ask, as long as the purpose behind usage is to glorify the giver. The other lesson, as we have consistently pointed out, is that God will not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill. These two lessons run through the verses above. Just like Solomon, If a man seeks to glorify God, God is also interested in blessing such a man. Am I interested in an offering that God is pleased to accept?

That is what happened to David and Solomon. David laid the foundation; Solomon knew that the kingly assignment was beyond his current capacity, so he went to the One with limitless resources to help him. In the same way, if I will ever amount to anything of value, I cannot be self-sufficient. As the verse above makes clear, I cannot be wise in my own eyes and still depend on God to help me. I am unable to combine both extremes into a single heart. How can I juggle and satisfy the demands of two completely different authorities at the same time? How can I seek to please God one moment and then appease the flesh at the next moment? That is confusion.

As one of the verses above lays out, the reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord also includes the hatred of evil and arrogance or pride. The other charges us to reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil. I cannot turn to God, and also have an eye on pleasing the human nature. This is what God calls lukewarmness, and the eventual impact is that God spews such people out of His mouth. I cannot love God and also love whatever He hates at the same time. He has not left us in doubt as to what He desires from us, and this is what makes His judgment right. Would you seek Him the right way? Would I? God's time of favour is here. 

God's Nature 2!

God's Nature 2!

Isaiah 41:13 AMP

[13] “For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord], Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Just as we read yesterday, God is not a God to be trifled with. He does not joke with sin, and when you consider the size, scope and scale of the price He paid in order to deal permanently with sin, you know that sin is not something to be trifled with either. God will also punish sin, no matter in whom it is found. He has made that clear with the way He had dealt with His own people Israel. This was a people loved by Him and chosen from among the many nations of the world at the time to be the source of His affection. This was His prerogative at the time. However, as we know, being chosen and loved by God places a duty on you not to forget the grace that chose and placed you where you are. 

When God would punish His people, He raised up nations that were not even as strong as the people of Israel. That is what sin does: it renders you powerless. Whatever you had as a defense and protection are gone; anything can push you over. Whatever it is you were able to do in the past quite well becomes a burdensome activity. This is why God paid such a high price to deal with sin. His choice does not absolve me of the responsibility to listen to, heed His instructions and follow Him closely. Interestingly, God who raised up kings like Nebuchadnezzar to deal with Israel for its sin is the same God who raised up another king Cyrus to implement His will for His people and to exact justice on those who had maltreated His people. 

I must never forget where I have been and who I was before God saved me. This must keep me entirely dependent on God for this walk of faith. I was not able to defeat sin on my own, and even after Christ has died and also resurrected, I am still not able to defeat sin on my own. I need the help of this God on a daily basis. This God is always willing to help. That is the message of the verse above. He lays out His credentials as a God who is ever-present; He does not let go, and He does not give up on me. Fear has no room in my heart anymore; His presence does not leave room for anything else. Remember: this is a willing sacrifice. God will not force Himself on anyone. Would I embrace His help? God's time of favour is here. 

God's Nature!

God's Nature!

Lamentations 3:22 AMP

[22] It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail.

When you read the first few verses of the chapter from where the verse above is taken, you will struggle to align the messages. At the start of the chapter, we indeed read of the lamentations of the writer Jeremiah. Here was a man God had used to teach the children of Israel the dangers of rebellion against God and the dire consequences that follow. He spoke out against the political and 'spiritual' leaders  of his time, and he paid a huge price for his words. We read of times he was put in prison in the court of the  king, and at another time, he was beaten by a man who was supposed to be a priest, a chief officer in the house of God. 

These were just a few of the things Jeremiah had to face because he was speaking God's mind to a rebellious people. Who says being on God's side automatically keeps you away from trials and tough times? In fact, it is then that the world opposes you because it knows that it no longer has any hold over you. This was the reflection of Jeremiah at the start of the chapter when he introduced himself as the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of God's wrath. He was not the one who did wrong, and he was only sent to speak God's mind about the people's wrongs, yet he suffered affliction. Before I claim to be on God's side, am I ready for what that claim really entails? 

