28 August
Our greatest guest
Rev. 3:20
In this passage, Jesus gives notice of His availability to visit with
us. He notifies us of His presence at the door. He is not only standing
at the door but knocking. According to Him, He wants to be our guest
and dine with us. He really wants to come in. This is why He keeps standing
at the door and knocking. Anyone who opens the door for Him and welcomes
Him has the greatest guest ever. This privilege remains today. Jesus
is still standing at our doors waiting for us to open for Him. His availability
to visit with us is not withdrawn. He is also still knocking at our doors,
even as we are speaking. In fact, His knocking to come in has never ceased
till today. Those who open the door and let Him in surely dine with Him
as He promised. To dine here reminds us of the great supper of the Lamb
which represents eternal life and all the rights and privileges associated
with it (see Jn. 3:16; Rev. 22: 17). And when He comes in He does so
with all His Kingly status and privileges. This guest is not like any
other. He holds the key of life (Jn. 6:40). No guest is as great and
important like Him. He can be our guest today if only we let Him into
our homes and lives. But we have to open the door and let Him in voluntarily,
of our own. He will never force Himself in. We have to open and let Him
in. And He really wants to come. We lose nothing if we turn other guests
away. We can only turn this guest away at our own peril.
PRAYER: 1. Lord Jesus, please come into my house, life.
2. Lord Jesus, please dine with me as you promised.
29 August
Obedience makes our offerings and services acceptable to
1 Sam. 15:22
For God, our obedience to him is better than our offerings and sacrifices
( 1Sam. 15:22). God prefers our obedience to our offerings and sacrifices.
He is not after our offerings and sacrifices as He is after our obedience
(1 Sam. 15:22; cf. Matt. 5:23-24). Therefore, our services or offerings
are not pleasing and acceptable to Him if we are not living in obedience
to Him. (1 Sam. 15:22; cf. Matt. 5:23-24). Obedience renders our services
and sacrifices pleasing and acceptable to Him. If we really desire God
to accept our services or offerings, we must live our lives in complete
obedience to Him. As far as God is concerned, our obedience to Him is
far more important than the offerings and services we render Him. He
rather has our obedience than our offerings and services (1Sam. 15:20;
cf. Matt. 5:23-24). No matter how big that offering or service is, it
is not pleasing or acceptable to God if it does not come from His obedient
child.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please give me the spirit of complete obedience.
2. Father, please take away everything that hinders me from obeying you
fully.
30 August
Those whom Jesus invites
Matt. 11:28
According to this passage, Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come
to Him. The ones who are in a state of weariness and burdeness. For those
ones, neither the weariness nor the burdeness goes away. These are the
ones who need rest but cannot get it. They are the sinners (Matt. 9:12-13)
and the lost (Lk. 19:10). Every human being falls under this category
(see Rom. 3:23). If you are weary and burdened of sin, you are the one
Jesus invites to come and receive rest (Matt. 11:28). A life of sin is
the most wearisome and burdensome life. If you are not weary and burdened
of sin, then Jesus’ invitation is not for you (see Matt. 9:12-13).
His invitation is meant for all those who have need for Him (Matt. 9:12-13;
Lk. 19:10). It is for them that He came and died (Jn. 1:29; Rom. 5:8).
He will never drive them away when they come to Him in response to His
invitation (Jn. 6:37). Are you weary and burdened? Jesus is inviting
you to receive your rest (Matt. 11:28). The invitation is yours and mine.
Let us accept it and the promised rest will be ours.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please draw me unto you.
2. Father, please I accept Jesus’ invitation.
31 August
The certainty of God’s purpose
Ps. 33:11
It is the teaching of the Scripture that God is able to bring to pass
all that He planned and purpised for His obedient children (see Lk. 1:37).
No plan or purpose of His can be thwarted (Job 42:1-2). No one can withstand
Him (see 2 Chron. 20:6). He does exactly as He plans and purposes (see
Num. 23: 19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Ps. 33:11; 89:34). This teaching is clearly
demonstrated in the life of Joseph and Jesus. The hatred of Joseph’s
brothers (Gen. 37:4, 5, 8), their jealousy (Gen. 37:11), their plot to
kill him (Gen. 37:18-20), their throwing him into a cistern (Gen. 37:
24), their stripping him of his robe (Gen. 37:23), their selling him
to the Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:28), the lie of Potiphar’s wife (Gen.
39:11-18), his imprisonment in Egypt (Gen. 39:19-20), all put together,
could not stop or thwart God’s purpose in Joseph’s life.
The same thing for our Lord Jesus Christ. Neither Satan’s temptation
(Matt. 4:1-11), nor the hatred of His fellow Jews (Jn. 15:18-25), nor
their jealousy and plot to kill Him (Lk. 19:47; Lk. 20:20; Lk. 22:1-2),
nor their lies (Mk. 14:55-59), nor His suffering (Matt. 27:27-31), nor
crucifixion (Matt. 27:50), could stop God’s purpose in and through
His life. This is an everlasting decree of God for all His children.
He will never allow anything or anyone to hinder or prevent His purpose
for His children from coming to pass. His purpose always prevails (Prov.
19:21; Is. 46:10). As far as God is concerned, no circumstance, no persecution
or trial, no principality or power, nothing whatever can prevent His
purpose from coming to pass for His loving children (see Rom. 8:31-39).
Therefore, we can count on Him to fulfil His purpose for our lives.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to trust in you alone to work out
your purpose in my life.
2. Father, please let your purpose come to pass in my life.
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