Word for Today: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

1 Samuel 5:1-12 Vengeance of God upon the Philistines

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 5:4(KJV)

“And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him”.

Yesterday’s passage was really tragic; we saw the death of Eli, his sons, the defeat of Israel and worse of all the ark of God was captured.

When I read this passage and saw how God dealt with the Philistines, I said was “That serves them right” How can they do such a stupid thing as putting the ark of God in the same place as their Dagon? lol

Yesterday, when the Israelites took the ark into battle, God withheld his powers and they were defeated but when the Philistines placed the ark in Dagon’s temple, God displayed his powers by toppling Dagon. Why these opposite reaction?

God was trying to convey message to Israel as well as to the philistines. God wanted to punish the Israelite who failed to realise that God resides in their hearts that they have unfortunately turned to idols and on the other hand God wanted to punish the Philistines because they though the ark of God was one of their conquest, they even had the audacity to put him in the same place as their man-made god Dagon

God made sure that the Philistines would not attribute their victory to their god Dagon being more powerful than God. Dagon not only fell in homage to God but his hands and head were broken.

Dagon was not the only one to suffer; the philistines were struck with a plague. Initially they didn’t acknowledge that it was God and they started moving the ark form city to city. Eventually they were forced to admit that it was the ark that brought doom on them and decided to send it back to Israel.

God has different ways of dealing with different people, and the punishment always suits the crime. Never in our lives should we try to take God’s glory or attribute it to someone or something. God is God and will not share his glory with any man. God bless you.

Word for Today: Monday, February 18, 2013

1 Samuel 4:1b-22 The Glory has Departed

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 4:22(KJV)

“And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken”.

Yesterday, we saw the judgement pronounced by God on the house of Eli. Today, we are going to see the reality of God’s judgement. This is a sad passage about defeat and death.

God uses discipline as a last resort. God's plan for the earth is love first, discipline last. To get us to listen and repent, he will use deep conviction, the rebuke from men of God, family or friends, and every other means before disciplining us. But if we resist these warnings then his judgement will befall us.

For a while, the Israelites enjoyed peace but their sins brought war, the Philistines who were known to be enemies of Israel gathered together and waged war against the Israelites. Verse 2 tells us that Israel was smitten before the Philistines. Why? Their hearts were turned from God, they indulged in idolatry.

When the Israelites were defeated the elders asked a question “Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today” Verse 3? Unfortunately none of them could provide the right answer. I guess there had already sunk in their evil ways to realise that they have sinned against God. This should be a warning to Christians, although not every rough situation is a judgement from God, some can be as a result of the devil persecuting you for being a Christians. But we should examine our lives daily if we are in right standing with God, and if we realise that we are being punished for our sins, we shouldn’t hesitate to turn back to God and ask for forgiveness.

The elders thought the solution to their problems was taking the ark of God to battle, unfortunately for them the next battle was even more disastrous and to make matters worse the ark of God was captured. The elders made a terrible mistake; they mistook the ark (which is the symbol of God’s presence) for his actual presence. God cannot be confined to a box or a building. God dwells in our hearts and the Israelites failed to realise these because their hearts were already turned to other gods.

We witness the death of Eli and his sons in verses 11 and 18. What a tragic way to die. Hophni and Phinehas were priests not soldiers and weren’t supposed to be in battle but they went because of the ark of God. God had already planned everything out and there was no way they could have escaped God’s judgement.

Eli and his sons lead the children of Israel into sin, Eli judged Israel for 40 years and through his family the temple worship was defiled by greed and sexual immorality and Israel experienced spiritual drought and to make matters worse the ark of God was captured because the people decided to use it as a lucky charm in battle.

What a tragic day for Israel and for the house of Eli. Lastly we see Phinehas wife going into forced labour because of the tragic news. She acknowledged that the glory of God had departed from Israel and upon her death she named her son Ichabod meaning no glory left.

It is really a sad story, now we see the consequences of deliberately sinning against God and refusal to turn from our evil ways. God will forgive our sins if we confess and forsake them 1 John 1:9 but if we continue to sin we will incur the wrath. May God give us the grace to remain steadfast to him and yield to his warnings, Amen. God bless you.

Word for Today: Sunday, February 17, 2013

1 Samuel 3:1-4:1a Rare to Regular

Memory verse 1 Samuel 3:19(KJV)

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground”.

Yesterday, we saw the dangers and punishment for disrespecting the Lord, those who do not fear the Lord should prepare to face his wrath and judgement but when we honour the Lord, he will honour us and cause us to find favour with him and with our fellow men.