One great thing about God that is evident in all His dealings with those who He uses is that He backs them up. He does leave us to fend for ourselves or to struggle through pain on our own. Jeremiah was harassed, beaten and oppressed, yet God will not allow anyone to take his life, not even the king  with all his might and army. Jeremiah had some nasty experiences, to the point where he even went to God to complain about what he deemed to be God's heavy hand against him. Thank God that the answers to his dilemma came in the verse above. God never leaves us in doubt that He is on the side of all whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

He does not call and abandon. He does not send out without backing up. One theme that has run through the experiences of Jeremiah is that God's mercy and love is beyond compare. There is no way that man in his fallen nature can fully comprehend the loving kindness of this God. Even for Israel that had sinned, God would not leave them alone, how much more a man that was faithful to God's message. If Israel could experience God's mercy, despite its failings, it gives me hope that God will not give up on me. He will not let me go; He will not abandon me to my devices and He will do all He can to restore me. That is love from God's perspective. How do you respond? God's time of favour is here.

Emmanuel!

Emmanuel!

Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP

[8] It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

The name Emmanuel is a Hebrew name meaning 'God is with us'. That is the basis of the verse above and the devotion for today. It shows that the Omnipresence of God is not conditional on my acceptance of Him. There is nothing I can do or say to lessen His power and identity, but it will do me a lot of good to recognise and submit to His authority. It may also not happen suddenly, but as I relate with Him on a regular basis, I get to know more and more of Him. The more of Him I know, the more I realise that there is a lot more to know about Him. The more time I spend with Him, the more I look like Him and crave to hear Him. This is the beauty of a God who also seeks to have a relationship with mortal human beings. 

This is the amazing reality of a God beyond human understanding. Man is frail and temporal; God is eternal and beyond permanent. Nothing mortal lasts forever; God is the One who defines the beginning and the end of what we call time, yet He is not limited by time. Indeed, the Creator cannot be defined or dictated to by anything He has created. This was the reality of the man Moses. He had led Israel for 40 years through the barren wilderness, and he had seen God work some mighty miracles. God had brought out water from a rock, had provided a steady supply of food for all the years spent in the wilderness, and had kept them from war, as they had not had any experience fighting any. 

This was not a God to be trifled with, and Moses was careful to note this to the people of Israel, as he came to the end of his own journey with them. He had made a grevious error that cost him entry into the land of promise, but he was now charging Israel, as well as Joshua the new leader, not to forget the God who had brought them this far and was taking them into a land that was not theirs in the first place. Moses was careful to note that it was God who had done all these things for Israel, so that there was now no room for pride or self-sufficiency. God wants to show Himself strong, but He needs me to let Him work. He needs me to let go and let Him in, so He can display His power. 

God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my own freewill. He wants to lead, and I have to be willing and ready to follow. I cannot be in front; I have no idea where I am going. God does not leave His own alone, even when it appears to be so. As He does not fail, those who He helps cannot also fail. As He cannot be defeated, those who He is with cannot also be defeated. His promise to Israel then, and, as a God who does not lie or change, to us too is that He will not fail or abandon us. That presence is the foundation of the confidence I have to face whatever is coming my way.  I do not fear, not because there is nothing to be afraid of, but because I have God on my side. He is all I have. He is all I need. God's time of favour is here. 

Rest!

Rest!

Matthew 11:28 AMP

[28] “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 

The world is indeed a burdensome place. In all the places you turn to, there are issues to resolve, or a problem to be addressed. Let us consider the context of the verse above. Jesus had finished speaking to His disciples and had entered the cities of Galilee to teach the people about the kingdom of God. These were the people He had been sent to presch to first, but as we know, familiarity with the messenger became the problem the people could not overcome. They thought that they knew his parents and siblings, and did not think that there was anything special about Him. This became the stumbling block to the reception of these people to the message of salvation that Jesus had brought. 

Before we point the finger at them, can we also consider our own lives today? Are we receptive to the message of salvation in its simple form, or are we trying to justify effort and labour in earning that which Jesus offers us freely? This was the message of Jesus to the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. These were cities that had clear sight of the miracles that Jesus performed, yet they remained stubborn and resistant to the message of salvation. Even John the Baptist, one used mightily by God to lay the groundwork for the coming of Jesus, had to send men to ask Jesus if He was the coming Messiah or if they were to expect another. 

For all who seek clarity on the way forward, the message in the verse above is for us. The world does not have the answers we really need, because it is not set up to answer those kinds of questions. The temporal world does not have answers to the questions of eternity. If you need answers to the questions of eternity, you come to the eternal God, the One who was, who is and who is to come; the ageless, timeless and limitless God. The great thing about this God too is that He wants us to come. That is the first sentence in the verse above: 'Come to me'. He is not looking for people who are perfect from the start; He is looking for people He can work in and on, and make them into what He wants.

