Daily Devotions 30th Nov 2017

Roms 5: 8

God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

This is the summary of the Gospel of Salvation which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ came to save the world. We are told that God had this perfect plan to save all men from eternal death and He gave His only Son Jesus Christ to come and die for our sins.

The book of Romans is the book of doctrine that Paul wrote in revealing many spiritual truths. It was direct revelation which Jesus Christ gave to Paul who was led to write most of the books in the New Testament.

Jesus revealed all the doctrinal truths to Paul and theologians have attributed all  these to the glory of God who used Paul a trained and intelligent former Pharisee skilled in the scriptures to be equipped with the understanding and revelation of the word.

In this instance, Paul revealed the truth of the mission and work of Jesus Christ. It was by grace that we are saved, Paul wrote that while we were still wretched sinners Jesus Christ came and died for us and He took away our sins.

Hostile religions against the Gospel of Salvation try to discredit Christianity but they could never do so. Today we are seeing hundreds of thousands of people in anti-Christ countries coming to the Lord through first hand encounters of dreams and visions that they received directly from Jesus Christ. Even at the threat of instant death, these people are ready to stand up for Jesus, they have converted and are ready to pay the price of martyrdom even as they are baby believers.

This is surely the move of God that no man can understand. God is merciful and indeed all men can be saved as Jesus died not only for the Jews but for the while world

Heb 13: 3

Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.

The writer reminds the Church to pray for those Christian brothers and leaders who have been unfairly persecuted and thrown into prisons. This has been the work of the enemies of the Church and even to this very day, many Christians are suffering the same fate

We continue to see and read reports of Churches and Christians in anti-Christ nations that persecute the believers and full time minsters. Many pagan religions are against the true religion of Christianity. Today in many parts of the world, ministers are being arrested unfairly and thrown into prisons and many are even tortured and killed.

The stories that are told tell us of their sufferings, and persecutions in prisons even in this time. In the Middle East countries many Christian girls and women are caught mercilessly, sexually abused and then sold of cheaply as sex slaves. This is the fate of believers in many nations and had been for thousands of years.

We are told in the word of God that in these last days, persecution will increase and great tribulation will come upon the world including the Church and the believers. We see great tribulations in some parts of the world and we will see even greater tribulations that will arise. In fact open threats have been made by the anti-Christ religions but world governments are tolerating and accepting these because they are part of the anti-Christ movements.

For those who are free, let us thank God for our freedom and for those who are in the danger zones, let us pray for them.

Amos 4: 13

He who creates the wind … the Lord Almighty is His name.

The prophet Amos reminded the people of Israel who had been dispersed and have also gone into captivity. In fact they had suffered under the judgement of God and in spite of all their sufferings the people were not drawn back to God.

God had called them the stiff necked people. This is not only about the Jews though I have met them in Israel and had found them to be stubbornly against the Saviour, Jesus Christ. While I had conversations with them I have found them to be very stubborn and resistant to the gospel.

In this instance, Amos reminded the Jews that the Lord God over Israel is the one and only true God who created the whole universe. In fact everything that exists is created by God who is unseen like the wind. We can feel the effects of the wind but we can never see the actual wind. The hurricanes and cyclones are powerful and destructive, we can only see the effects of its power but for the wind, we cannot see it.

Amos is reminding the people of such a God who is mightier than the strongest hurricane or cyclone, in fact He is the God who created such powerful forces and He is above all these. Amos reminded the people that the almighty is the One and only True God. There is no one like Him and there is no other who can compare to Him.

This is also a timely reminder to us who God really is. The God we worship is never changing, He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and today He is also our God.

Let us remember this and let us revere and honour Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

2 Kings 22: 11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.

This was King Josiah who was the king of Judah and for a long time the people have turned away from God and had run after other gods and idols. The scriptures had not been read for a long time and the priests had even kept the word of God out of sight and in fact had been lost for a long time.

