Holy Spirit you are comforter, Holy Spirit take control as am walking the way, the road is so narrow, Holy Spirit lead me home. Jesus what a wonder You Are, You are so Precious so good and so kind, You Who shines like a bright morning star Jesus what a wonder You Are!
Indeed, Jesus is a wonder to the world, to His people they were still expecting Him; to the gentiles they knew not. Because the god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them (2 Cor 4:4).
Beloved, thank God is Friday and for us here, is a day to examine the real issues of life vis-a-vis scripture. Put in another way- Practical Christian Living (PCL). It meant to guide us into all truth. Not just knowing the truth but living it out; put it to work. And I believe God will help us as we desire to do His will. Do I hear a believing Amen?
We are still x-raying “Fear” as a hindrances to most promises and plans in life. And I also said that God is not taking it lay low having cause Adam and Eve their places in the plan of God. Therefore when God called Abram to come out of his own people to a place He will show him.
He also made promises to Abram that seem to him delayed. God in chapter 15 of Genesis came to reassured Abram of His promise to him and ask Abram to offer sacrifice to Him. God made a covenant with Abram that same day to give the land where he was.
Beloved, God is telling you today “Fear not, Ifeoma (put our own name); I am thy Shield, and your exceeding great reward. If you believe it say I believe. And I want you to confess Ps 91: 2 (open your bible and read it). Also note, that in place of fear God is giving you joy (Ps16:11; 105;43)
We must confess the goodness of God. We must live as a glory unto the Living God (1Pet 2:3) let us stand in the liberty Christ has given to us (Gal 5:1; 2Tim 1:7). He made a holy calling unto you, why are you still in bondage of fear? Not for your works but according to His purpose and grace before the beginning of the world. That Christ though His appearing will abolish death through the light of the gospel (2 Tim 1:9-10). Praise God!
Therefore come with me to find out where you belong via the light of gospel in today’s message:
Pouting Or Ponies?
The story is told of two psychologists who sought to determine whether heredity or environment decided a child’s mental outlook. So they placed a pessimistic child in a lovely room chucked-full of beautiful toys, and an optimistic child in a room filled with horse manure. Hours later the pessimistic kid was found in the corner, pouting. “Why aren’t you playing with your toys,” the psychologists inquired? “Cause soon as I do, someone will come and take them away from me!” By contrast, they discovered the optimistic child enthusiastically swimming and diving through the manure. His reason? “Man! With all this manure, there’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere!”
Naturally, we are more drawn to the optimist! Here are a few reasons why:
Optimists see faith in God as their only way to ultimate fulfillment: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) (See Joshua 1:5-9; Psalm 33:11; 40:5)
Optimists have great love for others, starting with family and close friends: “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us… We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children… You know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God… ” (1 Thessalonians 2:8a, 7, 11, 12a) (See 1 Corinthians 13; 16:14)
Optimists are cheerful, always seeking a favorable twist to the world around them: “Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe… ” (Philippians 2:14, 15)
Optimists love what they do, and they put all their heart into it: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) (See 2 Chronicles 31:21; Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Optimists learn to forgive, thus minimizing the paralyzing emotions of anger, hate and selfishness: “Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?‘ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times‘” (Matthew 18:21a, 22) (See Genesis 32:1-33:17; Proverbs 19:11; Matthew 6:11, 14; 11:25; Ephesians 4:31, 32)
Optimists have can-do attitudes. They refuse to let unfavorable odds get them down: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) (1 Samuel 23:1-5; Psalm 18:29; 2 Corinthians 3:4)
Optimists are not born. They are molded by their own attitudes: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) (See Romans 12:1, 2; Colossians 3:1-3)
Thomas Carlyle once wrote that “the block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a steppingstone in the path of the strong.” Today, by His strength let’s choose to turn our obstacles into steppingstones! After all, isn’t our future as bright as the promises of God?
Interesting story isn’t it. Is about our attitude to life that determines the turnout of events in our lives. Can you start looking up to God to help us and make us better?
Our next message very interesting passage in the Word of God. We encountered Lazarus and the Rich man early in the week and today again we are having this young man came to Christ to inquiry on how to get Eternal life (Matt 19:16- 25,). The question is “is wrong to be rich? Will all rich people go to hell? What about the poor, will all poor people go to heaven? Let’s find out what exactly the bible is saying concerning this:
Can We Really Have It Both Ways?
So, this middle-aged man comes to Christ. By this time in his life, he has obtained the perks and privileges of wealth and success which have become the very source of his security, ease, and status: “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall… They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace… always carefree, they increase in wealth.” (Proverbs 18:11; Psalm 73:3b-6,12b) (See Proverbs 10:15; Job 31:24, 25; Psalm 49:6-9; 62:10 ; Ecclesiastes 7:12)
From time to time he has had to compromise his integrity to get where he is. Discretely, of course. That is, he’s “played the game.” Now and then he may have actually taken advantage of a few folks. As James puts it: “Listen, you rich people… Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded… You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you… You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence… ” (James 5:1-5 – selected ) (See Deuteronomy 32:15; Nehemiah 9:25, 26; Job 20:15-29; Psalm 49:6-20)
And now, he has decided to follow Christ. But he faces a dilemma: “Can he truly follow Jesus and sustain his current lifestyle without continuing the very compromises it took to obtain the wealth and status in the first place?” Perhaps that is why Jesus made this comment after the rich young man walked out on Him: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24b) (See John 5:44)
You see, our middle-aged friend wants both the benefits of salvation and the privileges of wealth. In other words, he desires the best of both worlds. But can he in fact have it both ways?
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24) (See Joshua 24:15)
In many parts of the world, obtaining and sustaining wealth is close to unattainable without compromising one’s integrity. The jarring fact is that liars, the greedy, and swindlers will not enter heaven: “Do not be deceived: Neither… thieves nor the greedy… nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God… All liars… will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 selected; Revelation 21:8b)
So tell me, are you radically committed to uncompromising integrity in conducting your business affairs? If you find that juggling a gold plated life style runs counter to living a life of purity and holiness, are you prepared to walk away from the former in order to sustain the latter? You and I may want to consider:
“Without holiness no one will see the Lord… What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Hebrews 12:14b; Matthew 16:26)
What can you say having gone through it? Let’s look at Heb 13:5-6. Are you loving money more than God? Are reverencing money more than God? Do you know that anything can represent money in your life, find what you value most and above God and put a check on it lest you miss what is important (Col 3:2).
May God help to have real values in life in Jesus Name. Have a loving weekend ahead, see you next week by God’s grace.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
