21 August
The one who receives eternal bliss
Rev. 14:13
Eternal bliss is real (Rev. 21:1-5, 18:26; 22:3-5). Jesus promised it
(Jn. 14:1-2). But who is entitled to it? Certainly, it is not everyone
who is entitled to it. According to the Scripture, eternal bliss is available
only to those who die in Jesus Christ (Rev. 14:13). They are the same
ones whose names are written in His book of life (Rev. 20: 15; 21:27).
They had accepted Jesus as their Saviour while they lived (Jn. 1:12-13;
3:16). It is the fact that they belong to Jesus that entitles them to
this eternal bliss (Jn. 1:12-13; Rev. 20:15; 21:27). This bliss is not
available outside of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Although every religion
promises it, it is available only in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Jn. 3:16).
It is not available to those who reject or deny Jesus Christ as their
Saviour (Rev. 20:15; 22:15). It is available on the basis of God’s
grace appropirated through faith in Jesus Christ, not on the basis of
good works, self-righteouness, charity or philanthrophy (Eph. 2:8-9).
Jesus Christ alone offers eternal bless and remains the sole key or access
to it. It is not available through any other means (Acts 4:12).
PRAYER: 1. Father, I accept Jesus as my own Saviour and Lord.
2. Father, please enable me to stand firm in Him to the end.
3. Father, please over come everything that stands between or against me and
Jesus.
22 August
The one who alone bears our anxiety
1 Pet. 5:7
Upon whom must we cast our anxiety? Upon human beings? No, not on human beings
because the help of man is worthless (Ps. 108: 12-13). On secret fraternities?
No, they are useless as well. On the gods? No, for they are all idols and thus
completely useless and helpless (1 Chro. 16: 26; cf. Acts 19:26). On whom then
must we cast our anxiety? The anser is quite clear from the passage, on Jesus
Christ ( 1 Pet. 5:7). He alone is able, willing, and ready to meet all our needs
( 1 Pet. 5:7). He alone really, trully, cares for us ( 1Pet. 5:7). No one else
loves or cares like Him. He cares even now. It is His nature to care (see Matt.
9: 36; 15: 32). It is His duty to care for His own. But one cannot cast his anxiety
on Him unless he first takes Him as his personal Saviour and Lord (Jn. 1: 12-13).
The one who has not received Him as his Saviour and Lord is like an enemy to
Him (see Rom. 8:7-8). Therefore, it is necessary first to receive Him as one’s
personal Saviour (Jn. 1: 12-13; 3:16) in order to earn the right or privilege
to cast one’s anxiety upon Him. His true children have no need that He
cannot meet (see Jn. 14:13-14).
PRAYER: 1. Father, I take Jesus as my personal Saviour and Lord.
2. Father, please take care of all my anxiety.
23 August
The benefit of building wisely
Matt. 7:24-27
To build wisely is to hear God’s word and put it into practice in one’s
life (Matt. 7:24). But what benefit does one derive from hearing God’s
word and putting it into practice in his life? According to Jesus, the one who
does this is able to withstand all the storms or challenges of life (Matt. 7:25).
By hearing God’s word and putting it into practice he becomes like a house
whose foundation is laid on the rock (Matt. 7:24). With his foundation in God’s
word, the storms or challenges of life cannot uproot him (Matt. 7:25). The lesson
of this passage applies to everyone. The storms or challenges of life are quite
real (see Jn. 15:20-21). But it is only the one whose foundation is in God’s
word who can overcome them all (Matt. 7:24-25; cf. Eph. 6:10-17). Our victory
over the storms or challenges of life lies not only in hearing God’s word
but in putting what is heard into practice (cf. Deut. 28: 1-2; Ps. 1:1-3). Therefore,
it is a beneficial thing for one to hear God’s word and put it into practice
in his life (see Matt. 13:23).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please give me the grace to put your word into practice in
my life.
2. Father, please over come everything that prevents me from putting your word
into practice in my life.