Now that renovation work was being done, the book of the law was rediscovered and it was brought to the king who commanded that the book be read. Upon hearing the word, King Josiah was convicted of the sins of the nation and he tore his clothes as a sign of grief and remorse.

This is the power of the word of God, the hearers will be convicted of their sins and repent or they may be hardened in their hearts. In the case of King Josiah, he was convicted and he asked for the prophet to interpret what was read. The answer that the prophet gave was that because the people had turned from their God to other gods, they would be punished and be removed from the land.

The punishment in those days was severe and in fact God had on many occasions caused the nation of Israel to suffer great losses and captivity. The people of Israel were given over to slavery and were exiled for many long years. In fact the nation of Israel had suffered thousands of years of dispersion and only in this generation had God finally started to gather His people back to Israel which was re-established 70 years ago.

God is looking for a people who would be obedient to Him and be able to draw close to Him. God delights in the worship of His people and would bless all who would draw close to Him.

Matt 6: 4Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God is different from the world where people seek to be rewarded, honoured and credited. There are many people who actually work behind the scene and are rarely acknowledged for what they do. These are those who are humble and meek who do not seek glory for themselves.

Jesus says to these that our God who is omniscience knows all things and sees all things including whatever that is done in secret. Unlike the world that rewards people for great achievements, God would reward anyone who has done even very little for the kingdom. God knows the hearts of the meek and He sees every deed that they do. He will acknowledge and reward them even if men do not reward them.

This is the reassurance that Jesus gave to us, not all men are born to be great and not all men are born to do great things. We do not need to compare ourselves and be envious, do what God has given us to do well and He will reward us justly.

God is not a man and His ways are not the same as the ways of men. His love and mercies are limitless and His grace is immeasurable in terms of man’s measures.

Praise God that our God is such a loving, compassionate and merciful God who rewards all His children for every deed done both great and same.

1 Peter 3: 8All of you, be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

The apostle Peter is exhorting the believers to be like Jesus, be sympathetic, loving and compassionate and humble to each other. Learning from the great servants of God who are truly apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ, we can see the humility in each one. As we read about their lives and ministries, this is the first outstanding quality that we can identify in all of them.

The more we observe their lives, the more we learn of their humility. This value has also been adopted by most of the outstanding sportsmen in the world. I do believe that they too have been taught to be humble and compassionate. As we watch their victory interview, we see them acknowledging the contributions of their loved ones, their family members, their coaches and finally giving praise to their opponents for doing well.

Humility is what God loves to see in His people, it brings about a sweet savour to our minds and also pleasantness to our hearts. We would delight to sharing the company of humble people but we would surely dislike the company of proud and arrogant people who are rather abrasive and repelling.

The scriptures always remind us to be godly, holy and humility is definitely a fruit of godliness and holiness. If we want to continue in living godly and holy lives, we need to start living humbly and in compassion.

Eccl 3: 11God has.. set eternity in the human heart.

In the book of Ecclesiastic King Solomon wrote about the philosophy of the life of man. We were created in the likeness of God; we had a purpose which was a destiny to seek after God. Unlike all other living creatures that do not know God, man was created with the natural instinct to look for the creator.

Just as a little baby would have the instinct to look for the safety and comfort of the mother or father, so God has also given us that instinct to look for Him. Unfortunately men have turned away from God and have run after the deceptions of the false gods. These are the idols of paganism which are demonic in nature and origin.

The bible warns us about the false religions of the devil which he uses to lure men away from God. The devil uses the innate nature in man that is seeking for the protection, blessing of a higher supernatural power. This power is the eternal God in heaven but Satan is continually enticing men away from seeking the true God. He deceives the hearts of men and draws them away from God to himself.

He makes captives of men and women who become his spiritual slaves. This is the eternal battle between God and Satan who is trying to get the whole world to worship him and to join him in his assigned place in hell.

