TEARS IN HEAVEN

MEMORY VERSE: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 1:4

One event the whole world is waiting for is the second coming of Christ. The day He comes to take us home is going to be a glorious day. When we arrive in heaven, there will be a lot of meeting-with-the- saints, greeting-fellow-brothers-and-sisters who made it and so on. It is also going to be an emotional event. Oh yes! There will be a lot of tears. Revelations 21:4says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” One may ask, ‘why the tears?’ Well, they will be tears of joy. When we look back on our journey through the ‘narrow road’ that leads to heaven, all our struggles, all the humiliations, prices we paid, sacrifices, selfless service and all that, we will weep for joy, knowing that it was not in vain. We will weep for joy , knowing that we finally made it! We will weep for joy , knowing that all our struggles, pains and sickness, are all over for eternity!

Another event that will bring tears to our eyes is when we find out that some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord did't make it, probably because they left the 'narrow path' for the 'broad road'. Or, we found that some of our loved ones didn't make it. Oh God! The fact that we will then be separated from them for eternity will cause tears to flow. We will weep because it will dawn on us that we could have done much more to get them to heaven. We could have dedicated a day or two, in a week, to pray and fast for their salvation. We could have gone after our brethren who left the ‘narrow road’ for the ‘broad road’ and brought them back. When we look back at what we could have done to get them to heaven and we didn't, and the fact that it is now 'too' late, tears will start to flow down our cheeks. Another major event that will cause many to weep is when saints will be rewarded for their deeds in the body and crowns given out. When one looks at the opportunities he or she has had, to serve the Lord and earn great rewards and didn't, tears will begin to flow. When Christ begins to tell us what we could have gotten, if only we were more diligent, if only we won more souls, if only we did more follow-ups, if only we gave to the poor more, if only we fasted and prayed more, if only we gave more to the work of God, if only we didn't skip service to pursue shifts at work , if only we gave when the Holy Spirit prompted us to give, if only we didn't procrastinate, etc, uncontrollable tears will begin to flow down our cheeks. When we look at the number of crowns available for any brother or sister who served God in spirit and truth and also endured persecution and shame, and the number of crowns we received, maybe out of the five available crowns, we only received a tiny one, tears will begin to flow. Also, when we see our unclaimed inheritance – things we should have had on earth that we didn't, probably due to our ignorance of those promises or our disobedience to His conditions for those promises, tears will also flow. A brother had a dream of heaven and the angels showed him an enormous warehouse filled with boxes of every shape and size. In those boxes were gifts and blessings that were available to God’s children, but which they never took time to claim. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The biggest cause of tears will be the realization that it is too late to work harder, claim the blessings, win souls, etc.

QUESTION : If Christ comes now, are you going to make heaven?

ACTION: Examine your life and look at how you are spending time. Start working towards your rewards in heaven. Are you doing enough for the Master?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

REWARDED BY REACTION

MEMORY VERSE: and he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come, Luke 19:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 15, Col 2, Ezek 45, Ps 36

BIBLE STUDY: Luke 19:12-24

A certain noble man had ten servants. Because these servants had served him well over the years, he decided to set them up in business. He gave each servant a capital of one pound to trade with. When he came back, one of the servants had turned the pound into ten pounds. The impressed nobleman rewarded him with ten cities. Another brought a return of five pounds and the nobleman gave him five cities. There was an unwise one who did not bother at all. You know the end of the story.

Ten servants were giving the same capital to trade with i.e. opportunities but their returns varied. The reason for this was because they reacted to the opportunity to trade differently. One grabbed it with his two hands, another didn’t even bother. How come a man is singled out of many for promotion? They do the same job; they probably started at the same time; they face the same challenges at work daily; they were given the same opportunities to prove themselves, how come? Their reaction to the opportunity to serve or work at that company varied. While some were complaining about the management, he minded his business and did his work. While others were arguing with the managers, he listened and ran with the instruction he was given .While others do only what they are paid for, he does extra. Before you know it, the manager will start singing his praise before senior managers and in no time he will be recommended for promotion.

The servants of the noble man were rewarded based on how they reacted to the opportunity to trade. How do you react to the opportunity to come and worship in the house of God? On Sundays, do you only attend family service and miss Sunday school? Do you only attend revivals and skip bible studies? How do you react to medical advices? You have been advised to stay away from certain food, whilst praying for divine healing are you still taking the food the doctors have warned you against? As believers, we are instructed to produce fruits and our fruits must abide, John 15:16.There are two types of fruit here 1) fruit of the spirit – love, patience, kindness etc. Are those fruits visible in your life? 2) Soul winning. How many souls have you won to Christ this year? How many follow up have you done?

