The Heavens declare your Glory

Bible Text: Psalm 19:1-4 

When we read about planets, stars, galaxies and other objects in outer space we discover how amazing these things are. Even when we narrow down to just our solar system we hear of planets, moons, comets, asteroids orbiting round the sun. All these wonderful objects are the handiwork of a Great God.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)


God's amazing power and divine nature is revealed in nature. In the case of Job when God set the records straight that He is God, he established the fact of being the sole author of the wonders of creation. "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set ? or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7) 

This revelation of God in nature, should set our hearts at peace that we serve a Great God. Our minds cannot fathom how Great our God is. Therefore our attitude towards life should be different. If indeed we are children and heirs of the Most High God, we should not let circumstances move us. We should only be moved by the Word of God. (Romans 8:17) 

We should be ambassadors of this Great God, telling the whole world of the wonders of his hands. 

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Psalm 96:1-3)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. You are Indescribable, Uncontainable, You are amazing God. Reveal the wonders of your hands in my life today.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

If God be for us

Bible Text: Romans 8:31

The passage If God be for us, who can be against us? seems to imply a trouble-free and opposition-free life. This is not the case.

David was just a young boy, with expertise in tending sheep and guarding them against predators.

The lion and bear,that came to attack his sheep, David killed. Such a brave young man he was. God was with David. In spite of this, here was Goliath threatening the existence of David's people. A 9 and a half feet problem.

This however did not put fear in David. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26). David exercised God-confidence. This confidence was as a result of knowing who his God is. But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jeremiah 10:12). Our God is greater than any other. 

Goliath was nothing compared to the Lord of Hosts. Through a fellowship with God we will get to know him and exercise a similar  God-confidence to that of the young boy David. "For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you." (Isaiah 64:3)

 In the face of adversity we will pick up our 5 stones and our sling, march towards our Goliath, lock our target and fire. Yes! We are more than conquerors. Through our life here on earth, we will face opposition and adversities, but If God be for us, who can be against us?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I will not fear because you are with me always.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Living Sacrifices

Bible Text: Romans 12:1

Through Christ's unique and complete sacrifice on the cross of calvary, we have been set free from sin and have been reconciled with God. In this process we have become new creatures, the old has passed away. "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)

In accordance with this transformation we are called to live a life set apart for God. We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. We do not need to offer lambs and doves as sacrifices, Christ's sacrifice has totally secured our salvation. Rather we are called to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.

To offer ourselves means to offer our every being. What we hear, what we say ,what we do and what we see entails this sacrifice. We must make a conscious effort to live for God.  "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1). We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds through God's Word and must not conform to the way of life of the world. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2)

Why does God demand this sacrifice from us? This first and foremost allows us to offer our true worship to God. Worship should not be seen as a sunday affair but a total and continuous sacrifice of our thoughts, speech and actions to God. This leads to the second point. When we do the above we are able to know God's will for our lives and live according. Thirdly, we are able to draw people to God. Our unique way of doing things according to God's will, will serve as a witnessing tool to the unbeliever. "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:12)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Accept my daily sacrifice to you even as a I offer my life to you as a living sacrifice.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Jesus breaks every chain

Bible Text: Psalm 107:13-16

When we watch a documentary and see pictures of the slave trade Era, we see men and women with chains on both hands and feet and another chaining them together. In these conditions they have no will. They do the will of their masters; obeying every command.

Although presently we are not physically chained down, our sinful nature enslaves us. Diseases that do not seem to go away chain us down and prevent us from living a normal life. In the case of addictions, we face withdrawal symptoms when we make a decision to put a stop to the act. Our own body fights itself.

The demon possessed man at the tomb, was however unable to be physically chained, but he was bound by the impure spirit that dwelled in him. This man could not live a normal life. He could not wear clothes or live in a house, his home was the tomb; a very unusual place to be. According to Paul he could not do what he wanted to do. "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. " (Romans 7:19)

The good news is that Jesus breaks every chain and he did this through his sacrifice on the cross of calvary. In Isaiah we see this proclamation, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;" (Isaiah 61:1)

Jesus can and will break every chain that binds us. When Jesus sets you free you are free indeed. Addictions, limitations, diseases, problems, all these chains and more will be broken in the name of Jesus.  "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."  (John 8:36)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Break every chain in my life. Come and set me free.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Jesus Cares

Bible Text: 1 Peter 5:7

The Oxford Dictionary defines care as "The provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something."
A good example could be that parents are the primary care givers of a child. Provisions of clothing, food, shelter and other necessary things are the responsibility of parents. 

We all need to be cared for, otherwise how can we survive here on earth. In John 3:16 we see a higher level of care borne out of love for humanity. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". We needed to be saved, we were bound to eternal death through sin. God demonstrated his care through Jesus, the lamb of God, who took away our sins.

