The Lamb!

The Lamb!

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! [Exod. 12:3; Isa. 53:7.] John 1:29 AMPC

The Context and Focus:

It is very important to look at the context from which today's verse is taken. The book of John starts with an amazing tribute to the nature, identity and purpose of Jesus. There is a reference to his eternal power; one who has been God before the earth as we see it now even came to be. This is the God who made all things, and for whose pleasure all things were created. Jesus was sent to the earth in human form to pay the price for the sin of the whole world. If he came in all His glory, we could have distracted him from submitting to the purpose of the Father, but because he came humbly, even to the point of being born in a manger because there was no room for him anywhere else, we did not regard him as anyone important. In fact, the world at the time rejected him, arrested him and put him to death. Only a few people, including men he called disciples, believed in Him and followed him closely. Do not be moved by the outward; do not be fooled by that which men applaud. Labour for that which is eternal.

The Message:

John the Baptist was one of such men. He had the ministry of pointing men to the saving grace of Jesus. He stayed on course, even when the Pharisees would try and distract him. They wanted to know who he was, because he was quite popular. It was said of him that though he was in the desert, eating locusts and wild honey, and dressed in camel's hair, men came from all over the towns and cities, confessing their sins and being baptised. Of course, the leaders of the time would not let anyone take their place in the hearts of the people. Here was a new wave sweeping through the land, and was attracting a lot of attention. However, try as hard as they could, John the Baptist would not claim to be what he was not. Some called him the prophet Elijah, or one of the other prophets, but he was quick to point men back to the One on whose behalf he was at work. For me also, the is now come for me to focus on the assignment I have been given in these end times. This is not the season to seek the applause or approval of men, but like John, to point men to the One who can save from death and guarantee eternal life with God. 

The Conclusion:

Like John then, so would I need to speak up now. There is no popularity contest to win; all that matters is that Jesus is glorified in and through me. John was quite popular, and this was the reason why the leaders of his time just wanted him to declare he was the Christ. Others could have made such claims, as some have done in the past, and are still doing today. John knew and stayed in his calling, and it is not a wonder that he was privileged to be the one to announce to the world the coming of Christ. He took that job with joy, and as soon as Jesus appeared where he was, he made the declaration in today's verse, and in that single statement, he declared the name, identity, mission and impact of Jesus. He is called the Lamb of God, because he went to the cross willingly,  and paid the price for my sin. At this time, he was the Lamb, and till today, like the Lamb, the blood that was shed on the cross still remains valid. One day comes soon when the efficacy of the blood will no longer work the way it does, not because it has lost its power, but because it is too late. The Lamb has been introduced; I have a decision to make, and make I must, before it is too late. The price been fully paid; will I take hold of the prize? God's time of favour is here.

The Price and the Prize!

The Price and the Prize!

but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:7‭-‬8 KJV

The Context and Focus:

Paul, writing to the church in Phiippi, lays down the foundation of today's verse in the benefits of a personal encounter with Jesus. It is the personal that drives the public; it is the personal that determines the impact of the public. This is why Paul starts the chapter by asking some pointed questions: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Do we get any comfort from experiencing his love? Is His Spirit able to impact my heart and make me compassionate and tender? These are some of the benefits and blessings that the presence of Christ is able to generate and sustain in me. His life is the perfect example to emulate, and today's verses help me know and understand the scope and depth of what he has done, and by extension, what he requires of me. The first thing is his nature and power, which he left behind when he was born to the earth. In his glory, no one could touch him, but he left all that behind, and was born to a world that did not recognize, value or appreciate Him. He knew who and what He was, but because of you and I, he took them all off, and allowed himself to be treated like a common criminal. This was the price that sin demanded, in line with God's clear word.

The Message:

Death is the end of all unconfessed sin, and even the blood of bulls and goats couldn't wash away the guilt. It only provided cover so God would not destroy. The only price that could ever fully pay the debt we owed was the blood uncontaminated by sin. No wonder Jesus had to be born the way He did, without the input of the human nature. To make matters even more complex, the world he came to save didn't care to know who He was, but it rejected him totally. Just a few people believed in Him, and trusted him with their lives. If Jesus had thought of the many who would reject him, he may not have totally surrendered to this course, but he must have also thought of the many who would accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. For those ones, the sacrifice and pain was worth it. He emptied Himself of all that made him untouchable, and came in form of a servant. Men, who he had formed and created, mocked and even spat at him. Men who were his subjects, drew lots for his clothes, and then he was nailed to the cross, which must have been the most humiliating way to die in those days. To make matters worse, he was placed in between two thieves. What humiliation!

The Conclusion:

For a moment, pause and think: Do you think God would do all these if there were no benefits to him? Actually, I believe that if it were only for me, Jesus would still die. After all, at the time he died, none of us here was alive, yet He paid the debt long before even my great grandparents even came together. That is the best definition of love that I know. He didn't wait for me to be worthy; his death and resurrection are what has made me worthy. I can imagine the pain in the heart of God the Father when he had to turn away from his own son as he hung on the cross, his blood pouring out of him as he paid the supreme sacrifice for sin. Jesus, for the first and last time, cried: "My Father, why have you forsaken me?" If God could treat his own son like this due to sin, imagine the pain in the heart of God when men reject this gift to the end. What other sacrifice can deliver from sin, if Jesus cannot? What other price can deliver the prize of eternal life into my hands, if I do not go through the One whose death and life have secured eternal life for me? He was obedient to the cross, so that I could receive the end of the cross, which is eternal life. Would I take up the offer? Remember, eternity lies at the end of this decision. God's time of favour is here. 

Kept!

Kept!

You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. Isaiah 26:3 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Isaiah was given the privilege to see the glory of God in the temple. He came to see himself the way he truly was, and he received the cleaning and purification required to serve as an effective witness for God. Following this encounter, when the call of God came, and God was looking for a man to send, Isaiah was able to offer himself without hesitation. This is the first lesson here: for as many as seek to be used of and by God, or seek to have a personal encounter with the glory and power of God, the secret is in a full surrender to God. I cannot remain in control of my own life, and expect God to grant me all my wishes. I cannot pursue my own agenda, and expect that God will back me up, even when I am in clear disobedience to His will and word. I have to keep auditing my life's pursuits and priorities in light of God's express provisions and instructions. There is no room for assumptions or guesswork; I have to be sure, because God leaves no one in doubt as to what His Word says. If I am not sure, I have the standing promise of access to His throne, and I can ask whatever I desire. His promise is that as long as I ask in line with His will, He will grant it. Would I make the approach today?

The Message:

For as many as will make the approach, the promise in today's verse is the peace that only God can give. The world is unable to give what today's verse calls 'perfect peace', because it does not have it. You cannot give what you do not have. The reason why God is able to grant me perfect peace is because He is the God of peace, and Jesus is referred to as the Prince of peace. He calls Himself the I AM, and there is nothing I seek that He cannot give, as long as it is His nature. The world may give you a semblance of peace for a while, but it usually exacts a high price from you to secure that temporary peace. High fences and human soldiers may give you a sense of security, but as we have seen several times, these cannot guarantee you peace. Even if you are able to keep human elements out, can you use human resources to keep out the devil and his cohorts? The lesson here is the need to keep my heart fixed on God alone. The world has enough distractions to keep one occupied; it has to be a conscious and deliberate decision to fix your heart on God. That is the key to the perfect peace God has promised in the verse above. 

The Conclusion:

Read again the last part of the verse above: 'he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]'. God is not asking me to follow Him blindly, but to seek Him in hope. If I have tried the world's options and have found them to fail, why not try God? If I have exhausted all human options, why not try the supernatural? Trust is not a small matter; you stake your life and reputation on the person you trust, and that is why rebuilding trust after it is lost is quite hard and time-consuming. Trust is the currency that man must deal in, if he is to get God's attention. Trust then leads to dependence: if I trust God, I run to Him and stay in Him. No matter what goes on around me, my trust in God is not shaken. I would have proved Him over and over again, in order to arrive at the trust and confidence God wants me to have in Him. It cannot be like a light switch, put off and on when the conditions require it, but it is fixed and steadfast. How would God not move to defend such a person who trusts Him this way? Why would God not delight to keep such a person, so s/he becomes the evidence of God's grace and favour? Am i one? God's time of favour is here. 

God's Law!

God's Law!

