October 29
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for He hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory. The LORD hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. 3 He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Ps 98:1-3 (KJV)
What a Wonderful God we serve, His faithfulness endureth forever. We bow before Your majesty, we reverenced You now and forever. May You reign forever in my life, family, career, and ministry in Jesus name. Amen!
Beloved, are you inviting God into your life today? Just today before me, two persons lost their lives, I saw one last Friday begin discharge to go home, excited that she going home only to be rush back to hospital last night and declared death before early hour this morning and before noon another died though I had no detail of the second death but the body was carried to the morgue through where I was sitting.
Then I begin to wonder what is in this life that people are struggling so much for, the woman I was talking about left behind five children all in preschool age like I said early the second I had no full detail. It is your life brethren; it is time we take stock of what we doing in this part of eternity and how well we are laying treasures at the other side, don’t forget it cut across all age group. I know you may be tempted to stop here but not at all click and read through remember “ignorance will not be an excuse on that faithful day”:
“For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”—Deuteronomy 32:47
It’s puzzling that so many Christians try to live the Christian life without reading their Bible, except for sporadic perusals of God’s Word, seeking a pithy thought for the day. The Word of God is not merely a source of helpful suggestions, preventative warnings, or inspirational thoughts: It is life itself!
God gathered the children of Israel at the edge of the Promised Land to review their pilgrimage with Him. They had spent forty years in a desert because their parents had not trusted God’s word. Their parents died without seeing the Promised Land because they had not believed God’s word. Even the revered Moses was soon to leave them because he had not shown proper reverence for God’s word. Many of them knew those who had been put to death as a consequence of their disobedience to God’s word. Over the years God’s word had become the most important thing in the life of the Israelites.
God commanded His people to bind His words on their hearts, to teach them diligently to their children, and to regularly discuss them in their homes (Deut. 6:4–9). So essential was His word that it was to hold a prominent place in the daily lives of His people.
Our reverence for God’s Word is revealed not only by what we say but also by what we do. Spending more time reading and studying the words of people rather than the Word of God, reveals our hearts’ condition.
To blatantly disregard God’s Word is to reject life itself. To obey God’s Word is the surest way to experience all that God has in store for us Prov 4:22-23. The mystery about the Word of God is that was hidden from the wise, highly educated, highly influential, most powerful but was revealed to only babes in the Lord, will you want to have an insight to the Word then come along:
In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.”—Luke 10:21
One hindrance to hearing a word from God may be our own wisdom. Wisdom, like success, can delude us to think we should take the role of teacher rather than student. Our knowledge lulls us into thinking we have sufficient wisdom to meet any challenge. Believing we are wise tempts us to evaluate the shortcomings of others yet be unaware of how much growth is still required in ourselves.
The Pharisees were the religious experts of their day. They possessed much information about God, but they had no personal relationship with Him. Their knowledge clouded their view of their condition before God. Jesus thanked His Father that it was not to these “experts” that the Father had revealed spiritual truth, but rather to those who were humble and who recognized their need for God’s revelation.
When religious leaders experience spiritual failure, their downfall is often met with surprise. It shouldn’t be. Religious people with the most knowledge are sometimes the ones least responsive to God’s Word. Knowledge can easily lead to pride, and pride impedes us from seeking God 2 Pet 1:6
How do you know if you are a “Pharisee”? When you do not have a teachable spirit. When you become defensive if a fellow Christian shares a concern about your spiritual condition. When you do not seek to hear from God, believing you already know what He thinks. When you feel that you are capable of helping others in their spiritual lives, but no one can teach you anything. Don’t allow the limited knowledge you now have to blind you to the great truths God still wants to reveal to you.
Make a deliberate effort to have a real relationship with your Maker, then your testimony will be full. He has the power to restore you; He also have the power to make you whole but it all take relationship, don’t despise it.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang Ifeoma Ohondu
