LOVE OF CHRIST

Romans 8:35 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution , or famine , or nakedness, or peril , or sword ?

God is love – 1 John 4:8. Out of His love, He gave His only begotten son – Jesus as a sin offering to die on the cross. Out of the same love, Jesus decided to offer His life on the cross – John 10:18. No one can love you the way Christ loved you. Not even your children, husbands or wives, not your friends or families .John 15:13 says greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jesus did not love us because we were perfect or saints. He loved us because He is love just as the father is. Romans 5:8 says God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Out of love, Jesus allowed Himself to be beaten and hung on a cross like a criminal so that by the stripes sustained from the beating, we will be healed in all areas of our lives. Today He is calling drug addicts , the forgotten ,the cast away and forgotten , the helpless and downtrodden to come to Him so that He might give them life and life in abundance. Out of this same love, He said “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son -John 14:13.”

1 John 4:19 says we love Him because He first loved us. Because of Christ's  love to us, we are expected to reciprocate this love back to Him. We should not be a summer friends to Him – friends when everything is rosy, jolly and nice. We are expected to love Him when we are under pressure, in great anxiety and distress of mind, in danger, when we are persecuted even when our lives are in danger. What happens when we love Jesus during challenges and trials  is that He loves us more. In Daniel 3:1-30, the love of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for God were tested .Nebuchadnezzar gave them the option of bowing down to an idol and living or refusing and be thrown in a burning furnace. These three men remembered how God out of love had promoted them from slaves to become administrators in a foreign land. They decided to reciprocate their love to Him by choosing not bow to any idol and be thrown into the burning furnace. God was so moved by their love for Him that He left His throne in heaven  to come and fellowship with these boys in the furnace. By the end of that day, God had so much glorified Himself in their lives , Nebuchadnezzar had no other option than to promote them. Whatever it is you are going through, please do not forsake God. Do not seize serving him. In that present challenge, do not seize to give him praises and show your love to Him. As you proof your love to Him in difficult situations, He will come through and glorify Himself in your life.

PRAYER POINT – Father, help me to love you regardless of what i may be going through.

OUR FIRST LOVE

Revelations 2:4 - Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

In Revelations 2:1-5 God expressed His disappointment in the Church in Ephesus. At the beginning they were very passionate for Jesus. They were committed in the things of God, they loved holiness and righteousness. Out of their zeal to please Christ they worked extremely hard at keeping the church free from false prophets. Somewhere along the line, their commitments to the gospel of the cross began to come into question. Their passion and love for their saviour began to dwindle at an unbelievable speed. The state of this church can be compared to the walk of many in Christ at the moment. Many of us when we first gave our life to Christ, we were very hot for Jesus. We will not miss church services. We will get to the church before the door of the church was opened. When some first gave their life to Christ, they were so pure they will never look at any man or woman lustfully. They will never entertain any rude joke or give place to ungodly thoughts in their heart. They will never swear or curse anyone. They were always busy witnessing on the buses, in the streets, at college, university even at work. Many used to wake up at night to pray and intercede. They will do morning and evening devotion. They will take time out to spend quality time with Jesus just singing praises and worship .They never miss bible study or any other mid week service in the church. Today many no longer serve God the way they used to serve God when they first gave their life to Christ. They have forgotten their first love. When you ask them why? They will tell you they have been busy.

I was taking my bath one morning when the Holy Spirit began to remind me how i used to spend at least an hour singing praises and worship. He reminded me how at times i will spend lunch singing praises but i no longer do that. I began to give flimsy excuses of how i had to this and do that. He apologised for my so – called busy life. I immediately knelt down and i apologised to Him. I forgot that that the dead are not busy neither are the sick. Are you like me who became so busy that He forgot to say thank you? Thank God i am wiser now. Never be too busy to say thank you Jesus. Is yours different in that you have forgotten your first love? You no longer witness as you used to; you no longer wake up to pray; your punctuality is not as it used to be. Are you a shadow of what you used to be in the Lord – holy and pure? Or is yours completely different in that when you were seeking the face of God over your life partner or job or promotion you were fervent but today you are no more. You were a choir before the Lord provided the brother, now you are too busy to even attend choir practice talk less of minister or you were an usher before the big contract , now you have a car and a big house , you are too big to usher in the vine yard of God. Please repent today! The Lord is calling us to go back to our first love.

KEY POINT: Repent and go back to your first love.

ACCEPTING REBUKE OR ELSE

Proverbs 29:15 – The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

Rebuke and chastisement are not to be used for victimization or bullying. They are not to be used to oppress or force people to do things that are wrong. Doing this is an abuse of power and God greatly disapproves of this. Rebuke and Chastisement are to show love. When we notice a son or daughter treading the part of destruction or doing things that may incur the wrath of God out of love let us rebuke and chastise them. The Lord said in Revelations 3:19 ‘as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. God often rebukes and chastens those He loves .One of the advantages of rebuke and chastisement is that it brings about wisdom. When we are rebuked and chastised over a matter, instead of getting angry or take offence, let’s change. It is for our good because once we accept correction and change, we will become wise. Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory. Daniel 12:3 says those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens. You want to shine in your chosen field of endeavour or marriage or business or ministry? Be ready to change and accept correction when rebuked and chastised over a matter . From time to time, God uses our parents physically or in the Lord to rebuke us, instead of arguing and getting angry let us humble ourselves and change. It is pride not listen to correction.

