SURRENDERED LIFE

“Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand…” (Jeremiah 18:6, ESV)

“For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” - (Ephesians 2:10, HCSB)

With this analogy of the clay in the potter’s hand, God illustrates His will for the relationship between Himself as creator and the believer as His unique creation. It is the will of God that the believer lives a “surrendered life” – a life that yields to God’s revealed plans and purpose. We are God’s creation, intentionally “created in Christ for good works”.

To fully understand what it means to be God’s creation and reach our full potential “in Christ”, we have to live a totally surrendered life.  Hudson Taylor, an English missionary to China and founder of China Inland Mission (now OMF International) lived this truth; and was quoted as saying: “I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked God if I might help Him. I ended up asking Him to do His work through me”. Taylor discovered that it was not about what he wanted to do but all about what God chose to do through him. God will use anyone who willingly and totally yields to Him.

God will mould you, equip you and work through you if you become available to Him by living a surrendered life. And yours will truly epitomize a surrendered life when you become the clay in the potter’s hand. The potter works and reworks the clay into the shape he determines and for the purpose which he has prepared ahead of time, yet the clay does not resist or resent being used for one purpose and not another.

So learn to live the kind of life that permits God to freely work through you. Let your attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus our Lord who prayed, saying, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). It is a blessed life!

GIVE FREELY

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” (Proverbs 11:24)

As Christians, we have a moral and spiritual obligation to give freely, give generously and give cheerfully. Giving is an act of grace and a fruit of righteousness. But, sadly for some, giving is a subject that stirs strong negative emotion and selective hearing; they withhold what they should give.

But why should a Christian struggle to give freely of their resources – to finance the gospel , to be hospitable and relieve the poor, to meet all kinds of need? We can suggest at least one reason why a person will withhold what they should give, but it certainly has nothing to do with lack of ability or opportunity. God will accept and bless your giving “according to your ability”.

Withholding your giving, whatever the form, is always a reflection of a weak, or lack of, trust in God. First, it reflects that you do not believe God when He says He has given you seed for sowing (2 Cor 9:10). Withholding your giving is failure to sow your seed. And secondly, withholding what you should give indicates that you do not believe God when He says “Give and it shall be given to you…” (Luke 6:38). God is your source: He gives you seed, and He multiplies it back to you when you sow it!

Is anyone better off by withholding? God says, No! “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”  Paul wrote, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” (Philippians 4:17). Give yourself to God and give freely even as God Himself has given you all things freely. It is more blessed to freely give of your money, time and talent than to withhold! 

PAY CLOSER ATTENTION

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1)

This is the first of five admonitions in the book of Hebrews. It is first of all an insistence on the moral necessity for every believer to very carefully listen to, and keep, the truth they have heard. The word of God is “truth” and this “truth makes us free”, Jesus teaches.

It is the will of God that His Word, which is both alive and active, should produce a life transforming effect on all who pay very closer attention to them.

Next, therefore, the passage warns that we stand to suffer tremendous loss if we neglect to heed the Word and keep it fresh in our hearts and acting on it. Every time we hear the word, there is always a chance that we will let it slip and drift away from conformity to it.

We are sometimes confronted with the cynical question that, “Why, if God’s word is so powerful to change lives, are there many born again Christians in whose lives one will be hard pressed to find any evidence of this change?” This question is more about what people do with the truth. A person’s behaviour, attitudes, and conduct will not be transformed if they have been ignorant of the truth, resistant to the truth or, as our text reveals, negligent of living the truth and so letting it slip out of their hands. The word of God is not impotent!

Be not a negligent hearer of the Word of God, but a faithful doer who is motivated to both pay attention to the Word and retain it. “…pay much closer attention to what you have heard.” This will change your entire life and relationships!

LET GOD BE GOD - (Part 2)

“And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see...” (Matthew 11:4)

Our faith is frequently challenged. And when this happen our confidence in God is can be seriously shaken. It is not unusual for us to have doubts, and sometimes great faith and confidence have resulted from our subsequent re-evaluation of the place of God in our lives.

Reasons abound why a person who hitherto walked in faith begins to doubt God and question His ways. And it is not strange to the Lord when we recall the encounter with the father who sought healing for his epileptic son and pleaded with Jesus saying, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). During the brief moment John the Baptist spent in prison, he had such a moment. He knew who Jesus was yet doubted that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

Our perspective of Him may be altered along with our changing situations, but God never changes. His purpose and plans remain the same, His thought towards us remain the same.