From the first verse in today’s passage, it is apparent that the priests have failed in their duties. The priests were supposed to be in constant communication with God, taking the messages from God to the people but that was not the case as we see in verse 1 that the word of God was rare. They were experiencing a spiritual drought. What might have caused this spiritual drought? The word of God was rare because of the sins of Eli and his sons. Eli was no longer hearing from God, he turned a blind eye to the evil deeds of his sons and his sons dishonoured God greatly. Note that when we deliberately keep on sinning, we will no longer hear from God. God cannot speak to us if you keep on living in sin.

From verse 7, we were told that Samuel had not yet known the Lord, meaning God hasn’t spoken to him yet. Israel at that time was facing spiritual drought due to the sins of the priests, this spiritual drought could have affected Samuel as well. Some people like Samuel are yet to know and recognise the voice of God. God can speak to anyone and in anyway. He doesn’t have a particular way; it could be through visions, dreams, audible voice or his still small voice. It is only when we become closer to God that we can understand him and know when he speaks to us. Because of the relationship I have with my parents, I can recognise their voice even without seeing their faces that is how it is with God too. When we are in-tune with God, it becomes easy to know when he is speaking to us.

Eli’s failure to recognise God’s voice initially portrays the pathetic state of his spiritual life. I guess he hadn’t heard from God in ages hence his failure to recognise that it was God calling Samuel at first. Sin can make us draw away from God, the farther we draw away from God the farther his voice becomes.

Samuel was an obedient child; he did exactly as he was told. Laid down, waited patiently for the Lord to speak and he listened carefully to what God had to say.

When God warns us about our sins, we should repent immediately and desist from our evil deeds. Eli showed no remorse at all instead he said “it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good”. Maybe if Eli had genuinely repented, the judgement of God wouldn’t have been so severe but he chose to make light of the matter. We should never ignore the warnings of God.

We see a dramatic change at the end of today’s chapter. In the beginning the word of God was rare but at the end the word of God became a regular occurrence due to God’s constant communication with Samuel that even Israel came to acknowledged that God was with Samuel and recognised him as a prophet. Samuel’s personal encounter with God made a huge difference and caused the spiritual drought to cease.

Examine your life today. When was the last time God spoke to you?  If you are no longer hearing from God like you used to, then you need to desist from whatever it is that is serving as a hindrance in your fellowship with God and please do not take God’s warnings lightly. Repent immediately of whatever it is he is warning you about and renew your relationship with him. God bless you.

Word for Today: Saturday, February 16, 2013

1 Samuel 2:22-36 A family under Judgement

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 2:30(KJV)

“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.

Yesterday, we read about the wickedness of the sons of Eli- Hophni and Phinehas. The wicked can never go unpunished (Proverbs 11:21). They may flourish for a while but in the end they will meet a disastrous doom.

Today’s passage shows us what a weak father Eli had been, all along Eli never corrected his children, he turned a blind eye to their evil, it was only in his old age that he summoned up the courage to remonstrate with them.

 Eli was old and he couldn’t do much in old age. He heard about his sons evil deeds and spoke to them about their despicable behaviour but they ignored him. It was futile correcting these young men at this stage. He should have impacted the fear of God in them when they were younger. There is a lesson here for parents, ensure to bring up your children in the way of the lord, teach them about God in their formative years.

From the prophet’s warning, it is apparent that Eli had been honouring his sons more than God by allowing them to continue in their wicked way. The priests were supposed to lead the children of Israel to God but they drew them away from God, made a mockery of the worship at Shiloh, used the temple of God to enrich themselves and fornicated with the women who came to worship at the tabernacle. This shows lack of respect for God, these men lack the fear of God, and the fact that Eli waited until now to correct his sons goes a long way to show the type of father he was.

God was grieved and he pronounced a dreadful judgement on the house of Eli, not only will they be stripped of their priestly role, they will be subject to poverty and would all meet with untimely death.

It is indeed a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God, if you fall into the hands of men or your enemies, you can take your petitions to God, but if you fall into the hands of God, who will you take your petitions to? In our walk with God, we have to be very careful not to invoke the wrath of God upon us. Daily examine yourself if you are in right standing with God.

God is a just and merciful God, he sends several warnings before he carries out his judgement; it is when we are adamant that his judgement befalls us.

God has called us to his service; it grieves God when we choose to follow the devil. He wants to have a relationship with us and he has this wonderful plan for everyone but our actions can affect that glorious future he has planned for us. If you keep on dinning with the devil, there is no way God’s plan for you can be fulfilled.

