Do Good!

Do Good!

“[17] So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.”

James 4:17 AMPC

We have been considering the impact of the Word of God over the past few days. One quick lesson this has thrown up is that we do not have the excuse of not knowing what the mind of God is on an issue. We will not be able to plead ignorance of what God has said on a subject if we refuse or neglect to seek out the relevant information. The Bible is now made available in various languages, and now on an app for easy access. At least, we can read at anytime and in any situation, which is the foundation of the lessons that God is able to teach us. How else can faith come if there is no reading or hearing or teaching of the Word of God? 

God has made His will and way known to us by what He has revealed in His Word, and we will do well to familiarise ourselves with His Word. We need His help to be able to correctly interpret the Word; just focusing on the letter does no good to anyone. Just reading for fun may excite or merely inform you, but if you are looking for the real deal: life-changing impact, and guidance for all of life, then taking time to personally know the One who inspired the Word and having a personal encounter with the power in the Word are important. God is very invested in this kind of relationship because He knows that only His Word can change lives. 

He needs people who have been changed by His Word to then lead the change in the lives of other people. I cannot give what I do not have. I cannot lead people to a destination that I do not know. Once I know the mind of God on a matter, it becomes imperative that I do as He has commanded. This is why it is first and foremost a personal relationship with God. What worked for a friend may not work for me. What someone else got away with is none of my concern. I am a child of God who has been called to know and follow God. Having known Him, it is sin for me to then disobey His direct command. Do not seek public validation for that which God has already rejected. Saul tried it and we know how he ended. Obedience is indeed better than the best sacrifices. God's time of favour is here. 

Daily!

Daily!

“[11] Give us this day our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:11 AMPC

Jesus was speaking to His disciples on the mountain, as He sat with them. There was a crowd at the foot of the mountain listening to Him, but this moment in time was not for the uncommitted majority content to stay at the foot of the mountain, but the few that chose to follow Him up the mountain to listen to Him. It is the same position today: there is a message or a demand placed on those who follow Christ that is not placed on the uncommitted majority. The expectation from a believer is not the same as one who is yet to determine who to follow and serve. I have to answer these questions in all honesty: do I know who I am, whose I am, where I am headed, and who I am to follow?

There is no pressing into the fullness of all that God has provided if I am unable to answer these questions. You see Jesus telling His disciples not to be or speak like the people at the foot of the mountain. Those who do not know God are content with just performance and publicity; those who know who and whose they are are focused on, and are joyful in relationship. They do not need to be seen in public like the hypocrites, or just content to repeat empty words over and over again. They know who this God is, what He desires from them, and they speak to Him as you would do to a Father whose love is not in doubt. Do I know God this way? Is He my God too, or am I trying to fit Him into my crowded schedule of priorities?

Jesus went on to teach His disciples about how to pray. The line in the verse above is a reflection of this relationship. God is eternal, and He offers eternal life to all who trust Him, yet one of the greatest blessing He gives is daily provision for the need of today. He is able to secure me for all eternity, yet He will that I trust Him on a daily basis. He will not provide all I need for life and Godliness all at once, because He does not seek to destroy or distract me. There is much danger in mere abundance without accountability. That is why one of His best gifts is daily provision. It keeps me focused on Him. I come to Him daily; not from duty, but from relationship. I come, not only for what I can get from Him, but from an understanding that He is invested in my earthly and eternal comfort. If He can sort out the daily, He definitely can sort out the eternal. Would you trust Him? God's time of favour is here.

Come!

Come!

“[16] Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”

Hebrews 4:16 AMPC

One of the greatest gifts that God has given to man is access. Reflect on the truth that He is a God of absolute power. He is Omnipotent; One whose authority cannot be limited or questioned. He is the One who made heaven and earth as He saw fit, and continues to sustain all He has made by His powerful Word. He dwells in unapproachable light, yet He is able to live inside the heart of mortal man. The Lord of all the earth finds a home in a surrendered heart. That is the amazing power of God: awesome in power and might, yet also willing to make my life a platform for the display of His power. I note that God does not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of freewill. It has to be a willing surrender. 