NOTE: The noble man in the parable is God and He rewards based on our reactions to the opportunity He has given to us.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus

REACTING TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE

MEMORY VERSE: and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, Genesis 18:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 18, Acts 22, Jer 32, Luke 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 18:2-8

In Genesis 18:2-16 is an account of Abraham and three divine visitors. Abraham was sitting at home one afternoon when he observed three men passing by. He approached them and invited them to turn in for a meal and they agreed. After the meal they said thank you and blessed Abraham and his family. Nine months later Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son .

God is a rewarder, Hebrew 11:6. Although He is the God of the whole universe yet He appreciates every little thing we do for Him. According to Zechariah 1:3 if we return to Him, He will return to us. When we give to Him, He will return it to us in good measures, pressed, and shaken together and running over, Luke 6:38. Matthew 19:29 says if we forsake all for His name sake, we get all back in hundred fold. All your labour in Christ is not in vain.

How we react to the opportunity to serve ( in one capacity or the other maybe to join a particular department in church, or volunteer, or give towards a particular assignment or participate in supporting mission works e.t.c.) will determine whether our service will accepted by God or not. Abraham greeted the opportunity to serve with willingness, excitement and joy. Immediately he saw the three men, the bible records that he ran to meet them and bowed himself to the ground. While the men sat down, Abraham ran around to ensure that his guests were entertained. This man was ninety - nine years old when the angels visited yet he did not allow his physical body or weakness to come in between him and his service to God. Despite there was a delay in the fulfillment of the promise of God for his life, he did not allow this to affect his service to God. Abraham saw the opportunity to serve as a favor from God not the other way round. That was why when the men were eating, he stood beside them ready to run errands. The reason why many of us do not take the things of God serious is because we think we are doing God a favor. By serving God, you are doing yourself a favor. After Abraham had served God to His satisfaction, God fulfilled the promise of twenty four years and made his joy full.

KEYWORD: The opportunity to serve is a favor from God not another burden from God.

DON’T STOP BECAUSE THERE IS A REWARD

Exodus 2:17 and the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 31, John 10, Prov 7, Gal 6

BIBLE STUDIES: Exodus 2:11-21

There is nothing as discouraging as an individual who does not appreciate a helping hand especially when you go out of your way to render the help. If the individual now repays your good deed with bad deed, you will be disgusted. This was the case of Moses. He was walking around minding his own business when he noticed an Egyptian mercilessly beating up a Hebrew boy. Out of pity he rushed to help this Hebrew boy. One thing led to another before you know it, the Egyptian fell and died. He buried the Egyptian and went on his way. The next day while passing by, he saw two Hebrew boys fighting. He approached the fellow at fault and appealed to him to stop hitting his brother and that one started to insult him. He even reminded him of the Egyptian he killed the day before and began to sarcastically beg him not to kill him like he killed the Egyptian. When Moses heard this he was very sad. He thought it was going to end there but it did not; these men informed Pharaoh and that one began to look for Moses to kill him. Moses had no choice than to run away. Moses got himself into trouble because he helped a Hebrew boy (his brother) who was about to be beaten to death by an Egyptian. This boy instead of thanking Moses for saving his life started spreading a rumor that Moses was a killer. The men of Israel instead of commending Moses for saving a Hebrew boy from death, went straight to report him to Pharaoh. Moses lost all he had as a result of this. He was a prince in Egypt, actually the theologians said he was next in line to the throne of Pharaoh but he lost all of this because he  rendered  help to a fellow Hebrew. He lost contact to his beloved mother and family, not only that he became a vagabond and a wanderer in the deserts. While he was wandering in the deserts, he saw some shepherds acting wickedly to some ladies. He defended these ladies and helped them get water from the well. Before the end of that day, God provided a house and a wife for Moses. 

Today I want to admonish you that whatever good thing you are doing, please do not stop because there is a reward for it. People might not appreciate you. They may even repay evil for the good you have done to them like Moses but don’t stop doing good. Moses like anyone of us could have sworn never to render any help again in his life but he did not. Despite all he suffered, when another opportunity to render help came, instead of refusing to help he rendered help and the Lord rewarded him right on the spot. Don’t let the enemy convince you stop doing good. Thank God Moses did not get tired of doing good and quit been a good person. In your last relationship, people might have taken advantage of your kind heart, please do not grow a tough skin and become mean to people. Continue with your kind heart, the Lord that rewards people with a kind heart will reward you in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT: Father, give me the grace to continue to do good even people repay it with evil.

