June 4, 2016
The reflections below was recorded in my Journal last Sunday May 29th, It was impressed upon me that I should share it, so hopefully someone will be blessed by it.
A memorial
Sunday,
May 29, 2016
8:00 AM
Readings
from the book of Joshua chapter 22-24. Two types of memorial was set up.
Firstly, the tribes
of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh constructed an imposing altar between
the border of the land of Israel and the eastern side of Jordan that was
allotted to them. The purpose of the altar was to serve as a memorial to their
descendants that they also serve the Lord God and have the right to perform
sacrifices in the temple based in the land of Israel.
The
second was when Joshua was about to die and he gathered all the tribes of
Israel together to encourage them not to forsake God and worship the gods of
the land God has given them. Joshua asked them to choose whom they will serve.
They chose to serve God, so Joshua took a stone and made it to be a witness or
serve as a memorial that the covenant between God and the children of Israel
was renewed. The big stone was then rolled beneath the Terebinth
tree which was beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.
What
is the importance of making a memorial? What does God wants me to learn because
memorial weekend is being marked presently and tomorrow USA celebrates memorial
day? Is memorial relevant to the practice of Christianity today?
12:17 PM
Still pondering the
relevance of making a memorial to today's Christianity, on getting to the
church, I got an idea to check the concordance app on my phone. Going through
the list of items under memorial was
'The Lord's Supper'. Reference check Luke 22:19 & 1 Corinthians
11:24-26.
Jesus said to break bread and drink the cup in remembrance of him. As often as we eat and drink , we shew the Lord's death till he come. Partaking in the Lord's supper is simply making a memorial to the Lord. So that is the relevance of memorial to the church today.
To clinch this
lesson for me, was that today was Holy Communion service in church. It has
opened my eyes to appreciate the work Christ did on the cross.
When I partake of
the Holy communion, am entering into a covenant of life with God, because Life
is in the blood. John 40:10, Jesus came that I might have life and have it
abundantly. So , I must endeavor to participate in Holy Communion as often as I
can.
The conclusion to the study of Philippians will be posted next week.
May 28, 2016
A study on the book of Philippines cont'd
To live is Christ, to die is gain
The life of a matured believer:
How does your life look like when you have been chasing Jesus for awhile? Philippians 4 is all about what a matured believer looks like in their mind, emotions, thinking and how they feel in their being.
One of the most popular verses in Philippians is verse 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Rejoicing in the Lord always, every time, every moment, in all situation and circumstances is very difficult to practice. Paul was quite emphatic when he said rejoice the second time. So how can one rejoice in the face of sorrow, in difficult circumstances, in devastating situations? An unexpected phone call can unhinge our world in a second, so is it possible to rejoice in that moment?
Philippians 4:5 " Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."(NIV)
The English standard version interprets that verse as" Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
Another question is;Can I be reasonable or gentle in the face of difficulty? Naturally not possible. But the next sentence in the verse says why we can be reasonable or why we can rejoice in every situation. Its because the Lord is near. In that very moment when you get a sad news, when everything you know as true becomes false, when things turns upside down, God is already stepping into the situation. God knows everything and has all power. Everything that exists belongs to God. Romans11:33-36, Deuteronomy 10:14
God is infinitely wealthy, even the heavens of heavens belongs to him. Not only is God deep in riches, He is also deep in wisdom. God knows everything both on the micro and macro level, He knows everything that is happening, how each event was birthed by the event before it.
The matured christian can be reasonable because the Lord is near in dire circumstances. The God of the universe who rescued and saved me is not powerless in this moment, not surprised or shocked, not reeling or trying to figure things out. He is not showing up after, He was already there, in charge and taking care of all things. God is glorified in that moment, when we make known our trust in him.
How a matured believer handles anxieties:
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Mature faith rejoices in every circumstance because God is sovereign and rules over all. Worrying or being anxious does not do anything to change the circumstances. Jesus also said "do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on."
