COMMITMENT OF A CHRISTIAN (1Peter 3:13-17)

by:  Bro. Kevin Lee De Guzman

Growing up in a Christian family, I experienced persecution first hand during primaryschool for having a “weird” religion and in the church for being an“irresponsible” pastor’s kid. I was bullied at school for not having the RomanCatholic belief like everyone else. My classmates were making fun of me fordoing extreme worship of the Lord. For them raising your hands and singingloudly for God is extreme worship. On the other hand, church elders frown everytime they see me not lifting my hands high enough or singing loud enough duringpraise and worship.

Christ Himself was persecuted for bringing the good news. From then, all of His followers, from His disciples up to the present Christians have been experiencing the same. During Peter and Paul’s time, the persecutors were a bit harsh compared to present day persecutors. Thank God that nowadays; we don’thave to risk being fed to lions or being burned alive when we proclaim our faith in Christ. Although the experience may vary in ways and severity, the point is that every Christian has experienced persecution.

Commitment of a Christian is a theme that covers a wide span of topics, but we would befocusing on the areas of enduring and defending our faith. The first epistle o fSt. Peter was written during the reign of Roman Empire, the time when Jewish Christians were being brutally tortured and killed for believing in Christ.

A life that is committed to Christ involves three things:


1.     A life that is committed to Christ involvessuffering for the right cause.

1 Peter 3:13-17 NKJV


13 And who is he who will harmyou if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if youshould suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid oftheir threats, nor be troubled.

Peter tells them “There is a great possibility that you will suffer- but even if youshould suffer- for righteousness sake- you are blessed.” Because we arefollowers of Christ we are protected from harm, but because suffering isinevitable, as long as we are in righteousness, we are blessed.

We are living in an era where we can freely embrace and proclaim our faith inChrist unlike centuries ago when Christians have to suffer severely, even to the point of losing their lives. Even so, suffering to the extent that your life is taken away from you does not take away the blessedness but evenpromotes it. It only justifies God’s comfort to those who follows Him. A good example was the peace that was exhorted by Christians while being burned alive.Instead of anguish and horrific screams, which the Romans were expecting, they heard songs of praises for the Lord.

We should always remember that suffering does not make you a martyr, but the causeof which you die does. Being born in this era, we need not have to endure as much as the Christians in Peter or Paul’s time did. Many Christians of today have become soft and weak not because of lack of suffering but because some of us forgot the reason for such instances.

2.    A life that is committed to Christ puts Him in His rightful place.

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 

“Sanctify”coming from the Greek word Hagiasate whichmeans “separate from a profane to a sacred purpose.” Heart from the Greek wordKardia which means “the seat of emotional and intellectual life.” Sanctifyingthe Lord in our heart means giving Him His rightful place in our lives. Ouractions, emotions, the way we think will all be based on His’.  In medicine, the heart sustains life in anindividual. It pumps blood so that the oxygen and nourishment will reach everyinch of our body. Putting Him in our heart means letting Him in, in every inchor aspect of our life.


3.    A life that is committed to Christ is always ready to make a defense for theright reason at the right time to the right person.

…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you asevildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

“Be ready” which in its original Greek word means being fit. Like being fit for the job.  Like aword class body builder, one must continue with rigorous training to maintain his physique. Without continues training, the once perfect sculptured body will fade and shrink. As Christians, our commitment doesn’t end after we receive salvation. It marks the beginning of a lifetime commitment of learning. Theresponsibility of spreading the word of God or defend our faith are not just for specialists and pastors, but for the church.

“To make a defense” is not synonymous to “to make a debate.” We should be able todetermine the right time and the right person to answer to. Giving the rightanswer at the right time to the wrong person is still wrong. To whom we should answer?We should answer to those people who are asking or intrigued by the hope thatthey see in us. This living hope attracts persecutors as well as confronters.Let’s ask ourselves, “Do the people around me see this hope that I have?” Is there any hope to begin with? Or is it hopelessness that they see, being bornagain in Christ means we have died to our old lives and thus we have a new living hope.