PRIVATE PREPARATION DETERMINES PUBLIC PERFORMANCE PT2

MEMORY VERSE: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 14, Ps 17, Prov 28,2 Thes 2

BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33

In Matthew 14:22-33 is a story we all know. It was late at night, there were no ship around and the disciples of Jesus were in a ship far away in the middle of the sea. Since there were no means of transportation, Jesus decided to walk on the sea towards them. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and requested to join Him. Jesus told him no problem and immediately Peter got on water and began to walks towards Jesus. After Peter had taken few steps he noticed the wind and began to panic. Before you know it Peter began to sink, he called on Jesus and was saved.

One very important lesson from this passage is that immediately you allow fear in your heart, you begin to sink and if you don’t take time the challenges might drown you so please do not entertain fear in your heart. Jesus and Peter walked on the same water, how come only Peter sank? Aside from the fact that Peter entertained fear, while Jesus was on the mountain praying, Peter was busy chatting away with his fellow disciples. Because Peter had not made any private preparation (spiritually), a little wind made him lost his composure and he began to sink.

Matthew 6:4 says that thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. What this literally means is everything we do in the secret will be rewarded in the open. If you are pretending that you are Christian in the open and you are committing secret sins like adultery and fornication e.t.c ,the reward is coming except you repent. If on the other hand you are serving God sincerely, laboring for the propagation of the gospel day and night, people might not see it or take notice of it but the Lord who sees your effort in the secret will reward it in the open. Just of recent a brother was sharing a big testimony with me. The brother won a scholarship and the university said they were going to pay his tuition and other expenses throughout the period of his study in the university i.e. for three years he wasn’t going to pay a dime! When he calculated the whole expenses, it was over fifty thousand pounds and the Lord paid it before he even started university. I know the Lord really loves this brother and this is a public show of affection by the Most High but do you know that this brother belongs to virtually all the groups in the church? Oh yes, he is part of the evangelism group, prayer warrior, drama, sanctuary cleaner, usher, church greeters e.t.c. Most people do not even know how much this brother labors for God in the secret but the Lord who saw his activities in the secret has rewarded him in the open. 

QUESTION: What are you doing for God in the secret that He can reward you in the open for?

DON’T STOP BECAUSE THERE IS A REWARD

Exodus 2:17 and the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 31, John 10, Prov 7, Gal 6

 

BIBLE STUDIES: Exodus 2:11-21

 

There is nothing as discouraging as an individual who does not appreciate a helping hand especially when you go out of your way to render the help. If the individual now repays your good deed with bad deed, you will be disgusted. This was the case of Moses. He was walking around minding his own business when he noticed an Egyptian mercilessly beating up a Hebrew boy. Out of pity he rushed to help this Hebrew boy. One thing led to another before you know it, the Egyptian fell and died. He buried the Egyptian and went on his way. The next day while passing by, he saw two Hebrew boys fighting. He approached the fellow at fault and appealed to him to stop hitting his brother and that one started to insult him. He even reminded him of the Egyptian he killed the day before and began to sarcastically beg him not to kill him like he killed the Egyptian. When Moses heard this he was very sad. He thought it was going to end there but it did not; these men informed Pharaoh and that one began to look for Moses to kill him. Moses had no choice than to run away. Moses got himself into trouble because he helped a Hebrew boy (his brother) who was about to be beaten to death by an Egyptian. This boy instead of thanking Moses for saving his life started spreading a rumor that Moses was a killer. The men of Israel instead of commending Moses for saving a Hebrew boy from death, went straight to report him to Pharaoh. Moses lost all he had as a result of this. He was a prince in Egypt, actually the theologians said he was next in line to the throne of Pharaoh but he lost all of this because he  rendered  help to a fellow Hebrew. He lost contact to his beloved mother and family, not only that he became a vagabond and a wanderer in the deserts. While he was wandering in the deserts, he saw some shepherds acting wickedly to some ladies. He defended these ladies and helped them get water from the well. Before the end of that day, God provided a house and a wife for Moses.

 

Today I want to admonish you that whatever good thing you are doing, please do not stop because there is a reward for it. People might not appreciate you. They may even repay evil for the good you have done to them like Moses but don’t stop doing good. Moses like anyone of us could have sworn never to render any help again in his life but he did not. Despite all he suffered, when another opportunity to render help came, instead of refusing to help he rendered help and the Lord rewarded him right on the spot. Don’t let the enemy convince you stop doing good. Thank God Moses did not get tired of doing good and quit been a good person. In your last relationship, people might have taken advantage of your kind heart, please do not grow a tough skin and become mean to people. Continue with your kind heart, the Lord that rewards people with a kind heart will reward you in Jesus name.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, give me the grace to continue to do good even people repay it with evil.