Note that our sins can alter the plans of God for us, the sins of Eli and his sons stripped them of the priestly role that God had given to them, we must be very careful. Just as our sins can invoke God’s wrath on us, so also can our sincere repentance revoke his wrath. God can propose to destroy a family for their sins but if they sincerely repent, God will turn away from his wrath. For example, the people of Nineveh were doomed for destruction, but as soon as they heard the warnings from Prophet Jonah, they repented immediately and God had mercy on them.

Sin can also shorten ones span on earth, a curse was placed on Eli’s family. They will die an untimely death and Eli will witness the death of his sons. How dreadful it is for a parent to lose a child let alone two children. It is not the wish for any parent to see their children leave this earth before them.

Notice verse 26, this is my daily prayer to find favour with God and man. With all these evils going on, Samuel grew in the Lord; God favoured him and caused men to favour him as well. If our ways please God he will cause men to be at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7).

Let us take our key verse seriously; it is a promise and a warning. God will honour those who honour him and those who dishonour him, his wrath will befall them. God bless you.

Just a quick encouragement, are you having one of those days? Christ said to come to him all ye who are weary and heavy-laden and he will give you rest (Matt 11:28). Don’t give up on God, he will never ever give up on you. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b). God’s faithfulness is everlasting (Psalm 119:90), even when we are faithless, he still remains faithful (2Tim2:13). So, relax and let our Sovereign God perform his wonders in your situation. God bless you.

Word for Today: Friday, February 15, 2013

1 Samuel 2:12-21 The good, the bad and the ugly

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 2:18(KJV)

“But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod”

Yesterday, we saw the songs of praise rendered to the Lord by Hannah, she returned to God with a grateful heart. We should cultivate the habit if giving thanks to God both in the good times as well as the bad times.

Today’s passage is a sad one. The job of the priest was to minister to God and also draw the people to God. It is apparent that Eli failed in his parental duties. While he was busy ministering to the children of Israel, he neglected his sons. We know that once a priest dies, the next in line which is usually his sons will take over the priestly duties.  We learnt about family harmony in Colossians some days ago, each of us have a role to play, it starts from the head down to the least. Parents should train up their children in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6).

The priests were entitled to meat from each sacrifice and the custom was for them to take ‘potluck’. They plunged a fork into the boiling meat and took whatever it pierced, but Hophni and Phinehas insisted on choosing their meat while it was raw and before the fat has been burnt off. These men had no regard for God at all, otherwise they would have adhere to his instruction that fat was to be preserved for him alone (Leviticus 3:14-16)

They violated the custom and treated both the sacrifices rendered to God and the worshippers of God with contempt Verses 16-17, they even threatened violence when they were cautioned, these were priests that ought to minister before God instead they were selfish and placed their needs before God. No wonder they were referred to as sons of Belial in verse 12 meaning they were worthless, useless and huge failures who knew not the Lord.

Even in the midst of perversity, we see a good example in verses 18 and 21. No doubt Samuel must have witnessed the evil deeds of these men but he choose to minister to God, another good example is Hannah, she never stopped caring for Samuel and she ensure he had all the necessary requirements to minister before God. It was her good act that made Eli bless her and God opened her womb and gave her more children.

As believers, we have been called to the service of God; we should serve God willingly and obey his commandment. We are in a world full of evil men, but just as Samuel, we should grow in the Lord and not join in their evil deed (Read Psalm 1). Tomorrow, we will see the reward of the wicked, judgement will surely come upon those who sin against God. God bless you

Word for Today: Thursday, February 14, 2013

1 Samuel 2:1-11 Rejoice and be glad!

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 2:2(KJV)

“There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God”.

Yesterday, we saw an embittered Hannah who wanted a child badly that she made a vow to give the child back to God if he grants her request, God indeed granted her request and she in-turn gave her son back to God.

Today, we see a different Hannah, her sadness was turned to rejoicing. Hannah gave her son to God when he was just three years old, Samuel started living in the temple from that ages meaning Hannah saw very little of him, yet she wasn’t resentful nor did she regret making her vow. She rejoiced in the incomparable God who is no respecter of status quo. There is indeed none like our God, He can make the least to become the greatest, he is capable to raise the dead, make the poor rich and change that miserable situation into a victorious one.

Hannah and Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-55) have now become models of our own praise. We should ensure to come back to God with a grateful heart when our requests have been granted. Some of us are so ungrateful; it is only when our situations are tough that we remember God but as soon as we have gotten solutions to our problems we tend to forget God. Some people go to God for jobs, they never miss any church activity during those times but as soon as they get the job, they stop coming to church and when you ask them for a reason they tell you that their job is so hectic and demands all of their time, they forget who gave them the job in the first place.