“Reason”-from the Greek word logos, where we get the English word logic. This onlymeans that the word of God has a logical explanation and it is not impossible to understand. When we answer to those who question our faith we ought to this with meekness. We are not to use highfaluting words to make ourselves sound wiser. Remember that our intention is to explain it as simple as possible andnot complicate things.  Good news that is not explained is not only isn’t good, it isn’t even news. It is not our intellector intelligence that would put these people to shame but our good conduct in Christ. We may know the truth, but no one will listen to this truth unless you deliver it with kindness.

Conclusion:

17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Suffering is inevitable. But still we have a choice; to suffer for righteousness or; to suffer for evildoing. Peter tells us that suffering for the sake of righteousness is always better because with it comes the Lord’s blessing.

Reference: Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Tellingthe Truth by D.A. Carson, Apologetics, Oxford University

GOD DOES NOT NEED US, BUT WE DO

by: Bro. Malloy Cabahug

Christianity is not about tradition. It is not about rituals and ceremonies. It is not all about singing and dancing. It is not all about following the Ten Commandments. It is not all about doing good works and giving to charities. It is not a religion.

Being religious is performing works with the end in mind of pleasing God. Practices in a traditional church like offering flowers to an icon, which they think is a representation of a god. Some even pray by repeated chants on specified times of the day. All these works are futile, since the God we serve does not need any of these.

What then God needs? He just wants our heart. So if we really want to serve Him, we should be motivated by the thought that we are the one who needs Him.

From the time of the fall of man, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the world has been cursed. We died and were separated from God.

From simple living, the world has evolved to become so complex. Since, then so many things have been created by man to make its task easier, but still those gadgets have provided them nowhere, but a more complex living. It has become so because all these things are not what we really need.

We need God.

As Paul addressed a very profound presentation of the God he serves, we may also learn who He is, as well as why we need a God.

His audience then were not too different with the people of this generation, you and me. The Stoic and Epicurean philosophers were representation of the post-modern paradigm. Similar to their philosophy, happiness can be achieved by self-discipline and moderate living.

Other religious Athenians and foreigners present at the time of Paul’s exhortation at Areopagus were also present everywhere today. We all encounter them every day.

Paul said that the God he served is...

…A GOD WHO IS NOT OF THIS WORLD, BUT HE IS EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD AND MORE…(Acts 17:24-25)

God is the creator of the heaven and earth and He cannot be reduced to something that needs a temple for a dwelling. As created everything that we see, and everything that we have, how can he be in need?

If we can still feel our pulse, then thank Him for the life that we have. He is the author of our life.

…A GOD WHO IS SOVEREIGN, THE AUTHOR OF EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN AND EARTH…(Acts 17:26-27)

From one man, Adam to several nations thereafter, he authored all of these. Boundaries of nations, time and season, he set them all.

Ecclesiastes 3 aptly describes how the sovereignty of God has ordered all things in the world we live in. Having known this truth, shall we continue with our self-made happiness in this post modern philosophy?

…A GOD WHO IS ALIVE, WHOM WE SHOULD EEK AND WORSHIP THAT WE WILL LIVE…(Acts 17:28-29)

He can see us. He is not made of precious stone, metal or wood. He is alive. He breathed life to us.

As we seek and worship Him, he will bless us in return. Let us seek and worship him through prayer and devotional, giving our tithes and offerings, sharing the word, and living a life beyond reproach. All these things, done wholeheartedly will be rewarded by Him in due time as we are serving a God who is alive.

The grand plan of the Lord continues until the second coming of the Jesus as the righteous Judge. That date He has already fixed, yet no one exactly knows when. He only knows that time.

As we wait that time, let us strive to continue to live a righteous life. For those are still living in sin, this the high time to reflect and on our sinfulness and repent. Ask God for forgiveness and make right the way you live.

As a message to everyone, believer or not, God does not need us or our offering of material things or service. He needs our heart’s allegiance to Him only.

How Can Jesus Be Amazed (Matthew 8:5-14) by: Bro. Ezekiel Panela

Below is the list of the 10 TopExtraordinary Children in the World.