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets. Matthew 7:12 AMP

The Context and Focus:

As always, it is important to consider the audience that was addressed in today's verse, so you can determine just how much the words here impact and affect you. This was the first recorded sermon of Jesus on the Mountain, with his disciples gathered around him and a large crowd at the foot of the mount also listening to Him. Being there and taking it all in is important, but making sure to obey and apply what you have heard is also quite critical. Why waste your time listening, if you do not intend to obey? Why bother coming to listen to the message, if you have made up your mind to pick and choose only that which makes you comfortable? God is not looking for blind followers, but for disciples: people who are aware of the cost of following Jesus, have considered the cost, and have made up their minds to follow daily and closely. These are the people who Jesus is addressing here. As always, the crowd would hear and listen, but there is no obligation placed on an unsurrendered heart. God cannot direct or dictate to a heart he does not own or control. Does He own your heart? Can He direct it as He pleases?

The Message:

If indeed I am His own, and He owns, holds and controls my heart, then I can consider the words of today's verse. The proof of my inner conviction is seen in my life's profession. It is in my relationships with other people that the proof of my relationship with God is made manifest. I can make all the right noises, and speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but if I don't have Him, I can't fake Him. Men have to see the proof of His life in me, so they can glorify my father in heaven. God will not always come down physically from heaven to deal with man on a daily basis, but he has left me down here as His representative. I am His eyes, ears, hands, feet, lips and heart, and all I do must reflect and show Him off. Like Peter and John, it was said of them that they had been with Jesus, because their words and actions reflected him. This is how it has to be for all who call on the name of the Lord: men must see the mark of His presence in me. It cannot just be about empty words, but a life that points men out to God. Even God's commandments given to Moses speak a lot about man's relationship with his fellow man, which shows that these relationships are dear to God's heart.

The Conclusion:

If I know I belong to God, I have to audit my actions in the light of what His Word says. The law is that my expectations must drive my own delivery. The law is also that whatever I sow is what I should expect to reap. These laws are so clearly laid out in the stories of the men and women of old, and their lives bear evidence to the truth that you cannot deceive God. It will be wrong to do something and then expect the opposite of what God has already laid down as the consequences of my own actions. Whatever it is I do not like, I must not offer it to another person. If I were to be asked to eat the food I have spent time preparing for others, would I look forward to eating it? God is not unjust; He will not place a demand on me and not supply the grace I need to comply. No matter how complex or demanding the relationship is, I must just trust and depend on God to help me navigate successfully. It is God's life in me that will attract men to God. I owe it to God to live the right way, so that His name can be known all over the earth. God's time of favour is here. 

Wait!

Wait!

Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Psalms 27:14 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Usually, most psalms written by David, either as a shepherd boy, or as a king, would have introductions stating the reason why the psalm was composed. There was a psalm of repentance after the incident with Bathsheba, and there was another when God delivered him from the hand of Saul who was seeking to kill him. David's life teaches me about finding God in every situation he brings me to, and to know that everything about my life is laid bare before Him. Nothing about me catches God by surprise, so it is no use complaining or grumbling to Him about being slow to act or defend me; as long as I remain his child, he has got my back. How he defends me is His prerogative; I just need to trust that whatever He does is in my best interest. Can I trust God this way? Now, there were other psalms that had no life story laid out. They were just songs that came out of a personal encounter with one of the many character traits of God. Today's verse is taken from a psalm with the header: 'A psalm of fearless trust in God'. Three words jump out to me here: fearless, trust and God. My heart's condition is mentioned, what is it expected to be and do is mentioned, and the target of the action, reaction and response is also laid out. I must not omit any part, if I want to get the full picture of what God intends for me. 

The Message:

David charges me to wait for and confidently expect the Lord. For a world that sets up pursuits and seeks to reward those who come 'first', no matter how they ran, this can be a very difficult message to preach. In a world that is pursuing after success, not even sure what it looks like or when it has attained it, this message needs to be carefully presented as God's expectations for all who seek peace. I cannot run and hustle the same way the world does, because what the world gives and what God gives are always opposite to each other. The world teaches hustling, but God teaches us to wait for Him. I note that waiting does not mean inaction. It simply means being in a state of readiness and expectation so that when God comes, you are ready. The preparation of the world for success is quite different from the preparation required for the success God promises. The world can give you wealth, but it would usually demand or take someting from you. God blesses you and adds no sorrow to it. The world's definition of success and wealth is also different from how God defines it. If i want God's version of anything, I must seek it in line with His will. I cannot go outside His prescription, and then expect that I will get his recommendation. He has laid out His perfect will; I have a choice to follow. 

The Conclusion:

This is where the condition of my heart matters. The heart is the place where the priority is sorted and the pursuit is defined. It is the place where actions, reactions and responses are first debated and considered before they are then made manifest. The heart of man has to be made subject to the influence and control of the Holy Spirit if its thoughts and deliberations will bring glory to the name of the Lord. It is only a heart that God controls that He is able to fortify, guard and strengthen against the influences of the world. No man can of or by himself assure his heart about anything. Our ignorance about tomorrow, or even the next minute makes it hard for us to plan the right way for that which is ahead. With God, you can face whatever tomorrow brings. With God on your side, you can confidently expect God to act on your behalf, in line with His will, and to bring glory to His Name. No one waits for God and is put to shame. Even if things don't go according to our well-thought plans, he can guarantee that all things will work together for the good of all of us who love God. It pays to wait for God. Do I truly love God? In fact, does God know and hold my heart? God's time of favour is here. 

The Right Connection 2!

The Right Connection 2!

For [godly] sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow [the hopeless sorrow of those who do not believe] produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, and in today's account, he was referring to a letter he had written to the church to correct and rebuke someone or some people for some wrong that had been done. As with all human relationships and connections, offence is a part of the story. It is almost impossible to have relationships where one does not offend or slightly annoy the other. Our different backgrounds, identities and experiences will surely lead to misunderstandings and conflict but as we allow the Spirit of God to lead and guide us, we become better at accepting and  accommodating different views and opinions, and we also can improve our relationships with other people without having to make any compromise on God's standards. This distinction is quite important, because as much as God would have me live at peace with other people, it must not be at the expense of my relationship with Him. As much as it gave Paul great joy and pleasure to know and relate with the church in Corinth, he was not going to keep quiet when sin was in the camp. Can the same be said about me?

The Message:

As I read the words of today's verse, I am reminded of two people who followed Jesus for three and a half years: Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot. These were men we called disciples, who followed Jesus and saw all the mighty miracles he did. At some point in time, just as the earthly ministry of Jesus was coming to an end and the cross was calling, these disciples had an encounter that defined their eternity. Both of them took steps you would have described as sin. One betrayed his master for money; the other even cursed himself as he lied and denied ever knowing the one he had called master, and even tried to defend when his master was being arrested. Both were confronted with the raw conviction of their wrongdoing; one wept bitterly and returned to the master, the other one was also filled with remorse, but he went out and hung himself. Same wrongdoing, same expression of sorrow, but different endings. It would appear that there is a sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation, and then there is a sorrow that is hopeless and leads to death. It is important to know the difference, and to ensure that my response to sin is appropriate. 

The Conclusion:

If wrongdoing or sin comes, what is my response? When I am confronted with evidence of whatever I may have done wrong, am I willing to admit and take steps to repair the relationship, or I am bent on holding on to my position, even if it is found to be wrong? Am I beyond correction or discipline, because I think I am right? Do I listen to opposing views and opinions, willing to accept that I do not always have all the information? When I know I have wronged someone, do I sincerely approach the person with the right mindset, or do I just take steps out of eye-service and hypocrisy, in order to give a false impression about something I do not honestly feel? It is important to note that while men can be deceived, God cannot. Our hearts are laid bare before Him, and our motives and intentions are known to Him. Both ends of the spectrum lead to two eternal realities. One leads to salvation and eternal life; the other leads to hopelessness and death. God needs to work on my heart so that it seeks God sincerely and truthfully. The benefits are eternal. God's time of favour is here. 

The Right Connection!

The Right Connection!

for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also. Matthew 6:21 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Following on from recent devotions speaking to the importance of treasures, it is also quite critical to consider the foundation of the search for these treasures and how we can make sure we get the motive and end right. What is the use of a house full of treasures if they do not benefit the holder or owner? The key to the right acquisition, application and disposition of treasures lies in the heart. What then is this heart? There are interesting definitions online, and two are: 'a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.' The other is: 'the central or innermost part of something'. We have the physical organ of the heart, and also the inner, unseen part that sits in the centre of all we are and do. Both definitions show the importance of the heart and why I need to be sure it is right, so that all it seeks is right, and I can also end up in the right place. This key understanding is quite relevant to both my earthly and eternal realities. 