Just as Hannah, we should return back to God with a grateful heart and thank him for all his gifts, I pray that as we do so God will grant our request according to his will through Christ Jesus. Amen. God bless you.

Word for Today: Wednesday, February 13, 2013

1 Samuel 1:1-28 From Bitterness to Joy

Memory Verse 1 Samuel 1:17(KJV)

“Then Eli answered and said , Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him”.

 This book starts when Israel was still ruled by judges. We will use the next 10 days to study the life and growth of a young man named Samuel and how he emerged as a great Priest.

Today passage tells us the story of a man named Elkanah, his linage was stated in verse 1. Elkanah had two wives- Peninnah and Hannah and we were told he loved Hannah more. It can be noted in verse 6 that God closed the womb of Hannah, but why did God shut the womb of Hannah? Hannah’s case is similar to that of Rachael (Genesis 30) and it may be that God saw the pain of Peninnah, she was unloved and was treated unfairly because even with her many children she always got the smaller portion (Verse 4), or it may be that God was waiting for the right time to present Israel with a great priest. But whatever the case maybe, he is the omniscient God, he is sovereign: He opens and shuts as he wills.

We can see Hannah as a desperate and embittered woman, although she was getting all the attention from her husband, the pains of childlessness and mockery from Peninnah was too great for her.

Notice a good attribute of Hannah, she was a godly woman and she knew where to pour her pain and whom to call verses 9-13, she went to the house of God to pray and present her case. When we are confronted with problems and challenges, whom do we call on first? The solution to all our problems is God; we should endeavour to take all our problems to God.

The nature of our problems can intensify our prayers, with the pains in her heart, Hannah prayed to the extent that Eli the priest thought she was drunk. I was a bit puzzled that Eli thought Hannah was drunk, I came to these conclusions that

•        maybe drunk people were in the habit of coming into the temple

•        Eli wasn’t used to seeing people pray in the temple

•        The countenance of Hannah at that time

Notice the vow Hannah made in verse 11. To some people, it is an irrational thing to do but it is apparent that Hannah made that vow out of desperation in hope that God will be moved by her vow and grant her request. Desperate situations can sometimes pressure us to make vows that we find really hard to fulfil after our requests have been granted. But Hannah fulfilled her vow; she gladly gave her son back to God.

As Christians, whenever we are faced with challenges, instead of questioning and saying “why me”, take your case to God like Hannah did and pour out your heart to him, he loves you and understands you situation. If you are compelled by your situation to make a vow, don’t be irrational in your vow; don’t say what you cannot fulfil when your request is granted (Ecc 5:4-5). Whether you make a vow or not, if you call on God sincerely, he will answer you (Jeremiah 33:3, Psalm 91:15). God bless you.

Word for Today: Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Philippians 3:7-11 The sacrificial life for Christ Part 4

Memory Verse Philippians 3:7

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ”.

Word for Today: Monday, February 11, 2013

1 Peter 2:19-21, 4:1-4, 12-18 The sacrificial life for Christ Part 3

 Memory Verse 1 Peter 2:21(KJV)

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

Christ went through a lot to save us, he left an example for us, I am not saying you should go and die for the world, there is no need doing that, Christ has already done that but when we bear in mind what Christ went through for us to be saved, we will no doubt want to live a sacrificial life for him.

As Christians we will definitely suffer for the sake of Christ (2 Timothy 3:12), but when we are persecuted we shouldn’t lose hope but rejoice and focus our eyes on Jesus (James 1:2). It is a pleasure to suffer for the sake of Christ. Infact, if the world isn’t persecuting you yet, then you aren’t living a godly life.

Life in the world may look pleasurable but it will not last, riches of this world will fade, it is the promises of God that is sure. Do away with your old self, and put on the new man in Christ, let our focus be on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1).

What I want you to always remember this day and forever is this: Jesus lived a self-sacrificial life for us. Now, that we are in him, we should endeavour to live a sacrificial life for the sake of Christ and also for the good of others.

Word for Today: Sunday, February 10, 2013

Romans 12: 1 The sacrificial life for Christ, Part 2

Memory Verse Romans 12:1(KJV)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”.

Living a sacrificial life for Christ means abstinence from worldly pleasures, such as sexual immorality. It is noteworthy for us to know that our bodies are the temples of God. God cannot dwell in a polluted body hence Apostle Paul plead in Romans 12:1.

Every sin is a sin outside the body but sexual immorality is a sin against our bodies (1 Cor 6:18), it is not only when we commit sexual immorality that we sin against our bodies. Some of us neglect our bodies, we abuse it, and we act like we are machines and not God’s image wonderfully created by him.