We who are believers must be reminded of the constant evil plans of the devil who is trying his best to capture the lives and souls of men. The devil has his own legions of demons that are out in the world to trip and capture even children of God into their snares.

Therefore we who are the children of God must first ensure that we are not enticed and ensnared by the devil and secondly we are also to ensure the salvation of our loved ones. To do this, just as Solomon said, we need to secure the eternity of God’s love and kingdom in our hearts.

Ex 23: 16Celebrate the festival of harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field.

In many countries where there has been a long civilization, the festival of harvest has always been celebrated with elaborate ceremonies to thank the god that they worship for the providence of the land. In general all the natives tend to worship the earth as the provider for all their needs, they think that the earth is the mother that provides for their necessities of food and other essentials.

What they do not understand is that God had created the earth for man to enjoy and to live temporary here before they move on to the eternal inheritance of heaven. That was the original plan of God but because of the sins of the first man and woman, this was not automatic anymore. Man has lost their inheritance unless they accept the salvation plan of Jesus.

In today’s passage we see that God had commanded Moses to lead the people in celebrating the festival of harvest in remembrance of the blessings that God had bestowed upon them. This was to remind them that it is God who provides the harvest for them. Man can do the planting but it is God who gives the rain and the increase in the crops.

In Israel, until today the festival of harvest is a major festival in the calendar when the whole nation will come together as families and celebrate this festival. There will be much singing and dancing and feasting as it is a great and joyful event.

The greatest thing is that we remember that all our blessings come from God and we need to continuously be giving thanks to Him for who He is and What he is to us.

Daily Devotions 21st Nov 2017

John 12: 24
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Down where we are summer is quickly approaching and soon we will see the abundance of flying seeds everywhere and where they land they would begin to grow as weeds.

Jesus used this illustration of sowing and harvesting. Just as a farmer would sow the seed and reap a huge harvest in due season, Jesus taught His disciples that He would have to fulfil His mission and die on the cross before a global harvest of souls can happen.

Today we are 2000 over years after the codification and resurrection of Jesus and what He had prophesied has come to pass. Through His death and resurrection Jesus had conquered death and now that He has resurrected and live forever we too have this privilege to overcome death and to inherit eternal life with Him in heaven.

Our journey on this earth is short and one day we would all have to return back to God. Let us do what Jesus Had commanded us to do which is to do the work of the kingdom, preaching the good news and saving souls for the Lord. This is the Great Commission that Jesus Christ had given to all of us. Because He had died and completed the work on Calvary, we now must continue and do the work that He had called us to do.

In these last days, we are reminded that soon night is coming when no man can work anymore. Looking at the aggressive advancement of the antichrist agenda which uses governmental machineries to advance their antichrist agenda of trying to destroy Christianity through political correctness, we see that the moon religion is making great advances.

The Church must not be intimidated by these forces but we need to arise and shine and do the works of God. Jesus Christ had paid the price; we must not let his sacrifice be made in vain.

Let’s do the works of God while we still can. Global revival is coming we need to get ready to be the labourers who would bring in the harvest. 

Daily Devotions 20th Nov 2017

John 14: 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Christianity was born among much tribulation and persecution. Looking at church history we recollect that through the ages, Christians have been persecuted by religious as well as political enemies.

In some countries, political or state persecution was practiced, in other parts, religious persecution took place. This has not stopped until today. In fact in many countries we are seeing both persecutions that are still ongoing. In the Middle East and some African nations there is genocide that is going on. Whole Ethnic groups are being killed for their faith in Christ.

It is true that the Christian brethren are in great tribulation and they live in oppression from the oppressors that persecute them daily. Great atrocities are happening and there seems to be no relief for the brethren.

The only source of relief and peace is in their hearts when they turn to Christ who has promised that in troubled times, He will give us His peace and His assurance. WE may lose our lives in the natural but we will gain eternal life in Christ Jesus.

This is our hope and assurance and no matter what we face, we will be able to stand firm in our commitment to God and to Jesus.