The way to handle anxiety is by prayer and the type of prayer is supplication i.e asking God to divinely intervene in that circumstance that is causing the anxiety. We ask with thanksgiving because we believe God is going to help us. The thanksgiving is not thanking God after we have received an answer but thanking God for that situation and what God will accomplish through it. The true test of thanksgiving is thanking God no matter the outcome.
The other way to get rid of anxiety is to guard our minds. We must constantly exercise our minds to think on the following things:
- whatever is true, as opposed to what is false.
- whatever is noble, instead of what is dishonorable.
- whatever is right, instead on what is wrong.
- whatever is pure, as opposed to unholy things or impure things.
- whatever is lovely, instead of ugly things.
- whatever is admirable as opposed to things that repugnant
Rejoicing always, being reasonable and not being anxious about anything can only come about through practice. Over and over again in different circumstances or situations, we must practice and as we do so, the peace of God will guard our minds and hearts.
May 20, 2016
A study on the book of Philippines cont'd
To live is Christ, to die is gain
How and when do we chase Jesus:
Previously, I enumerated three (3) ways on how and when we can chase Jesus, this is a continuation of the ways that can be done.
1. Holding true to what we have already attained:
Philippians 3:15-16
"All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
In the verses above, Paul gives us a check, something very important that attention must be paid to, namely "live up to what we have already attained". The Amplified bible interprets verse 16 thus: "Only let us hold true to what we have already attained and walk and order our lives by that."
It's quite usual to always want new revelation, new knowledge, new teachings but what's more common is not obeying or doing what we already know. Growing in truth is connected to practicing the truth you already know. The other option when not applying what one knows is to grow in lies. Our lives then differs from what we confess or profess.
2. Following those who live by example:
Philippians 3:17 "Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example." NLT
Keeping our eyes on those who walk according to the example given by the apostles help us to chase after Jesus. In Titus 2:1-8, Paul shows us the type of example we must follow.
"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."
One idea that was constant in the new testament is that, although our faith is meant to be personal, it is not meant to be private, but should be evident to all in the community. To pursue Jesus, is to find Godly men and women whose characters and way of life is worthy of emulation. It may be through reading books written by such people, following them on social media, it may be mentors in the church or church leaders e.t.c.
Philippians 3:18-19 gives us examples of those we must not follow, or copy their example.
"For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things."
3. Be conscious of Eternity:
Philippians 3:20-21
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
The ultimate goal is to make heaven, to hear that voice that says 'well done, good and faithful servant'. Heaven must be in our consciousness every single day, because we are pilgrims here on earth, heaven is our home. Having this consciousness helps us to chase after Christ every day, no more procrastination that I will study my bible tomorrow, fast next week, not only pray but listen to God and helps us to win others for Christ. Our pursuit will no longer be after earthly things that gives temporary benefits but that which gives eternal benefits. We MUST war against our flesh and it's desires in order to attain because the day of the Lord is coming.
April 30, 2016
A Study of the book of Philippians:
To live is Christ; To die is gain
Chapter 3:Mature Christianity
Philippians 3;12-14
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
How do we chase Jesus?
1) Develop a Holy discontentment: Holy discontentment is not being satisfied with a meager relationship with Jesus, it's having a deep rooted desire to want more of him, to pray more deeply, read and study the bible more, worship him the more. Paul admits that he is not yet there, he has not arrived at his goal. How do we do know this? It's by doing the following.
- Introspection: Know yourself intimately, never lie to yourself about who you are. Know your areas of strength and weaknesses. Be aware of what goes on in your thoughts, in your mind and heart.
- Measure yourself against the Holiness of Christ: Jesus while an earth was an example of how we ought to live.
- Know and embrace the promises in the scripture that God is at work in us. Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".
- Surround yourself with godly men and women who are strong in your area of weakness. An example is if you are not passionate about prayer, become friends with a prayer warrior who can encourage you develop in that area.
Two things to note:
- Victory is in the past: A win or victory can be a beautiful reminder of God's grace and goodness but living off past victories makes us smug and lazy with regards to our faith. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 to take heed, lest we fall. Don't live off the victories of yesterday as yesterday's victory was accomplished by the grace of yesterday.