When doubts arise in our hearts, God does not change to convince us one way or the other. His response to John’s doubtful disposition is very insightful: “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4–5). You already have the truth, believe the truth, and let God be who He says He is! Jesus did not give an answer to John's doubts, but acted only to reinforce and strengthen the faith which He knew to exist in his heart.

God is still God – even when we get preoccupied with the things we claim He has not done for us, thereby exposing ourselves to all manner of doubt and fear. Your situation cannot change God, but God can change your situation!

Today, God wants you to look around you, see the miracles He is working out and the liberating word He is speaking into people’s lives (even in yours), and bless Him. Like John, you don’t need any new proof that God is God! Continue to believe what you know about Him according to the illumination that comes from the Holy Scriptures. Don't try to tell Him how to be God!

UNBOUNDED WORD

“I have seen limit to all perfection, but Your command is without limit” (Psalm 119:96, HCSB)

God’s word is broad, absolute, limitless and unrestrained. It can penetrate into the most evil heart and heal it. It can renew and revive the most difficult marriage. God’s command speaks to every situation and to everything He created. We can confidently say: “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27)!

Paul declared that whilst the enemies of the Gospel may have had him in chains and locked him up in jail, thus limiting his physical movement, yet the word of God is not bound (2 Tim 2:9).  The word of God is free to change lives, work miracles, and renew lives. The word of God is present, it is powerful and unlimited in its reach, and can impact any part of anyone’s life. However, unbelief limits manifestation because God never by-passes a person’s will: “and Jesus did not do many mighty works, because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).

Do not allow your consciousness of limits to place a limit on the impact that God’s word is capable of having in your life and over your circumstances. Let the word renew your mind; believe that as you obey God’s boundless word, you can have a future so different from your present, and so full of hope and possibilities.

When you obey God’s command in your marriage, job or ministry, He will take you where He wants you to be. The word of God speaks to every part of your life; He wants you to experience abundant life in all. There is no limit to what God can do in the life of a person who is committed to believing Him and acting on His word!

SETTLED WORD

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” – (Psalm 119:89, NKJV)

We make another faith-building observation about the word of God in today’s reflection on the scriptures. God’s word is “Forever…settled”, and consequently testifies of His faithfulness, His power, His unfailing love, and care.

The “Settled Word” of God is not only firmly fixed in the heavens, but it is sure and certain, it is pure and without blemish or fault. You can trust in the immutability and integrity of God’s word. David said in this regard, “God has spoken once; twice have I heard this...” (Psalm 62:11). “Settled Word” means that everything else may change (and will indeed change), but the Word of God never changes.

In difficult times, when the heart grows weary and doubtful, the believer’s greatest need is to continue in strong confidence toward God. One thing that will contribute to this is an assurance of the reality that whatever God has already spoken is firmly fixed and settled - nothing more can be added to or taken away from it. He has magnified His word above all His names!

By revealing His word to be “Forever...settled”, our God reassures anyone who will do His will, that He will honour His word: “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9).

Grow, therefore, in your faith toward God whose word never changes. Obey His word without fear: He will do what He said He will do. In your obedience, you can shout: “I have what God says. It is settled!”

SWIFT WORD

"He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly." (Psalm 147:15)

Everything and everyone on earth are subject to commands sent out by God. From the force of gravity to the times and seasons, from beasts to humanity, God created all things and sustains all His creation by simply sending out His command.

In continuing with this personification of God’s word, the second part of our text gives another great insight into the nature of the Word, namely: “His word runs swiftly”!

Praise God, His Word does not delay! His word moves swiftly into position at its destination ready to manifest. It will run swiftly into our hearts to accomplish the purpose for which God has sent it.

Every word that God utters is strategically designed to have a specific impact and to produce His intended result without delay. Once it has gone out of His mouth, it is done. It will not return unaccomplished. How long will the word of God take to manifest in your life? That will depend on what you do with it. Until you activate the word by faith, it will remain like a gift-wrapped present waiting to be unwrapped.

Any tardiness in the manifestation of God’s promise or the release of His grace will not be due to any slackness on His part concerning His word (2 Peter 3:9). The moment you perceive the reality of what God has spoken, embrace the life-changing truth and act on it, God says: “I’ll make every word I give you come true” (Jer 1:12). God’s word runs swiftly, by its power He upholds all things including your life!

SENT WORD

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction." (Psalm 107:19-20)

There in no trouble confronting you or distress weighing down your life that can withstand the power of God’s “sent” Word.