3. Father, please over come the storms or challenges of life for me.
24 August
Our battles are God’s battles
1 Sam. 17:47
The battles of God’s children are God’s own battles (1 Sam. 17:47;
2 Chron. 20:15-17). The Scripture has stated this point conclusively (see 1 Sam.
17:47; 2 Chron. 20: 15-17). This is why Moses assured the Israelites that the
Lord will fight for them (Exod. 14:14). Because of our relationship with Him
(Jn. 1:12-13), our battles, issues, enemies, etc., are all His own. Since this
is the case, we need not fight our own battles. Instead, we must hand them over
to God to fight for us. Victory comes from Him (Ps. 44:6-7; 108: 13). We must
allow Him to fight for us and await His victory (Exod. 14:1`4). With this understanding,
we have no basis to fear the battles waged against us. We can count on God’s
victory since our battles are His own (Ps. 44:6-7; 108:13). This privilege belongs
exclusively to His true, obedient children (Jn. 1:12-13; cf. Deut. 28:1-2). He
will not fight for us if we are not His true, obedient children (Jn. 1:12-13;
Deut. 28: 1-2).
PRAYER: 1. Father, I take (or have taken) Jesus as my own Saviour and Lord.
2. Father, please fight all my battles according to your word.
25 August
How to be planted in Jesus’ love
Jn. 1:12-13
The Scripture is most emphatic that nothing whatever can separate the
believer
from Jesus’ love (Rom. 8:35-39). But how can one be planted in this love?
The answer is given in our passage (Jn. 1:12-13). It is when we receive Him,
when we believe in Him as our Saviour and Lord that we become His own and come
under His love. There is no other path or means to come under His love than this
(Acts 4:12). Whoever has ever come under His love has done so through no other
path or means than this. Those who reject Him and refuse to believe in Him are
not planted in His love. (Jn. 3 : 18,36). It is not enough to hear about Jesus.
On must take Him, accept Him, receive Him, believe in Him to come under His love
(see Matt. 7:21-23). Regular attendance in Church and taking full part in her
activities although very good, do not plant anyone in the love of Jesus. But
as many as receive Him as their own Saviour and Lord come under His love. We
forfeit His love by continuing to reject Him.
PRAYER: 1. Father, I take Jesus as my own Saviour and Lord.
2. Father, please plant me in Jesus’ love.
3. Father, please take away whatever hinders me from being planted in Jesus’ love.
26 August
The Garderner’s work
Jn. 15:1-2
This passage likens Jesus to the vine, His followers to the branches, and the
Father to the Gardener (Jn. 15:1-2). The work of the Garderner in the vineyard
is clearly specified. First, He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit (Jn.
15:2; cf. Matt. 3:10; 7: 19; Lk. 13:6-9). Second, he also prunes fruitless branches
in order to make them fruitful (Jn. 15:2). The Gardener is never negligent in
performing His functions in the vineyard. What does all this mean? It means that
anyone who is not living his life for God, that is, is not bearing fruit, runs
the risk of being cut off from the vineyard of life. The purpose of the vineyard
is to bear lasting fruit (Jn. 15:16). Where there is no fruit, the Gardener is
entitled to cut off or prune the branches (Jn. 15:2). The Gardener determines
when to carry out His function (see Matt. 13:6-9). Believers must bear lasting
fruits in their lives to justify the Gardener’s keeping (Mat. 13:8-9).
Fruitless believers remain at the Gardener’s mercy.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to bear lasting fruit.
2. Father, please take away whatever prevents me from bearing lasting fruit.
27 August
How to follow Jesus today
Matt. 4:18-22
When Jesus called His first disciples, He commanded them to follow Him. (Matt.
4:19). We are told that they responded by leaving their nets and following Him
(Matt. 4:20). They became subject to Him and His own kind of life and teachings.
They handed over their own lives to His tutelage. This agrees with the concept
and practice of discipleship at that time. Like them, we must handover our lives
to the tutelage of Jesus. Our lives must no longer be our own but Jesus’ life
lived through us (see Gal. 2:20). We must not allow anything to stand between
us and Jesus (Matt. 10:37). We must not allow anything to interfere with our
following Him. We must be willing to part with anything that interferes or hinders
our following Him (Matt. 10:37). We must follow Him wherever He leads us and
in everything. There must be no moment or thing in which we are not following
Him. This is how we know His true followers (cf. Jn. 14:15, 23-24). No one can
claim to follow Jesus today when he is not following Him all the time and in
everything. This is how to follow Jesus today even as the early disciples did.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to follow you as you deserve.
2. Father, please over come whatever hinders me from following you as you deserve.
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