- Each new challenge needs a new grace: The mercies of God are new each morning and great is his faithfulness. Be careful not to let today's pursuit of Jesus be affected by some dark past or failure. 1 Timothy 1:12-16
"That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe".
Ask yourself " what does it look like for me to strive, toil, discipline my body so that I don't spend my life aimlessly?"
The fact is nobody stumbles into godliness ever, not even when we get miracles. In the old testament, each time God shows up and does amazing things for the children of Israel, they soon fall back into sin. Our response to miracles must be a deeper pursuit, toiling and striving after God.
We must set spiritual goals of how we want to pursue Christ and have an accountability partner that can help us in achieving those goals.
April 23, 2016
A Study of the book of Philippians:
To live is Christ; To die is gain
Chapter 3: Mature Christianity
Read Philippians 3 here:
This chapter is all about developing a deep hunger, holy discontent, desire, thirst and passion for God. Paul narrates his background vis-a-vis the pursuit of God. Such pursuit of God is not new, we have examples in David, Moses, Daniel and others. One of the most eloquent verses about the pursuit of God is found in Psalm 63:1-8
1You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
God created each one of us with a vacuum deep within that is supposed to be filled with our relationship with God. We have the free will to fill that deep hunger, some fill it with acquisition of material things, wealth, recreational activities, social media, drugs etc. Such things only offer temporary satisfaction but having lusting after, longing for and a deep hunger for God satisfies permanently. In history we have people like Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee McPherson, A.W Tozer who pursued God with all that they are.
Two questions to answer:
- Biblically has men felt such longing for God? YES
- Historically has men felt such longing for God? YES
"Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost."Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance."Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David"
Lessons from Philippians 3:1-9
Our confidence must not be in who we are, our past or background, what we have achieved or the good works we do, but in who we are in Christ Jesus. The focus must be to live a Christ centered life. Don't be caught up in secondary pursuits that blinds us to our deep need for God. If there is a scripture that should guide our christian conduct, it is Matthew 7:21
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Four reasons to pursue God:
- To know Him: Since Christ is infinite, there will always be more of Him to be had. We need to ask ourselves two questions which can serve as a guide in our pursuit of God. What stirs my affection for Jesus Christ? What propels me to love him, know him and worship him. Is it watching the Sun rise up every morning, listening to Godly songs or hearing testimonies of God's faithfulness?
What robs my attention from God, distracts me from his presence or diverts my attention? There are quite a lot of things that serve as distraction in this present age such as TV programs, too much social presence, sports etc Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" - To Gain Christ: Vs 7-11 illustrates Paul's goal. Two things are striking and in couched in present tense;" I count all things to be loss and that I may gain Christ ". Christ must be present tense in the life of someone that is gaining him.There must be progressive satisfaction in pursuing Christ and progressive growth as well. Indifference to Christ shows that you don't know him and such indifference calls for concern. Someone in that state will be said to be religious and not a Christ follower.
- Because we are broken: Vs 12-16 lets us know that we are to strive to attain perfection in Christ Jesus. When you surrender your life to Jesus, your sins are forgiven but yet you may find yourself struggling with certain sins. Pressing on to know more of Jesus helps us to overcome and the power of such sins will be broken. Trying to control such sins on our own will not work but continual yielding to God does.
- Because Jesus has taken hold of us: Ephesians 1:4 " For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love". Before the foundation of the world was laid, God chose us to be holy and blameless before him. He loves us greatly and extends his grace to all who come to him. Each person that was used greatly in the bible are people with dark background or past, yet God used them to accomplish his purposes. David was a murderer and an adulterer, Moses was a murderer, Paul was also a murderer. The grace of God helped them to become mighty vessels in God's hands.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25141/25141-h/25141-h.htm
https://youtu.be/znyZvjwh0jU
April 16, 2016
A Study of the book of Philippians:
To live is Christ; To die is gain
Chapter 2: A life of Humility
Chapter 2 starts off with references to key points learned from the introduction to the book of Philippians.