1.      Kim Ung-Yong: Attended University at age 4, Ph.D atage 15; world’s highest IQ

2.      Gregory Smith: Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize atage 12

3.      Akrit Jaswal: The Seven Year-Old Surgeon

4.      Cleopatra Stratan: a 3 year old singer who earns 1000€per song

5.      Aelita Andre: The 2-year-old artist who showed herpaintings in a famous Gallery

6.      Saul Aaron Kripke: Invited to apply for a teachingpost at Harvard while still in high school

7.      Michael Kevin Kearney: earned his first degree at age10 and became a reality show Millionaire

8.      Fabiano Luigi Caruana: a chess prodigy who became theyoungest Grandmaster at age 14

9.      Willie Mosconi: played professional Billiards at age 6

10.  Elaina Smith: youngest agony aunt aged 7

 These young prodigies have amazed the worldwith their extraordinary talents and skills far beyond their age. How we wishedwe could amaze our families and friends if we were born the same way as theywere. Yet we really don’t need to be super geniuses to amaze God.  All we have to do is to follow the example ofone gentile Roman Centurion who, in Jesus’ time, demonstrated such faith thatJesus Himself marvelled. Three things we must do that will amaze Jesus as thissoldier did.

1. AcknowledgeJesus is Lord

Matthew 8: NIV 
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, acenturion came to him, asking for help. 6 Lord, he said, "myservant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

 He was a Roman military officer,corresponding to our captain. All Palestine was under Roman military governmentat this time, with headquarters at Cæsarea, and soldiers in every leading town.This centurion probably commanded the company stationed at Capernaum. In spiteof his rank, he acknowledged Jesus, a Jew, as Lord. The word Lord in the Greek means “supreme in authority.”  Jesus is Lord - meaning that He is the SupremeRuler over ALL!

Why do we need to acknowledge Jesus in our lives?


Matthew10:32 
"Whoeveracknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father inheaven.

 ·        It means we are dependent onHim.
·        It means that we are willing tosubmit to Him.  (what He wants in ourlives)
·        It means humbling ourselvesbefore the Lord. (We accept that we cannot do anything without Him)

 8  The centurion replied, "Lord, I do notdeserve to have you come under my roof. 


 This humility was partly due to hisconsciousness that he was a Gentile. Rigid Jews did not hold social intercoursewith Gentiles, and the centurion may have supposed that so holy a Jewishteacher as Jesus would hesitate to come under his roof. Whether we recognize it or not, we indeed areall ruled by someone or something. The Lord or Master of our lives is theperson or power we give our lives over to and submit to in a full way.

We can beruled by many different things -- such as our unruly passions (such as rage,lust, envy, pride, hatred, etc.), the love of money, alcohol, drugs,possessions, etc. Careers, positions.

Sometimes weare telling in ourselves we are not like that, but check yourselves carefully.If these things are above God, think carefully.

 Only one Lordcan truly set us free to love and to be loved as God intended from thebeginning. When we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord we invite Him to be theMaster of our heart and the Ruler of our thoughts and actions, relationshipsand home, and all that we do and say.


2.Acknowledge Jesus is our Savior

7  Jesus saidto him, "I will go and heal him." 

How can I sayJesus is a Savior? Why do people need to Acknowledge Jesus as our Savior? Jesusis our God:  "I and the Father areone" (John 10:30). People need to acknowledge Jesus because He is the Sonof God, the only Son of God and He loved us enough to die for us. Jesus claimednot only to be God's Son, but also to be one with God (equal to God): Therefore,if we know Jesus, we know God also. The more deeply we know Jesus, the moredeeply we know God the Father because Jesus reveals to us who the Father is.


John14:6 (NIV)
 6Jesus answered, “I am the way andthe truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except throughme. 

 Jesus said:

Luke10:22
"Allthings have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son isexcept the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and thoseto whom the Son chooses to reveal him”


Did you know that it is God’s will for you to havelong life?

Psalm 91:16 NIV         With long life will Isatisfy him and show him my salvation."

Proverbs 10:27 NIV    The fear of the LORD adds lengthto life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

Proverbs 3:1-2 NIV    My son, do not forget myteaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2  for they willprolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

 Jesus heals sickness, demonpossessed, blind, lame, broken hearted & even raising up the dead. He isthe greatest Doctor. And He is our only Savior. WithoutJesus we will die! That’s why we should acknowledge Jesus as our Savior.