The Message:

The physical heart pumps blood through the body's circulatory system. It ensures all parts get what they need to keep working well. In the same way, the spiritual heart should keep the lifeblood of God flowing through our spiritual bodies, so that we function the way God wants us to. Sin came and tampered with that original plan. Because of sin, the heart had become polluted, and now seeks only the things that give it temporary pleasure. However, by salvation and redemption, the original plan is still in place, free and available for all who seek to come. The place of the spiritual heart is quite critical to God's purpose, as we see in Deuteronomy, when God was giving Israel the commandments. One key one was this: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength'. The heart was mentioned first; it defines my priorities. It sets out what it considers important and then applies itself in the pursuit of that thing. This is why, long before a man seeks things, he has to first seek to set the heart right. If the heart is right, its pursuits will be right. If it is not right, everything it touches will be polluted. It is very dangerous to seek things, before you submit your heart to the control and influence of God. An unsurrendered heart can never seek the things that God desires the right way. 

The Conclusion:

Is it then a surprise when God gives his verdict about the human heart, when he says that 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it'?

He also said 'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh'. God needs a heart on which he can write on and also influence the right way. It is quite clear that the old human heart is beyond help, and only a surgical operation, carried out by God, can bring out a heart that is receptive to God. When God has worked on the heart, it will seek the things that glorify God. For anyone who has truly experienced God, there is nothing else that can hold your heart and attention. When a man has been in the presence of the Living God, nothing else can hold the same appeal. If I really want to know where my heart lies, take a critical look at all you own, and honestly consider where you will be if everything you see and have now is taken from you. Would you still hold on to God or would you quit? Your answer defines what and where your treasure is. A fire is coming that will destroy all that the world owns and gives. When all has been said and done, what else would you have? God's time of favour is here. 

Praise!

Praise!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; For I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 42:11 KJV

The Context and Focus:

At a time when it is more attractive to look inwards than upwards, today's verse is a kind reminder of what is really important. It is very easy to focus on the issues the world has at the moment: there is a financial crisis, as well as high cost of living issues, with wages or earnings no longer able to catch up with valid expenses and outgoings. It is also interesting that this verse was written at a time when there were not too many appliances or devices to make life easier; I can only imagine what the sons of Korah were going through when these words were written. I note that tough times have no regard for dispensation or generation. Tough times are quite fundamental to God's process of shaping and forming us to be all He wants us to be. As He sees the end from the beginning, it is only fit and proper that He designs a framework for our lives that will help us achieve His own plans for us. In the course of that journey, both the palatable and the not-so-palatable will happen to us, but if we stay connected and available, there is a guarantee of a good end in line with the purpose of God for us. 

The Message:

Tha sons of Korah must have had their times and seasons of doubt. As you read the earlier verses, it is clear that things had changed at a point. Some of the things that they had come to know and love had become difficult to attain, and men were now questioning where their God was. It is the usual defence of the world to question God's existence when bad and terrible things happen, but we don't like to talk about the natural consequences behind our words and actions. Tough times are not always because of the wrong we have done, but it is God's way of bringing out some treasure out of the clay that we are. When these tough times come, how you respond and what I do are important, and will always determine how I emerge from these tough times. For the sons of Korah, they sat down and first considered the past. They recalled all the amazing things God had done for them in the past, and it was then easier to depend on Him for the future. God's dealings in the past are testimonies and guarantees of the ability and capacity of God to do what He has promised. He may not repeat a miracle the same way he did it for another, but His power and nature make it clear that nothing is impossible with God. 

The Conclusion:

For the sons of Korah, the response would be praise. Let no one deceive you into thinking it will be easy by human standards to praise God when things are rough. It is human nature for us to thrive when things are smooth and nice, and it is human for us to complain a bit when things are rough. This is why praise is not so much a human thing, but an outflow from a heart that knows and understands who God is, what He is, what He has done in the past, and the amazing things He can still do in the present. Hope does not flow out of a heart that is unable to comprehend the connection between the past, present and future. From a spiritual perspective, we know that the past does not in any way determine the present, and the present does not control the future. This is why we have hope: we know that the past and the present can be used by God to shape and lead us to the future He has already pre-detemined according to His perfect will. Nothing catches Him by surprise, so nothing comes to me without His knowledge and permission. This is why I praise and will continue to praise God. God's time of favour is here.

Train!

Train!

Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Let no one be distracted by the personal life of the man who wrote these words. King Solomon is attributed with writing the words of the verse above. He was a man blessed with so much wisdom and wealth, simply because he asked God for the right kind of wisdom. God gave him all he asked for, along with things he didn't even ask for at the time. As you read the words of Proverbs, you see the hand of the divine at work. The words penned down in this book provide a roadmap into God's plan for mankind. This is God: with an eye on the future and the eternal, he wants to shape my present to fit into his plans. He wants to take the mess of my yesterday and turn it into a message today and tomorrow. He wants to take the baggage of my past and turn it into a burden for the souls of men today and tomorrow. However, one thing he will not do is force his will on me, or compel me to do what I don't want to do. I must come to Him of my own freewill, and take him up on his offer of salvation and redemption, and having submitted, take on his code of conduct, rules and regulations. 

The Message:

The importance of generational impact is not lost in today's verse. God does not do anything of note that starts and ends with only one man. Even the death and resurrection of Jesus has led millions to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Recall the words of God to Abraham, the model of faith even to us today. God said he was very sure of Abraham, that he would bring up his children to fear and honour God. Is it then a wonder that God entered into a covenant to bless Abraham and his seed after him? For everyone who would experience God in the same way, we have this example, as well as several others, to choose from. There is individual responsibility, but there is also generational accountability. What I do today is a mirror of what I should expect tomorrow. No amount of fasting and prayer can ordinarily change the seed of maize into the fruit of oranges, unless God just wants to prove a point. His Word already makes it clear that whatever a man sows is what he reaps. If this is true in the physical, it will also be true in the spiritual. What kind of seed am I preparing to put into the ground? 

The Conclusion:

To train up a child in the right way, it makes an assumption that you also know the right way. What would I spend time on with a child if I do not have the right tools and information to properly prepare that child for all that is ahead? How do I prepare a child for trials and tough times that will certainly come, if i am always protecting the child from all that could teach the child valuable lessons? There is a popular saying: 'A man cannot give what he does not have. You cannot force or compel behaviour or action that you have not first come to believe in. Hypocrisy and eye-service would soon be recognized; time has a fumy way of revealing what is not properly done. As I pay the price today, I lay the right foundation for tomorrow. Lessons learnt today become the guide for tomorrow. Discipline imbibed today become the peace that guard the heart tomorrow. Never despise small beginnings, as they are the seeds for a blessed future, if the lessons are well learnt. Every society is built from the contributions of families, so I must be deliberate about the quality of the seed I am planting today, because at some point, I may need to eat the fruit. Would I like the fruit of whatever I am sowing today? God's time of favour is here. 

True Religion!

True Religion!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV

The Context and Focus:

In defining religion, one source calls it 'the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods'. This would mean that even the world's views of religion connote the existence of supernatural entities. Another source calls it 'a particular system of faith and worship'. In both instances, one thing that runs through is the fact that the proof of religion is seen in physical terms. There are practices and procedures that prove a person's adherence to a particular religion. For example, if I claim that I follow the Christian religion, if we can call it that, there are things that I must be seen doing, which will be proof that I truly follow the religion. The same goes for all the other 'religions' around the world. It is then important for me to evaluate my life in light of who I claim to be. What I do must be a good reflection of who I claim to be. The reason why the world is tired of talking about religion is because there is too much hypocrisy and eye-service. We pretend to be what we are not, or just simply keep up appearances, deceiving ourselves in the process, and in some instances, actually leading some people astray.

The Message:

If indeed I am of the religion named after Christ, it means that there are practices that I must be engaged in. We know that the Christian faith is not first defined by what we do, but by who lives inside of us; however, the proof of that inner presence is what the world must see, so it can also be attracted to Christ. I can make all the claims, but my life's output will be the greatest proof of God's presence in me. I can make all the claims in the world; in fact, I can align with all the things the world notices and applauds, but the challenge is God is not deceived by all the drama and pretence. Today's verse highlights the balance God expects from those who claim to follow him: their public dedication must match their private devotion. Recall the testimony of the crowd when that lame man was healed at the Beautiful Gate. The crowd looked at Peter and John and took note of two things: they were unschooled and unlearned; maybe what you would call uneducated today, but the other thing the crowd noticed was that these men had been with Jesus. Is the presence of God evident in my life? Does His imprint in me show in the way I relate with other people?