"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Vs1-2
- There is encouragement that all can be saved in Christ no matter the background, status, wealth etc
- There is comfort that the love of Christ saves us all from all forms of slavery
- The Cross of Christ has made us all one
If all the above is true, then the love we have for others must imitate Christ type of love for others, strive to be of one mind and of one spirit with others.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Vs 3-4
We must endeavor to set aside every feeling of " I have to do better than my fellow man", stop hating others because they are more blessed than us. Without doubt, it seems like an impossible task because we have that competitive nature that seeks to do better than those around us, we always want to be seen as "settled" and having it all but Paul encourages us not to be self seeking but look to the welfare of others. It's like leave the plowing of your field and go plow the field of your neighbor who is in more need than you. The context of humility is not only mentioned here but it runs through the whole Bible. Meekness, lowliness and humility versus pride.
An examination of Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 reveals three ways God deals with the humble and the proud.
For the humble:
- God's mercy is on those that fear him from generation to generation i.e those that are in awe of God. Examples of such people are Zaccheus, the woman with the issue of blood, the Canaanite woman with the demon possessed daughter, one of the thiefs on the cross.
- God exalts the lowly of mind. Throughout scriptures we see God using nobodies or people that do not have anything to recommend them for his glory. David the last born and a shepherd was chosen to be King over Israel, Moses a stutterer and a murderer was chosen as the mouthpiece for God, Peter an unlearned man and a fisherman was chosen as a disciple and a fisher of men. The bulk of the diciples of Jesus were unlearned men of no repute.
- God fills the hungry with good things. Life works best when our heart is filled with gratitude with what we have been blessed with. Being grateful when in need or full, grateful for the spouse or children we have or do not have, be grateful for the bad job or good job opens the door for Go's mercy. Simply put, being content with what we have brings great gain.
- God scatters those who are proud in the thoughts/imagination of their heart. An example is someone who believes that they are strong, can do no wrong or cannot entertain the thought that they need help with anything. People that believe they have it all together. Most times the background of such people have left marks or wounds deep in their heart that they lash out at those around them and always ascribe fault to others.
- God brings down the mighty from their thrones. Arrogant, proud, rivalry driven people consistently operate under the illusion of control. They want to control everyone and everything around them. Such type of control leads to rebellion from those on the receiving end.
- God send the rich empty away. Not neccesarily physical wealth but the state of mind of those who are ungrateful for what they have, never satisfied but always seeking for more wealth, more respect etc. Those that are filled with a sense of entitlement. The rich go away empty because they are trying to ind fulfillment in things we are not meant to find fulfillment in. Soloman akins such things as chasing the wind and vanity upon vanities. Proverbs 8:13, James 4:6
The foundation of life not built on rivalry or vain glory/conceit is a life built along the example given by our Lord Jesus and his death on the cross. Philippians 2:5-11
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Other examples Paul mentioned are Timothy, Epaphroditus and himself. Paul admonishes us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. why? Because being humble is not a natural state, we must work at it.
Thought provoking questions:
- Do I regard those around me as having souls and worthy of consideration?
- How do I treat those that render one service or the other to me? e.g a subordinate at work or a cashier in a store.
- Have I ever done the most dirty job so that others do not have to do it?
- Do I approach my community of faith with the attitude of 'how do I serve?' How can I be of help to others?
To be continued....
April 2, 2016
A Study of the book of Philippians:
To live is Christ; To die is gain
A few weeks before Easter, I happened to read Philippians 2:1-11 and struck at how much humility Jesus personified and the rewards of it. The week after I stumbled on a study of Philippians by Matt Chandler on www.rightnow.org which is a great resource for christian growth. I have listened to the series twice and will share some points or lesson am taking away from it.
Chapter One: Introduction
The book of Philippians was written to believers in the city of Philipi by Paul and is the only one that holds no criticism for those he wrote to. I also learned that its a picture of what a maturing christian should look like.
Paul yearned for and loved the believers there with the same measure of love that Christ has for the church. Phil 1:8 " God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."
