LIFE

 

LIFE OF GOD :

John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

The Greek word translated "life" here is "zoe" and it means life in the absolute sense or life as God has it. Everyone who is breathing has life in the sense of physical existence, but only those who receive Jesus can experience life as God intended it to be. Jesus came to not only save us from the torment of eternal hell, but also to give us this "zoe" or God-kind of life in abundance. The life of God is not awaiting us in heaven, but is presently possessed by every born-again person in his spirit. We can release this "zoe" life and enjoy it now by losing our natural life and finding this supernatural life. The way we lose our life is to deny any thoughts, emotions, or actions that are contrary to the Word of God, which is life ("zoe" in Jn. 6:63). When we line our thoughts, emotions, and actions up with the instructions of God's Word, then we will find this "zoe" life manifest in our bodies and souls as well.

The Word is spiritual and must be understood through the spirit (1 Cor. 2:14). The Bible is simply a physical representation of Jesus and spiritual truth. It is inspired of God and therefore, totally accurate and reliable, and yet, until we receive the spirit that these words express, the Bible will not profit us (Heb. 4:2).

If we want to know what spiritual truth is, we must believe the Bible, for it is spirit and life. If we want to be led by the Spirit, then we must follow God's Word. If we want to hear from the Spirit of God, then we must listen to what God says in His Word. The Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the Word (Jesus - Jn. 1:1) are one (1 Jn. 5:7).

BE WILLING!

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. – Isaiah 1:19

A healthy body. Enough money to pay all your bills and extra to invest in the work of the gospel. A godly marriage and happy, healthy children. Peace of mind. God has prepared a banquet full of blessings for you.

But those blessings are not just going to fall in your lap. You must be willing as well as obedient if you're going to eat the best from God's table.

So, be willing!

Don't be willing for Satan to put sickness on your body. Be willing, instead, to be well! In honor of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary, refuse to accept anything less than divine health.

Don't be willing to live in lack, but be willing instead to live in divine prosperity and abundance. Refuse to allow Satan to stop the flow of God's financial blessings to you.

Be willing to receive God's best plan for your marriage and your children. Don't settle for the "norm" in the world. Live above it in a home full of love and harmony, a home that is what God meant it to be.

Don't allow Satan to substitute anxiety and ulcers for the peace and undisturbedness that Jesus bought for you. Be willing and obedient to cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.

Refuse to be robbed of the banquet of blessings that have belonged to you since you became a believer. Be willing to eat the good of the land!

FOCUS ON THE PROCESS

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 1:8

In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, he says that many writers suffer from “the tyranny of the final product.” They are so concerned with selling their article or book, they neglect learning the process of how to think, plan, and organize. A jumbled manuscript, Zinsser believes, is produced when “the writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.”

Author and minister A. W. Tozer applies that principle to our spiritual lives. In his book The Root of the Righteous, Tozer describes our tendency to be “concerned only with the fruit . . . [and] ignore the root out of which the fruit sprang.”

The apostle Peter reminded first-century believers that Christlike living and effective service result from a process. He urged them to grow in eight areas of spiritual development: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, Peter said, “you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.8).

God calls us to a wonderful process of learning to know Him, with the assurance that it will lead to productive service in His name and for His honor.

Lord, so often we want complete and perfect solutions here and now. But You work graciously in Your good time. Let Your goodness and patience and virtue shine through us so that we may bless others.

The Christian life is a process in which we learn complete dependence on God.

TODAY'S DEVOTION :

“Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them” (Psalm 126:2).

Celebrate your successes in life by acknowledging the role God played in them. Sing, shout, and praise Him for His goodness!

WHEN GOD 'SHOWS' IT TO YOU :

'...Their eyes were opened and they recognised Him...' Luke 24:31 NIV

One day Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man and he exclaimed, 'I see men as trees, walking.' (Mark 8:24 KJV) In other words, 'I see something, but it's not completely clear yet.' So Jesus touched him again, cleared his perceptions, removing his limitations and setting him free to become the man God made him to be. Without a God-given vision you'll stumble through life, blind to who God is and what He can do; blind to who you are and what He can accomplish through you. Thomas Edison 'saw' incandescent light before the first electric bulb ever glowed. It's what sustained him through thousands of failed experiments. Bill Gates 'saw' a PC in every office and home, while the so-called experts were busy announcing, 'It'll never happen in our lifetime.' Forty years before Israel set foot in the Promised Land, Moses 'saw' it (Hebrews 11:27). God can be doing all sorts of things, yet you don't see them because you're spiritually blind. Remember the two disciples on the Emmaus Road? It was only after Jesus had walked with them for several kilometres and explained the Scriptures to them that we read, '...Their eyes were opened and they recognised Him...' (Luke 24:31 NIV) When you begin to see God at work in your situation, your fear is diminished and your faith is strengthened. How does He reveal Himself? At church? Sometimes. But mostly He opens His Word and understanding and we start to see Him in a way we never have before. So today pray, 'Open my eyes that I may see...' (Psalm 119:18 NIV)

GO FORTH NEITHER POOR NOR FEEBLE!

