God's Gracious Love

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, ESV)

This declarative statement about what God has already done for us also interrogates every doubt one may harbour as to God's willingness or ability to meet any of our needs.

In other words, our scripture text compels or challenges the believer to carefully consider the reality of their new creation status in Christ, how gracious God has been and how much more gracious He can be.

Beloved, rest assured that God withholds no good thing from those who do what is right (see Psalm 84:11).

IN THE LAST DAYS

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1)

“Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

The two scriptures passages we have quoted outline some of the ills that will characterize the behaviour and attitudes of many people in the last days. The future tense mood in which passages have been written should not confuse us. The believer needs to understand that we are already in the last days. The last days are upon us and the characteristic effect as described by our texts can be seen everywhere you look.

JUST A CARPENTER’S SON?

How you perceive Jesus makes all the difference. The world has the idea that He is just another moral teacher or a great prophet of His time. Jesus Himself asked the question: who do you say I am? Do you recognize Him as the “Anointed One”? How we perceive Him is so important for our faith.

“And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58).

“Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:54-55)

The people in Jesus’ hometown dismissed Him as “Just a carpenter’s son”. They know His mother Marry and His siblings. And given all these, they could not believe that the same Jesus could be anything other than the ordinary young man that grew up in the neighbourhood. Bible records that they lack faith in Him therefor, and because of their lack of faith, they could not receive anything from the “Messiah”.

It was not for lack of willingness or power on Jesus’ part that not many miracles happened, but for lack of faith. “Faith” receives from God, doubt and unbelief cannot! Jesus cares and was willing to “Do mighty works there”, but the Bible records that “they took offense at him”. 

Jesus, in turn, did not get offended by their rejection. In fact He was not surprised they reacted the way they did, commenting rather that, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family” (Matthew 13:57, NLT). Their problem was one of familiarity! And that familiarity bred doubt and unbelief.

As it was then, so it is today: “He didn’t do many miracles there because of their lack of faith”, so will He not do many miracles today where ever lack of faith persists! This is a profound and central spiritual principle. By it we are instructed that no one can hope to see any great move of God in their life without first putting their faith in the Lord Jesus as the One whom the Father sent and by whom He made all things and upholds them.

To receive the peace that Jesus gives, for example, you have to first see Him as He is revealed in the Scriptures, not according to our own opinion of Him. This is He who said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27, ESV). Jesus has “peace” to give.

No one can expect to receive anything from Jesus until they accept the testimony of the scriptures concerning Him and trust Him on that basis alone. We can receive His comfort, healing, salvation, and so on because we know Him, not as the carpenter’s son, but according to His works and the testimony of the word of God. Our greatest prayer then must be, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection...” The more we know Him by revelation knowledge and accept Him, the stronger will be our faith in Him, and greater will be the manifestation of His power in our lives!

He did not do many miracles in His hometown in Nazareth because many of the people who really needed Him failed to see beyond His humble family life in the household of Joseph the carpenter. They failed to see Him as the Messiah that the prophets spoke about.

Your faith cannot rise above your knowledge of God. As you read and reflect on the scriptures daily, determine in your heart, therefore, to know Jesus and see Him as He truly is. Look to Him for the grace for each day. Put your trust in Him and let Him minister to every need in your life.

Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, is the Son of the most High God: He is our Lord and Saviour; He is our healer and deliverer. By His strength we can do all things!

FIVE SIMPLE RULES - Part 4

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Cor 16:13-14)

The Christian life is a victorious life by God’s design. It is the will of God to supply all of the believer’s needs according to His riches in glory[i]. What this means is that no earthly limitations can be imposed on the extent to which God is willing to go in order to provide for those who put their trust in Him, those who, through Christ, have entered into a covenant relationship with Him, and the extent to which those needs are met.

In part 3, we examined the need for courage in the life of a victorious Christian. But courage is not enough. A courageous person lacking in strength will soon succumb to weariness. Now in the fourth part of our study, we turn our attention to the importance of being strong.

RULE #4: BE STRONG

Why be strong?  What kind of strength does the believer stand in need of? Where does the believer’s strength come from? These and similar questions readily float to the top as we examine the instruction “Be Strong”.

From earlier parts of our discussion, we noted that the Christian faces constant opposition and sustained attack from an adversary, and this adversary is not flesh and blood nor can his onslaught be overcome with weapons that are of a physical nature. The Bible teaches that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. These are the spiritual powers and forces that stand in opposition to the victorious life the Christian is called by God to live. And the weapons the believer needs to engage with these spiritual forces of darkness are spiritual in nature.