The beginning of that love can be found from the book of Acts 16:11-31 where Paul and Silas met three people.
Lydia: Originally from Asia , a seller of purple cloth who was wealthy and also described as a worshiper of God or a Godfearer. She went to the place of prayer outside the city gates and was among those that listened to Paul preach. God opened her heart and she and her household became believers. She then invited Paul and Silas to lodge in her house.
Take away: God met Lydia through the power of the intellect and reasoning.
Slave girl: A Greek, not in control of her own life, maniac, disruptive likely filled with bitterness against those that sold her into slavery. She was a slave twice over, a spiritual slave and a physical slave. She did not listen to the message being preached by Paul but went after them disrupting and preventing others from listening.
Take away: God did not appeal to her intellect or reasoning but used Paul in the power of the Holy Spirit to save her. She was converted by power.
The Jailer: In today's analogy, the Jailer will be middle class blue collar, maybe ex marine with a high sense of duty, not super rich. He went beyond given instruction to keep Paul and Silas safe by putting them in an inner cell and fastening their feet to stocks(a way of torturing hard core criminals then). Paul's and Silas response to such treatment was to pray and sing hymns to God. Their prayers and singing brought down the power of God via an earthquake, they and other prisoners were set loose. Despite being loose, they did not run away. The Jailer wanted to kill himself but the voice of Paul stayed his hand.
Take away: The Jailer and his household were converted by example. Paul and Silas gave an example of what Christian conduct and living should be like and by that an entire household was saved.
God met each of the three people mentioned above in three different ways. All the three ways apply in our lives as servants of Christ. According to directions from the Holy Spirit we can appeal to others by reasoning the scriptures, by the demonstration of the power of God and living by example. These ways serve as an aroma that draw people to Christ.
A Worthy Life:
Philippians 1:12-30
Paul's suffering and imprisonment served some purpose:
1) It advanced the Gospel
2) God used the imprisonment as a door for ministration by Paul to the palace guards and other prisoners as they all came to Christ.
3) most of the other brothers and sisters became more bold to preach the gospel.
4) Paul was able to rejoice that the gospel of Christ was preached in every way either from true or false motives.
5) He rejoiced more because other believers were praying for him and he knew that what has happened will turn out for his deliverance.
Verse 20-26
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Take away:
Paul was completely sold out to Christ. He was not ashamed of his chains and was content to live or die. He actually preferred to die because nothing in this world held value to him, not wealth or a six figure salary, not a comfortable home, or any other thing we attach so much importance to and hold on to tightly. If he lives, his primary aim is to serve God with the totality of his being. All in for Christ.
Paul's Exhortation: verse 27-30
" Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have."
Living our lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel might seem a daunting task but we can take it step by step by:
1) Standing firm in one spirit
2) Live grace filled life's that respect the journey of others and the differences of others all under Christ
3) Stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel
4) Not frightened in anything by our opponents i.e we must remain fearless and bold in the face of
opposition.
5) Be willing to do the right thing always even if it's detrimental to you.
A unified body of believers will achieve much more for Christ than one with factions of Paul I believe, Silas I follow.
To be continued:
March 19, 2016
Shallow Christianity Cont'd:
Colossians 2: 6-7
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Overflowing with thankfulness
When I see the word overflowing, the picture I see is a River flowing past its banks or boundary.
Meaning of overflow:
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (v. t.) To flow over; to cover with, or as with, water or other fluid; to spread over; to inundate; to overwhelm.2. (v. t.) To flow over the brim of; to fill more than full.3. (v. i.) To run over the bounds.
4. (v. i.) To be superabundant; to abound.
5. (n.) A flowing over, as of water or other fluid; an inundation.
6. (n.) That which flows over; a superfluous portion; a superabundance.
7. (n.) An outlet for the escape of surplus liquid.
Thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks. It's not only to show appreciation for what we have received from God, but to also acknowledge God as the KING or ruler over our life. Thanksgiving is our act of worship. We are commanded to give thanks at all times. The book of Psalms is filled with expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God.