The Conclusion:

It is in my public life that the fruit of my private life is made manifest. There are lives to impact, and needs to meet. Everywhere you turn, there are tough times. Yet, God wants me to be His eyes, lips, feet, hands and heart to the dying world around me. He has placed his Spirit in me, so that His nature, power and grace can flow out of me. I am asked to let my light so shine before men, so that they can see my good works, and glorify my father in heaven. It is by touching lives that men can also reach out to God. As I seek to impact and bless lives, I must not forget the other part of the verse, which demands that I keep myself pure. This is key: what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? What is the point of the applause of men if God has no record of my devotion and surrender to Him? At the end of it all, what is critical is the outflow of the life of God in me. If God really lived in me, then the world would have been blessed by Him. It is important that with a desire to be a blessing, I must also desire to see God live in and move through me. He wants to, only if I will let Him. Now, that is true Religion. God's time of favour is here. 

Depth in Love!

Depth in Love!

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Philippians 1:9‭-‬10 NIV

The Context and Focus:

The letter to the church in Phiippi was written by both Paul and Timothy; two people with a mentor-mentee relationship. Paul had met this young man on one of his missionary journeys, and has brought him up in the knowledge of God. Now, the young man was a minister now, and a great helper to Paul in his own assignments. This is the power of Spirit- led life; when God is in charge of your heart and life, He will bring lives your way for you to touch with the same grace you have received. Paul had shown a great example of what love really is; the people of his own time would not have had anything to do with a boy whose father was a Gentile. He knew the potential of this young man, and today, we have 2 letters written in the name of this young man. Are there lives God has placed in your care? Are there lives God is depending on you to impact the right way for Him? It is a responsibility with earthly and eternal consequences, and it is not to be taken lightly. Everyone created by God has a role to play on the earth s/he has been planted, and by the right guidance and leadership, the best will be unearthed. May God find me a vessel He can entrust lives with.

The Message:

The audience Paul and Timothy was writing to is also relevant here. These were people referred to as 'God's Holy people in Christ Jesus' as well as their 'overseers and deacons'. One main character trait of people described in this way, out of many others, is their love. You cannot speak of a Christian properly so called, and fail to recognise the presence of God's kind of love. The fruit of the Holy Spirit has different dimensions, and love sits as the first mention. How can you even call a person by the name of Christ, and you cannot find the imprint of Christ in and on the person's life? That connection or association with Christ is one that cannot be ignored or denied. One amazing thing about love is the fact that it cannot be quantified as small or little, yet it has capacity to abound more and more, as you get to know and appreciate the depth and scope of the love we were first shown, and the God who designed and made manifest this love. He did not just make a claim to love us; he showed it to us, even at a time when we were not worthy, and even without any assurance that we will surrender our lives to Him. This is love.

The Conclusion:

The understanding of the love I have been shown, and which I have received and responded to, has an eternal end, and it is that I may be guided in my thoughts and actions. This is what the other part of today's verse seems to make clear. God's love is revealed to man, so man can receive it, and be guided by it, being able to discern what is best to do in any and every situation. God does not leave us in doubt as to what His perfect will is, but He does not compel us to submit to Him. This has to be an exercise of my freewill, but I must know today that actions, as well as inaction, have eternal consequences. The end of all that God has given us is that we be found in Him when he returns. He desires that we be pure and blameless as we wait for the day of Christ, which will certainly come. If all of God's promises are known to be true, I must not pick and choose only that which makes me comfortable. He returns one day soon, and he comes to take with Him those who have responded to and embraced His love. Have you? Have I truly done so too? Remember, eternity is too long a time not to be sure of where you will spend it. God's time of favour is here. 

Seek!

Seek!

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV

The Context and Focus:

Once again, the first sermon of Jesus on the Mount, right at the start of his public ministry, is the focus of today's devotion. Jesus was speaking to His disciples, even though there was a crowd right at the foot of the mountain also listening to Him. His focus here was on His kingdom, and what it would take to be a partaker of the blessings and benefits of that kingdom. There is no compulson placed on anyone who is not a citizen of this kingdom. Jesus spoke on issues ranging from purity, to anger and malice. If i want to be a part of this kingdom, I must personally know and be committed to the rules governing this kingdom. As it was then, so it is now. There will always be the crowd, listening to all that is said and preached, and then some will move into being disciples. It is not an automatic process, where the crowd suddenly becomes converted, but there is an experience, called salvation, that those in the crowd must go through in order to become disciples. This experience is fundamental; it is not something to be ignored. You cannot substitute this experience with anything else.

The Message:

God has provided the grace, information and help I need to make the right choice. The instruction in today's verse is that I SEEK first the kingdom of God. To seek means to know the value of what you need to find, and being ready to devote the time, effort and resources required to ensure you lay hold of what you seek. There is a guarantee that if I seek God, I will find Him. God has made that promise since the beginning of time, and there are written records of men who sought God with all their hearts, and we see the evidence of God's grace upon their lives. I note the bit about their hearts being committed to the search, because you cannot give half-hearted devotion to anything, and expect that it will give you full benefits. You can only place a demand on something you have invested something into. All God needs from me is sincere effort, and He will provide sufficient grace for the journey ahead. The kingdom must also take first priority, because it is the only place that endures forever. Whatever else you lay your hand will either expire or be destroyed,.

The Conclusion:

If my heart is right, and it is sincerely seeking God, and his righteousness, there is a standing promise that I will get all the things the world will generally kill for. The world has no one to fight for it expect itself, and that is why the men of the world will lie, steal, cheat and kill, just to lay hold of the treasures of the world. The world will not give you anything free of charge, but it will place a demand on all it gives you. Unfortunately, nothing the world gives you will last. The provisions of the world can only sustain you for a while, but it is important to secure that which is eternal. When the priorities of the kingdom of God are my own priorities, God knows he has my heart and nothing can replace Him in my heart. Could it be that the reason why God has not given access to some benefits is because He knows that those things will drag my heart away from Him? When God says NO, it is because He has a bigger and better YES somewhere down the line. I must trust that God knows what He is doing, and He is powerful enough to be able to fulfill that which He has promised. When you have Him, you have everything. If you don't have him, nothing else you have matters. God's time of favour is here. 

Reconciled!

Reconciled!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18‭-‬19 NIV

The Context and Focus:

Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, would take time to explain the amazing blessings and benefits now available through the death and resurrection of Jesus. At the time of this sacrifice, none of us reading this on earth was born, yet Christ paid it forward, in hope that we all will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. His death and life are the reasons why I am saved, and is the basis of my service and commitment to Christ. I may not always get it right, but I know whom I have come to believe and I am sure and certain that His life has also secured eternal life for me. This is why the verse just before today's extract makes it clear that "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here." It does not matter what has gone on before; in Christ, a new chapter opens, the focus and direction change, and the eternal reality is different. But then, think of this: would God do all He did for just a select few? Would he pay such a high price for just a small group of people? It is clear that God's gift of salvation is not limited by my past, but about the potential in my future, and what God is able to achieve in and through me, when my life is already totally surrendered to Him. Just as I am saved, so does God expect and demand that I should also be a channel of salvation to other people.

The Message:

If it pleased God, he could have called me to Himself the day I gave my life to Him, but He has left me on this earth for a purpose, and that is to bring the knowledge and message of the living God to a dying world. As Christ reconciled us to himself by His blood, so does He expect us to carry out the assignment of reaching out to others with the same message. As one who has been saddled with the assignment and message of reconciliation, I cannot substitute the message of the cross with anything or anyone else, because there is no one and nothing else that could do the work that the blood of Jesus did. I did not come to know Christ by high-sounding words, coercion or by spending money; none of these things could have delivered my soul from the grasp of the devil. Now that I am saved, I cannot and must nor adopt any other means to convince men of their need for Christ; I must just focus on the cross, the grave and the life of Christ. This is the complete message; the focus of reconciliation. The ministry of reconciliation is targeted at the whole world. It is a ministry that has a focus, a message and a target. It is only a person who knows and understands the value of what he has received that is motivated to tell others about it. 