Let us not lose faith and let us not waver as we put our faith in Christ and turn our eyes to Him.

Daily Devotions: Daily Devotions 19th Nov 21017

Daily Devotions: Daily Devotions 19th Nov 21017: Psalm 139: 13 You knit me together in my mother’s womb. Unlike the non-believers in God the Father and the Trinity where they do not k...

Daily Devotions 19th Nov 21017

Psalm 139: 13You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Unlike the non-believers in God the Father and the Trinity where they do not know God and His wonderful works we the believers know exactly who we are and where we came from. Here is the psalmist who is telling us about the wisdom and power of God in creating all things in heaven and on earth.

God is the master architect and the creator. He is the most high God and all things that exist has been created by Him. Whether these are non-living or living things, God had created them with great details and precision. For example the heavenly bodies or planets have been put into the universe are precise distance, dimensions and movements. All these movements are more precise than clockwork, if it were not so, then the hours of the day would not be so precise. There is not a second that can be gained or lost everything is predetermined.

That’s why the seasons for the year can be calculated and the very day and hour of the change of seasons are also accurate. Even the movements of the planets are so precise that now scientists are able to calculate the paths and the speed of the travel of the planets. These massive planets are not there by accident but they have been put there by God.

Their shapes and sizes are all designed by God. It was to strike a perfect balance among all the planets. On the earth all living creatures and plants have different appearances and characteristics from others.

As I walk along the road side and I look at the blossoms that are bursting out in bright colours, we can see the delicate and perfect balance in each one. As science continues to research the scientists are baffled from the intricate properties and balance between all things created by God.

Everything is perfect and unexplainable. In today’s verse the psalmist proclaimed the same by describing how God can create a man in the womb of a woman, from a tiny egg, God can form a perfect man. The image and character of a person that determines his whole life is input into the foetus.  

Everything in a person has been predetermined by God and was formed in the womb. When the baby is born he will grow into the person that God had designed him to be.

This is what the psalmist said, everything had been designed by God and ordained by Him. What we are and who we are in life are predestined because God Has prepared all things for us and we will become what he has planned for us to be.

Understanding this, we need to obey and submit to God and allow Him to perfect His work in us as we grow and mature into the person He had planned us to be.   

Daily Devotions 18.11.2017

1 Peter 1: 3In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

God who is omniscience sees all and knows all. Many of us have hidden sins and hidden idols where we have put other things as a priority. In the book of Ezekiel, God revealed all the hidden idols of the leaders and priests that they kept in secret rooms.

In the case of our present day believers, many do not harbour physical idols at home or at their place of work, however in their hearts they have idols which keep them away from God and from spending time doing God’s work.

These other priorities in life are actually a form of idols on our hearts and minds. However, God is still merciful and have given us a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who defeated all the powers of darkness so that we who follow Jesus would have the same authority over principalities and powers of darkness.

This is the hope that we shall have victory over all temptations and bondages. God has made a way for us through Jesus Christ to repent and to turn back to Him each and every time we encounter more temptations or if we succumb to it, then we have Jesus who is our advocate wo pleads on our behalf and we can come before Him and repent of all the sins of idols upon our hearts.

Phip 4: 10You were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Paul had set the example of being a tent maker who worked to provide for himself as well as for his assistants who were with him. This was the example that he established and even till today many full time ministers do continue to serve God while still holding on to some other secular jobs.

In this case we learn that the Church at Philippi was eager to bless Paul and other minsters through their giving but Paul had on many occasions did not receive the offerings. This was because the believers in Philippi were also in great needs.

For many of us who were in employment or in business, we had sufficient to maintain ourselves and we did not burden the Church for financial support. This is true in many Churches especially at the early years of Church planting; there would be generally a lack of finance. Many leaders have to make sacrifices in order to help the church keep out of financial troubles.

In a sense, those of us who are so used to not receiving any support will also find it odd to allow ourselves to receive gifts from the Churches especially the poorer ones.