So then, how strong do you need to be in order to mount not just a determined defence of what is yours in Christ Jesus, but also to launch an emphatic and overwhelming counter attack capable of pushing back the frontiers of darkness and extending the reaches of the kingdom of light? The scriptures leave us in no doubt about how strong we need to be and where our strength comes from. David, who was familiar with what it takes to be victorious against all odds, declared:

“...The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1, NKJV)

And Apostle Paul wrote:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes” (Eph 6:10-11)

Our strength comes from the Lord! Simply put, when we stand against the schemes of the devil we are to be as strong as if the Lord Himself was present. And that is what we will look like being clothed with the whole armour of God!

Praise God! The Lord supplies the strength that enables us to enforce the victory that Jesus won for us through His death. The same power that raised Jesus from death and made a spectacle of Satan is at work in us – we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.[ii]

The ability that the Lord supplies in the day of adversity is sufficient to see us through: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds”[iii]. If we depend on our own strength, which is the arm of flesh, we will faint and we will fail: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small”[iv]

The fourth rule for living a successful Christian life as we have discussed here in this study, challenges us to be strong and to seek to receive that strength by faith as part of the supplies of God according to His riches in glory (not trusting in our own physical strength, which is the arm of flesh).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. ” (2 Chronicles 32:7–8)

You can face life’s challenges with the confidence that the Lord is your strength. Christ has overcome the world[v] has made those who put their trust in Him overcomers! Be strengthened by faith with all might according to God’s glorious power!

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[i] Phil 4:19  [ii] Phil 4:13  [iii] 2 Cor 10:4  [iv] Proverbs 24:10  [v] John 16:33

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

Traveling on the train recently, I happened to pick up on a portion of a conversation between two friends, the essence of which prompts what I share here now.

The first friend said, “we are just going to get together for a drink and emm... drown our sorrows".

At that “emm…” moment, the other friend jumped in to complete the sentence as we sometimes do, and said “...Keep our spirits up". The obvious dichotomy of these two phrases, which were spoken with almost synchronized precision, instantly engaged my thought. Wow! Imagine that, I thought to myself. These two people may have had a somewhat common experience but their interpretation of it is certainly worlds apart.

Now, I don’t know how much drink it will take to drown one’s sorrow or to lift the spirits up, for that matter. And my interest in this is not in the merits of the use of alcohol to cope with life, nor indeed to give credence to any such usage of any intoxicants.

What holds the appeal for me in this brief dialogue is the thin line between pessimism and optimism so clearly displayed here, yet constituting a stark contrast between the friends in their outlook.

Two different attitudes to a problem situation, two different states of mind, and two inexorably different views on life! Here are two people looking at the same life situation yet whilst one responds in despair (“drown our sorrows”), the other responds in hope (keep our spirits up), albeit a transient lift.

Every now and then, we each come up against situations that compel us to decide whether the cup is half full or half empty – to fear the worst or hope for the best. What would you do? Drown your sorrows or keep your spirits up?

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the eternal optimist who believed the best about us even while we were yet sinners that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sin. His word working in us by the agency of His Spirit is the power that changes things. We are instructed in the Scriptures:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” - Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

And we can respond with an optimism that is based on faith in God:

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" - Lam 3:21-23 (ESV).

The pessimist in you may despair, saying, “what’s the point”, but in Christ, you have the grace to rise on the wings of optimism, and say, “why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God” – Psalm 42:5 (NIV).

HOW LONG...?

"Lord, how long will You look on [without action]? Rescue me... (Psalm 35:17)

Have you ever felt like that? The feeling that God is not dealing with your concerns as fast as you need Him to. “Why”, you wonder, “is He not doing anything? Has God forgotten about my desperate situation?” No, He has not forgotten. God will never forget to be faithful. He will never forget to look out for you.

You know what? We may not always understand why God does what He does or allows the things He allows to happen, but one thing is sure: God loves you. He always works for your ultimate good!

God's ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. He says His thoughts for you are not thoughts of evil; He’s got a good plan for your life! Nevertheless, it is by faith that we receive the promises of God, and eventually your faith will be tried. When you face such trials, the wisdom of God suggests that you respond by waiting patiently for the Lord.

The “virtue of patience” is a concept that does not chime in sync with the mood of secular society today, a culture that is marked by an increasing appetite for everything fast - from fast cars to fast food, instant messages to fast computers. There is a growing intolerance for any form of delay. But be assured: with God, delay is not denial!

The Word of God does not change with the culture of the day; rather we should be transformed by the word of God. Our attitude to the delays we experience in life should be defined not by the changing world standards but by the unchanging Word of God that says, "through faith and patience inherit the promises of God” (Hebrews 6:12).