The Conclusion:

You cannot give what you don't have, and you cannot defend something that you have not first come to believe and accept as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This is why God is not commiting this great assignment into the hands of just anyone, but into the hands and lives of all who have been reconciled first to God, through Christ. Church membership is good; fellowship with other people is also very good, and being a part of the community impacting lives is also good, but the right foundation for all of these things is a close relationship with God, established upon a total surrender to the authority and Lordship of Jesus. Anything else is self-deceit, and it will not lead to God's ideal end for me. He has made it clear that life is only through the Son, and I will do well to make the approach through this Son, and also introduce others to the Son too. That is the summary of the assignment we all have been given, and one with amazing rewards attached, if done the right way. Am I truly reconciled to God, and can God count on me in these end times to be His hands, feet, eyes, mouth and heart? The world eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. God's time of favour is here.

Restored!

Restored!

And he shall turn and reconcile the hearts of the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children, and the hearts of the [rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly], lest I come and smite the land with a curse and a ban of utter destruction. Malachi 4:6 AMPC

The Context and Focus:

Today's verse is taken from a chapter of the bible with only 6 verses, and is actually the last verse of the recorded old testament. The entire chapter speaks to two classes of people: those who have come to know and follow God, and those who have rejected Him. For either camp, there are both earthly and eternal realities to consider. For either camp, the day of the Lord is coming. It is a day of deep darkness, pain and sorrow, as well as a day of victory and the fulfilment of hope. The reality of that day for each of us will be defined by the camp we were found in when the day of the Lord dawns. There is no third camp or middle ground; there is no compromise to be made between both camps as you are either in one or the other. There is also no joint account here; I don't get to speak for my husband, wife or child; each person gets to face the judgment seat of God as sole individuals. The clear fact is that just as God is preparing for that day, so must I also prepare the right way for that day. I don't get to live as I please, but to please the One who gave me life. That is purpose. 

The Message:

Part of God's preparation for that day are the laws He has made available. He gave them to us free of charge, and we can read about Him and his laws from the bible. The bible has become arguably one of the most published things in the world, so we are left without an excuse for ignorance about God's law. God has also not just given us his laws, rules and regulations, as well as code of conduct, but he has also given us of Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, to help us as we seek to follow God and obey His command. It is very clear that God does not command from us that which he has not supplied grace for; I need to depend and draw on the abundant supply of grace available in Him. God is aware of the power of sin, and that is why he has made available the power of grace. His perfect purpose is that the family life play an important role in the building of a society where He is recognised and glorified. He has clear instructions for every member of the physical family, as we saw in yesterday's verse, which is also replicated in the spiritual family. 

The Conclusion:

God has made clear his instructions for daily living, yet He promises that before the day of the Lord comes, He will send a messenger, whose work will be reconciliation and restoration. The Message will seek to bring the estranged father back to the ungodly children, as well as the rebellious children back to the pious fathers. The Message is one of peace, love and hope, but it also contains the word of judgement. This is the healthy view of God that all of us must have: not a God of fire and brimstone alone, who has no room for mistakes, or the other extreme of love, who also does not punish at all. Just like our imperfect earthly fathers showed us love by discipline when we did wrong, so does God deal with us too, so we can share in His Holiness. He returns one day soon, and He comes to apply the principles of his kingdom, made known and revealed to us. This present earth, with all its treasures, will not be saved, but will be destroyed by fire. A new heaven and a new earth is coming, wherein righteousness reigns. Would you be a part of it? God's time of favour is here.

Example!

Example!

Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 AMP

The Context and Focus:

Paul met this young man Timothy, on one of his missionary journeys. The young man's father was a Greek Gentile at the time, but the boy held so much promise that Paul had to find a way to make him acceptable to the Jews at the time, so they would listen to Him. This was the first step to making Timothy have impact in the communities he would be prepared to lead. I note that physical circumcision was the token of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants, and until the understanding of the place of the heart and salvation were full understood by the audience, Paul was ready to take all legal steps to ensure that the gospel of Jesus was preached, and the audience would also listen. As a young person, and in fact, no matter what your present age is, what steps are you taking to make the gospel of Jesus available and accessible to all who come in contact with you? Am I willing to swallow pride and rights, in order to give other people the opportunity to hear and know about the love of God expressed in his gift of Jesus for the salvation of all men? 

The Message:

Timothy was a young man, but Paul saw a lot of promise in him, and he would encourage him to be the best he could be. For all of us, God would have placed the lives of children or young people in our hands, so we could guide and mold them after His pattern. How are we going about this peculiar assignment? How are we ensuring that we provide the support, encouragement and leadership that this generation needs to know and love God? In a world with a false definition of success, or one that celebrates mediocrity and hypocrisy, it is quite important to show, by way of personal example, what is the right attitude to the world and all its presents. There are lives to guide, and a personal encounter with God is the best example anyone can have. Do you have it? Remember, you cannot give what you don't have, and any attempt at eye-service or hypocrisy may succeed for a while, but truth will always catch up with falsehood. As I also read the verse above, I also see that the examples I am to show cut across the internal as well as the external. I must have a witness in my heart from God that I am His child, and the world must also know that I am different. 

The Conclusion:

Check out all the classes: in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. When I speak, what do my words portray? When men see how I behave or what I do, what impressions or images stay with them? In the way I show love for other people, or the way I demonstrate my faith, and the way I relate with other people, is my life the right template showing off the glory of God? Can men say that, of a truth, I am a child of God? Is the glory of God made manifest in me, or do I have to shout and scream that I am a Christian before I can be believed? The above shows that I must have a consistent life, where the outflow is a reflection of my inflow. At different times in my life, that which I have spent time storing up must be revealed. The world is looking for men and women who will dare to stand out; who will show forth God's  praise to the ends of the earth. The world awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. Am I one? Can God count on me for such times like these? God's time of favour is here.

Identity and Impact!

Identity and Impact!

The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7 AMP

The Context and Focus:

It is interesting to note the context in which the prophet Nahum spoke. He was sent to prophesy about the land of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. This was a great, large and beautiful city at the time, enjoying prosperity and comfort. It was also a land that had either forgotten or rejected God, and punishment was being promised by God for its sin. Just as God has always warned, He punishes sin. It does not matter who you are, what you are, what you have, or where you think you are coming from or going; God always punishes sin, no matter in whom it is found. As you read the words of the bible and see God's dealings with man, you learn ar least two fundamental lessons, which are the facts that nobody can hide from the eyes of God, and his heart is full of love, which is why he sets out the rules of engagement for all who seek to come to Him. He tells me right from the outset what I stand to gain if I surrender to Him, as well as what I stand to lose too if I reject Him. Why would I then complain about Him being unfair when the repercussions of my choice begin to operate? 

The Message:

The verse just before today's extract further buttresses this point: "Who can stand before His indignation [His great wrath]? And who can stand up and endure the fierceness of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are destroyed by Him". That is God when he is angry about sin. These verses follow each other so that no one is in doubt as to who God is, and what he demands and expects from us. He can kill, and He can also make allve. He can punish, and he can also forgive. He can destroy, and he can also restore. The story of creation speaks about His large heart, creating and placing man right at the top of all He made on earth. God has provided what you could call a CV, telling me who He is, and what He can do. It then means that if I come to Him, I know what to expect, as well as what is expected of me. It is a two-way street, with God faithful to His Word, and also supplying grace and strength for me to also be faithful to Him in return. When God says He is a good God, He means what he says. His goodness is the reason why I have not been destroyed, and I still have access to the throne of grace. 

The Conclusion:

If you have not taken advantage of the offer He has made, today is the day of salvation. In addition to who God is, the verse above also speaks to what he gives. He is a Strength and Stronghold in times of trouble, which means hard times are bound to come. No amount of prayers can stop tough times from coming, but by praying, I am seeking the Help of the One who assures of victory. He is able to take care of ALL who take refuge and trust in Him. It may not always end the way you want it to; men like Stephen or James may have been killed, but the end was really worth it. For some, they had to get in first, before God brought them out, but in all instances, there was no doubt the hand of the Lord was leading and guiding. However it ends, it must end with God. If my current course will not end up with God, it is not worth pursuing. His invitation still stands, but it must be noted that it is an invitation that is timed. I don't have forever on this side of eternity; I need to prepare for my eternal home. Are we preparing the right way? God's time of favour is here. 

The Right Store!

The Right Store!

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;

Matthew 6:20 AMP

The Context and Focus:

As we read yesterday, the need for storage is never in doubt. For all who are born of women, we are also storing up for our eternal home. It is not really a matter of choice, but one of compulsion. Whether you like it or not, or you realise it or not, you are always preparing for your eternal home. This is why it matters what you are building or planning for. As we said yesterday, there is no homeowner or soldier who dares to venture into building a house or fighting a war who would not first sit down to determine the appropriate resources required for the complete execution of the plan. You get to be called foolish if you do otherwise. If this is the reality in the physical, imagine how the spiritual also works. If heaven is the ultimate goal, I need to learn the terms and conditions for entry. If heaven is the goal, I need to know what the owner needs from me, and take time to do them well at any opportunity I get. These are the daily practices and procedures that all who want to store up the right way must do. 