3. Absolute Faith in Jesus Christ

Matthew 8:8-13 NIV 
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserveto have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will behealed.  9 For I myself am aman under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and hegoes; and that one, ‘Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' andhe does it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished andsaid to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not foundanyone in Israel with such great faith.  11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will taketheir places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom ofheaven.  12 But the subjectsof the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will beweeping and gnashing of teeth."  13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as youbelieved it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

 Just Say the Word. "Just say the word"is the idea, and "my servant will be healed." Not even Martha (John 11:21)thought that Jesus could have saved her brother Lazarus without going to Him.His faith was great. The Centurion did not doubt the power of Jesus. He hadabsolute faith in Jesus.


James 1:5-8 NIV 
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, whogives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given tohim.  6  But when he asks, he must believe and notdoubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by thewind.  7  That man should not think he will receiveanything from the Lord;  8  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all hedoes.


Did the Healing depend on the Centurion’s Faith?

Yes,it did.


13  Then Jesussaid to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed itwould." And his servant was healed at that very hour. 

 Lack of faith (unbelief) hinders the power of God …

 Mat 13:58    -   Andhe did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Faith is vital to please God…

 Heb 11:6  
And without faith it is impossible to please God,because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewardsthose who earnestly seek him.

 Martin Luthereven once said, “God our Father has made all things depend on faith so thatwhoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith willhave nothing.”

 Romans 1:17 NIV 
For in the gospel a righteousness from God isrevealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it iswritten: "The righteous will live by faith."


How Can Jesus Be Amazed?

1.       Acknowledge Jesus is Lord

2.       Acknowledge Jesus is Saviour

3.       Absolute Faith in Jesus Christ

CONCLUSION:

 Romans 10:9  
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus isLord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, youwill be saved. 

 Not only did physical healing happen here inthis passage (Matthew 8:5-14) but, I believe that the Centurion wassaved, because He confessed that Jesus is Lord, He believed, because he showedhis faith in Jesus Christ as well as his servant.

How do we knowthat we lack faith? There is this story of a man who fell off a cliff, butmanaged to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:

 "Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe Me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on muchlonger."
"That's all right; if you really believe you have nothing to worry about.I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"                                                
 from Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, p. 3. 


Remember,even if you don’t see how things could ever work out, God does. JustAcknowledge Him as our Lord & Savior, and have faith that He is workingbehind the scene of our lives. From the day that we accept Jesus in our life,remember that it is everlasting commitment, not only on that day but we shouldacknowledge Jesus is our Lord in everyday & every area of our life. Is the LordJesus the true Master and King of your heart and do you give Him free reign inevery area of your life?

We should know that we should seek wisdom first from Jesus our God for anything becauseHe knows everything & anything. He can save us from eternal death, He can heal us. He can restore us. He can comfort us. He can do anything more than we imagine or more than we can ever think of.

 And lastly,brothers & sisters, we should not only continue in our faith in our LordJesus Christ, we should also act on our faith. Not only by our lips but we should put our faith into action.  Weshould not doubt in the power of Jesus Christ.

 Are we followers of Jesus? As a follower of Jesus or as His disciple, remember these 3things that amazed Jesus: Acknowledge Him that He is Lord, He is our Saviour& have faith in His Absolute Power.

Desires of A Disciple (2 Kings 2:1-15) by: Ptr. Edward Barcial

WarrenWendel Wiersbe is an American pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker and aprolific writer of Christian literature and theological works. Born on May 16,1929 in East Chicago, Indiana, Wiersbe is perhaps best known for his series of50 books in the "BE" series: Be Real, Be Rich, Be Obedient, BeMature, Be Joyful, etc. and other theological works (Wikipedia.com).

Heonce said…

"...Inmost churches, the congregation pays the pastor to preach, win the lost, andbuild up the saved—-while the church members function as cheerleaders (if they areenthusiastic) or spectators. The "converts" are won, baptized, andgiven the right hand of fellowship, then they join the other spectators.