To live a sacrificial life for Christ means we have to get rid of those things that can defile our bodies. We should endeavour to take care of our bodies, even the food we eat matters. What we take into my system matters, you can expect to be free from cancer if you smoke a pack of cigarettes every day, it doesn’t work that way. If you keep eating junk food you are going to be obsessed. Junk isn’t healthy; it causes more harm than good. Constant use of substances and drugs are hazardous. Every day, we hear over the news how people die of drug and substance abuse. Getting drunk is a sin, when one is drunk, they do foolish things. Innocent people are being killed every day by drunk drivers. If you die in your drunken state, what are you going to tell God, that you wasted your life drinking? Ephesians 5:18 tells us not to be drunk with wine but instead we should be filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is God’s will for us to be healthy, his death was not only to renew our relationship with God but also to save us from oppression, sicknesses, broken heart, etc. (3 John 1:2 cc Luke 4:18). The sick aren’t strong enough to praise God; we need to be healthy to be able to praise God. God has given us life in abundance (John 10:10b), he has provided healing for us, but we need to play our part. Get rid of those things that are harmful to our health.

We have some biblical examples of young men and women who presented their bodies Holy for God.

•        Joseph will rather go to prison than sleep with his master’s wife

•        Moses will rather suffer with the children of Israel than become a king

•        Daniel will rather eat vegetables and fast than eat the king’s delicacies

There are a lot of other examples, we need to discipline our bodies and submit it to the will of God. Examine your life today, what is that thing preventing you from living a holy and pleasing life unto God. Desist from it today. God bless you.

Word for Today: Saturday, February 9, 2013

THE SACRIFICIAL LIFE FOR CHRIST

Our theme for February is taken from Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” For the next 4 days, we will be looking at living a sacrificial life for Christ.it isn’t always easy but when we think about the sufferings and pains Jesus went just to redeem us, we will be motivated to live a sacrificial life for him I pray that God will empower us to live sacrificial lives for him in Jesus name. Amen

Mark 8: 34-38 The sacrificial life for Christ, Part 1

Memory Verse Mark 8:36(KJV)

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

To live a sacrificial life means to be holy, to be separated unto God, to forsake and leave behind the pleasures of the world and our old lifestyles. The Christian life is one that is called to self-denial. When we first believed, we were ready to lose our old lives in exchange for a better life in Christ but as time went by, we became carried away by the pleasures of the world. These are weights that can easily affect our Christian race, we need to get rid of them and focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Most of us are busy pursuing worldly things and we forget what is important. Last month, our theme was seeking God first, God created the world and everything in it, if we seek him, he will definitely bless us but we are yet to surrender our all to God.

Although the Christian life is that of sacrifices but that doesn’t mean a Christian will always be poor and haggard, there is a reward for those who diligently seek God (Hebrews 11:6). God has promised us an eternal rest (Hebrews 4, Matt 11:28); to enter into his rest, we have to forsake everything for Christ sake.

Our purpose here on earth is to find more of Jesus, and we can do that by studying his word, praying and fellowshipping with other saint. What is that thing that is taking the place of God in your life?

Life doesn’t end here, when we die, we are judged and it is how you lived your life on earth that will determine how you eternity will be spent (Hebrews 9:27). If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Word for Today: Friday, February 8, 2013

Colossians 4:2-18 Further Instructions

Memory Verse Colossians 4:2(KJV)

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving”;

So far, we have seen the rules that we need to follow to ensure we live Holy lives for Christ. Now Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians by given some further instructions which are very beneficial in our daily lives. He gave them further solutions to the heresy, he propose Holy living, a life of prayer, vigilance and thanksgiving.

Paul asked that a special prayer request be made on his behalf, that God will open door for the proclamation of the gospel.

Notice three key things Christians ought to do, Pray, Watch and give thanks. A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. Jesus, even when he was at the peak of his ministry found time to always pray, he prayed either before the break of dawn or in the cool of the evening. We are to follow his example. I remember a song I was taught the children Sunday school it goes thus:

Prayer is the key (2ce)

Prayer is the master key

Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer

Prayer is the master key

And as we pray we should be watchful too, a solider with all his armour if not prepared or watchful can be taken unaware and killed, so as Christians we should be alert both spiritually and physically because the devil is going around looking for preys (Matt 26:24, Mark 14:38, Luke 21:36, 1Peter 5:8). We have every reason to continually give thanks to God, as long as we see the dawn of a new day, we should keep giving thanks to God.

