May week 1

Friday

Conforming not to the world’s Ideals

One thing everyone is looking for is joy, pleasure or gratification. We go to places where we can find it. The business built around the supposedly scare feeling.

Matthew 10 v 28: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

The way I understand the scripture above is we have control over we delight in. I learn that we ought to tame our self so that we find gratification in the Lord. The message for the day is controlling what we delight in. To not be conformed to the worldly standards but to stay rooted in Christ and to find our Joy in Him.

Thought of the Day: Where do you find you Joy?

Thursday

Fear

Fear is generally a bad thing and we prefer to not act out of fear. Fear comes about when we are in situations that are beyond our control and the possibility of something bad happening to us is high. In Sunday school they told me FEAR stands for, “False Evidence Appearing Real”.

Matthew 10 v 28: 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).

Right now we are facing one of the greatest global pandemic of our lifetime. And there is nothing false or unreal about the deaths that are being reported in hundreds of thousands all over the world. Our lives are being threatened by an enemy we don’t see and the greatest minds of our time have no solution. As a human race we are all facing a trial and we all ought to count is joy. The scripture above is reminding us that the death of this body is not the worst thing, it is the death of our soul. So remember to always strive to do good and follow Christ even though we are facing these challenging times.

Thought of the Day: Shall Covid-19 separate you from the Lord?

Wednesday April 6

Talk is cheap

As the saying goes, action speaks louder than words. It is so easy to say you will do something before the cost of taking that action is right in front of you. Our actions are a reflection of the driving forces within. Sometimes we don’t know the real driving force until that moment we have to make a decision. As a husband and father I would like to believe I will do anything and everything to protect my family even if it means putting my life on the line. But truth of that statement can only be validated when I am put in a life and death situation. In that moment it is either the love for my family or the love for one’s own self that will determine my action.

1 John 2 v 4-6: 4 Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth [[c]of the Gospel] is not in him.

  • But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:

 Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as [d]a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.

If we say we Love God and don’t obey him we are liars, is I think is because every time we don’t obey God it is because we love something more and that is a sin. It could be something as egregiously selfish as self-love or it be something as seemingly noble as loving someone or something more than God. Remember Abraham was blessed because by not withholding his only son Isaac his Love for God proved to be more than how much he loved his son.

Thought of the Day: How do we grow the Love of God in us?

Tuesday April 5

How are you oriented

Based on our various in interactions, experiences and impulses we all quest for something. Every day we wake up we are working towards something for the person just looking for a meal to the person looking for a signature on a multi-million dollar deal our days are characterised by us moving towards something.

Colossians 3 v 1-2: If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

  • And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

As Children of the Most God we are reminded by the above scripture were our priorities ought to lay. Every day we find reason to redirect our focus to things of this earth. Today’s message is to remind you to trust in the Lord seek the treasure above not the ones on this earth. To give an example seeking to Love God and thy neighbour seeking a treasure that is not of this earth. So as you go through the day reflect one what you want the most and determine if it indeed is a treasure of this world or not.

Thought of the Day: What is your quest?

Monday May 4

What is your sacrifice worth

As Christians it is customary to give in the house of the Lord. We give our hard earned money through tithe and love offering. We give our time and service to meet the needs of the church in various ways. Whether its singing in the church, being an usher or ministering in any capacity, it is always important to reflect on why it is we act in service of the Lord.

Isaiah 1 v 11-13: 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me [unless they are the offering of the heart]? says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts [without obedience]; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he-goats [without righteousness].

  • When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your [unholy feet] trample My courts?
  • Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure—[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting.

The scripture above reminds us that any form of sacrifice we give to the Lord is acceptable only when we do it out of our Love for our Lord. It is my opinion that in all his might God does not need our help. If we did not act in his service he could have someone else do it or simply give life to stones and have them act in our place. The value of any sacrifice we make is not in the act itself but the motive behind.

Thought of the Day: What does God want from you?