PSALM 105:37 - He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, they lived in poverty and faced daily hardships from their cruel taskmasters. Scars and fresh lashes from their masters’ whips covered their bodies. The blistering heat of Egypt caused excruciating sores to fester. Many of them were bent over because of the long hours spent carrying tons of bricks and mortar. Slaving away for long hours under harsh conditions added years to them. And with no proper nourishment, many of them were feeble and emaciated.

But something happened to them on the night of the Passover. (Exodus 12) With the blood of the lamb applied on their doorposts, they came under God’s protection. And inside their homes, as instructed by God, they ate the lamb roasted in fire.

I believe that those who were blind ate the eyes of the lamb, believing that the perfect eyes of the lamb would give them perfect vision. If they had heart conditions, they ate the heart of the lamb, believing that their hearts would beat strong again. And if they were lame, they ate the legs of the lamb, believing that they would be frisking like lambs.

And when morning came, something new and miraculous happened to them. They went forth with God no longer as slaves but free people. They were no longer poor and needy, but possessed silver and gold given to them by the Egyptians. And none of them—there were about 2.5 million of them—were feeble or sickly!

If this was what the children of Israel experienced after partaking of the Passover lamb, which was only a shadow or type of Christ, how much more will we who have come under the covering of the holy blood of Jesus, the true Lamb of God, experience such blessings?

When you put your trust in the Lamb of God who was burnt by God’s fiery judgment meant for us, you will go forth daily, neither poor nor feeble, but abundantly supplied and divinely strengthened in Christ!
 

‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’

JEREMIAH 23:3–6 “…I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries…and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “…a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth…now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

There’s almost nothing more tender than the picture of a shepherd lovingly caring for his sheep.

Jeremiah 23:3–4 demonstrates a good shepherd’s heart—to gather, protect and feed his sheep so that they will “be fruitful and increase”. Jesus, our good shepherd, does all this through shepherds (pastors and teachers) He appoints over His people. Their role in representing Him is not to beat (shame) or fleece (financially exploit) the sheep, but to feed them such that they “shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking”.

Now, what is this “food” that brings the sheep to the place of no fear, no discouragement and no lack? It is “the Lord our Righteousness”. Beloved, the more you feed on teaching that reveals Jesus and the gift of His righteousness through faith in His finished work, the more you’ll experience freedom from fear, depression and lack. So pursue ministries that carry Jesus’ heart for His sheep, that boldly proclaim the Lord our Righteousness and that reveal His abundance of grace—and experience His fruitfulness and increase!

GIVING

YOUR LEVEL OF LIVING DEPENDS ON YOUR LEVEL OF GIVING :

Conventional wisdom says that your life will be better if you keep everything you have for yourself. However, God clearly says that your life will be better if you work to make another person's life better.

In Galatians 6:7-9, Paul writes, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

In other words, what you give to others will affect how they give to you; the amount of love, patience, and kindness that you show to others will affect the amount that they show to you. This principle of giving and receiving applies to many areas of life. For example, if you invest an hour a day into exercising, then you will reap the benefits of that investment—a strong, healthy body. However, if you invest that same time into flipping channels on T.V., then you will reap the benefits of that investment—a wasted hour.

Paul isn't just talking about money or time; in fact, he is focusing on giving into the lives of others. In the very next verse,Galatians 6:10, Paul instructs believers: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. If you "do good" to others by giving into their lives, then you will benefit.

So, if you don't feel like you're getting the love you should get, then maybe you should ask yourself if you're giving the love you should give. Why? Because you reap what you sow. If you give love, you'll receive love. If you give friendship, you'll receive friendship. If you give mercy, you'll receive mercy. (It is important to note that you may not always receive from the same place you give.)

Therefore, decide to give freely to others, actively look for ways to be a blessing to other people, and deliberately go out of your way to walk in love. Then, watch as the benefits of that giving affect your life. Remember, your level of living depends on your level of giving.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :

“Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:30)

Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. This is the day the Lord has made; let me rejoice and be glad in it. Loving God, let Your unfailing love come upon me with the rain of this morning. May God open the door of the heavenly barn and pour out bounties and abundances into my life with the morning rain! I rejoice in the Lord; my heart leaps for joy and my soul sing “Hallelujah” loudly all day long.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!

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