It is on total surrender that access to all of God is based. We have been given a High priest that has walked in our shoes and knows how we feel. He has experienced our humanity, so He is best suited to provide all that we need in order to become like Him too. The offering of blood was God's prescribed way of dealing with the problem of sin under the old covenant, and this was also adopted by God to deal with sin under the new covenant. The blood of Jesus does not care what the weight of my sin is; it does not care how long I have carried that weight for. All that matters is that I come to the One who has dealt with sin, and I walk into the mercy and grace that are now guaranteed IN Him.

We come boldly to this throne of grace. It is the place where merit or labour does not count. It is the place of the dispensation of unmerited favour. We receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help in good time for every need. God does not demand perfection from us outside of His provision. He knows we cannot make it on our own. It is love of a higher kind that would offer itself the way Jesus did, even when there was no guarantee that I would accept Him as Lord. He has now offered all of Himself, and asks me to come and take all of Him. It must be clear that today is His provision; tomorrow is not guaranteed. Come today; come as you are. He waits for us. God's time of favour is here. 

Light!

Light!

“[105] Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 AMPC

“[23] For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life.

Proverbs 6:23 AMPC

We consider again another characteristic and benefit of the Word of God. The verses above refer to God's Word as a lamp. At the time that these verses were put down, these lamps were small clay oil lanterns with single wicks that cast light just one or two steps ahead. It rarely gave you sight of the entire horizon, but provided just enough clarity for the immediate next step. That is a lesson for us today: we do not have sight of the whole plan of God for our lives all at once, and that is why we go to the Word often. We do not take it with us once in a while, but it is a fundamental part of our lives if we want to make sense of the world we have been placed in. Do you have anything that guides you?

Why do I need a lamp to provide guidance for my next steps? I do not know what the next minute holds. I have no idea what life will throw at me in the next minute. God does not always give me all the information I need for life all at once. His Word is the compass; the guide; the guard; the protection; the banner and the authority I need to process, possess and protect all that God wants to give me. In the event that you are tempted to think that you have a choice, the second verse above refers to God's Word as His commandment. You do not have a choice when it comes to commands, but you get to choose if and when you submit to His authority. That is what makes this journey interesting.

God will not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of my freewill. He lets me know what I need, and gives me the power to choose to submit. I do not get to take only the parts that support what I want to do; it is the whole word of God that I need if my life will be all that God has planned it to be. There will be times when instructions are what I need. There will also be times when reproofs of discipline will be what I need at a particular time. Whatever God brings, I must know that His love for me will not let me go to waste. He does not seek to destroy me; He is invested in my eternal security. I must seek His help on a regular basis, not just when trouble looms. Would you seek Him from today? God's time of favour is here. 

Testify!!

Testify!

“[24] Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.” 1 Chronicles 16:24 NLT

A bit of context wlll help here. Recall the carelessness of Israel when it placed the ark of the covenant on a cart, and then tried to drive it into town. We recall that a man named Uzzah had tried to steady the cart as it was being pulled by oxen that stumbled, and God struck him dead. Out of dread, and a bit of anger, Daivd directed the ark to the house of one Obed-Edom. No reason is given for this directive by the king, but the big lesson for me here is that what could have led to the death of Obed-Edom led to amazing blessings. He must have known the right way to handle the ark, and God blessed him so mich that even the king noticed. What do I do with the knowledge and experience of God I have?

David had learnt the hard way, and he  prepared a tent for the ark, consecrated the Levites for service in relation to the ark, and appointed men to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel. You may wonder what was to be recorded, but we learn that what does not get measured does not get appreciated. How do I track and appreciate God's dealings with me if there is no record? How do I even keep track of His merciful interventions in my life if I just coast through life with no accountability or appreciation of what I receive from and in Him? I must avoid such carelessness, because an ungrateful life cannot experience the fullness of God's grace and mercy. How is my heart? Does it know who this God is?