Psalm 100
" Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Hebrews 13:15 (ESV)
"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."
Psalm 44:8(NLT)
"O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name."
Two words or phrases from the above scriptures, "continually and constantly"
We must develop the attitude of constant praise to God, from thanking him for the things he created, the things he has blessed us with, answered prayers and for our very breath. Jesus lived a life of thanksgiving from breaking of bread, to when he raised Lazarus from the dead.
Mark 8: 6
"He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so."
John 11:41-42
"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Our expression of praise and thanksgiving must flow like a liquid from our lips to the throne of God. Imagine a water tap that when opened continues to pour water from its spout until it's shut off, on the other hand our spiritual act of thanksgiving must not be shut off. We should always cloak our prayers in thanksgiving.
Prayer:
Lord help me to always thank you for the smallest bit in my life to the biggest and also for things am yet to receive. Amen
March 12, 2016
Shallow Christianity Cont'd:
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Colossians 2: 6-7
Strengthened in the faith
Faith is very central to our lives as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole redemption story lies on faith that the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ reconciled us back to God. It's an inexhaustible topic so will be focusing on how faith in God can be strengthened.
Strength or strengthen is:
1) to make (someone or something) stronger, more forceful, more effective, etc
2) to become stronger, more forceful, more effective, etc.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Some definitions of Faith from Hebrews 11
1) Substance of things hoped for {11:1}
2) Evidence of things not seen {11:1,7}
3) Creative power of divine works {11:3}
4) Divine testimony of right doing {11:4}
5) Basis of pleasing God {11:6}
6) Dependence upon God's word {11:7}
7) Trust in an unknown future {11:8-10}
8) Counting things that be not as though they were {11:11-12, Romans 4:17}
9) Assurance of God's faithfulness {11:17-19}
10) Confidence in things to come {11: 20-31, Eph 3:12}
11) Shield of Christian armour {Ephesians 6:16}
12)Guarantee of answered prayer {Matthew 21:22, James 1}
From the above, we can see that Faith indeed is all encompassing of who we are and our identity in Christ. Imagine a new baby born today, the mother takes care of it, feeding it every time expecting the baby to start growing and adding weight but alas after a month or more, the baby still looks like a new born baby. Am sure as a parent, one will panic, get to the hospital, run all manner of tests to determine whats wrong. Likewise, God expects us to start growing in faith after becoming believers. A child of God must not become stunted, when such happens we become ineffective ministers of the Gospel of Christ.
Our faith can be made stronger in the following ways:
1) Not forsaking the assembly of other believers. When we surround ourselves with other believers, we are encouraged to see how they are growing through the testimony of what God is doing in their lives. We are assured that we are not alone especially in times of trouble, because the fellowship of believers will support us, pray and believe God for the impossible together.
Hebrews 10:24-25
" and let us consider how to stimulate one
another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our assembling together as
is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as
you see the day drawing near".
2) Desiring not only the milk but the Solid. Peter admonishes us to desire the pure milk of the word in 1 Peter 2:2
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation".
That is a step we must take as a new born in Christ but when we continue to stay at that level and do not desire to know more about God and the deep mysteries in Him, we become shallow Christians that has no depth or root and can be easily carried around by every wind of doctrine.
Hebrew 5 ;12-14
"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone
to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You
need milk, not solid food!
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil".
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil".
Unlike the Corinthian believers, we must desire the solid food of the word of God, not only once in a while but constantly reading , studying the word of God and seeking God. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2
"Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the
Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready".
Hebrews 6: 1- 3 mentions some things that are considered milk not Solid.
"Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and
be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of
repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites,
the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so".
I therefore encourage us move unto maturity, to start seeking to know more about God, what He has called us to do and go deeper in our relationship with Him. God is calling us to launch into the deep because He is more than able to reveal to us the knowledge of His will in all things.
Colossians 1:9-12
" For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped
praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge
of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit
gives, so
that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every
way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light".