The people cried to God in the midst of their trouble and distress; and how did He deliver them? By sending out a Word for their healing and deliverance, praise God! Is this true for you today? Certainly!

What you need is just one word from God – a Sent Word. God’s word sent as a messenger to convey the express will of God for us in any given situation and the power of God to work the change.

Your need might be a renewal of mind to break adverse mindsets and habits, a deliverance from addictions, a healing in your relationships with your spouse or other persons close to you, a physical healing, or some manner of deliverance, and you cry to God for help. That help will come by way of His Sent Word.

By sending the redeemer, Jesus Christ our saviour, as the living word (John 1:1-3,14), God reminds us of, and reaffirms, the supremacy of His Word (Psalm 138:2).

The commands and promises of God in the Holy Scriptures are His sent Word! He sends His Word for salvation, preservation, healing and deliverance from every conceivable trouble and distress. Receive God’s sent Word, interact with it by faith, and you will experience the power of God in your life!

RELEVANT WORD

“Keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching... When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life… ” (Proverbs 6:20–23)

Christian, the Word of God is relevant to every aspect of your life, every time, and in every situation! It is common to hear people speak about their lives and the situations they face as if to say that the word of God is powerless to penetrate and impact it. But that is simply the lie of the devil.

The Word of God “is the power of God…” (Rom 1:16)! Its life transforming impact is only limited by the believer’s unwillingness to cooperate with it (Heb 4:2). Whether we walk, sleep, or are awake, the word of God makes a difference in the believer’s life. It will guide anyone who chooses to faithfully walk with God; it will speak to you when you are awake, and when you sleep, it will watch over you!

The Word is the command, which as a lamp, marks out the path you should walk to your destiny in Christ; it is the teaching that serves as light which brings clarity of understanding; and it is the rod of correction that disciplines, guiding us back onto the way to life when we stray.

The Word is relevant today and in every situation…"breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). 

TWO WAYS

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

The wisdom of this passage is clear for all to see. The road you think is the shortcut to your success in life may just turn out to be a highway to disastrous consequences. You owe yourselves a duty to understand what the will of the Lord is for you in every situation!

Life is full of cross-roads, and each cross-road challenges us to make a potentially life-changing choice regarding the road to follow. The road you eventually follow should be the one which, after careful examination, lines up with God’s guidance and direction as revealed in the word of God and by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus also identified two kinds of ways. One accessed by a wide gate; it is a broad road that leads to destruction. And the other is small gate; a narrow road that leads to life! (Matt 7:13-14)

God’s ways are higher than our ways. Choose wisely everyday!

VICTORIOUS OVER ANXIETY

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)

The feeling of anxiety is an incapacitating feeling that arises for various reasons and to varying degrees. It could be the result of a natural concern one has over the wellbeing of a loved one and could range to fear and trembling.

Whether arising from a loving concern for a family member or from a dread of some kind of disaster, the effect of anxiety is the same. It weighs down the heart and interferes with one’s ability to function effectively. Anxiety depresses its victim and causes them to act irrationally. An anxious person cannot live a life of faith because, as Jesus said, the cares of this world stifles the word of God (Mark 4:19). 

“…but a good word makes him glad.” This is the cure for anxiety – “a good word” from God applied to the heart by faith makes the heart glad, and a glad heart is good medicine (Prov 17:22). God’s word is good and fit to make glad the heart that is burdened with anxiety! (Matt 11:28)

You know someone prone to or suddenly overcome by feelings of anxiety, then it is your Christian duty to come along side them with “a good word” from God, a word of encouragement! Or you may be the one weighed down by anxiety. If so, do not dwell on the problem but cast your cares upon the Lord… (1 Pet 5:7). Apply a good word from God to your heart by faith. And God who has said, "Do not be anxious about anything" (Phil 4:6) is able to give you victory over every anxious feeling!

CONSTANT CARE

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ” (Psalm 23:5)

In this passage we are once again reminded that the man or woman who has taken the LORD to be his or her shepherd will walk under God’s provision and His constant care.

Some interesting and uplifting thoughts are stirred up by this passage. First, God has pronounced a blessing upon those who have made Him the shepherd of their lives with such blessings as can only be described as a banquet. God has laid out a table for you and upon it there is everything that you need – your healing is there, along with blessings for your marriage, finances, success, breakthroughs and more. Whatever the need may be, the Lord has adequately made provisions for.

Second thing we notice, and this is so significant, is that God has not made a secrete of the blessings He bestows on His sheep. The bible teaches that, God who sees your faithfulness in secrete will bless you openly even “in the presence of your enemies”. God will satisfy your mouth with good things openly!

