MEMORY VERSE: therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new, 2
Corinthians 5:17.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 31, Ps 75-76, Isa 23, 1 Jn 1
We
all want something new in one area of our life of the other. Some want a
new name for example a single bro and sister becoming Mr and Mrs; a
student becoming a graduate; a failure becoming a success e.t.c. Some
just want to sing a new song. The children of Israel sang a song of
sorrow for over 400 years but after they crossed red the sea they sang a
song of Joy, Exodus 15:1-21. Some want a new beginning or a fresh start
or new walk in Christ for example all the woman caught in adultery
(John 8:1-11) wanted was a second chance or a fresh start. Others want a
new job, challenge, working environment, career e.t.c. We all want
something new either for ourselves or for someone close to us.
God
is still in the business of giving His children new things . The bible
records that He renews His mercies over my life every morning
(Lamentations 3:22-23), I believe He does the same for you too. The word
‘new’ suggests the existence of the word ‘old’. Without the ‘old’, you
cannot have the ‘new’. To have the ‘new’, there are one or two
conditions you need to satisfy. Firstly, to have the ‘new’ you must be
tired of the ‘old’. A change for the better only comes when you become
tired of your present situation or state of things. I heard the
testimony of a sister who lost the gift of speaking tongues. For several
years she prayed and prayed but nothing happened. One night she became
tired of her weak spiritual life and began to violently call on God;
within an hour she received this precious gift back.
Secondly, to
have the ‘new’ the ‘old’ must first pass away. For you to experience a
change that will bring the ‘new’, the ‘old’ must pass away - old
mentalities, old ways of doing things ; old beliefs ;old attitudes to
work and time e.t.c. A wise man once said if you keep doing what you are
doing, you will keep getting what you are getting. 2 Corinthians 5:17
says therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold all things are become new. If you have giving
your life to Christ and the people around you cannot notice any changes
in you then there is work to do. Once everything becomes new, people
around you will notice - your lecturers, managers, supervisors, parents’
e.t.c. A particular sister was making her way home from work when some
thugs approached her; they knelt down and asked her to pray for them.
Although this sister did not know them from Adam, these thugs saw
something different in the way this sister dressed and carried herself.
QUESTION: Can strangers just by observing you conclude that you are a born again Christian?
Monday 30 September 2013
Sunday 29 September 2013
MERCY REJOICETH AGAINST JUDGEMENT
MEMORY VERSE: for he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment, James 2:13.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 30, Ps 74, Isa 22, 2 Pet 3
The simple definition of mercy is not getting what you deserve for your sins or transgression. A classical example of mercy is found in John 8:1-11. A woman was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus Christ for judgment. This woman was guilty as charged, whether the Pharisees brought the man she was committing adultery with or not she was guilty and she deserved a horrible death – death by stoning. From the day Moses gave the law, anyone caught in adultery had been stone to death so this woman knew that her case wasn’t going to be an exception. Jesus looked at her and offered her a second chance. That day the mercy of the Lord rejoiced over His judgment. Another example is the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. The Lord says in Ezekiel 18:20 –the soul that sinneth, it shall die. For every sin we have committed we deserved a death penalty but Christ decided to die and instead of death penalty we received life.
We serve a God who is full of mercy. Lamentations 3:22 says it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. In other words we woke up this morning not because we are healthy but because of His mercies. From studying Jeremiah 42:12, we come to the conclusion that God needs to show you mercy first before men can you mercy. In other words His mercy precedes men’s mercy. One important point I want you to know is that God is not obliged to show mercy to everyone . He says in Exodus 33:19 , I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. This suggests that there are certain conditions we need to satisfy before we can expect God’s mercy. The first condition is we must fear the Lord. According to Psalm 103:11, just as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is God's mercy towards them that fear Him. Those who fear the Lord run from all appearances of evil. Proverbs 16:6 says by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 14:16 says a wise man fears the Lord and departs from evil.