We are told to be wise in our relationship with the world; our conversation should be full of grace. We should be careful about what we say, although the tongue is small, its impact can either heal or destroy. Are you saving lives by proclaiming the gospel to the world?

  

From verses 7-17 Paul acknowledges some of his companion and co-labourers in Christ. He couldn’t have done it alone; God used each and every one of these people he mentioned to help him in propagating the gospel.

In chapter 1, we saw the supremacy of Christ, Chapter 2 told us to leave tradition and focus on Christ who has freed us from the law, Chapter 3 presents the rules for Holy living and the duties we have to perform as Christians. Chapter 4 concludes by encouraging us to be prayerful, vigilant and thankful. I hope we enjoyed this epistle. I pray that God bless you richly and empower you to live a Holy life for him. Amen

Word for Today: Thursday, February 7, 2013

Colossians 3:18-4:1 Family Harmony

Memory Verse Colossians 3:23(KJV)

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”;

In yesterday’s passage, Paul get us the virtues we need to possess as chosen people of God, now he addresses the relationships within the family.

Our first responsibilities as Christians should be to our homes. It is hypocrisy trying to make other people live holy lives while your family’s lives don’t portray God.

It is very important for family harmony to be preached in homes. Charity, they say begins at home. We are in an age ridden with rebellious children and teenagers who want to have their will. It is whatever the children learn at home that they will exhibit outside, that is why it is proper to train our children up in the way of the lord (Proverbs 22:6).

Today’s passage addresses six categories of people and presents the rules that they are to follow to ensure harmony in the home.

•        Wives

•        Husbands

•        Children

•        Fathers

•        Slaves

•        Masters

Most of us fall into either one, or two of this category, maybe you are that wife that is ill-treated by your husband or that slave ill-treated by your master, don’t repay evil with evil instead see your duty to them as a service to God and God will surely vindicate you for the wrong done to you and he will also reward you for your good.

Apostle Paul started by addressing wives. Wives are to be submissive to their husbands, just as Christ is the head of the Church so is the husband the head the home. It is the duty of wives to obey their husbands.

The next are the husbands, inasmuch as God has placed them as the head, they shouldn’t treat their wives harshly instead they are to love their wives just as Christ loved the Church.

Children are expected to the obedient to their parents. This is very important as it is the only commandment with a promise. A disobedient child will invoke the wrath of God and also reduce their number of days on this earth (Exodus 20:12). As Children, we shouldn’t grieve our parents. I know there are a lot of peer pressures and it’s easy to succumb to them, but let us remember youths like Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who stood for integrity, these youths were in strange lands yet they never compromised their faith in God and also Timothy, a young man who followed in the footsteps of his grandmother and mother. They taught him about the way of the lord and he never departed from it.

Fathers shouldn’t grieve or embitter their children. God gave these children to you, fathers to ensure that they should them love and train them in the way of the lord, don’t favour one child and neglect the other, it will cause discord, and there is no limit as to what the embittered child can do.

It is mandatory for parents to set good examples for their children to follow; parents should ensure that their lifestyle preach Christ to their children. You can’t expect your children to live holy lives if your lifestyle isn’t holy, because it is whatever they see you do that they will also like to do.

Slaves are told to obey their masters, in those days slavery was rampant but it has been abolished. But we can likened this to our present day, most of us work in offices where we have managers we report to, we are to obey them with sincerity. Some people will go any length to pretend or perform eye service to get promoted. Some managers can be very mean but if we bear in mind that we are rendering our services to God, it becomes easier for us to go through these challenges.

Masters, Pastors, managers, and whoever God has placed in a position that you have to oversee people should be fair to everyone. No matter the position you occupy, there is always someone ahead of you. The President of a country maybe the highest in authority but there is always someone greater- God. In performing our duties, we should remember that we are rendering our service to God and not man. God bless you.

Word for Today: Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Colossians 3:12-17 Rules for Christians-God’s chosen

Memory Verse Colossians 3:12(KJV)

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”;

 As chosen people of God, we are to live a holy life as we saw in our passage yesterday. We saw some of the things we should get rid of, today we are going to look at the virtues we need to possess that will make us truly the chosen people of God. We represent God; therefore we should be like him in all aspect.

•        Clothe ourselves with compassion

•        Clothe ourselves kindness

•        Clothe ourselves humility

•        Clothe ourselves gentleness

•        Clothe ourselves patience

•        Bear with one another

•        Forgive

•        Above all these put on Love

•        We were called to peace, therefore the peace of God should reign in our hearts

•        Digesting the word of God

•        Teaching and admonishing others on the word of God

•        Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God

•        Whatever we do, let it be unto the Lord, for we are God’s representatives here on earth.