How much faster our churches would grow, and how much stronger and happier ourchurch members would be, if each one were discipling another believer. The onlyway a local church can "be fruitful and multiply" (instead of growingby "additions") is with a systematic discipleship program. This isthe responsibility of every believer, and not just a small group who have been'called to go.'"

(Source:Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c 1989). The Bible Exposition Commentary. "Anexposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt.(Mt 28:16). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.)

Manyof us among believers have already the heart, the mind, the training and theresources to fulfill the great commission of Christ. We have so many “trainedleaders.” Yet most of us will not go forth and preach the good news. What is seriouslylacking is “desire.” As we study the life of Elijah and Elisha, we will find 5desires a disciple should have in order to become a great man of God.


We must have a ….

1) Desire ForGod (verses 1-3)

1 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind,that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijahsaid to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel."  But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives,and as your soul lives, I willnot leave you!" So they wentdown to Bethel. 3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha,and said to him, "Do you know that the LORDwill take away your master from over you today?" And he said, "Yes, Iknow; keep silent!" 

Gilgal that Elijah and Elisha visited could not be theGilgal of the low plain of the Jordan, for the prophets are said to have gone downto Bethel, which is 3000 feet above the plain. It has been identified with Jiljilia,about four miles from Bethel and Shiloh respectively (Smith's Bible Dictionary).Bethel means “house of God.” In order to be a true disciple of God you musthave the desire for God’s house, God’s presence and God’s word. Elijah was aworshipper of God. He was testing Elisha if he would also come to the house ofGod by discouraging him from coming with him to Bethel. But Elisha wasdetermined to go. He was a God seeker.

2)  Desire the Spirit of Understanding (verses 4-5)

4 Then Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here,please, for the LORD has sent meon to Jericho." But hesaid, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they came toJericho. 5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha andsaid to him, "Do you know that the LORDwill take away your master from over you today?" So he answered,"Yes, I know; keep silent!"

The name “Jericho” means “fragrant.” If you dig down to theprimitive root of this word, it will mean “breath, breathe, to blow, to smellwith the anticipation of enjoyment and to make of quick understanding. The “ruach”of God’s Spirit is fragrant that brings wisdom and understanding(inspiration).  Elisha was discouragedfrom following but he was determined to go to Jericho. Nothing and nobody couldstop him from reaching his goal. He wanted to have God’s breath in his ministry.Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, our service will be powerless,without joy and without wisdom and understanding.

3)   Desire to Defeat The Flesh (verse 6)

 6 Then Elijahsaid to him, "Stay here, please, for the LORDhas sent me on to the Jordan."But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So the two of themwent on. 

Jordan means “a descender.” It has its root from the Hebrewword “Yarad” that means “to descend” as to come down (bring down) or subdue theenemy. Jordan was the river where disciples were baptized.  This is where we subdue the flesh by dying tothe world, the flesh and the devil and rising up in new life in Christ. Youcannot be a strong disciple if the flesh is not yet subdued. To make disciplesof all nations is to baptize them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. To becalled a disciple is a call to discipline. Paul said…

1 Cor 9:24-27 (NKJV)


Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but onereceives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 Andeveryone who competes for the prizeis temperate in all things. Now they doit to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight:not as one who beats the air. 27 ButI discipline my body and bring itinto subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should becomedisqualified. 

4)  Desire Spiritual Gifts (verses 9-10)

9And so it was, when they had crossed over,that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am takenaway from you?" Elisha said,"Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." 10 So he said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall beso for you; but if not, it shall not be so."

Without the gifts of the HolySpirit, you are not equipped for service. You may have the right mind and heart but without the gifts, you arelike a brave soldier going into battle without weapons and ammunition. Many Godfearing pastors have failed not because they don’t love the Lord, but theyfailed to ask God for empowerment through the gifts of the Spirit. Paul thegreat mentor of Timothy said…

1 Cor14:1 (NKJV)   Pursue love, and desirespiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy

1Tim 4:12-16 (NKJV)

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, inconduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 TillI come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you,which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of theeldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourselfentirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Takeheed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this youwill save both yourself and those who hear you.