The second condition is we must always show mercy. James 2:13 says for he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. God is only oblige to show mercy to those who are in the habit of showing mercy. Sometimes last year one of the staffs in my team did something that he should be sacked for right on the spot. The truth of the matter was it was unintentional, he did what he did with a noble intention but what he did was gross misconduct. To make matter worse it reflected badly on me as his supervisor but for a reason or the other I was not comfortable with the idea of sacking him partly because he was hard working. I prayed and I approached my manager and this staff was offered a second chance. Not too long after that I found myself in the same shoes. I investigated a matter sincerely and my findings where used against me. On technical grounds I should be sacked even without any hearing despite the volume of evidence against me. I had no one to appeal on my behalf but I had Jesus who could show mercy. Today I still have my job. The mercy of the Lord rejoiced against the judgment at the hearing.
PRAYER POINTS: Father as I show mercy please show me your mercy too.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 30, Ps 74, Isa 22, 2 Pet 3
The simple definition of mercy is not getting what you deserve for your sins or transgression. A classical example of mercy is found in John 8:1-11. A woman was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus Christ for judgment. This woman was guilty as charged, whether the Pharisees brought the man she was committing adultery with or not she was guilty and she deserved a horrible death – death by stoning. From the day Moses gave the law, anyone caught in adultery had been stone to death so this woman knew that her case wasn’t going to be an exception. Jesus looked at her and offered her a second chance. That day the mercy of the Lord rejoiced over His judgment. Another example is the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. The Lord says in Ezekiel 18:20 –the soul that sinneth, it shall die. For every sin we have committed we deserved a death penalty but Christ decided to die and instead of death penalty we received life.
We serve a God who is full of mercy. Lamentations 3:22 says it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. In other words we woke up this morning not because we are healthy but because of His mercies. From studying Jeremiah 42:12, we come to the conclusion that God needs to show you mercy first before men can you mercy. In other words His mercy precedes men’s mercy. One important point I want you to know is that God is not obliged to show mercy to everyone . He says in Exodus 33:19 , I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. This suggests that there are certain conditions we need to satisfy before we can expect God’s mercy. The first condition is we must fear the Lord. According to Psalm 103:11, just as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is God's mercy towards them that fear Him. Those who fear the Lord run from all appearances of evil. Proverbs 16:6 says by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 14:16 says a wise man fears the Lord and departs from evil.
The second condition is we must always show mercy. James 2:13 says for he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. God is only oblige to show mercy to those who are in the habit of showing mercy. Sometimes last year one of the staffs in my team did something that he should be sacked for right on the spot. The truth of the matter was it was unintentional, he did what he did with a noble intention but what he did was gross misconduct. To make matter worse it reflected badly on me as his supervisor but for a reason or the other I was not comfortable with the idea of sacking him partly because he was hard working. I prayed and I approached my manager and this staff was offered a second chance. Not too long after that I found myself in the same shoes. I investigated a matter sincerely and my findings where used against me. On technical grounds I should be sacked even without any hearing despite the volume of evidence against me. I had no one to appeal on my behalf but I had Jesus who could show mercy. Today I still have my job. The mercy of the Lord rejoiced against the judgment at the hearing.
PRAYER POINTS: Father as I show mercy please show me your mercy too.
Saturday 28 September 2013
MAKING IT UP
MEMORY VERSE: lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, Colossians 3:9.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 29, Ps 73, Isa 21, 2 Pet 2
A lie is a lie no matter how you paint it. As far as it is void of the truth, it is a lie. There is nothing called half truth, it is either a lie or the truth. No matter how you phrase it or put it, as far as it is not the whole truth it is a lie. If there is a tiny bit of a lie in a story, the whole story is a lie. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. One aspect of lying is making things up i.e. when something is not there and you say it is there, it is a lie. No liar will make heaven. Why? According to John 8:44 the devil is the father of lies or liars and no child of the devil will be permitted in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 says a lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight.
When we talk of making things up, it does not necessarily have to be telling a lie. There are many who without opening their mouth make things up. All they need to do with their pen is add two extra zeros and 500 becomes 50000. Another example is found in many CV’s today. People want to sell themselves to their prospective employers so they begin to come up with experiences they do not have or funny references. If it is not true then it is a lie! There are some who are still living a life of lies. An example of this is acting holy. Holiness is not an act but a lifestyle. You can fool men into believing anything but you cannot fool God who sees inside and out. To be pure outside you need to be inside first. This is why the holy word of God says that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8.