Of course, God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill. This is why the verse above extends the invitation to all who are weary and heavily burdened. If you are fine, you do not nees help. If you know you need help, it is clear who has the help you need. If you are tired of religious rituals that provide no peace, come to the One who is able to give you the kind of rest that refreshes the soul, calms all fears, secures the present, and also guarantees the future. That is the greatest gift of God: an assurance that all will end well with Him. That is rest, even when I am walking with and working for God. What could be better? God's time of favour is here. 

Light!

Light!

Genesis 1:3 AMP

[3] And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 

In order to understand the power of the verse above, there is a need to consider the nature, identity and purpose of the One who said these words and what was going on at the time He said them. Firstly, there was no earth in the form we know it now. The bible records that the earth was fornless and void; there was an emptiness to it, with darkness upon the face of the deep. This was the best way to describe the state of nothingness that the earth was in at the time. It is important to note, however, that in the midst of all these, the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. None of us was alive at the time but when you consider the events that have occurred since then, and the structure that the earth now has, you know that the One who speaks the words in the verse above is indeed powerful, and not to be trifled with. 

If it was man, maybe the first thing we would seek to do is to bring order into the confusion by putting everything in its place. In all of this confusion, what God did first was to introduce His nature and power in physical, tangible form. The Spirit of God was already hovering over the waters, but this was God giving the earth something that everyone, even those who claim to be atheists or heathens, could identity with.  God spoke through Paul to the Romans, stating that ever since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through all His creation and the wonderful things that He has made so that anyone who then fails to believe and trust in Him are without excuse and without defense. 

That is what makes this verse special. God began by something of Himself, but which also speaks to us too. We know God as Light, and we know that once He is introduced into any dark situation, there must be a change. God began by speaking, and the power of His Word was immediately made manifest. The bible does not record any passage of time between when God spoke and when what He commanded came to pass. Who can stand against or resist such power? Who can contest the authority of the One who can impose His will in all of creation? The impact of what God has done is to introduce light into darkness, order into chaos, and life into emptiness. By one sentence; He has changed the direction of the earth into something else.

This is where we also come in. We were made in the image and likeness of God, and there is a platform for us to manifest the power of God in this form in the same earth. When God made man, He breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living soul. His power and nature, aa well as authority, have been deposited in us. The divine law of power behind words and pronouncement is also at work in us. That is why the bible warns that death and life are in the power of the tongue. As one made in the image of this awesome God, I must not be careless about my words. I speak life into every situation around me. I command health into everything that is dying around me. That is who I have been made to be; am I living my true potential? God's time of favour is here. 

Sow Right!

Sow Right!

Hosea 10:12 AMP

[12] Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate]; Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek and search diligently for the Lord [and to long for His blessing] Until He comes to rain righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.

Context to the verse above will help. Israel was God's chosen people, and they had been given benefits that they did not labour for, or earn by good behaviour. In fact, they were people you would describe as being habitually ungrateful. They would stay loyal as long as there was food, water and the good things of life, but at the slightest pressure or lack, they would rebel and murmur against God. The great thing about God was that He did not immediately lash out against them in anger, but He sent several prophets to them, warning them about the danger in their ways and giving them opportunities to return to God in repentance. 

As we know, Israel would not heed or return to God, and in line with His clear and unambiguous warnings, He applied the punishment that was due to Israel for its ways. Israel that was a luxuriant and prolific vine became a land that bullt altars to Baal and other idols. The heart of the people became divided, and they followed after whatever caught their fancy. This is the clear warning I must heed: comfort must be well managed so it does not become the pathway to destruction. How did a land that God helped become so disconnected from the same God who brought them this far? How do I guard against making the same mistakes Israel made? 

As the verse above makes clear, if the end goal is that which glorifies God, I will be very careful about what I sow and how I sow. The best seeds in an unprepared ground wi yield no harvest. The bad seed in the most fertile ground will also end up the same way. There must be harmony between the seed and the ground in which it is to be sown. The verse above says that I must sow with a view to righteousness, if righteousness like seed must also germinate. You get back that which you put into the ground. I can look forward to reaping in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness once the seed is sown right. Is my life right? Is my heart and all it seeks to offer right? 

As the latter part of the verse above makes clear, it is time to break up the uncultivated ground, and prepare it to receive the good seed that promotes righteousness. God is always invested in doing amazing things for His people, but, as we have always said, God will not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of my freewill. It is a willing sacrifice that sits well for Him to make Himself manifest. He wants to send His rain of righteousness on us all, but we must tune our lives to Him, seeking to obey Him at all times. He is limited by unyielded vessels; if we long for His move, and align with the conditions for His move, He will definitely show up. Would we let Him in and let Him work? God's time of favour is here.