The Message:

Yesterday's verse reminded us to the final, eternal and irreversible end of all things that belong to the end. Water is a great asset to have and control, but water and iron do not mix well, no matter how hard water tries; it will always lead to rust. The damage will not always be immediately apparent, but give it time, rust renders the best of targets unusable and ultimately useless, and has to be thrown away. Depending on the species and the environment, as well as a few other factors, moths are good. Some help pollinate, and others help in seed production. There are other moths that can be serious pests causing damage to carpets, furniture and clothing. Interestingly, from all available records online, the lifestyle of some moths is just 15 -29 days, while some live for 9 months, yet see the impact they have. Isn't it a big challenge that something that can cause this much lasting damage does not itself last long? Why would I stake my eternal home on something so temporary? Isn't it time to think of what is important, critical and eternal? 

The Conclusion:

Then you get the human elements. There is nothing made by a man that a man's brain cannot crack. Safes had been touted and presented as unbreakable, yet man has succeeded in bursting that myth. Men have built high walls and fences, yet has not been able to keep out danger and death. Man will create a problem, and also research and promote the solution. For almost all of the challenges man faces in the world, he has been able to find either an app, a device, a concept or a solution to deal with it, but with all of the knowledge and information man has, he has not been able to deal with the one fundamental human need, which is salvation. Until a man is saved, it is difficult to make a case for his eternal security. This is a place where its storage do not experience rust, moth or thieves, because they cannot get in. This is a place where God dwells, and He invites me to be a part of it, not just for a season, but for all of eternity. Am I a citizen yet? You can still be today, if you are not. God's time of favour is here. 

The Wrong Store!

The Wrong Store!

Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.

Matthew 6:19 AMPC

The Context and Focus:

Today's verse is taken from a very long sermon Jesus preached on a mountain, just at the start of his earthly ministry. He had gathered his disciples to Him on the mount, and the crowd was there at the foot of the mount. As always, the message may be for everyone, and the promise is also for everyone, but of course, only those who respond the right way get the blessings attached to the instructions given. The first point of order here is to define who you are: a disciple or part of the crowd. This clarity will define the rest of this piece, as well as help bring home the expectations of God for us. There is an expectation from those who claim to follow Jesus; there is a code of conduct, as well as rules of engagement for dealing with Christ as Master, Saviour and Lord. These distinctions are not separate themes on their own, but must be taken together. I cannot claim Jesus is Master, and then reject him as Saviour. If I will enjoy all that has been promised, I have to take him as He has presented himself, do as He commands, so I can end up with Him, just as He promised. This is the end of all His commands.

The Message:

One of such commands from Jesus has to do with storage. It is the way of the world to store things up. Whether as individuals, families or nations, it is good practice to store up excess, and not waste it. That which cannot be consumed now should be saved up as it would come in handy sometime later in the future. Nations have reserves, families have savings and investment accounts, and for non-cash items, we have storage rooms or vaults. I recall that what saved Egypt, the sons of Jacob and the surrounding nations at the time was because Joseph was led to store up food. He stored up so much that all these nations were fed throughout the seven years of famine that came upon the land. There are also people who have made it their lifelong commitment to save up for uncertainties and fluctuations in the economy. As soon as the dire situations arise, what has been saved up become the saving grace. If this is so important in the physical, imagine the great equivalent in the spiritual. If the world can be saved by the right kind of physical and material storage, imagine how much the world can be saved too by the right kind of spiritual storage.

The Conclusion:

As much as the world needs, and is impacted by this physical and material storage, it is important to know and respect the limits of this kind of storage. You can make a plan that addresses the needs of the world, but do you know that this present earth has an expiry date? The importance of earthly preparation is seen in Jesus' warning about a man who wants to build a house or a king who wants to go to war? You would not dare do these without any kind of preparation. How do you prepare the right way for a time when all of the world's storage cannot address the season of pain and trouble that is coming on all who reject the gift of salvation that God has made available? God Himself has provided all we need for life and Godliness, which means that God is very interested in both my physical and spiritual health. I must not focus so much on the physical, and then ignore the spiritual. The physical and the earthly is the preparatory ground for the spiritual. As I live this life that God has given me, I must also prepare to meet God. What I do now is my storage for eternity. May the Lord help me prepare right. God's time of favour is here. 

Love 2!

Love 2!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

The Context and Focus:

Following on from yesterday's verse, we again consider the definition of love from the perspective of the One we call Love Himself. The world has its own definitions and practices, some of which have been difficult to defend and accept as love because it does not meet the threshold of the true definition we documented yesterday. Truth is a strange concept: you can rail and rage against it, but because it never shifts grounds, in a thousand years from now, that truth remains constant, and you still have to deal with it. It is always the best option to accept the truth as defined by God, and pattern your life after that truth, so you can enjoy the blessings and benefits that accrue from that acceptance. The devil is also quite smart; for all of God's truths, he has close alternatives which look like the real deal but are far from it. The problem is that because they are easy to attain, and they appeal to the natural instincts of the world, they are easy to follow and be bound by. This is where the power of information is critical; God makes his truth known to all who would seek it, and he gives grace for all to accept and live by it. 

The Message:

The choice of response to God's revealed truth is always mine to make. The consequences of my choice have already been set out, because God leaves no one in doubt about what you gain or lose by your decision. From the verse above, God did not just claim to love; he proved it. He did not love only those who made love easy; he loved all men equally, because he is the Creator of all men. Sin came to mess with the mandate, but the love of God designed a framework for the full restoration of that mandate. Friends can love themselves so much that one can even lay down his life for the other, but because it is human love, it can never rise to the same level as the love shown to us by God. This is a love that did not wait for us to be worthy before he showed it. He showed it to all men, including all who would later deny him to the end of their lives. He gave all of us an opportunity to know and experience love of a divine version, so we can know and experience him. He has offered it for free to me, by dying on the cross. Even though he knew no sin, he became and bore the brunt of sin on my behalf, so I could become his friend and child. 

The Conclusion:

When you consider all the above, it makes you wonder what lies at the end of this kind of love. Can God do all He has done and given, and there will be no consequences if I choose to ignore or reject this kind of love? If i reject the love of God, to whom can I appeal? If at the end of my life on earth, and it is time to stand before the judgement seat of God, what would my defence be? If He could do all He did for people who were not worthy at the time, so they could come to Him in faith and lay hold of the life He has made available, just picture the amazing life that you get by accepting and trusting in this love. Until you have tasted of this love, all other variants are counterfeit. When you have tasted this love, you will lose the taste for anything else. He died, so I would not die. He rose again, so that His life could be the perfect template for what lies ahead for me. If He lives, I will live with Him, if I tame hold of all He has provided. The gift is given; the life has been laid down; love has been shown. The time for a decision is now. Tomorrow is actually not assured for any of us. God's time of favour is here.

Love!

Love!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV

The Context and Focus:

In a world where the word love has been quite misunderstood and misinterpreted, it is very important to go back to the original source and get the right definition. An online source defines love as: 'an intense feeling of deep affection'. This would mean that the person showing the love and the person being targeted will not deny the presence of deep affection. The person giving it cannot hide it, and the person being shown the affection can also not deny it. The target can choose to accept or reject it, but the affection cannot be denied. As great as this definition is, it is limited in the sense that it also encompasses other deep affection that is destructive and devilish. The world has added feelings of lust, incest and other forms of obsessions as love. The film industry has also helped push the nattative, showing premarital and extramarital sex, which, in the eyes of God is wrong, as 'making love'. The world also has this extreme position where its citizens define love by how much they can get from the 'giver' of this love. This is where you find expressions such as: "If you love me, you will do this or give me that". Love, from the perspective of the world, has become a transaction where all parties need to get something out before they can put something in. 

The Message:

It is therefore imperative to go back to the Source of all truth to find out what His view on love is. His truth is not subject to the acceptance or applause of men, and right from the creation of time as we know it, His definition of love has not changed. I can choose to accept or reject His definition, but I get to live with the consequences of my own decision. He provided the greatest view of love by his own example: "For God so loved the world that He gave....'. His definition of love did not wait for me to be deserving, or to first make a commitment to submit to and follow Him, before he gave. He gave first of all, so that I could know what I was getting even before deciding what to do. He got no initial guarantees that I would come to Him, but He gave all the same. To make matters even better, He didn't just give; he also gave Himself. God allowed His only begotten son to die a shameful death on a cross, for people who may reject him to the end. Is it then a wonder that all the attributes that are listed in the verse above are personal, not inanimate? You don't talk about a stone being patient or kind, or a wall being envious or boastful. 