There are many who who make things up with their actions.There many today who dye their hair immediately they begin to notice grey hair coming out. Whether you believe it or not this is a form of lie. You give people an impression that your hair is dark when it is actually grey! One of the biggest lie in the church of God today is the use of make-up. As the name implies you are making things up i.e. you are making something that is not there appears as if it is there. This is all what ‘make up’ is all about; giving people false impression. As brothers you should not be attracted to ‘make-up’ but character, besides what is the point of engaging with someone who is not sincere with basic things like the length of her hair or her nails. It is better to know that a sister has pimples before marriage than to find out next morning after marriage when the ‘make-up’ is all gone. Sisters be wary of a brother who wants you make-up first before he falls in love with you. The reason why he wants you to make-up first is because he does not like the real you and honestly immediately that make-up goes off that brother will run away. Sisters be careful of a brother who loves to be told a lie because such brother do not value the truth and the chances are he will tell you a lie.
KEYWORD: A lie is a lie regardless of who is saying it and how it is presented.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 29, Ps 73, Isa 21, 2 Pet 2
A lie is a lie no matter how you paint it. As far as it is void of the truth, it is a lie. There is nothing called half truth, it is either a lie or the truth. No matter how you phrase it or put it, as far as it is not the whole truth it is a lie. If there is a tiny bit of a lie in a story, the whole story is a lie. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. One aspect of lying is making things up i.e. when something is not there and you say it is there, it is a lie. No liar will make heaven. Why? According to John 8:44 the devil is the father of lies or liars and no child of the devil will be permitted in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 says a lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight.
When we talk of making things up, it does not necessarily have to be telling a lie. There are many who without opening their mouth make things up. All they need to do with their pen is add two extra zeros and 500 becomes 50000. Another example is found in many CV’s today. People want to sell themselves to their prospective employers so they begin to come up with experiences they do not have or funny references. If it is not true then it is a lie! There are some who are still living a life of lies. An example of this is acting holy. Holiness is not an act but a lifestyle. You can fool men into believing anything but you cannot fool God who sees inside and out. To be pure outside you need to be inside first. This is why the holy word of God says that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8.
There are many who who make things up with their actions.There many today who dye their hair immediately they begin to notice grey hair coming out. Whether you believe it or not this is a form of lie. You give people an impression that your hair is dark when it is actually grey! One of the biggest lie in the church of God today is the use of make-up. As the name implies you are making things up i.e. you are making something that is not there appears as if it is there. This is all what ‘make up’ is all about; giving people false impression. As brothers you should not be attracted to ‘make-up’ but character, besides what is the point of engaging with someone who is not sincere with basic things like the length of her hair or her nails. It is better to know that a sister has pimples before marriage than to find out next morning after marriage when the ‘make-up’ is all gone. Sisters be wary of a brother who wants you make-up first before he falls in love with you. The reason why he wants you to make-up first is because he does not like the real you and honestly immediately that make-up goes off that brother will run away. Sisters be careful of a brother who loves to be told a lie because such brother do not value the truth and the chances are he will tell you a lie.
KEYWORD: A lie is a lie regardless of who is saying it and how it is presented.
Thursday 26 September 2013
MAKING IT UP
MEMORY VERSE: lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, Colossians 3:9.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 29, Ps 73, Isa 21, 2 Pet 2
A lie is a lie no matter how you paint it. As far as it is void of the truth, it is a lie. There is nothing called half truth, it is either a lie or the truth. No matter how you phrase it or put it, as far as it is not the whole truth it is a lie. If there is a tiny bit of a lie in a story, the whole story is a lie. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. One aspect of lying is making things up i.e. when something is not there and you say it is there, it is a lie. No liar will make heaven. Why? According to John 8:44 the devil is the father of lies or liars and no child of the devil will be permitted in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 says a lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight.
When we talk of making things up, it does not necessarily have to be telling a lie. There are many who without opening their mouth make things up. All they need to do with their pen is add two extra zeros and 500 becomes 50000. Another example is found in many CV’s today. People want to sell themselves to their prospective employers so they begin to come up with experiences they do not have or funny references. If it is not true then it is a lie! There are some who are still living a life of lies. An example of this is acting holy. Holiness is not an act but a lifestyle. You can fool men into believing anything but you cannot fool God who sees inside and out. To be pure outside you need to be inside first. This is why the holy word of God says that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8.