Proverbs 29:15 says the rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. One of the biggest disservice an individual or a family can do to themselves is to refuse to be rebuked. When such individual or family does that, they are left alone and shame is not far from such. In 2 Chronicles 26 is the story of Uzziah the king of Judah. He became so big that He was willing to discipline men of God when they rebuked him for trying to offer incense in the house of God. God became angry with Uzziah and leprosy fell on him. In 2 Kings 13:14-19 Joash was given an opportunity to completely deal with all his enemies. Because of the way this king dealt with the opportunity, Elisha rebuked him and corrected him . Instead of accepting correction and changing ,he became angry and refused. That was how he lost the opportunity to wipe away his enemies . Today,how are you dealing with that opportunity God gave to you to work in His vineyard. Do you get angry and decide not to work again in God's vineyard when rebuked? If you have been rebuked over a matter instead of leaving and courting shame, why not change and be wise so that you can have a glorious future.

KEY POINT: Ask God to forgive you for refusing correction. Every area where you have been corrected, begin to make corrections.

WHEN THE LORD VISITS

Genesis 18:3 – and said “My Lord, if I have now found favour in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

In Genesis 18:1-33 is a story we all know quite well. The Most High God with two angels visited family of Abraham. This visit marked the dawn of a new beginning in that family. On the day God visited the family of Abraham, five things happened. Firstly, He dealt with their enemy which was fruitlessness. Every time they tried at having children they met with frustration. Secondly, He dealt with their shame. Out of desperation, Sarah with Abraham arranged to have a child through Hagar (Sarah‘s maidservant). Immediately Hagar conceived, she began to despise Sarah because she was barren. By despising Sarah she was indirectly despising Abraham the husband. God took away the shame by giving Sarah a son. Thirdly, He fulfilled the promise of a son He had made to Abraham fourteen years earlier in Genesis 15:4. Fourthly, He gave Abraham an opportunity to make a request. Abraham’s request was that Sodom and Gomorrah be spared if ten good men were found in them and the Lord said done! Lastly, by the time God left, their joy was full.

When Jesus visited the world over 2000 years ago, He dealt with the enemy – sickness, fruitless efforts, death to mention a few. Secondly, He took away shame. All righteousness according to Isaiah 64:6 was as filthy rags before God, but when Jesus came He brought the garment of righteousness – Romans 13:14. Thirdly, He fulfilled the promise that was made in Isaiah 53:5 which says He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Fourthly, He gave an opportunity for everyone to make a request. Matthew 7:7 says ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Lastly, by the time He left the joy of all those who received Him were full because they could now be addressed as sons and daughter of God. John 1:12 says but as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Jesus is still willing to visit us individually. He wants to deal with our enemies, take away our shame and reproach, fulfill His promises for our lives, give us an opportunity to make a request and by the time He leaves ensure that our joy is full. A point to note is Jesus is a gentleman; He does not gatecrash into people’s life or homes except when invited. When He is invited He only honours invitation of His friends. His friends are those who obey Him – John 15:14. You will never see His friends participating in internet fraud. His friends are pure, they never swear or curse. His friends are like Job, they have made covenant with their eyes not to lustfully look at any woman or man (Job 31:1).

KEY POINT: Before inviting Him, settle everything that could stand between you and Him or else He will not honour the invitation.

ARISE AND SHINE

Isaiah 60:1 – Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

God is not a civilian but  military. Exodus 15:3 calls Him a man of war or a warrior. Psalm 24:8 describes Him as the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. When a military personnel speaks, it is either a command or an order. A command to mean a decree and an order to mean a request.

Arise, shine could be a command. The Lord issued a command in Genesis 1:3, He said “let there be light” and there was light. In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus told the man sick of palsy to Arise, take his bed and immediately the man took his bed and began to walk. In John 5:1-16, Jesus told the man at the pool of Bethesda to Arise, take his bed and walk. Immediately the man who had been sick for 38 years arose and began to walk. Arise; shine could also be an order or a request. In Acts 10:10 – 13, Peter received an order to rise, kill and eat. In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus gave an order to His disciples to come, join Him to walk on water. The One who is going to issue the order or the command to arise, shine must be higher than you. Psalm 91:1 calls Him the Most High. According to Ecclesiastes 5:8, He is higher than the highest. In military terms, He holds the rank of the Lord of Host – the One in charge over all the angels, demons and military personnel in the world. The One who said arise, shine is the Lord of Host. By Lord of Host, we mean the One in charge of all the angels, demons and military personnel in the world. The One issuing the order or command has power in case you want to rise, shine and you cannot do it by your strength. Psalms 62:11 says all power belong to Him. He must also have the power to deal with forces tying you down. Psalm 66:7 says He rules by His might. Luke 1:37 says for with God nothing shall be impossible. To arise and shine, we must be willing and obedient – Isaiah 1:19. We must also have faith in God. Hebrew 11:9 says by faith Abraham arose and dwelt in the land of promise. Mark 11:23 says whoever says to this mountain and will not doubt in his heart but believe those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. The one who will arise and shine must also make necessary efforts. Today, God is issuing you a command to us to arise and shine. He is also issuing orders to us  saying  arise from not having faith to having faith. To arise from not evangelising to evangelising. To arise from not producing fruits of the spirits to producing fruits of the spirits.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to arise and shine.