In John 11:17-37, we also see how Jesus demonstrated his care for Lazarus and his sisters. Upon arriving in Bethany, and seeing the sorrow and pain that lazarus' sisters and the sympathisers were in, He was deeply moved in Spirit and troubled. Jesus cared that Lazarus had died, Jesus cared that Mary and Martha were devastated from the death of their brother and he demonstrated his care by bringing Lazarus back to life.

We need to cast our burdens on Jesus, because he cares for us. When we anchor our hope in Jesus, believing in Him and obeying his commandments, we are sure that he will lift our burdens. 

The ultimate care Jesus showed for us was on the cross of calvary and he is more than able to lift all your burdens.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8)  

Jesus loves you and cares for you. All he asks is for you to cast your burden on Him, if he gave his life for you , what more can he not do for you? 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Thank you for the love you have towards me that you came and died for my sins. Help me to cast my burdens on you because you said "I care". 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

God is our very present help in trouble

Bible Text: Daniel 3

Many would think that once saved we will not face any problems. This is not so. As long as we have chosen Christ over the devil, there would be trouble. Yes! "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." 
(Psalm 34:19)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, had set themselves apart for God. This attracted much hatred and their enemies cooked up a plan to bring about the downfall of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

 The Hebrew boys were in trouble. Their enemies had brought to the attention of King Nebuchadnezzar that the Hebrew boys were not bowing down to the golden image but were rather serving other gods.They were eventually thrown into the blazing furnace, set to seven times higher temperature, after refusing to bow down to the golden image even in the presence of the King. 

All things were working for their good. A promotion awaited Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego, but they had to pass through the fiery furnace. The fiery furnace situation may not be literal in our present time. The fire may come in terms of hardship and difficult situations that overwhelm us. But there was a fourth person in that fire. The Son of God. 

King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished at the sight of a fourth person in the furnace. The fire that had killed even those who had bound and thrown the Hebrew boys in the fire, did no harm to Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego, neither their hair, body or robes were harmed. Not even a smell of fire was on them!

King Nebuchadnezzar had seen the act of the outstretched arm of God. "and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment." (Exodus 6:6). The King praised God for the mighty act he had performed and promoted the Hebrews boys.

God promises to save us. He is our refuge and strength and an ever present help in trouble.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Come to my rescue and save me out of my fiery furnace. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Seek first the Kingdom of God

Bible Text: Matthew 6:33

Delicious Food, Lovely houses, Latest clothes, Fast Cars, Latest Hairstyles, Latest Phones, - all these are good things to desire. We are humans, we need these and more to survive, but are these the first and foremost things we should think of. Jesus in Matthew 6:33 answers this question to set the record straight. God knows what we need to survive and He promises to provide but He says Seek First The Kingdom of God.

To seek God's kingdom first means to put God as our top priority. God should be number 1 in all things. We put God first when we live according to His commandments, doing all things to please our Heavenly Father. We should seek to know God more. Through Bible study and keeping a continuous communication link with God through prayer.


 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; 


To seek God's kingdom first means to take care of the kingdom business. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). We are to win souls for Christ. Our way of life, our speech, our thoughts should reflect Christ and in effect draw people to God. When we take care of God's business; winning souls to His Kingdom, He promises to take care of our own business. 

Seeking God's kingdom also means to live here on earth as strangers, we should not love the world. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. (1 John 2:15). Our aim in life should not be to amass wealth and in the process get carried away and distracted from the kingdom of God. Our sole aim is to live a life that pleases God.

We are on a journey to heaven, this world is not our home. Keeping this commandment of seeking God's kingdom first will keep us on track. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me to put you first, to win souls for God's kingdom and to live a life that pleases you.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

It's all working for your good

Bible Text: Genesis 37

He had dreams of great things to come. As young as he was he shared this dream to his brothers and father. Jealousy filled the hearts of his brothers, instead of rejoicing with him, they were burning with hatred.

When the right opportunity showed itself, they did not hesitate to get rid of him. To them they had successfully terminated this dream.

Joseph went from being a beloved son to a slave, and then to Potiphar's house where he faced more misfortune. Upon refusing the offer of Potiphar's wife to sleep with her, and being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife of attempted rape, his new home were the walls of the prison.

All this while God was intensional. He was placing Joseph at the right place, at the right time for the appointed time of his dream to be brought to fruition. All things worked together for Joseph. The betrayal from his brothers, his time as slave and then as a prisoner, all was working for his good.

When nothing seems to go right in our lives, we tend to feel hopeless. The ups and downs, closed doors, disappointments, failed marriage, failing career, broken relationships blinds us and makes us forget who we are, children of the Most High God and that we share an inheritance with God himself. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17) 

We are the apple of God's eyes. He who did not spare his own Son but offered him as a sacrifice for our salvation, how much more will he not give us every good thing. 