Furthermore, the Lord who has blessed you and received you into His banquet, has also anointed you and given you the grace to enjoy the full benefit of His abundant, “overflowing” blessings with gladness. And there is nothing man or the devil can do to stop God from blessing you.

May the Lord provide for you generously and keep you under His divine protection and favour now and always, praise God!

NEVER ALONE

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4, ESV)

One of the things a good shepherd does is keep his flock out of harm’s way. In trusting Jehovah as his shepherd, to guide him and lead him, David tells us here that he is not afraid of taking the next step in life even if that step takes him through a path that is overcast with a gloomy and bleak shadow like a death shadow.

Walking with the Lord means following His leading day and night and yielding to His guidance. He blesses those who are faithful in so doing with His protective presence so that they can confidently say:  “I will not be afraid for you are close by my side”.

The shepherd’s rod is a short club which the shepherd carries with him for the purpose of fighting off wild animals, thus symbolic of God’s protective presence. The shepherd’s staff is a long stick with a hook-shaped head used for pulling back a straying flock - symbolizes God’s guidance.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our good shepherd: He will never leave you nor forsake you. You are never alone and will never be alone in that thing that you are going through today. The Lord will go through it with you, His rod and His staff will comfort you.

The valley of the shadow of death holds no fear for the man or woman whose shepherd is the Lord!

MY SHEPHERD

 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

The 23rd psalm is one of the most beautiful, insightful and endearing portion of scriptures.  And here in the very first verse of the psalm starts with such a sublime statement that literally leaps at you, wraps around your heart lifting it up reassuringly.

As a young man, David was a shepherd before being anointed king of Israel. So when he says the Lord is “my Shepherd”, he speaks from experience and from the viewpoint of the sheep. David knows all too well how vulnerable a sheep is without a shepherd. And he knows the tender care that a good and faithful shepherd gives his flock. As Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

From the passage we learn two important covenant realities: first, that the Lord is the believer’s shepherd, i.e., Jehovah-Rohi in Hebrew; and second, that the Lord is the believer’s provider, or Jehovah-Jireh. But what is more powerful and vital to our faith walk is to know the Lord not just as “our” shepherd, but as “my” personal shepherd to lead me, guide me, provide for me, and protect me!

The Lord who is “my shepherd” is Jehovah – the covenant-keeping , self-existent One who needs nothing but possesses everything, the I Am, the one who is here and never elsewhere or otherwise engaged! Knowing the Lord in a one-to-one personal relationship gives you the platform to say with confidence “I shall not want” of anything good and necessary to me because my God supplies all my need in due time (Psalm 84:11)!

WAIT FOR THE LORD

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope" (Psalms 130:5)

In the mad rush that is fast becoming the norm for work and life in today's world, the idea of “waiting” for anything is gradually attaining the status of “the unacceptable”. This presents believers with a new sort of temptation – the temptation to “leave God behind”.  But to do that will amount to a failure to understand the nature our relationship with the Most High.

In our relationship with God, He leads and we are called to follow. It is with this in mind that the psalmist declares: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope”!

Though the world increasingly extols impatience as a virtue, yet God insists we have need of patience to wait for what we hope for. Impatience is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit that should be manifest in the believer's life (Gal 5:22). In seeking spiritual outcomes, that is, the kind of result that comes from God, we must learn how to wait for God. He will do what He promises!

“Wait for the Lord” not because He is slack; but wait in recognition of His sovereignty! Romans 8:25 teaches that, if we hope for what we do not see, we must wait for it with patience.

Do you have the patience to wait? Of course you do! God has given you the spirit of patience. Stir it up! Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed…As you walk with God today, let your hope be in the promise of His word and wait patiently for Him (Rom 5:5).

What's the rush? Live at the right speed – wait in hope for the Lord!

OUR SUFFICIENCY

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalms 81:10

This passage speaks eloquently also and with relevance to us, who have been called out of darkness and into God's marvellous light, about our relationship with our redeemer. The LORD our God is not out-dated and He is certainly not incapable. He is timeless and still all powerful; as gracious today, merciful, loving, and just as He ever was.

The Lord our God who delivered Israel from Egypt is the same God who died for our sins and rose again for our justification. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; a jealous God who demands the loyalty of His people and will not share His glory.

Furthermore, we are reminded that the Lord is our sufficiency: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it”! These words conjure up the image of a nest full young hungry birds with their mouths open wide waiting expectantly for their parents to stuff them full with food.