There are many who who make things up with their actions.There many today who dye their hair immediately they begin to notice grey hair coming out. Whether you believe it or not this is a form of lie. You give people an impression that your hair is dark when it is actually grey! One of the biggest lie in the church of God today is the use of make-up. As the name implies you are making things up i.e. you are making something that is not there appears as if it is there. This is all what ‘make up’ is all about; giving people false impression. As brothers you should not be attracted to ‘make-up’ but character, besides what is the point of engaging with someone who is not sincere with basic things like the length of her hair or her nails. It is better to know that a sister has pimples before marriage than to find out next morning after marriage when the ‘make-up’ is all gone. Sisters be wary of a brother who wants you make-up first before he falls in love with you. The reason why he wants you to make-up first is because he does not like the real you and honestly immediately that make-up goes off that brother will run away. Sisters be careful of a brother who loves to be told a lie because such brother do not value the truth and the chances are he will tell you a lie.
KEYWORD: A lie is a lie regardless of who is saying it and how it is presented.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 29, Ps 73, Isa 21, 2 Pet 2
A lie is a lie no matter how you paint it. As far as it is void of the truth, it is a lie. There is nothing called half truth, it is either a lie or the truth. No matter how you phrase it or put it, as far as it is not the whole truth it is a lie. If there is a tiny bit of a lie in a story, the whole story is a lie. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. One aspect of lying is making things up i.e. when something is not there and you say it is there, it is a lie. No liar will make heaven. Why? According to John 8:44 the devil is the father of lies or liars and no child of the devil will be permitted in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 says a lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight.
When we talk of making things up, it does not necessarily have to be telling a lie. There are many who without opening their mouth make things up. All they need to do with their pen is add two extra zeros and 500 becomes 50000. Another example is found in many CV’s today. People want to sell themselves to their prospective employers so they begin to come up with experiences they do not have or funny references. If it is not true then it is a lie! There are some who are still living a life of lies. An example of this is acting holy. Holiness is not an act but a lifestyle. You can fool men into believing anything but you cannot fool God who sees inside and out. To be pure outside you need to be inside first. This is why the holy word of God says that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8.
There are many who who make things up with their actions.There many today who dye their hair immediately they begin to notice grey hair coming out. Whether you believe it or not this is a form of lie. You give people an impression that your hair is dark when it is actually grey! One of the biggest lie in the church of God today is the use of make-up. As the name implies you are making things up i.e. you are making something that is not there appears as if it is there. This is all what ‘make up’ is all about; giving people false impression. As brothers you should not be attracted to ‘make-up’ but character, besides what is the point of engaging with someone who is not sincere with basic things like the length of her hair or her nails. It is better to know that a sister has pimples before marriage than to find out next morning after marriage when the ‘make-up’ is all gone. Sisters be wary of a brother who wants you make-up first before he falls in love with you. The reason why he wants you to make-up first is because he does not like the real you and honestly immediately that make-up goes off that brother will run away. Sisters be careful of a brother who loves to be told a lie because such brother do not value the truth and the chances are he will tell you a lie.
KEYWORD: A lie is a lie regardless of who is saying it and how it is presented.
Tuesday 24 September 2013
WHAT TO DO AFTER THE SNARE HAS BEEN BROKEN
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 28, Ps 72, Isa 19- 20, 1 Pet 5
MEMORY VERSE: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the
Snare is broken, and we are escaped, Psalm 124:7.
What is a snare, a snare is a form of trap for catching birds. There are two main purposes of a snare, 1) to catch a bird and 2) to keep it in the same position for as long as possible. An example of a snare is lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge is power, what you know can save your life and what you don’t know can destroy you. Fizzy drinks or soft drinks are responsible for at least 200,000 deaths a year worldwide. Many destinies have been cut short as a result of fizzy drink consumption; I pray you that fizzy drink will not cut your life short in Jesus name, Amen. The main cause of most headaches and high body temperature is lack of water. There are many who have replace water with soft drinks, even after eating they take soft drinks. The way to good health is drink water more. Every system in your body depends on water.