The Conclusion:

This would mean that love, from God's perspective, and from Him who is the Truth, love is first a person, before you can talk about what He gives. Love is patient and kind, because God is patient and kind, and the dimensions of the fruit of the Spirit, which is birthed in all who surrender their lives to Jesus, also include patience and kindness. You get both sides of the divide: what love is and what love is not. God leaves no one in any doubt as to what His expectations and limits are. Whilst love is patient and kind, it means it has no room for envy or pride. You cannot have both sides coming out from the same heart. It is quite impossible for the Spirit of God to produce the fruit of the Spirit as well as the fruit of the flesh. I must therefore audit my life in light of God's truth, and ask God for help to allow his Spirit work on and in me. It has to be a daily surrender, because the devil will not stop putting pressure on me to blend in or compromise, but if I have had a personal encounter with this God of love, it is an experience you do not want to substitute for anything else. Have I met and do I know this love personally? Does He know me as His own? God's time of favour is here.

Hope!

Hope!

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalms 119:114 NIV

The Context and Focus:

As always, it is important to consider the factors that surround the words we read, and how they relate to us today. The writer of these words is David, a man God Himself testified to as a man after His heart. David knew how to reach out to God, and he understood, to an extent, how to approach God. He was not always perfect, as he also had some nasty experiences to deal with, like adultery and murder, but he would be quick to return to God in repentance and sorrow, asking God for mercy. In his young years too, it was also clear that David knew how to hear from God, as he would spend time away from the crowd, alone in the desert with his father's sheep, and he would sing and praise God in songs. Many of his words have become bestselling songs these days, because they speak to the might, power, wisdom,  grace and favour of a God whose love knows no bounds, and who wants men to draw near to Him in faith. He does not make promises He cannot keep, because he has none of the limitations or restrictions that man has. This is the God who calls me His friend; how would I respond?

The Message:

The understanding of who this God is drives the words of today's verse. For the man who wrote these words, as a young man keeping sheep, to a soldier who joined the king's army to fight wars, to a king that then led wars, the words of today's verse mean a lot. What do you call a refuge? Two definitions suffice: 'the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or difficulty.' The other is: 'a place or situation providing safety or shelter.' These definitions make it clear that you will only appreciate the value of a place or situation as a refuge when you have also experienced danger or trouble. If you have never needed help, or had any situation get out of hand, how would you appreciate the help God is able to give? Even if God intervenes, how would you recognize His hand in all that you have experienced?  You will only know the value of all that God is, does and gives, when you had been in a situation where only God could have delivered and rescued you. Have I met this God? Do I even see or acknowledge His hand in my life's situations? Do I live my life daily, in the consciousness of my helplessness, and my total dependence on this God? Or am I self-sufficient now, thinking I can make it on my own? 

The Conclusion:

Of course, the confidence in the refuge has to be based on information and knowledge of the truth about the refuge. Where else can you go for the comprehensive truth about God, outside of His Word? Where else can you get full information about the grace and mercy of God available to all who trust Him, outside the Word of God? God's Word is His manifesto; it is His CV. It is the revelation of His heart and mind to all of us. He asks us to read about Him, see his heart and hands, and learn about Him. Based on the information you garner, you are able to make an informed choice, free from the influence of anyone or anything else. He makes it clear that you have the power to decide where you would anchor your hope. By the fact of creation, we are eternal beings, looking forward to our eternal reality. What you look forward to defines how you wait for it. If it is with God, you know what He demands. If it is the devil, you also know what he demands. For David, his hope was anchored on the Lord, and we know how he ended. What is your hope anchored on? Eternity is too long a time not to be sure of where you will spend it. God's time of favour is here. 

Good!

Good!

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV

The Context and Focus:

When God calls your attention to something, it could be that your current actions have shown that you have forgotten something important, or it could be a reinforcement of what you already know. Whichever one applies, when God speaks, I will do well to listen attentively and then do what I have been told. Micah, who wrote these words, started this chapter with a charge to Israel about its past and present, and the fact that it needed to retrace its steps back to God. When God asks me to consider my past, he wants me to take stock of where I have been, and what He has led me through. There is none of us without a past, however nice or nasty it may be, but the past does not have to overshadow the present, if I can commit it into God's hands. The past is the platform for the great things that God can do in my present and future, but I have to be totally surrendered to God. How can God use my past to shape my present and future if He does not hold all the aces? Can I say of a truth, that God is in complete control of my life? If He does not own it, he can't control it, and if He can't control it, He can't save it.

The Message:

If I will end up with the good that God has planned, the secret lies in knowing this good God and following Him wholeheartedly. Now, one good thing about this good God is that it is His nature to do good. Sin has come in to tamper with the original template, but it has not been able to cancel grace. Even in the face of sin, God's grace will not just let me go. He came looking for me, and would keep holding out his hands for as long as I am alive on this side of eternity. He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for me to open the door of my heart to Him so He can come in and handle the past, whilst securing for me the great and amazing future He has promised. By virtue of this new birth, I come to the place of knowledge of and about God, which then leads to sufficient information to enable me make the right decision. He does not leave me confused or in doubt as to what His standards for life are. By virtue of the power of freewill, I get to choose who I will follow. God will respect my choice, but eternity and its consequences beckon. Where do you want to spend yours?

The Conclusion:

God has made clear what his will, as laid out in the verse above. What God demands will always line up with His will, and these are to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. All of these things are activities that demand a response from me. I cannot afford to be passive, folding my arms and just content to let things pass over me. What you do is a function of what is in your heart, and your actions are a reflection of your thought life. What you love will always demand time and attention from you, as you would always want to invest time and resources on what you love. In addition to what you do and love,  it is also important to balance it with a walk with God. I must impact lives, and I must also have a living, thriving relationship with God. I must not be so heavenly conscious that I forget to be earthly-relevant. Both are important, because His Word already makes it clear that God has given us all that we need for life and Godliness. God has shown me what He desires, and if I will end right, I have to do right, as defined by God, not by the world. May the Lord help my walk and work to be acceptable in God's sight. God's time of favour is here. 

Right Words!

Right Words!

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.

Proverbs 12:25 AMP

The Context and Focus:

For those who think money is the answer to all things, reflect on the life of the man who wrote the words of today's verse. This was Solomon, one -time king of Israel. He was blessed by God so much that the Bible records that in his time, silver was as common as stones. Imagine how rich a man could be for him to make drinking utensils from pure gold. Here was a man whose daily feeding costs would have been the GDP of many nations today. To make matters even more complex, he would give his eyes anything they wanted. He had possessions and property in excess, and then also amassed women too; at a point, he had 1,000 women in a mix of wives and concubines. At some point in his life, when the reality of his existence dawned on him, he uttered those evergreen words: "All is vanity". I wonder what could have made a man this rich to be so bothered about the emptiness of things? Could it be that he realised that possessions, position, power or privilege can never replace the presence of God? Could it be that he now knew that having wealth does not equate to having peace, at least, the kind God supplies? This is what drives men to anxiety, worry and depression.

The Message:

Men spend their whole lives pursuing a false image of success, not sure what the image looks like, but running all the same, until most run themselves into the ground. Men will sacrifice a stable family life for a fat bank account balance, and whilst holding on to the fact that you can actually have both legitimately, one must not sacrifice a healthy and God-focused life for any other thing. The reason why there is so much sickness and disease could be attributed to the pursuit of a life without God as the focus. Worry and anxiety cannot cohabit with the presence of God at the same time. Yes indeed, the devil will try to threaten our peace by highlighting the problems, but it will be best if those problems meet God sitting on the throne of our hearts. Then he can deal with the worry and anxiety the best way. I cannot be in control of my life, and then wonder why nothing works the way God has promised. God does not force Himself on anyone; it is a surrender that must come from my heart and of my own freewill. Of course, this means that God sits on the throne of my heart, as I have surrendered to Him.  He is able to provide the right supply that meets the present need in my life.