STAY CONNECTED

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:1-7 highlights the relationship between the vine and its branches. From studying the tree – branches relationship, we learn that the branches depend solely on the tree. Without the tree there will be no branches. The branches get its nutrient from the tree i.e. life flows from the tree to the branches. We also learn that the bigger the tree the bigger the branches. The branches cannot be bigger than the tree. We learn that the taller the tree, the taller its branches. We will also like to add that it is the tree that keeps the branches in place and standing. The tree-branches relationship is similar to the vine-branches relationship. Jesus is the vine –John 15:1. From Him, we get life and nutrients that keeps us alive. Jesus is the Most High – Psalms 83:18, the higher Jesus is, the higher those connected to Him will be. As far as the vine is standing, the branches will remain standing. As far as Jesus is standing, those connected to Him, will remain standing. Jesus will remain standing till eternity and those truly connected to Him will remain standing until they sleep in the Lord. As we have also learnt the bigger the vine, the bigger the branches. Jesus is bigger than the biggest and his bigness has no limit. So also is the potential of those connected him. Just to add, there is a possibility of branches connected to the vine to grow smaller branches. The closest part of the branch to the vine is always the biggest and the hardest to break. The farthest part of the branch to the tree is the smallest and the easiest to break. The closer we are to the vine, the bigger we become and the harder it is for the enemy to destroy us. The secret of increase is getting closer to the vine.

Whilst the branch is connected to vine, it is expected to produce fruits. While we are connected to Jesus we are expected to bear fruits. We are expected to bear fruits of the Spirits which are genuine traits of godly character. Galatians 5;22-23 says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith , meekness, temperance . Another fruit expected is supporting the work of God. This was what Paul was referring to in his epistle to the Philippians in Philippians 1:17 when he said “not because I desire a gift: but i desire fruit that may abound to your account.” A very important fruit expected is leading souls to Christ. The Father in heaven – The Vine-dresser expects all branches connected to the vine to produce fruits. The branches that produces fruits; he takes particular interest and enhances their ability to produce more fruits. He takes no pleasure in branches that are not producing fruit. I pray that Father in heaven will not cut us down but let’s starts bearing fruit.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please help me to be more fruitful.

BE HUMBLE

Proverbs 13:10 – by pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well – advised is wisdom.

God by default is love – 1 John 4:8. His actions are motivated by Love. When He gives, He gives out of love. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. And we know from studying John 3:27 that a man receives nothing except God has Ok’d it from His throne. Out of love for the poor, He takes offence when people oppress them - Proverbs 14:31, no wonder He says in Proverbs 19:17 that He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which He hath given will He pay him again. Even when He disciplines, He does it out of love. Hebrews 12:6 says for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He recieveth. If He has ever disciplined you for any reason please thank Him for that because He really loves you.

For God to move from been loving and sweet to hating a thing with a passion then we should keep distance with such a thing. One of those things is pride. Proverbs 16:5 says everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. He so much hates pride, Psalms 5:5 say the proud will not be able to stand before Him. He expects His children not to pick and choose who they will be humble to. Titus 3:2 says to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable , gentle, showing all humility to all men .When the bible says to all men , it means to all men – men and women , even to those who are proud to us. From time to time the Lord takes people from the dunghill and sits them on the throne; He expects extra humility from such men. Asides from God hating the pride, pride has nothing to offer except strife – Proverbs 13:10. The reason for many of the fights and quarrels we see today is pride. Many of the strifes in families, churches and business are as a result of pride. This party offends the other party and instead of apologising, he or she begins to justify his or her actions. It is pride to offend people and refuse to apologise. Pride has cost many their jobs. They begin to choose words with their managers or argue over petty issues. The manager in turn will keep quiet and begin to look for faults. Any little thing they do he will take it up and before you know it they are out of the job. Many problems could have been avoided if only people humbled themselves and sought for counsel. Some could have been avoided if only people humbled themselves and change after been corrected. Please let’s be humble in our dealings. When we are at fault let’s be humble and apologise, if the other party is at fault and refuses to apologise for the sake of peace lets apologise. Hebrew 12:14 says pursue peace with all men. A man shared his testimony with me recently. He incurred a huge phone bill at work and was invited for disciplinary and dismissal. When he got to the panel, the board came prepared with the HR manager present expecting to him argue and justify his actions but then he shocked them by humbly saying he was guilty and apologizing. The senior manager was so moved by his humility that he gave him a verbal warning instead of dismissing him. What if he had taken the defensive stance and begin to justify his actions, what would have happened? He would have been sacked !

PRAYER POINT: Father, please replace every ounce of pride in me with humility.