David was a man whose life's choices are worthy of emulation. He not only delivered a song to Asaph and his brethren, but we know he was also a man who praised God on a continuous basis. The verse above has to be ny default setting: I publish the glorious deeds of God among the nations. To publish is to declare and make available to an audience. Anywhere I go is an opportunity to declare God's mighty deeds. I am not ashaned of the One who owns me. I take stock of amazing things He does, and I make sure to tell all I come in contact with. What has He done for you? The fact that He has kept me sane and saved deserve praise. What are you going to tell people who ask you the basis of your faith and life? God's time of favour is here. 

Power 2!

Power 2!

“[12] For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

We come to another encounter with the Word of God. As we have already pointed out in the last few devotions, the Word of God is also the person of Christ. Any encounter you seek with the Word of God is actually an encounter with the One the Bible refers to as the Word of God. He is the One who made heaven and the earth, and continues to sustain it by the power of His word. Mortal men wrote words as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and with the breath of God upon these words, we see how God can speak to one man in a certain way, and yet speak to another man in a different way, even from the same verse of the bible. That is the power of the word of God. We know that the letter kills, but it is the Spirit that gives life. 

The verse above refers to the Word that God speaks as alive and full of power. It is like a dynamo that is active and operative, always producing the continuous energy that fuels, convicts and sustains a believer's spiritual life. Reflect on this: like the human heart can keep pumping blood for decades, supplying all that the body needs, so is it the same with the Word of God: able to keep a believer nourished and sustained with all that is needed. As the verse above makes clear, the Word of God is also referred to as sharper than any two-edged sword. That must be sharp and precise. The word must be able to cut through all pretence and hypocrisy. The word must be able to show me who I am, and also show me what I need to do to get in line. 

The Word can penetrate to the dividing line of the breath of life, which is the soul, and the immortal spirit too. It can deal with every confusion or self-deceit. The Word exposes, sifts, amalyses, and judges the very thoughts and purposes of my heart. Even when I try and convince myself about my motives, the word of God is that standard that does not change to fit my position. I am the one who needs to know what God's mind is on that issue, and ensure that it aligns with the word of God. Reflect on the fact that the Creator of all things cannot be deceived. He has given us a mirror by which He shows us who we are and where we are at. What would you do with this information? Remember: we deal  with an Omniscient God. He wants me to come to Him on His terms, and He will do the amazing in me by the same power with which creation came to be. Would you also yield? God's time of favour is here.

Power!

Power!

“[37] For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” Luke 1:37 AMPC

Context matters here. How do you handle the news that some amazing incident that has never happened before in the history of all creation was about to happen to you? How do you tell people that you got pregnant without the help of a man? Even God had to come and speak to the man involved, that what was to happen was of His own making and in line with His will. We know how the story ended, but bear with the young virgin who had to deal with the noise and chatter that would have happened in her own time. This is a God that can fetch water with a basket simply in order to disgrace the bucket. He is the One who can suspend laws in order to lay down His law. 

He sent His Word to both Elizabeth and Mary at the time. I note that their different responses did not impact the operation of the Word sent. Nothing they did or said could have reduced the efficacy of what God had said. Too many times, man, filled with a false sense of his own importance, thinks God needs him to prove that He is God. God is God no matter what I do or do not do. Long before my grandparents came together, He is God, and long after this current version of earth and heaven will pass away and be replaced by new ones, He will still be God. That is the power that is at stake when God's Word is in play. If He says it, be sure He will do it. If He says it, there is nothing in all of creation that has yet to stop what He has planned. 

With God, nothing is ever impossible. That is a statement of fact. His Word is His person; a reflection of His nature and power. When He speaks, He is speaking of Himself. When His name is called, we are asking Him to step in and do what He alone can do. When the Creator spoke, there was no negotiation with the created; creation just had to respond. That is why the verse above makes it clear that no word from God shall be without power. The Word is God. How can there be anything created that become impossible for the Creator to manage and control? How can the Omnipotent God speak and mortal man will claim to resist Him? It is impossible for God to lie, and that is what gives me the assurance that if I hold on to Him, He will come through for me. Would you trust Him with all you are and have? God's time of favour is here.