All the glory must be to the Lord, for He is worthy of our praise, no man on earth should be glory to Himself, all the glory must be to the Lord. Let living praise the Lord, let the living praise the Lord.
Gracious Father, we thank You, we bless Your Name, we worship You, we praise your Name, we give you thanks, let Your Name alone be honoured forever and ever!
Dear beloved, are you thanking God for another day? Praise Jesus. Is a beautify thing to be among the living. Therefore, let us be grateful to God for waking us up this morning in the land of the living.
Jesus is our hope and our delivery, no one that trust Him shall be confounded (1 Pet 2:6). He will make a way where there seem to be no way. Is your conscience condemning you like the chief character in our study today? Come, surrender to Jesus and you will made whole.
His Name is Wonderful, Omega, Almighty in battle. Are you being oppressed by the power of darkness, call Jesus and you are set free. Seek Him and He will be found. Remember when you seek Him with all your might, He will be found by you.
Are you afraid because the year is ending and you are yet to see His manifest power in that area of needs? Don’t give up, persistence is the key word. Persevere in your search for Him and He will be found by you (Prov 20:22; Jer 29:13-14 ).
Let us learn from this one time chief sinner:
When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, because today I must stay at your house.”—Luke 19:5
In our large world it’s easy to feel that we are nothing more than an insignificant speck in the midst of a multitude. Our world tends to depersonalize us, seeking to make us like everyone else, but God loves us in specific ways that are particular to us.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill His assignment on the cross. The multitudes thronged around Him in such numbers that the diminutive Zacchaeus could not see Jesus unless he climbed a tree. Zacchaeus would have been satisfied simply to catch a glimpse of the great Teacher. But Jesus stopped, turned, and looked directly at him! In that moment, Zacchaeus was oblivious to the crowd around him. Thus began a special time with Jesus that radically changed his life.
Jesus will relate to you in ways that are unique to you. He knows your past; He knows what you will face in the future. Because He knows everything about you, His word to you will perfectly fit the circumstances of your life. You may be in a group of Christians who are listening to God’s Word, and you may hear things from Him that no one else hears. Don’t become frustrated with others if they are not as excited about a truth from God as you are. Don’t be impatient with them if they are not implementing God’s word in their lives exactly as you are. God will personalize His word to you. He will relate to each of your friends in a way that specifically meets their needs as well.
Let us drink more from the fountain of life this morning by considering what it really means to take up our cross and follow Christ:
What Does It Really Mean To Take Up The Cross And Follow Christ?
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23, 24)
WHAT IT MEANS IN PRACTICAL TERMS TO LOSE ONE‘S LIFE:
- Being willing to suffer the pain and humiliation of the cross. (Hebrews 11:26; 12:1, 2; 13:13)
- Being willing to forgive and embrace those who sin against you and see what they meant for harm as sent from God for good. (Genesis 50:20; Acts 7:60; Philippians 1:15-18)
- Being willing to be separated from those you love. (Matthew 10:37, 38; Luke 14:26)
- Being willing to be dependent on others. (Acts 20:4, 5; 2 Timothy 1:16; 4:9-13, 21)
- Being willing to face the loneliness that sometimes comes with dedication to Christian service. (Philippians 2:19-21; 2 Timothy 1:15; 4:10, 16)
- Being willing to keep walking faithfully, one step at a time, through the desert of the soul, when it seems God has abandoned you. (Job 23:8-17; Psalm 42; 84:5-7)
- Being willing to accomplish what God calls you to do. (Isaiah 6:8; 50:7; Acts 20:24; 26:19; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Timothy 4:7)
- Being willing to surrender all to God and not strike back at those who oppose you. (Luke 6:27-36; 1 Peter 2:20-23)
WHAT IT MEANS IN PRACTICAL TERMS TO SAVE ONE‘S LIFE: “It is getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, going through the drill, playing some golf on the weekends, going to church, and taking a vacation now and then.” In other words, “IT IS LIVING LIFE AND KEEPING ONE‘S DISCRETIONARY TIME FOR ONE‘S SELF.“
ARE YOU IN FACT TAKING UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOWING JESUS? If you are, then “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8) (adapted from FOTM)
Considering the two scenario describe above, how you are living presently. One thing is sure whether you think you are accountable to someone or not, a day will come when you will standing before the judgment seat of God and you must give account of your life.
Do not believe the lie of the devil, that there is hell nor heaven. Heaven is real; hell is real (Rev 20:10). The time is nearer than when we first believe (Rom 13:11). Make haste will it is day, night cometh when no man can work (Jn 9:4).
This call can never be achieve by our own strength, therefore you must consciously be rooted in the word where you be drawing your daily need else you become despair.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