These virtues stated in this passage are also the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), now we see the importance of having the Holy Spirit in us. We need the spirit of God to exhibit these fruits/virtues.

We are in a world where anger, hatred, corruption and the likes are the order of the day, we as God’s chosen people should be distinct. It is these virtues that will differentiate us from those in the world.

Why do you think love is paramount to all these virtues? It is very important to possess love; we are told in 1 John 4:7-8 that God is love; therefore as chosen people of God, we are love as well. We are to show love to everyone whether good or bad, Christian or unbeliever.  Love covers a multitude of sins (Proverbs 10:12 cf 1 Peter 4:8). When we love, it is very easy to exhibit the other virtues. Love will make us forgive someone easily no matter how many times they have wronged us. Jesus is our perfect example for love, he came to die. He had compassion on us and couldn’t bear to see us remain in our wretch state. Love will enable us have compassion on someone even though they don’t deserve it; it is love that will make us show kindness to one another. Love for God, will enable us study his word daily and want to know him more. Love will make us want to represent God who has called us to be his chosen ones.

It is our duty to forgive one another, having the word of God dwelling in us richly will endeavour us live Holy lives. I emphasised inn our study yesterday that we shouldn’t focus on the problem but rather on the solution and Paul provided us with a detailed solution in today’s passage. If we love God, we will focus our minds on God rather than on earthly things.

When we sing psalms and hymns, we should allow the meaning sink into our hearts and meditate on them. They can help in renewing our minds and channelling our minds towards God. Thanksgiving is being emphasized in this passage; we should continually give thanks to God for who he is and for his wondrous and numerous blessings. The fact that we sleep and wake up is a miracle; some other people don’t have this opportunity. Be grateful and like the psalmist, always give thanks.

The peace of God that surpasses human understanding has been given to us freely, we should endeavour to live at peace with all men (Hebrews 12:14, Phil 4:7).

Since we are God’s representatives, we should represent him both in our words (by preaching, teaching and admonishing people about the gospel) and in our deeds (by living as Christ and portraying these virtues). We should practice what we preach, our deeds speak more that our words. The world is watching, it is your deeds against your words.

Examine your life, are you exhibiting these fruits? Do you still lie against your neighbour or slander them or there is something in your life you placed before God, then you need to change because you are not living a Holy life. We are God’s chosen people, let us therefore ensure to shine bright and represent God in this evil generation. God bless you.

Word for Today: Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Colossians 3:1-11 Rules for Holy living

Memory Verse Colossians 3:5(KJV)

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry”:

 As Christians, we are expected to live holy lives; today’s passage gives us a list of things that can serve as a hindrance to living holy. We must rid ourselves of those things. Holiness is a must for every Christian, there is no compromise in Christianity. Hebrews 12:14b tells us that without holiness, it is impossible to see God. What are those things that can hinder us from living holy lives according to today’s passage?

·        Focusing on earthly things

·        Earthly nature- sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed and idolatry

·        Disobedience

·        Anger

·        Rage

·        Malice

·        Slander

·        Filthy language

·        Lies

To live a holy live in Christ, we need to get rid of these things listed above.  When we gave our lives to Jesus by confessing and accepting him as our Lord and Saviour, we acquired a new life. We should no longer go back to our old ways but focus our minds on Christ because our new life is in Christ, we represent Christ now.

We are no longer living in the flesh. It is our lifestyle that will differentiate us from the unbeliever. When we were in the world it was normal for us to commit these sins and even to an unbeliever it is normal but now we are new beings in Christ, we should put away our old lives 2 Cor 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.

It may be difficult to put off these things if we keep focusing on them; we find out that when we focus our minds on Jesus, these things disappear. Anger, lust, sexual immorality etc. all start from the heart, before we commit any sin, it has actually been thought about whether knowingly or unknowingly. So, we need to discipline our heart, we need to renew our mind by the word of God. It is the word of God that will transform our hearts and enable us to live holy. (Romans 12:2)

What goes into our hearts really matters, if we take in the word of God, we will bring forth the word of God but if we take in rubbish, we will bring out rubbish. Some people find it really difficult to control their thoughts and the devil uses our thoughts to tempt us. The bible warns us to be careful about our thoughts because they produce the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)

It is important to be grounded in the word of God, and we need to listen to gospel music, read Christian books and articles and listen to messages so that we can grow spiritually. When I used to listen to secular music, I discovered that it was affecting negatively and even though I didn’t want to admit it then, it unconsciously begun to dominate my thoughts, sometimes when I awake in the morning, instead of worshipping God, a secular song comes to mind and I immediately start singing it.