5)         Desire to Take up theMantle of Your Mentor (verses11-13)

 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenlya chariot of fire appeared withhorses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by awhirlwind into heaven.     12 AndElisha saw it, and he criedout, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!"So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them intotwo pieces. 13 Healso took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back andstood by the bank of the Jordan. 

Are you willing to be the nextgeneration of ministers in the Kingdom of God? Someday our pastors and leaderswill be gone either by retirement, transfer, promotion, moral failure or death.Whatever the case, will you succeed in succeeding the leaders that went beforeyou? Desire to take up the mantle that will be passed onto you.  Rise up and take your place in His kingdom!


Paul had already finished hiscourse. It was time for him to move on.  It was time for him to pass on the mantle tohis disciple Timothy. Before he did he told his son…

2 Tim 4:1-7 (NKJV)

I charge youtherefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living andthe dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready inseason and out of season. Convince,rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 Forthe time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according totheir own desires, because theyhave itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 andthey will turn their ears awayfrom the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things,endure afflictions, do the work of anevangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured outas a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 Ihave fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Conclusion:

14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallenfrom him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God ofElijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this wayand that; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said,"The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meethim, and bowed to the ground beforehim. 

Someday, the people that once discouragedyou (including pastors and brethren) will acknowledge the call of God in yourlife. They will testify that the Lord has truly anointed you to be the servantthat God will use for His glory alone. Take heart. Don’t be dismayed. If youare serving the Lord with a pure heart and if you humble yourself before Him, Hewill lift you up in due time.

Psalms37:4 (NKJV)  Delight yourself also in theLord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Are you desiring to be a discipleof Christ? The ask! Jesus said…

Matt 7:7-11 (NKJV)

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeksfinds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asksfor bread, will give him a stone? 10 Orif he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give goodgifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven givegood things to those who ask Him! 

Ask now for the good giftsfrom the Lord! Desire the best that the Lord has to offer. It is right there onHis table. Take it! He is just waiting for you to desire them.

Straight Paths For The New Year

by: Sis. Bing Domingo

 

Proverbs 3:5-6  “ Trust in the Lord the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”

 

Every New Year brings new anticipation and new expectations. So we ask, will this year be a prosperous year for me? Will I succeed in everything I do?  If this question is in your mind, here’s a good news for you….God has in His word the assurance that He will guide us in every step of our way as long as we follow His instructions.

 

In Proverbs 3:5-6, we can find three things that we should do and when we do them we will be blessed with the promise of God to guide us. The First one is to …  

 

Trust in the Lord…

 

Here’s a short story about TRUST...

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter:
"Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl said: "No, Dad. You hold my hand." "What's the difference?" asked the puzzled father. “There’s a big difference," replied the little girl. "If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go."

The word trust in the Bible is “baw-takh” which means “to be confident or sure”; to hope. The dictionary defines it as firm reliance on the integrity or ability or character of a person or thing. Just like the little girl in the story, God wants His children to trust Him. Simply believing is not going to do good to us. We need to have faith.  Is it not that when we speak about faith, we tend to think of some sort of mystical quality that belongs to the spiritual and not in the practical day to day living? Faith is actually more concrete than we realize, and trust is the practical outworking of our faith. We then can understand faith better when talk about trust. After all we find ourselves having to trust people every day. We trust whoever built our house that it's not going to fall in on our heads. We trust the bank with our money. We set our watches and alarms trusting that they would function right to wake us up in the morning so that we won’t be late for work.

 

But how many of us have experienced heartaches because those things and those people we trusted have failed us? Is it because we do not have faith in them? It doesn’t matter if we have so much faith, but what really matters is the object of our faith. God is All-Powerful! He is the Great I Am, the Creator who owns the universe! He alone has all the resources to supply our every need. If He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things? He is Faithful and True and able to keep His promise. ( Numbers 23:19). He is unchanging. He is our Refuge and our Ever-present Help in times of trouble. The Name and the Blood of Jesus is more than enough for our protection! We can trust Him because He is the All –Knowing God, the First and the Last who knows the end from the beginning! God is indeed worthy of our trust!

