Tag Archives: God’s word

Let us Hold Unswervingly to the Hope!

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

Is fellowship vital for a believer? The hope we hold means that Jesus is the sole author of our salvation, should we then exclude ourselves from others. The Bible answers that in Hebrews 10 23:25, it mentions that we should tightly hold on to hope but at the same time we are also called to spur one another in doing good things and be encouraging to others. Also, it warns about some people who have a habit of not meeting. Though Christ alone is sufficient for our faith, how can we put that faith into action without outwardly showing that love among others, including believers? Hold on to fellowships if you are in one or seek and find fellowships if you are not in one, or in some cases even start one. In any case, do it prayerfully, listening to God’s will.

Word:

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Prayer:

Lord, we pray that you lead us to find fellowships and grow in them. We pray that we can encourage and love others. Amen.

Recognizing our critics

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

Apostle Paul in his instructions to the church of Thessalonica asks them to recognize three important characteristics in people; those who work hard, those who care for others, and those who admonish others. It seems sensible and practical to appreciate hard-working and caring people but it’s not easy to appreciate them when they strongly criticize us. The type of admonishment that Paul talks about is done in love where the person who admonishes someone cares enough about them to boldly warn them of their sinful ways. A simple illustration is a mother admonishing her child for playing with fire. We know she does it in love and it is for the child’s well-being. As believers, we should be able to humbly accept and live with people who admonish us, at the same time, when a situation arises, we should also be courageous enough to admonish others in love.

Word:

1 Thessalonians 5: 12, 13

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord, and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to be humble when You or others admonish us, help us fix our sinful ways, and also give us the courage to admonish others in love. Amen.

Sharing the Gospel

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

As believers, we are called upon to share the gospel with others.  Before we share, we should remind ourselves of the reason or motive behind this sharing. It was indeed done to spread the knowledge and love of Christ. Paul is a great person to emulate in sharing the gospel. In Acts 17 v16, he is distressed by seeing people worshipping idols and being ignorant of who God truly is. His response to the distress is to love on them by sharing the gospel Acts 17 v22-31. To understand the extent of his sacrificial and selfless love we can refer to Romans 9 v1-3 where he is willing to cut himself off from Christ so that his people may know Christ.  

Word:

Acts 17:16

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Romans 9:1-3

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for the love and mercies we receive from you every day. We pray that you lead our hearts to share the gospel with others in love. Amen.

Mastering ourselves

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

In Judges 16, Samson’s lack of self-control and humility was on full display as he made a series of poor choices, sleeping with a prostitute, sharing secrets with the enemy, and being proud of his strength. Eventually, God left Him. We run the same risk when we haven’t mastered ourselves from doing what our flesh or the world wants us to do. Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 9:27 goes so far as to say that he made his body his slave to prevent himself from being disqualified as he is preaching the gospel to others. To each person, making their body their slave could mean different things, but one thing is for sure, it will push us out of our comfort zone. We should strive to push our boundaries to master ourselves for God’s glory and avoid disqualification from attaining eternity with God.

Word:

1 Corinthians 9:27

No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Prayer:

Lord, give us the strength and endurance to master ourselves. Strengthen our weaknesses for Your glory. Amen.

Godly Optimism

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

As Christians, when our faith is strong, we tend to be optimistic because our hope is in the living God who holds our future. Joshua and Caleb came across a situation where they could have easily been discouraged by the nature of the land and its powerful people or by the bad report of the other spies or by the grumbling of the Israelites. Despite such circumstances, Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report and urged Moses and Aaron to proceed to the promised land. Their confidence was from the fact that God was with them, and in reality, the world will try to bring our hopes down, we also have to be confident in whatever future God holds for us and if He holds it, nothing can change it.

Word:

Numbers 14:8-9

If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us. This is a land flowing with milk and honey! Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.

Prayer:

Lord, our hope is you, the true and living God. we want to abide in You all the days of our life. Give us the strength and wisdom to live out the plans You have for us. Amen.

Being Angry, sin or not?

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Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

Thought:
Being Angry? Is it a sin? No, anger in itself is not a sin but when kept uncontrolled, it can lead to undesirable consequences. For example, most acts of physical abuse, verbal abuse, and thoughts of hatred stem from being angry and this is what God doesn’t want from us. Jesus, Himself was angry when he drove away people from the temple. There might be situations where God uses our anger to do acts for the greater good like correcting others or stopping injustices, but in most other situations we need to be patient, exhibit self-control and leave the situation prayerfully for God to handle.

Word: Ephesians 4:26-27
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold.

Prayer:
 Lord, forgive us whenever we have left anger to control us. Give us control over our anger so that it doesn’t hurt anyone. Amen

Submit to all Authority

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Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ.

Word: 1 Peter 2:13-14
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Thought:

Human authority can be upper management at the workplace or local/national governments. In any case, they aren’t always believers themselves. But in all cases they are appointed by God and thus we should submit to them, this doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with them, but we are called to be humble and respectful to them. Grumbling, gossiping, being disobedient and hateful are some ways we fail in being submissive. When we find it hard to live under any authority, we just need to pray and ask God for endurance through it rather than react to their wrongdoings.

Prayer:

LORD, We know You appointed all authority, therefore help us to be submissive to them and we pray that you bless the authority and provide them with wisdom and strength to lead the people and make decisions as per Your will. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Holy Life is a Jolly Life

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word: But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

Thought: God has called us to be holy because He is holy. Things that make us unholy can be internal or external. This could be anything like our words, thoughts, actions, people we hang out with, places we go or habits we pick up. As humans we are bound to fall short one way or the other, but God’s mercy and grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His resurrection more than makes up for it. Let that inspire us to be more holy and ultimately more like Jesus.

Prayer: LORD, give us the strength to overcome the things in our life that make us unholy, so that we can become holy like You. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Psalm 91 Conveys the Themes of God’s Protection and Rescue from Danger

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word: I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

Thought: The author of Psalms 91 walks the talk by showing how he trusts the Lord before telling us the benefits of doing so. When we are in God, there is nothing to fear, because our trust is in God, the creator of the universe who loves us dearly. Problems of the world like politics, diseases, wars won’t scare us when we are in Him. As believers we have to continually and unwaveringly put out Trust in Him and not be shaken by what the world throws at us.

Prayer:
LORD, you are able and faithful. Help us to put our trust in You irrespective of whatever situation we are in. In Jesus mighty name! Amen.

Love and Good works

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Thought: The above verse hits the nail on why we need fellowships. It benefits all the members in it as we can share our prayer requests, give thanks for answered prayers and  peace he has given in times of waiting. Seeing all this often can encourage and inspire others (including us) to grow in their respective walks with God.

Prayer:
LORD, give us the grace to find and be in fellowships. Guide us on how we can be loving and encouraging towards others around us. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.