This was exactly the same situation for Paul, though the church wanted to give, he felt that it was too much of a strain to them and he told them that he understood but he did not give them the opportunity to bless him financially.

Sometimes we would need to also not disappoint these churches, I have on many occasions been offered gifts after ministry and I would accept them out of courtesy but immediately pass it back as a seed to the Church. This way I would not offend the Church and secondly they are happy that I plant the seed back to support their ministry.

For ministers, just like Paul, it is also necessary to learn to trust God for His provisions rather than trusting in our flesh. 

Psalm 89: 15Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

This is one of the prophetic Messianic psalms that David wrote under the inspiring of the Holy Spirit. He could foresee and prophesy the coming and the ministry of the Messiah. In this psalm, David proclaimed of the goodness and attributes of Jesus.

Here David proclaimed ‘Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.’ David who knows the heart of God well also knows of the blessings and benefits that would come be bestowed upon all the followers of the Messiah.

Today, this is the same with God’s people, we enjoy the love of Jesus, His mercies and His protection and also His blessings. There are many testimonies f what Jesus had done for His people. What He did in the past, He is still doing today.

We read on a daily basis of testimonies of the people of another religion also receiving first hand visions and visitations by Jesus who came and called them to follow Him. Jesus as He did when He first called the disciples and the early believers, Jesus is still calling out to the non-believers individually as well as in groups.

Surely all who knows Jesus and believe in Him are blessed and are continually being blessed. We too are in this category and let us continue to praise God for all the goodness that He has poured into our lives.

                                                                                            

Luke 11: 13

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

This passage was given by Jesus to explain that soon after He leaves this earth, He is going to send the Holy Spirit of God to all those who believe. It is a mystery but Jesus was speaking about sending the Holy Spirit to the Church to impart good gifts to the children of God.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to give the spiritual gifts to the body of Christ so that they can be equipped and anointed to do the works of God. All those believers who were in the upper room were told by Jesus to wait until the Holy Spirit has come upon them and anoint them with power and wisdom to go out to share the gospel and to perform miracles and signs and wonders.

In this particular verse, Jesus put it all in one verse that promised us that the Holy Spirit’s anointing and power would be given to all those who ask of Him. It was God’s original plan of salvation that after the first step of salvation, we must then progress on to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is when we have received this anointing that we would have the wisdom, boldness and power to do the works of God.

This is our heritage; we must catch it and run with it. Great is the reward for all those who works and excel in the works of God. The world does not have this, only we who are the chosen ones can have and enjoy this, let us not neglect our calling and our anointing and let us soffer ourselves as worthy vessel for the Lord’s use.

Daily Devotions

1 John 3: 1See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Those of us who have the honor and privilege to look after grandchildren would understand and feel the great love that we have for our grandchildren. Whenever the do anything or make any sound or movement it touches our hearts and makes us joyful.

There is a special kind of love that grand parents have for grandchildren. This is quite different from the love that we have for our children. It is a higher level of love and compassion. If we can understand and feel this then we can have an understanding of the great, great love that God has for us. The moment we call or cry out to Him, His ears are inclined and intently listening to our voices.

He delights in hearing us call Him ABBA Father as well as Yahweh the Almighty. If we can have this understanding and feeling then we would be able to appreciate the love that god has for us.

As children of God, we have the birth right to become brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and we are then joint and co-heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of heaven. Knowing this we must press on in our faith and as Paul said, we must work out our salvation through doing God’s work and good works.

This is the privilege that was not our own doing but through the divine sacrifice of Jesus who died on the cross and suffered the torments on the cross for our sakes. We must never take our salvation lightly as it caused the pain, the torn body and the blood of Jesus Christ. He died so that we might live, He died so that He could defeat death and the devil and now we have victory over both and we have the promise of eternal life. Praise the Lord.