What we see as a mess, God sees it as an opportunity to show his glory in our lives


 Jeremiah 29:11 states that "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  God can and will use all broken things to bring about perfection in your life. Joseph knew who he was in God and he knew that the one who had promised is more than able to perform. (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  Joseph's transformation was a Divine Transformation. All things had turned in his favour, from being a slave and a prisoner to the next in command to Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:41). What can't God do for you?

Put your trust in God and be careful to obey all His commands, and all things will work together for your good. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28)

The pain is working for your good, the trials for your good, the disappointments for your good!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Thank you for loving me and making all things work for my good.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

God protects His children

Bible Text: Psalm 91

Security details are often assigned to individuals who hold high positions in society. Their lives are of great value and their death or capture may cause irreparable damage. It is the same with we believers. We are God's chosen people, precious in His sight.

This Psalm is full of God's promises of protection for His children . "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High". (v1)

In verse 3 God promises to save us from the trap set for us even as the fowl (bird) escapes from the trap set for it. We see in Psalm 35 the vivid explanation of traps set to destroy God's people and God's saving power in play to rescue us.  "For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. 8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall." (Psalm 34:7-8)

The believer's life is never trouble-free. We often think as Christ saved us all will be rosy. All will not be rosy and trouble-free but the good news is that God is in control, working it all for our good. Verse 3-11 outlines the ways in which God will come through for us, A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.(VS 7) 

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.( VS 11-12)

God promises to rescue us from our troubles because we love Him. We who have made the Most High our refuge are assured of 24/7 Angelic Security detail. Thats Awesome! God Himself is watching to rescue us. 

We are special people and should not let live's ups and downs cause us to forget how precious we are to our God. He knows us by name before we were in our mother's womb. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Thank you for the love you have towards me that you came and died for my sins, and you continue to keep me and protect me under your wings. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Do not conform to the pattern of this World

Bible Text: Romans 12:2

Prior to Christ's sacrifice for our redemption we were slaves to sin, doomed to eternal destruction. Upon receiving our freedom we are now new creatures, called to live a life set apart for God.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)

We who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus need to be transformed through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We have to submit our every being to the Holy Spirit. This transformation is necessary because through redemption we are no longer citizens of this world but citizens of heaven.

Satan who is the prince of this world no longer has power over us (John 12:31). We are therefore not to conform to the pattern of this world. In 1 John 2:15 we are called not to love the world. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them."  (1 John 2:15)  There may be an irony where we are living in this world but are asked not to love the world. The world here does not mean planet earth but it stands for the "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." (1 John 2:16). Anything that does not give glory to God in heaven should not be seen in us. 

This world is not our home. Jesus is preparing a place for us. We are to live here on earth as strangers, passing through to a better place that awaits us. "Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17 ) 

When we live lives consecrated to God, it is then that we can know his will for our lives and live according to it. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me to live a life that pleases you. Let me be the light of the world even as I do not conform to the pattern of this world. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Pray without ceasing

Bible Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer is a communication between us and God. It is essential to always maintain this communication flow, where we speak and also listen to God speak. 

The call to pray without ceasing is one of utmost importance. God is ever ready to hear from us. Praying without ceasing means maintaining a constant link with God. Whether in good times or bad times we are called to pray. 

Our persistence in prayer is a great mark of how we do not cease in prayer. As stated in Luke 18:1-8, we are always to pray without losing heart. The persistent widow received her answer because she did not cease in prayer. "And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversaries". 


 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 


This attitude towards prayer can only come about when we believe that we will receive from God what we ask according to his will. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24).

In the book of James we are told to ask and not doubt, when we apply faith to prayer we put our confidence in God. In the contrary when we doubt God we are double minded and will not receive anything from him. 

Persistence in prayer builds our confidence in God. It helps to grow our faith and allows us to always be rejoicing because we trust that God has it all under control.  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me to persist in prayer and not lose heart. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Slaves to Righteousness

Bible Text: Romans 6:1-14

We may have heard on so many occassions that Christ came to die to bring us salvation. We may not understand fully the implications of this act that occurred 2000 years ago. This causes us to take this for granted. Basically we may not currently be subject to direct slavery, where we do not live for ourselves but are subject to every wish of our master.

Being a slave to anything or anyone takes away the happiness and true fulfilment of life itself. Here we were, slaves to sin. Prior to Christ's sacrificial act we were doomed to hell, for we had all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Sin had entered the world through Adam and we were all sinners through this disobedient act in the garden of Eden.  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).

The animal sacrifices offered in the Old Testament were a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice Christ was to offer and were not sufficient for our total redemption. Jesus offered himself once and for all and set us free from the power of sin as stated in John 8:36 "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." We who were once slaves to sin, condemned to death, are now totally and absolutely free.

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

What then does this mean? This means that we have power over sin. Yes! We are now new creatures called to live and enjoy this new life, and rather be slaves to Righteousness. We are to take a stand against sin and choose to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We are no longer slaves to sin, the Son has indeed set us free. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Thank you for the price you paid for my freedom on the cross of Calvary. Help me to stand firm in you.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!