 

……with all your heart

 

How does God want us to trust Him? With all our hearts or with our whole being. Trusting in the Lord with all our heart begins with our knowledge of Him, and we would never know God unless we have a relationship with Him. Notice that the verse says, “In the Lord”, He is not the God who is far away, but Jehovah who has revealed Himself to those who have chosen to accept Him as Lord of their lives. Many of us try to live by faith and want to trust God but have little or no knowledge of His character and His ways. The more we know His word, His promises, His character and His ways, the more we can trust Him. He loves us and has better plans for us. That’s why we can trust Him with our lives.

 

Lean not on your own understanding.

 

The way we can show God our trust is to stop relying on our own understanding. We should not depend on our own wisdom and understanding in every decision we make or every step we take. Jeremiah 17: 5 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?” Many people try to follow the dictates of how they feel, that’s why they married the wrong person, left jobs because of fear and so on. But we could not trust even our feelings for it may deceive us. Our understanding is so limited. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Before we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we only operate on our own reasoning; we don’t know the ways of God that’s why we are used to rely on own wisdom. We thought we are better than God, like Solomon who started right with God but became wise in own eyes and eventually brought division to the nation of Israel. When we were born again, although God has given us a new nature, we have brought with us into our new life our mind full of knowledge on how to do things our own way and no one as pressed that CLEAR button in our brain. That is why we need to have a lot of renewing of our minds with God’s word so that we can start relying on His promises. Lean not on your own understanding. Lean instead on the wisdom of God's word. As we daily read and understand his word we will be learning to think His thoughts after Him. And that will help us as we seek to trust in him with all our hearts.

 

In all your ways acknowledge Him.

 

What then should we do? If we are to stop relying on own wisdom or understanding, we then should acknowledge God every minute, everyday through prayer, with thankfulness and with submission. When we acknowledge God in every decision we make, we seek His advice or counsel, we wait for His perfect and appointed time. We don’t go ahead of Him. His word says that there is a proper time and a proper procedure for every matter. God wants us to be fully aware of His presence and be completely dependent on Him. The first man, Adam lived in complete dependence on God before He sinned. The moment he disobeyed God, he started to live his life independently. And so the generations after him tried to live independently from God, doing things which are right in their own eyes. Praise God that through our Lord Jesus Christ who showed His complete dependence upon the Father, speaking only what he heard from the Father speak and doing things He saw His Father did, we can follow His example. Remember the principle that Jesus followed? His only desire is to do the will of His Father who sent Him. If that would be our desire too, when we pray, we should ask God’s will to be done, to close doors that are not meant for us and open doors that He wills for us and be willing to go wherever He leads us. When we do these things, we can expect God to fulfill His promise for us. And that is……

 

He shall direct  your paths

 

The word in Hebrew for Direct is “yaw-shar.”  It means to be straight or even; prosperous; be upright.

 

What a great promise and encouraging promise for us!  It's a promise that with God’s helps as we trust in Him, He will guide our every step. But walking in the paths that Jesus walked are not an easy path but have the promise of an eternal joy in His presence.”

 

We may have thought that God's path is easy, but it’s not. But understanding that these paths have been well trodden, and these are the paths of righteousness, of love and forgiveness, we are sure to reach the destination that God has planned for us. God’s ultimate purpose for us is to walk uprightly becoming like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will guide us in all our ways.

 

Conclusion:

 

God has a wonderful plan for each of us. Jesus said, I have come that you may have life and have it to the full. He has given us His word for our instruction. To receive God’s guidance, Solomon said, we must trust in the Lord with all our hearts, stop relying on our own understanding; We must acknowledge God in all our ways. This means turning every area of life to Him.

 

 Jesus emphasized this truth in Matt.6:33 when He said:

 

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 

Let’s take a look at our values and priorities. What is important to you? In what areas have you not acknowledged Him? What is His advice? In many areas of your life you may already acknowledge God, but it is in the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore His influence that will cause you grief. Make Him a vital part of everything you do, then He will guide you because you will be working to accomplish His purposes.

 

Prosperity is deeper than mere material wealth. True prosperity comes when we obey God.  Let us obey His instructions and we’ll be assured that He will guide us and make our paths straight and prosper us this New Year!

 

Sis.  Bing Domingo