3) The trials of Our Faith: As a believer, if there is one thing that is guaranteed, its that our faith shall be tested. Our faith is tested through trials, problems and challenges. Abraham had such a big test of his faith in God when he was required to sacrifice Isaac, 'the child of promise', Hebrews 11 is a chronicle of people who had their faith tested, challenged and stretched. Their faith was strengthened through their experiences. The trial of our faith polishes us like Gold becomes polished when passed through the fire. The fire burns away every imperfection or dross, likewise as we go through trials our character and nature becomes more aligned to the will and purposes of God. We must realize there is no time limit to the trials we go through. Some trials are quick to work the work God wants done in us and others can stretch over many years in order that we become vessels of His glory. So, we are encouraged to be joyful even in trials.
I Peter 1: 6-7 NLT
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world".
James 1:2-4
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing".
Many times we become so impatient when going through trials, we are tired, we just want it to be over. We may even start to feel like God does not care or does not love us because our prayers are not being answered right on time. It becomes quite easy to start resenting God or drift away. The only thing that can anchor us deep in God during such period is our attitude of joy. We must be deliberate to cultivate it by listening to praise music at all times, read testimonies and believe God that our own miracle is right around the corner no matter how long it had taken. We must remember that God loves us deeply and must be convinced that nothing can separate us from that love. Romans 8:35,37-39 NLT
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no
longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or
hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?"
" No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No
power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is
revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord ".
4) Standing on the promises of God: As we study the word of God, the Bible, we must endeavor to underline and know His promises. God's promises are anchors that hold us down in storms, they are the pitons that enable us to climb mountains and the rock or foundation we build upon. These promises builds up our faith when we are praying and we can stand on the authority of the word of God. They also help us to share in the divine nature of Christ. God gave us these promises so that we can live godly lives.
2 Peter 1:3-7
" By his divine power, God has given us everything we
need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to
know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous
glory and excellence. And
because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious
promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine
nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
In
view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.
Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and
moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone".
Some examples of these promises are found in:
Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6 [ Faith like a grain of Mustard seed = Nothing shall be impossible]
Psalm 50:15 [ God answers us when we call upon Him in trouble]
Matthew 18:18, 16:19 [ Authority to bind and loose]
Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24 [ We are healed by His stripes]
Philippians 4:19 ,Psalm 34;10 [ We shall not lack]
The promises above represents just a grain of sand in the many promises of God in His Word. We must learn to meditate upon these promises and as we meditate on them, our faith begins to grow and become stronger.
2 Peters 1:8-11
"The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind,
forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".
Scripture quotations are from NIV and NLT.
Word of Prayer
Thank you Jesus for your grace, love and promises. Thank you for calling us to launch out into the deep with you. Thank you for all the wonderful provisions you have made for me to live a godly life. Help me Lord, to stop being satisfied with milk, help me to be joyful in the face of trials and problems. May the trials work in me what you want. When am drifting away, help me to realize it and come back to you. Honor your promises in my life as I meditate and stand upon them in Jesus name. Amen
This series will be concluded next week by the grace of God Almighty. Thank you for being on the same journey with me to go deep.
Love.
Shallow Christianity Cont'd:
March 5,2016
Last week, I started a study of Colossians 2:6-7
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Am examining what it means to be rooted and built up in him. A root is :
Noun
1. the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers.
2. the basic cause, source, or origin of something.
Verb :establish deeply and firmly.
Being rooted in Christ means, we allow Jesus to be the solid ground we stand upon, He must increase in us, while we decrease, we stop satisfying the desires of our sinful nature and pursue righteousness. 1 Timothy 6:11-12
"But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.…"
We must immerse ourselves deeply and firmly in the things of God. Jesus in talking and preparing the disciples for His death spoke about remaining in Him. John 15: 9-10
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love."
Being rooted in Christ means we are totally obedient to him. Last week, I said we must listen, hear and follow the voice of the shepherd. Following the voice of the Shepherd is an act of obedience and this helps us to remain or abide in Christ.