Daily Devotions

2 Cor 8:7See that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Paul was writing to the church in Corinth and he quoted and narrated about the example of the generosity of the believers in Macedonia who though they were needy but yet they were giving sacrificially towards the mission work.

Paul used this example to bring out the teaching on the love of Jesus who was rich in all things but He step down to reach out to all of us who are spiritually poor in order that we may receive of this spiritual riches from Him.

Interestingly we learn that giving is in fact a major thrust and aspect of the Kingdom of God. In the beginning God gave us Jesus Christ because He loves the world; Jesus came and emptied himself for all the sinners of the world.

Throughout the New and Old Testaments, the scriptures taught on the need for the believers to give. This is one aspect that God wants the believers to inculcate especially during the old days where there was abject poverty. In fact in many parts of the world, there are also many poor and under privileged believers who truly need financial support.

We can see that among all Churches a major thrust of missions is in social work in reaching out and supporting the poor. Global Christian organizations are very dedicated and committed in this aspect. In fact many global Christian organizations are full time in managing and funding the work of outreach work.

This giving ministry needs to be encouraged and build upon as in the coming days, there would be famine and lack globally and we will have many who are needy at the door of the Church. In fact every Church must look at setting up a Joseph ministry of storing and sharing.

Daily Devotions 12th Nov 2017

2 Chron 2: 5The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.

We can learn from the love that King Solomon had for God, when after God had blessed him with great wisdom and all the rest of goodness of wealth and fame now Solomon wants to demonstrate his love towards God by building a magnificent temple for Him.

With all his means and influence, Solomon began to plan and recruit craftsmen for the demanding project. Solomon declared that his desire to do so was ‘because our God is greater than all other gods.’ He declared that God greatness and goodness far exceed what human hands can build for Him. However, still he determined to go on with the building of the temple.

Solomon knew that no matter what he could do for God, he could never match the bigness of God and no man can out give our God. Our Father God is sovereign over all creation and the scriptures tell us that even the whole universe cannot contain Him. God is bigger and is far beyond the expanse of the universe.

He is the infinite God who created the whole universe and everything that is in it. When we understand this, we are at awe as to what we can actually give back to God, what we are and what we have is so minute in the sight of God. What can we give back to Him just as Solomon realized? In fact all things come from God; there is only one thing that God wants and that is our love and obedience for Him and to Him.

Knowing this, we must consciously make every effort to draw nearer to Him and ensure that our relationship with Him is never severed.

Daily Devotions

Gen 1: 9-10God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so… And God saw that it was good.

The first chapters of the first book of the bible narrate to us the creative work of God and what took place was clearly recorded so that we would be able to understand the creative works of God.

In the first chapter it is recorded that when God saw the finished work of creation He said that it was good. This reference was made particularly to the creation of the earth as we know that the whole universe belong to God and the earth He gave to man. The Earth is the only place that God had created in the shadow of what we can expect to inherit in heaven. Everything that was created was a show of the type in heaven.

Of course the heaven is a much greater and magnificent place than earth. There have been many revelations in the bible giving us the descriptions about heaven. The apostle John was taken up in the spirit and was given the task to write what he saw for the benefits of the church. Paul and also others have received such revelations and in recent times we have also heard and met people who have actually been caught up to heaven.

Their lives are not the same after they have seen and experienced heaven. There have also been many books written by these people who have had the opportunity to visit heaven. Mary Baxter was one of these authors who have been there and back and she is zealously preaching about heaven everywhere she goes.

We the believers are the privileged people in the world, we know and are assured that we will surely inherit our heavenly home when we leave this earth. Having received this gift, we need to hold firm on to it and to secure it with our dedication and commitment to God.

Let us rise up and build. Let us continue to be steadfast in our walk with God. Jesus Christ came and prepared the way for us, He came to pay the price for our salvation. Let us not make His sacrifice to be in vain. Let us value this gift of salvation.