We also have spiritual snares. An example of a spiritual snare is sin. According to Jeremiah 5:25 sin withholds good things from an individual. Isaiah 59:1-2 says the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear. Another example of a spiritual snare is tormentors. Tormentors like fear, bitterness e.t.c. are functions of unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35). Failure to forgive leads to a season with tormentors. Our tongue can also be a snare if we refuse to use them properly. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
A snare is broken through the Holy word of God. The word of God can be likened to a fire that consumes and a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29).
The snare of sin is broken by meditating on God’s word. Psalm 119:11 says thy word I have hid in mine hear, that I may not sin against you. For that snare in your life to be broken you need to dedicate time to studying the Holy word of God. Psalm 124:7 says our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the Snare is broken, and we are escaped. After the snare has been broken, what do you do next? You escape. To escape means to run away from the snare. The reason why many are still in bondage today is not because the Lord has not broken the snare; it is because they remain in the snare after the Lord has broken the snare through His holy word. The Lord has broken the snare of tormentors in many lives by asking them to forgive, instead of escaping i.e. forgive those who have wronged them they refuse and remain in the snare.
PRAYER POINT: Father, as you break the snares in my life through your Holy word please help me to escape too.
MEMORY VERSE: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the
Snare is broken, and we are escaped, Psalm 124:7.
What is a snare, a snare is a form of trap for catching birds. There are two main purposes of a snare, 1) to catch a bird and 2) to keep it in the same position for as long as possible. An example of a snare is lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge is power, what you know can save your life and what you don’t know can destroy you. Fizzy drinks or soft drinks are responsible for at least 200,000 deaths a year worldwide. Many destinies have been cut short as a result of fizzy drink consumption; I pray you that fizzy drink will not cut your life short in Jesus name, Amen. The main cause of most headaches and high body temperature is lack of water. There are many who have replace water with soft drinks, even after eating they take soft drinks. The way to good health is drink water more. Every system in your body depends on water.
We also have spiritual snares. An example of a spiritual snare is sin. According to Jeremiah 5:25 sin withholds good things from an individual. Isaiah 59:1-2 says the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear. Another example of a spiritual snare is tormentors. Tormentors like fear, bitterness e.t.c. are functions of unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35). Failure to forgive leads to a season with tormentors. Our tongue can also be a snare if we refuse to use them properly. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
A snare is broken through the Holy word of God. The word of God can be likened to a fire that consumes and a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29).
The snare of sin is broken by meditating on God’s word. Psalm 119:11 says thy word I have hid in mine hear, that I may not sin against you. For that snare in your life to be broken you need to dedicate time to studying the Holy word of God. Psalm 124:7 says our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the Snare is broken, and we are escaped. After the snare has been broken, what do you do next? You escape. To escape means to run away from the snare. The reason why many are still in bondage today is not because the Lord has not broken the snare; it is because they remain in the snare after the Lord has broken the snare through His holy word. The Lord has broken the snare of tormentors in many lives by asking them to forgive, instead of escaping i.e. forgive those who have wronged them they refuse and remain in the snare.
PRAYER POINT: Father, as you break the snares in my life through your Holy word please help me to escape too.
Monday 23 September 2013
HOW TO REMAIN HEAVEN CONSCIOUS
MEMORY VERSE: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, Matthew 6:21
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 27, Ps 70-71, Isa 17-18, 1 Pet 5
The single and the most important goal of every believer must be to make heaven. Whether you believe it or not heaven and hell are real. All other goals are secondary. Matthew 16:26 says for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The only way to achieve this goal is by living holy. You are also expected to focus on this goal or else one might get carried away and lose his salvation. To focus on this goal, you need to be heaven conscious at all times. Not only that you need to live your life as someone who is expecting the second coming of Christ. The chances of achieving a goal you do not think of every day is very slim.
A fellow who is heaven conscious will live in peace with everyone. Hebrews 12:14 says follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. A brother who is heaven conscious will not rob God in tithes because no thief will be allowed in heaven. The main reason why many are not heaven conscious today is because they have no treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:21 says where your treasure is, there will you heart also be. What are treasures? They are those things which we value most like our resources – time, money, energy e.t.c. Where you channel these resources to, there will your heart be also. The reason why you hardly hear anyone talk about heaven is because their heart is not there. As our memory verse suggests, their heart is not there because they have stored their treasures somewhere else.
