September 9 Thank You Lord for Your great wonders in the life of your children; We cannot but thank You for the gift of salvation and Your promise of preserving us even unto the end, when we cannot put it together, When all seem to be failing the only one to look upon is God. He is our Life, Redeemer, Healer, Helper, Sustainer, He will guides us into all truth. My God is a miracle God, in all the healing, deliverance Jesus did while he was here on earth, was evident of “faith” and is “immediately”. You have to connect with Him at that level to get your deliverance. He got nothing to do with procrastinators or with those who demand signs and wonders to believe in Him as the son of God but as many that believed He healed. Come and see what great faith can do in the life of an individual:
“And when they could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.” Mark 2:4
Faith is full of inventions. The house was full, a crowd blocked up the door, but faith found a way of getting at the Lord and placing the palsied man before Him. If we cannot get sinners where Jesus is by ordinary methods we must use extraordinary ones . It seems, according to Luke 5:19, that a tiling had to be removed, which would make dust and cause a measure of danger to those below, but where the case is very urgent we must not mind running some risks and shocking some proprieties. Jesus was there to heal, and therefore fall what might, faith ventured all so that her poor paralyzed charge might have his sins forgiven. O that we had more daring faith among us! Cannot we, dear reader, seek it this morning for ourselves and for our fellow-workers, and will we not try today to perform some gallant act for the love of souls and the glory of the Lord. The world is constantly inventing; genius serves all the purposes of human desire: cannot faith invent too, and reach by some new means the outcasts who lie perishing around us? It was the presence of Jesus which excited victorious courage in the four bearers of the palsied man: is not the Lord among us now? Have we seen His face for ourselves this morning? Have we felt His healing power in our own souls? If so, then through door, through window, or through roof, let us, breaking through all impediments, labour to bring poor souls to Jesus. All means are good and decorous when faith and love are truly set on winning souls. If hunger for bread can break through stone walls, surely hunger for souls is not to be hindered in its efforts. O Lord, make us quick to suggest methods of reaching Thy poor sin-sick ones, and bold to carry them out at all hazards. This should be our heart desire as true children of God. You were not saved to seat alone in heaven, go as the Lord enables you to bring the lost, doubter, weak and the wearier to Him behold He stand and know who so ever that opened to Him will come in and dine with. Interestingly, our quest for signs and wonders in the church of God has posed a lot of threat to the spreading of Good News. Someone is asking “How”? Let’s dig deeper again for further discoveries:
“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” John 4:48
A craving after marvels was a symptom of the sickly state of men’s minds in our Lord’s day; they refused solid nourishment, and pined after mere wonder. The gospel which they so greatly needed they would not have; the miracles which Jesus did not always choose to give they eagerly demanded. Many nowadays must see signs and wonders, or they will not believe. Some have said in their heart, “I must feel deep horror of soul, or I never will believe in Jesus.” But what if you never should feel it, as probably you never may? Will you go to hell out of spite against God, because He will not treat you like another? One has said to himself, “If I had a dream, or if I could feel a sudden shock of I know not what, then I would believe.” Thus you undeserving mortals dream that my Lord is to be dictated to by you! You are beggars at His gate, asking for mercy, and you must needs draw up rules and regulations as to how He shall give that mercy. Think you that He will submit to this? My Master is of a generous spirit, but He has a right royal heart, He spurns all dictation, and maintains His sovereignty of action. Why, dear reader, if such be your case, do you crave for signs and wonders? Is not the gospel its own sign and wonder? Is not this a miracle of miracles, that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish”? Surely that precious word, “Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely” and that solemn promise, “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out,” are better than signs and wonders! A truthful Saviour ought to be believed. He is truth itself. Why will you ask proof of the veracity of One who cannot lie? The devils themselves declared Him to be the Son of God; will you mistrust Him? I pray as we go through the week to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit so as to take full delivery of what He had already paid for you. Make a conscious effort to share the Word with the people you meet and The Lord will bless you greatly. You will testify about the goodness of the Lord and His glory will abound forever more. Remain blessed in the Lord. Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