Daily Devotions

2 Cor 1: 3-4Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comforts us in all our troubles.

Paul reminded us that it is our Lord Jesus Christ who comforts us in all our troubles. Jesus demonstrated and gave us the example of a good shepherd who looks after the sheep. He came and taught us that He cares and love us as the shepherd cares for and love the sheep.

He also demonstrated that He would feed and nurse those who are hurt and wounded. In life many of us will suffer hurt and disappointment every now and then. Life is never smooth sailing there will be times when we will suffer attacks from the enemy who would use people close to us to attack us and to hurt us.

In church environment, there have been countless incidents where trusted people who are even high on the leadership have turned around and attacked and hurt the leaders.

I have seen too many of such incidents and I have even had the experience of being hurt by my co-leaders. What about in the home context, there are also very often cases of love ones who turn around and hurt each other in the family.

This is the work of the enemy who uses the weak ones to turn against us. Therefore when such a thing happens to us, do not take it too personally as even Jesus Christ and the apostles and early Church fathers experienced the same. Moses had his share of being hurt and betrayed by his own siblings. He was also hurt by the people he led for forty years and that made him to lose his temper and as a result missed out from the Promise Land.

Rev 22: 3-4The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face.

Only the Christians are privileged to be shown the end from the beginning, God had not meant us to be ignorant of what is prepared for us. He had revealed this to the apostle John who had been instructed by Jesus to record down all that he saw. Of course many of the things that John saw was beyond his time, John could not understand what he saw of the futuristic life and vehicles.

John could only use the limited language skills and vocabulary of his time to describe things like helicopters, armoured vehicles, jet planes etc. Imagine in his simple mind he was overawed and could not find words to describe what he saw. The only way was to draw illustrations to what he knew at that time.

John also saw the glory of the throne of God, it is too magnificent and majestic for him to narrate, anyway John tried his best and today when we are able to see the present day inventions and the awesome vehicles that the developed countries have, we can further understand what John had tried to describe.

The important thing that we need to know is that in heaven, John is dwelling in the midt of the city and all living beings in heaven are worshipping God. There are multitudes who have been assigned to serve Him and to worship Him. The saints who have gone ahead too are there worshipping God.

We also read of the saints of the Old Testament who are also there and are serving God and doing what God had assigned them to do. The angels are ministering spirits and they were created to serve God and man. They are tireless as they serve 24/7 non-stop.

In today’s verse, John said that all of God’s servants are to serve Him and they would be able to see His face in heaven. We are also told that on this side of eternity, no man can see the face of God because of His holiness and glory. In fact God told Moses that if he had seen God’s face he would have died but God had only permitted that Moses is able to see his back as He walked pass.

This is the promise to all of us, let us keep our eyes on Jesus and let us continue to do His work until we are called to go back to him.

Psalm 141: 3Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

The apostle James had written about the sin of the untameable member of the body which is the tongue. It is only a small member but it is also a most dangerous member. It can cause great damage and destruction.

By it man uses it to praise and worship Him, and by it men also use it to ignite big fire of destruction. By the tongue many countries have been destroyed and brought down.  Throughout history we have read of many accounts of the destruction of dynasties and kingdoms because of evil words carelessly spoken.

James wrote in James 3: 1-13 about the evil of the tongue. In verse 5-6 “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”

James clearly explains the evil that this small little member can create. It can bring down destructions of leaders, churches, families etc.

The psalmist also knew about this evil of the tongue and he wrote, ‘Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.’  This reminds us that we must also guard our tongue and not allow it to go wild and to bring destruction and hurt to those around us.

It is a timely reminder for all believers that we should not allow our tongues to elad us into unruly lifestyles as liers, gossipers and slanderers. Jesus said that such would not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Ruth 2: 20He has not stopped showing his kindness.

This is the account of Naomi and Ruth as they had returned from the land of Moab where there was a great famine and Naomi had lost her husband and two sons. She had now returned to Israel with Ruth who remained faithful with her.