Tried faith necessitates a release of the spirit of patience: Be patient and “you will be perfect and complete lacking nothing” (James 1:3-4). I used to think (like most people) that “suffering” was the main point about Job’s life. But I soon found out that God wants to focus our minds primarily on Job’s “patience” in suffering. This is a life-changing insight. Without patience, a victorious Christian life is impossible.

“Behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11).

Patience does not suggest inactivity. Patience, feeding off your knowledge of God's love and faithfulness, will preserve your trust in Him and sustain your faith. God declares you blessed who patiently waits for Him. He will never fail you!

In the same way that the Lord was merciful, and blessed Job, so will He bless you also with blessings that will not only bring restoration and update your life but will also upgrade it and take you to another level in your enjoyment of God.

"How long...?" is a genuine cry of desperation, but don’t get stressed about “how long...” it is taking for help or solution to come. Trust God and wait for Him with patience. In time He will complete that which concerns you if you endure.

Though it sometimes appears as if God is taking too long to respond or act, especially when we are being severely tested, Scriptures, however, assure us that He is always on time. God will never leave us without help or forsake us. So whatever challenge you face today, go through it with faith. This will require you to learn how to allow patience to have its way in you.

There is joy to be experienced; one that does not depend on everything being 100% perfect but flows from God being present and active even in our daily messy situations. God is always near those who fear Him. This is the believer's source of strength and assurance of victory!

Grace and peace to you!

Pastor Victor Ubani

HOLD ON!

Grace and peace to you by Christ Jesus our Lord!

September, the ninth month of the calendar year, is a month of great spiritual significance. It marks the start of the third and final period of the year and signals a shift in focus from beginning and intermediate periods to ending period.

In this period more than others we are preoccupied with questions about of how the year is progressing with regards to whether we are on track to attaining our expectations and goals. With the shrinking time available to the end of the year an inevitably increasing sense of urgency ensues in our hearts, we can sometimes easily succumb to panic and make costly mistakes which then throws us further off course or we may simply resign helplessly to doing nothing and murmur about how time flies. However, neither panic nor doing nothing is God’s design for the time.

God who we serve and whose we are is a God of time and purpose. I would like to encourage your heart and indeed challenge you with two words the Lord inspired in my heart as I waited on Him concerning this month. It is simply this: “Hold On”! Hold on to God trusting Him, hold on to that which you believed from the beginning concerning 2009, hold on to hope which is the anchor for you life.

I believe that God is releasing a special anointing upon His people at this “time” to see us through this third period of 2009, a year that has so far proven to be the most testing year most of us have ever known. It is a finishing anointing, a consolidating anointing to finish what you started and achieve your goals for this year. "Hold On: you will yet see the goodness of Jehovah"!

Believe God to walk in this fresh anointing that enables you to go the rest of the year with a sound mind, a renewed strength and determination, and precise steps that are ordered by God unto fulfilling purpose.

Let me commend to you a beautifully inspiring passage of scripture in Psalm 27 which says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living”(NIV).

It is my heartfelt and fervent pray that the LORD will teach you His ways and guide your every step this month. May your faith, the key that unlocks the grace of God, be strengthened to obtain every grace and wisdom you need in this third and final period of 2009, so that you are able to get to where you desire to be in every area of your life by the end of the year.

“Hold On”, the Lord will reward your confidence richly!

TAKE THE LIMITS OFF

"...they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy Oneof Israel" (Psalm 78:41).

God can do anything! He is powerful and His Word will never fail to produce result, yet He will never impose on you. He has given you a free will to choose (Deut 30:19): either to keep Him in mind and permit Him to be involved in your life or to turn away from His plan and purpose and so limit Him.

Sadly, when we limit God we also limit ourselves. Without Him we can never attain our full potential. You may achieve some success but never make the difference you are capable of when you permit God to "work in you both to will and do His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13).

God created you in His own image and He says: "without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). To the person who believes this, He says: "nothing shall be impossible". Daniel made this connection when he spoke of those "who know their God": they will “be strong and do exploits" (Dan 11:32). And, declaring "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", Paul reminds us how significant it is that we sustain this powerful relationship in Christ in which God is free both to work in us, for us and through us.

As you make your way through life there will be times of trials (Psa 77:7-12) or even prosperity (Hos 13:6) when you are tempted through fear or pride to ignore God and limit Him in your life. The challenge for you today is to constantly think right and speak right about God, so that by His unlimited grace you will always be the best you can be no matter what..!

Take the limits off!