The Conclusion:

All He is and does are laid out in His Word, and he will never act contrary to his word. If my life will make an impact the right way, it must take out of that which is true. I cannot trust in and promote a lie, expecting it to lead to God's perfect will. I have to trust in, depend on and promote the truth of God's Word and His standards. It means that if I am to promote it, I have to know it. How can I speak the right word in the right situation, if I don't know the One who is the Word? You can only take from that which you have, to impact the lives of other people, so that they too can come to know the truth that you have. The Word has power to replicate its life-giving flow to as many as submit their lives to Him. The one who will speak the right word must know the Word. The right word can make the difference between giving up and pressing on. Can God depend on me to be His voice to the lost and dying world? Can my mouth speak life to that which is dead or dying? Is my life the platform on which God is able to reach out with His power and change people? Can he count on you? God's time of favour is here. 

Persist!

Persist!

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. Galatians 6:9 AMPC

The Context and Focus:

Paul writes to the church in Galatia, and it could have been that people were getting tired of doing good. It is hard to keep doing good when nobody seems to appreciate or acknowledge it, and even sometimes ignore or condemn the good you do. It is hard to keep doing the same thing over and over again and not getting any recognition for it. The system of the world is set up to identify physical, tangible things that it can attach value to, and if it is not recognized or seen, it is not likely to be appreciated or applauded. This is the challenge with the world, because it has no other way to measure impact. This is why pretence, eye-service and hypocrisy have become the order of the day with the world. People act only in their own interests, not caring how others are affected or impacted. The world has a picture of success that it cannot define or explain, and it cannot provide a rationale explanation for what is sufficient and what is excess. It is not a wonder then that the people of the world wil chase all that the world offers; the world will not care so much about the intentions or movies behind the actions, as long as the world can reward. 

The Message:

For those who belong to the Word, there must be different standards to live by. The world teaches me to only do things it can recognise and reward; the Word teaches me to only do things that God recognizes and rewards. The issue is that the world teaches a give-and-take mentality or instant gratification: God teaches patience and endurance as I walk with and work for Him, while waiting for the reward He gives. The world focuses on that which is physical and tangible; God deals in both physical and spiritual blessings, but there has to be a waiting period for the full manifestation of all that God has promised. It is possible to look at the people of the world, and almost envy the physical signs of 'success', but there is a need to be careful about taking your eyes off the prize, and focusing on the world's presents. There is nothing the world gives you that will outlive the world, because the end of the world has been defined by the One who made it. The end of all that we see today is unquenchable fire. Should I then focus on things destined for destruction, or on that which endures forever? 

The Conclusion:

With God, there is a due season and an appointed time for all He has planned. I can shout and scream and cry, but that will not change God's mind if He does not want to give me what i want. If I ask and He says No, it is because the time for it has not yet come. Once the time of God's visitation has come, even the devil cannot stop Him from bringing to pass all He has promised. Reaping from God takes different forms, and may not always be physical or tangible. Can you place a value on the peace or hope that you have in Christ? Can you buy safety and security from God at any price, if it were for sale? Can you quantify the blessings you have received from birth, including the ones you did not prepare or plan for? I must note that there is a need to keep at it, doing all that God commands, because He is the rewarder of all who hold on to the end. Do not be discouraged or moved by men's insensitivity, or their forgetfulness; man will always be man, and it is his nature to only remember what is convenient. I serve a God who cannot be deceived, and whose Word can be trusted. If He says He is coming soon to reward all who are waiting for Him, history and current affairs suggest quite clearly that His Word can be trusted.  Would you hold on? God's time of favour is here.

Faith!

Faith!

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17 NIV

The Context and Focus:

Paul spends time explaining to his audience in Rome about the importance of faith in their walk with and work for God. Note that the walk comes before the work, and this is the foundation to be laid for today's verse. We live in a world where effort is loudly appreciated as well as results. Most don't really care how you got it, as long as you got it. Some see the efforts and labour and are so distracted by them that they forget to also audit the end result. The world cannot demand from me that which it does not have or give, and this is why the walk with God is not one that the world encourages. This is also the basis of the righteousness under the law, because it was focused on effort, not on faith. You just had to align with particular activities, such as sacrifices and a mode of worship, and you were fine. Unfortunately, under the regime of faith, works were not the most important; it is faith in the One who brought an end to the requirements of the law, and laid out a new way of walking with and working for God. Do not let a man like yourself deny you access to God by flauting physical achievements; this is NOT the place to start.

The Message:

Let's consider a definition for faith according to online sources.  It is a "strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof." Isn't it quite interesting that even the world knows that there is something spiritual about faith that it cannot understand or explain? It is about a conviction first, long before the proof manifests. It is not a wonder that faith is also defined in the bible as the conviction of the reality of what is not revealed to the senses. To a world that relies on physical evidence, how would you convince a sick and dying world of its need for a Saviour? To a world that only believes and acts based on what it can see, taste, touch, hear or feel, how do you convince it that faith in that which is unseen is the key to its salvation? What is hearing too? It is defined as 'the faculty of perceiving sounds'. It is a blessing to be able to hear, and it is closely connected to the discovery of the purpose of God for the world. How do the two parts (faith and hearing) link together? How do these two very personal experiences lead me to the place where God wants me to be? 

The Conclusion:

Faith, though invisble, will push you to do things or act in a way as if you can see what you seek. Faith does not always have to make sense to anyone else, as long as I know the One I believe, and I fill my heart with the right information that can support my faith the right way. It matters what you hear, and how you hear. Two people may hear the same thing, yet act in different ways, based on their understanding and application of what they heard. This is why faith and hearing are linked because it is what you hear that will either enhance or dampen your faith. The Word of God is about God's dealings with man, and spells out His desire for man to walk with and work for Him. If I don't hear corectly, read the right way, and then understand it, how do I apply it the right way? If all I know about the word of God is what other people say about it, where is the place of my own reception and understanding of what God wants me to be or do? Faith may be invisible, but the proof of its existence cannot be denied. I need God's word to be the sole director of my life, if I ever want to walk with and work for God the right way, and get the reward He has promised all who do His will to the end. God's time of favour is here. 

Honour!

Honour!

“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2‭-‬3 NIV

The Context and Focus:

Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, speaks on different topics and areas of interest for the one who wants to work for and walk with God. There is hardly any area of the Christian life and experience that the book of Ephesus does not cover. For today, the focus is on the family life. As you read the account of creation in Genesis, you get the clear impression that God's ideal of a society that works starts from the family that works. God is all-knowing, and in his wisdom, he laid out the framework for the family life that will bring Him joy. It would be ideal for me to learn what God's mind is on this matter, and then strive to pattern my life after it. If I do my own thing, or seek to go about it my own way, contrary to what God's will is, I cannot turn around and blame God for the consequences of my own decisions. Every one in the family, from the children, to the parents, and even those we refer to as servants, who may help in one form or the other, all have clear roles and responsibilities laid out by God. The best use of a life is to find out what its Creator has laid out as the right way, and to pursue after this purpose with single-minded devotion. 

The Message:

Everyone has a role. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord. Fathers are enjoined not to provoke their children to anger, but to bring then up in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Due to sin, man will not choose the right way by default, but first by total surrender to God, and then careful consideration and deliberate action, we can get it right. Everyone has a role to play; I cannot fold my hands, do nothing at all, and watch other family members play their part well, and then somehow assume that every one and everything will turn out well. The dictionary also defines honour as 'high respect; great esteem'. These are deep words. God expects me to give my parents high respect. They were the vehicles by which God chose to bring me into the world, and there is no lawsuit or emancipation measures that can change that fact. God gave rules and regulations to Moses on the Mount Sinai, and when you consider the popular 10 commandments, you find that after God had laid down the rules for men's engagement with Him, the next one is the command in today's verse about honouring parents.

The Conclusion:

If I know and call God my Father, I must know what he desires, and seek to do as He has commanded. If God is indeed my father, I cannot claim to love him and at the same time dishonour my earthly parents. Check out the promise that is linked to the command, and you will know that God means business. He ties long life and success to the honour of parents. You may think it odd, but closely tied to this command is also the law of sowing and reaping. God is not unjust; you cannot obey God's law and not live to see the fruit of your obedience. You cannot truly follow God's laws, and not have proof that it pays to obey God. Men must know that you serve and follow God. It is also a unique selling point that can be passed on to future generations, where I can teach my children by my own personal example of how I honoured my own parents, so they would also learn the same for their own present and future. This is how the right legacies are built, and how we lay the right foundations for where God wants us to be as His representatives. God is honoured ad a father, and I have a duty to deal the same way as my own earthly father, as well as anyone God has placed as a father figure in my life. God's time of favour is here.