We need to be very careful, to live a Holy life in Christ isn’t always easy but the grace of God has been given freely to everyone through the death of Jesus. Let us therefore focus on Christ and follow his examples. God bless you.

Word for Today: Monday, February 4, 2013

Colossians 2:16-23 Avoid Legalistic Spirituality

Memory Verse Colossians 2:20(KJV)

“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,”

Every association have rules and regulations which guides its affairs, this is also the case in churches that sets standards of behaviour for her members. Today’s passage highlights some of the dangers that comes from following some of these rules set in churches especially if they are no derived from the examples and teaching of Jesus. It is good to have these rules and regulations to ensure orderliness but it is very dangerous when we focus more on them instead of our worship of God.

Yesterday, I gave a list of some of the Colossian Heresy, below is a continuation of the list.

Paul warns about the dangers of the Colossian Heresy. These dangers are

•        Being cheated through philosophy and vain deceit which depends on human traditions Verse 8.

•        False teachers depriving them of their rewards through false humility

•        The worship of angels

•        False visions

We learnt a great deal in Hebrews about the law; we know from our study that the law was a shadow of the reality that was to come, Hebrews 10. When the substance came, the shadow left. Through the death of Jesus, we gain freedom from the law. If the death of Christ freed us from the law given by God, how much more the law given by men? Since we died with Jesus, we should not imprison ourselves to the law or doctrines made by man.

These Christians in Colosse apparently had a problem with ceremonial food as well as the worship of angels, Paul warned them not to be carried away by these doctrines or judge one another by what they eat. The food we eat cannot draw us closer to God 1 Cor 8:8.

The angelic ministry was very common those days and some people started paying more attention to the angels. When we focus more attention on other things other than on God, we are sinning. Thank God for our study of Hebrews when we learnt that Jesus is greater than angels. Angels are creatures and messengers, Jesus is the creator and son of God, and it is Jesus we should worship.

We need the head to survive; no part of the body can exist on their own. When you decide to exist on your own by following human doctrines and principles instead of focusing your eyes on Jesus, you are depriving yourself of the reward promised by God to those who are faithful to him. Jesus is the head and anyone who does not follow the teachings of Jesus has lost connection with Jesus and he is no longer joined to the head.

 When Jesus died on the cross he freed us from the burden of the law. Instead of focusing on doctrines made by man, let us focus on improving our walk with God. God bless you.

Word for Today: Sunday, February 3, 2013

Colossians 2:1-15 Freedom through Christ Death

Memory Verse Colossians 2:14(KJV)

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross”;

Yesterday, we learnt that as Christians we are part of God’s body and Jesus is our head, we also learnt that through the death of Christ on the cross, we have been reconciled to God, therefore let us ensure to stand firm in our faith in God.

Today, Paul writes to express his concern for the church in Colosse, Laodicea as well as those who have not met him personally. What was the reason for this concern? The reason for this concern is that most of these believers haven’t seen him in person and it is very likely for them to be deceived by fine-sounding arguments Verses 4-5. He writes to encourage them to remain united in love, possess an understanding of Christ so that they would not be deceived by false teachers and continue to live in Christ, rooted and built up in him.

The mystery of God is hidden from unbelievers but it is made known to believers through Jesus. When we study the word of God, our knowledge of him increase and it becomes difficult for false teachers to enslave us with their teachings.

Paul warns about the dangers of the Colossian Heresy. These dangers are

•        Being cheated through philosophy and vain deceit which depends on human traditions Verse 8.

We will see the rest in tomorrow’s passage.

Some many people today bring in their culture into Christianity, these days people are more religious than spiritual. Christ came to set us from these things, therefore we shouldn’t enslave ourselves to human laws.

When we walk closely with God, our knowledge of him increase so also our faith but when we walk in the way of the world and decide to please men rather than God, we enslave ourselves to the principles and philosophy of men and it can hinder our faith in God and turn us away from him.

During circumcision the foreskin is removed, since we have gone through spiritual circumcision by the death of Jesus and our foreskin which is sin has been removed, therefore we need to put it away.

We are complete in Christ and our lives in Christ have guaranteed us lot of privileges. God forgave our sins and now we are no longer judge by our religious observance but by our acceptance of his son Jesus Christ who gave his life for us.

When Jesus died on the cross, he nailed everything that served as a hindrance in our relationship with God and made a public show of them. He bore our sins, suffering, and disgrace; through his death we have freedom. Since we have been free from the law, let us therefore live our lives in Christ and shun away traditions or philosophies that will hinder our relationship with Christ.