Both of them had come back penniless and were without any money or shelter. They had arrived back to Naomi’s old home and they sought refuge at the estate of Boaz a distant relative of Naomi’s husband.

God had mercifully arranged for Naomi and Ruth to be taken care of by Boaz who showed compassion and mercy to them. Perhaps it was God who had touched the heart of Boaz or perhaps it was the kind nature of Boaz that God had selected him to be the benefactor to Naomi and Ruth. We would not know exactly but we know that God had used Boaz to bless these two women.

In this verse, we read that Boaz had not stopped showing his kindness. This also tell us that when God has blessed us, we must also become a blessing to others. In the scriptures, it has been repeatedly demonstrated to us that we must be generous to others around us who are less fortunate.

This is the commandment that we are to give and show generosity. Jesus also taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving will also release the blessing of God upon our lives. Giving will also ensure that we will be received by God and our worship would be acceptable to Him. In fact giving is also a form of worship.

It is also the characteristics of God as a giver. John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son. God is a giver and we can never out give God. Therefore the key to receiving His blessings is to give and continue giving. He will surely open the windows in heaven and less us in return.

Daily Devotions

Eph 3: 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

This is the benediction from Paul as he closed his writing to the Church at Ephesus. We know that God is the one who promises and blesses His people. Sometimes, His promises seemed to be far away and we may be waiting and waiting for the promises to come to pass.

We are told that God words are eternal; whatever He had promised will come to pass though His timing is not our timing. Sometimes what God had promised may come to pass very quickly and at other times what He promised will take a very long time. For example, God promised Abraham that He would give to Abraham’s descendants the Promised Land that would stretch from Egypt to Turkey and to Iraq and Iran.

However this has still not come to pass because in the eyes of God The Israelites are not ready to inherit the Promised Land. They have sinned against God and had been dispersed throughout the world until God decides to bring them back which He has now begun to do. We are seeing the fulfilment of prophecies as God has revealed it to the nation of Israel the remnants of the lost tribes of Israel world-wide.

Some of these were scattered in remote areas of the world, some in rich countries and some in very poor countries. However, the fact remains that God has now begun to allow these lost tribes to be discovered and brought back to their homeland. We are also told that in Revelation there are the 144,000 pure and holy Jewish men who would be assembled and sealed by the angel to bring the ospel to their own people in the last days.

This prophecy can soon be fulfilled as the lost tribes are now being brought back and soon there would be enough candidates to fulfil the prophecy. God’s words are sure and would come to pass as God is the true and only God, what He has promised even from the beginning of time will surely come to pass in our present time which is the time of the last days.

Knowing this let us prepare and make ourselves ready to be used and send out in these last days coming revival and harvest.

Daily Devotions

Psalm 67: 4You rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.

The psalmist wrote about the people of the world who are being unfairly treated and suffer from the ill treatment of evil men. The psalmist wrote in this verse ‘May the nations be glad and sing for joy for you rule the people with equity and guide the nations of the earth.’

Looking around the world today, this seems to be far from the truth, there is I justice everywhere in every country whether it is developed or not. Even the educated and those in national and international leadership are far from being people of integrity and honor. They speak in falsehood, they lie, and they break their promises. The fact of the matter is there is no equality in the countries.

Those who are elected to lead and protect turn out to be the same who steal and destroy. They trample and trod on the common people who are handicapped by low education, poverty and simplicity in their lives.

The fact remains that in this present world; there will never be total equality among nations and among the people. Such ideals can never be achieved due to the greed and dishonest dealings of carnal men. There is no perfection and never will be perfection in this earth. This can only be achieved when we get back to heaven. As long as evil abounds on earth there will be imperfection.

Therefore as believers of Jesus Christ, we have been called to be the light and the salt to the world. The world is sinning and imperfect, we are called to make a difference and we are to obey and do what is required of us. Therefore let us be obedient to Jesus Christ and make every effort to be a blessing and a changer of circumstances in the world.