The scripture challenges you today to trust the Lord as your deliverer who is able to meet all your needs. As our text implies, God wants you to raise the level of your expectations from Him (“open your mouth wide”) and He promises to satisfy your mouth with good things (Psalm 103:5; Eph 3:20). 

God cares for you. Trust Him and walk with Him: He is more than able to meet your greatest needs!

THE BOUNDARIES (2)

"The LORD is my inheritance and my cup. You are the one who determines my destiny. Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful." Psa 16:5-6

What could be better than having the Lord as your inheritance? David chose the LORD as his inheritance, and had no regrets.

When you choose the Lord as your portion, as David did, the boundary lines will fall for you in pleasant places and give you “something beautiful.”

Some people will have you believe that every truth is relative and that there are no absolutes in life. This kind of thinking only produces what the Bible refers to as one being “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:14) and  project thoughts and imaginations which are “contrary to the knowledge of God”.

Be bold and declare God as your inheritance. He has decreed your destiny in Christ; He has marked out beautiful places for you where the devil cannot exercise any authority over you. The Father has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness. His good and precious promises are within the boundary lines He marked out for your life; failure is not your portion.

To neglect the principles of the Kingdom in any area of your life will only be a recipe for disaster. Stay within the boundary – let the kingdom of God rule over you whether you are at home, at work, in business, in politics, in your neighbourhood, or at church. God has drawn a new and improved boundary for your life; they have marked out good places…!

THE BOUNDARIES

"You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter." (Psalm 74:17)

God has set clear & definite boundaries both in the physical & spiritual realms. He defines light and darkness, the seasons, and right and wrong. In the beginning, all creation functioned within His fixed boundaries, and He pronounced them all “very good”. But this was before man exercised his free will to operate outside the limit.

Yet God’s boundaries have not changed neither has His will for us to function within them. It is no surprise then that we have words like violation, trespass, thief and the like. These words only have meaning because we have a real sense of boundaries.

The word of God defines for us the limits that God has set for our lives, and sin is a violation of those boundaries. When we come to God through Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), we enter a new covenant relationship in which we agree to live our lives and walk with God on His terms and not to try to re-invent Him or redefine His boundaries to suit our opinion.

“In Christ” is the New Testament boundary that God has set for relationship with Him; and in Christ there are certain blessings you can expect: “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3).  They are blessings of peace, protection, provision, and power!

The Lord our God who sets boundaries is able to preserve the integrity of the wall He erects around the lives of those who put their trust in Him!

BE STILL (2)

“Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)

The Psalmist here expresses an emotion that most of us are all too familiar with – the anguish that help may come too late! When we don't see any sign of divine intervention at the time we expect it, it sometimes feels God is indifferent to our problem: “Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?”

The real question is has God stayed far off and hidden himself from us or is it that our unbelief has kept us far from Him? What we feel about God’s timing remains exactly that: a feeling. And if we fail respond correctly, that feeling will interfere with our faith. We will get offended with God.

Child of God, your heavenly Father will not abandon you or delay His help. He who promised to answer when we call will never be late to answer you. And the Lord who works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11) will always be on time!

Martha and her sister Mary thought that Jesus' arrival was too late to be of any help to their brother Lazarus. They said to Him if only you had been a little earlier... But, you know, it is never too late with the Lord (John 11:21, 32, 40).

Whatever time our Sovereign Lord turns up is the right time! Don’t be anxious, but be still; believe, and you will see the glory of God!

BE STILL

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)

The message of this passage is directed both to the enemy of God’s people and to the people of God. But our focus here is directed to what God is saying to us His children. Be still, He says, it is not over yet! Recognize that I am God and be confident in that knowledge. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

But God must first be exalted in your life! Let your knowledge of, and trust in, God be the biggest thing in your life. Don’t throw away your confidence, but exalt the Lord above all your problems. God wants you to know that no power on the earth can overshadow His power which is actively at work in the lives of those who trust Him!

It is not in vain that God repeats a promise twice as He did here, “I will be exalted…I will be exalted”. We must pause and take good notice of what is being promised, as well as ponder the implication of such strong emphasis.

God’s unmistakable message to us is that we serve a “Big God”. Our hearts must perceive Him as the highly exalted creator of heaven and earth! And our hearts can only experience the rest that the Lord commands when we “know”, that is, recognize and understand that He is bigger than anything we are ever likely to face.

God will surely be exalted, trust Him and be still! If you have not already done so, lift Him above everything else and exalt Him to the highest place in your life!