There are mansions, palaces, sky scrapers in heaven. John 14:2 says in my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Every resource you channel to the things of the kingdom of God is converted to materials that are used in building your heavenly homes. Every time you evangelize, work in the vine yard of God, do follow up or feed the poor and needy, the angels covert these efforts into materials used in building your homes. This is why every believer must be found doing something for Christ. The key to becoming heaven conscious is start channeling your resources to things of the kingdom e.g. evangelism, feeding the poor, taking care of the widow e.t.c. It will be a shame for a brother to have a house on earth and not have home in heaven.
ACTION POINT: Commit to building your heavenly homes now because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 27, Ps 70-71, Isa 17-18, 1 Pet 5
The single and the most important goal of every believer must be to make heaven. Whether you believe it or not heaven and hell are real. All other goals are secondary. Matthew 16:26 says for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The only way to achieve this goal is by living holy. You are also expected to focus on this goal or else one might get carried away and lose his salvation. To focus on this goal, you need to be heaven conscious at all times. Not only that you need to live your life as someone who is expecting the second coming of Christ. The chances of achieving a goal you do not think of every day is very slim.
A fellow who is heaven conscious will live in peace with everyone. Hebrews 12:14 says follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. A brother who is heaven conscious will not rob God in tithes because no thief will be allowed in heaven. The main reason why many are not heaven conscious today is because they have no treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:21 says where your treasure is, there will you heart also be. What are treasures? They are those things which we value most like our resources – time, money, energy e.t.c. Where you channel these resources to, there will your heart be also. The reason why you hardly hear anyone talk about heaven is because their heart is not there. As our memory verse suggests, their heart is not there because they have stored their treasures somewhere else.
There are mansions, palaces, sky scrapers in heaven. John 14:2 says in my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Every resource you channel to the things of the kingdom of God is converted to materials that are used in building your heavenly homes. Every time you evangelize, work in the vine yard of God, do follow up or feed the poor and needy, the angels covert these efforts into materials used in building your homes. This is why every believer must be found doing something for Christ. The key to becoming heaven conscious is start channeling your resources to things of the kingdom e.g. evangelism, feeding the poor, taking care of the widow e.t.c. It will be a shame for a brother to have a house on earth and not have home in heaven.
ACTION POINT: Commit to building your heavenly homes now because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Sunday 22 September 2013
PRICE OF LATENESS
MEMORY VERSE: redeeming the time, because the days are evil, Ephesians 5:16
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 26, Ps 69, Isa 16, 1 Pet 4
BIBLE STUDIES: John 5:1-9
It pays to do things early. It pays to always get to appointments early. I know a fellow who once got a job for coming early to an interview. Although he could not provide the correct answers for virtually all the interview questions, he still got the job because of his commitment and dedication. The interviewer was impressed by his time keeping ; this fellow arrived an hour early despite the fact that he came from a far distance. He found favor as a result of arriving this. Because of his good time keeping and attitude to work, within six months he was made a supervisor.
There are people who are habitually late to everything. They are never on time and this is not too good. What this people don’t know is that, no one takes a late comer serious. It does not matter how hard working a fellow is if he has problem with time keeping, getting a promotion at work would be difficult. Just as arriving early for appointments brings you in favor with the people you are meeting, arriving late at times brings disfavor. Such was the case of the man at the pool of Bethesda. Every time the angel of the Lord came to trouble/stir the water, he would get to the pool late. This man did not record any progress (i.e. remained at the same position) for thirty eight years because he kept arriving at the pool late. Thank God for mercy. Jesus attended the pool and healed him.
Ephesians 5:16 says redeeming the time, because the days are evil. The only way to redeem time is by working against time; it is by doing things early. There are a lot of people who dare not go to work late; but when it comes to church services they go at any time they want. This is not too good. If you do not leave work at any time you want, why leave the church during the service? Not too long ago, I told you of how the Holy Spirit led me to go and bless a church with food stuffs on a Palm Sunday. The time of service at this church coincides with the time of service at my church, so I had to get to this church early to deliver the item and make my way to my church. When I got to the church, the pastor was already there. If the pastor had come late to church that Sunday, the whole church would have missed the blessings God sent to them and the children would have gone home without their Easter eggs.
KEY WORD: Arriving at appointments early brings favor. Arriving at appointments late reveals lack of commitment.
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