Benefit of being rooted:
When we are deeply rooted in CHRIST,
1) we become someone that will not be tossed about by challenges or problems. Proverbs 12:3b" but the root of the righteous shall not be moved".
2) we will be able to stand through the testing of our faith. Luke 8:13"Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away"
3) we bear good fruits. 2 Kings19:30" Once more, a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above"
Isaiah 11:1" A branch from his root will bear fruit"
John 15:1-2" “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
4) we are assured of the love of God and will be made strong, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ. Ephesians 3: 17 " Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong" NLT
Note must be taken of the type of root we are as it determines how our fruits will be.
Built up in Christ:
As we are being rooted up, we must also be built up. Imagine a house that is being built, the ground was dug and foundation laid but nothing further was done. That house will be categorized as being incomplete and no one will be able to live there. Soon,all manner of things will be found there like trash, rodents and such like. Meticulous care must be taken to not only grow deep into the things of God, we must grow out too. The stem of a tree grows out of the roots deep in the earth and from it branches grow out and from branches, fruit. Growing out and becoming branches is not to be done alone. Plants need sunlight to grow and the quality of sunlight a plant gets determines how buoyant the growth will be in its fruits or produce.
Simply put,we need the sunlight of the fellowship of other believers to grow. Some of the bible verses that enunciate this point are:
Jude1:20 " But you dear friends must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the holy spirit".
1 Thessalonians 5: 11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing".
Hebrews 10:24-25 " and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near".
Hebrews 3:13 " But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness".
The business of encouraging each other must be done daily. Social media has made things so much easier in this respect. It may be via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. The most readily accessible tool though is our cell phones, you can create a broadcast list or MMS list and send out something you learned about God. It may also be just a word of prayer as led by the power of the Holy Spirit, it may be a song or psalms, a smile and a simple word 'Jesus loves and cares for you'. Just do it as often as you can, as you do so, you sow seeds of faith, righteousness in the lives of those around you. Also remember that the measure you give is that which you will receive.
To be continued.
A word of prayer:
Lord Jesus , make your home in my heart, help me to trust you that your plans for me are good and that you love me. Help me to cast off anything that competes with you in my life and help me to be deeply rooted and built in you to the praise of your name. Amen
February 27, 2016
Earlier in the week, a phrase came into my mind " shallow Christianity", I was a bit perplexed as to what it could mean and thus began a study of a particular verse of the Bible. But before I delve into it, what does shallow mean? According to Merriam Webster dictionary 'shallow could mean one of the following:
- having little depth <shallow water>
- having little extension inward or backward <office buildings have taken the form of shallow slabs — Lewis Mumford>
- 3a : penetrating only the easily or quickly perceived <shallow generalizations>b : lacking in depth of knowledge, thought, or feeling <a shallow demagogue>\In relation to Christianity, a shallow Christian is a person that has little depth or lacks in depth knowledge of God and/or kingdom principles. It also could mean lack of Spiritual fullness in Christ. The opposite of shallow is deep , and the word of God refers to deepness in various ways which I plan on exploring in the weeks ahead.Colossians 2 : 6-76 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Paul was encouraging the believers in Colossae, that the next step after giving their lives to Christ was to live their lives in Him. Some other translation refers to walking with Christ in verse 6.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: KJV
Other scriptures that refers to how we live our lives in Christ are:
Colosians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Ephesians 4:1 "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
1 John 2:5-6 "but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked'.
Ephesians5:1-2 " Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2: and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma".
John 10 ;1-30, Jesus used figure of speech to depict how the relationship between God and us should be.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Vs: 27 " My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me".
Living in Christ Jesus means to listen, then hear His voice and follow him. Be an imitator of Christ!
Jesus Christ did exactly as His father was doing,so likewise must we. The only way to accomplish that is to listen, hear and follow.
To be continued...
A word of prayer: Father, I pray that you will open my eyes to see and understand deep Spiritual truths, that I will always listen for your voice and follow your directions. May I become an imitator of Christ in all I do. Amen
Bible verses are from the NIV translations.
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