Month: May 2024

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Our Ancestor In Faith

Faith-based Methods For Overcoming Stress
The harlot, Rahab took a great risk in hiding the Israelite spies. She did that because she recognized the Israelites could not have crossed the Red Sea or survived forty years in the wilderness on their own power. She saw that God was the source of their strength. Though she was an outsider from Jericho, she understood who God is and what God can do.
Through the grace and mercy of God, this woman who was a prostitute and an outsider, served as a witness to truth and a role model of faith. God used her story to remind Israel that they were not chosen because they were a great and mighty nation; they were chosen to be God’s people because of God’s compassion and mercy. God also chose Rahab.
Today, we read Rahab became an ancestor of David. Matthew lists her in Jesus’ family tree, and the Book of James names her as an example of Christian hospitality. The book of Hebrews also includes her in the roll call of heroes of faith. Rahab is our ancestor in faith. She saw that God was doing something new in the world, and God made her a part of it. We also know that God is doing something new in the world by faith. God is sending his Son to establish His kingdom. We look forward with faith, expectation, and hope to his return to reign forever. Come, Lord Jesus!
The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.  (Joshua 2:11).
 
Let’s Pray 
Yahweh, “God in heaven above and on the earth below”. We bow in worship before you. Father, build our faith like Rahab’s, so that we will have hope of your coming kingdom – which will bring us deliverance. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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The Christian Way

The Christian Way
The Bible tells us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”. God’s good purpose for all Christians is that we are “conformed to the likeness of his Son”. Christians are to reflect Jesus’ perfection both in their character and in their body. If you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, then God’s Spirit is already at work in you “to will and to act according to his good purpose”. This purpose will be completed at Jesus’ return.
Scripture tells us that Christians make progress toward becoming like Jesus, when they strive to love others as he did. This type of love is called ‘Agape’. Whenever you do something good for someone, deserving or undeserving, you are acting on the power of agape. Christ is both the source and the Christian’s model of agape, for “God demonstrates his own love for us in that: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”. Christians can love this way because “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5).
Today, when you use your gifts to make yourself appear superior to others, you are not gaining anything in the Christian life. But when you use your gifts to build others up, you are becoming more like Jesus!
I will show you the most excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31).
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank you for your good purpose for me. Thank you, Christ, for modelling God’s agape love to me. Holy Spirit, continue to deepen God’s love in me, until I attain Christ’s perfection. In Christ’s name, Amen.
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Do Not Grieve The Holy Ghost

Today’s verse is a solemn reminder that our actions and attitudes can deeply affect our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
If you are a parent, you understand the difference between being angry at your children and being grieved by your children. It is one thing when your kids make you mad; it is another thing when they break your heart. When they anger you, most of the time the problem can be corrected quickly. But when they grieve you, it can create a wound that takes days, weeks, months, or even years to heal.
The word, “grieve,” is a love word. You can only grieve someone who loves you. You can anger your enemy. You can aggravate or irritate a stranger. But you can only grieve someone who loves you. We talk a lot about the love of God, and God is love. We talk a lot about the love of Jesus… “Jesus loves me this I know”, but have you ever thought about the love of the Holy Spirit?
To grieve the Spirit, is to cause sorrow or distress to the very presence of God within us. This can occur in various ways:
  1. Unforgiveness: Holding onto grudges and refusing to forgive others can create a barrier between us and the Spirit’s work of reconciliation and peace. (Mark 11:23-25)
  2. Bitterness and Anger: Allowing these emotions to take root in our hearts can quench the Spirit’s work of producing love and kindness. (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV)
  3. Immoral Behaviour: Engaging in actions that contradict God’s moral standards can stifle the Spirit’s work of sanctification in our lives.
  4. Disobedience to God’s Word: Ignoring or rebelling against the teachings of Scripture can hinder the Spirit’s guidance and wisdom. (Ephesians 5:6)
  5. Neglecting Spiritual Disciplines: Failing to pray, read the Bible, and fellowship with other believers can weaken our connection to the Spirit.
  6. Unconfessed Sin: Sinning without confession, repentance, or regard for God’s presence through his Spirit will eventually separate us from the Spirit. (Psalm 66:18)
Today, let us examine our lives for areas where we may be grieving the Holy Spirit. May we seek to cultivate a relationship with the Spirit that is marked by obedience, repentance, and a deep desire to honour God in all we do.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30).
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, I want to live a life that is holy and pleasing to you. Father, I pray right now that if there is anything about the way I’m living that grieves the Holy Spirit, you would reveal it to me so that I can confess and repent. In Christ’s name, Amen. 
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Don’t Worry About It!

Do you worry? Some of us worry about paying the monthly rent or mortgage. Some of us worry about the choices our children are making. Others are anxious about the big decisions we must make about our future. With all the concerns in life, can Jesus be serious when he tells us not to worry?
While we will never know a life without concern, Jesus assures us we can know a life without worry. He points out that worry, any manner of pace-the-floor, can’t-sleep-at-night fretting, is not helpful because it changes nothing. Worry doesn’t add a single hour to life; it doesn’t solve a single problem. Worry isn’t helpful because life is more than our worries make it out to be! Followers of Jesus are called to live for so much more than the fleeting things we worry about.
Today, Jesus reminds us that worry isn’t necessary for a child of God. Your heavenly Father knows precisely what you need when you need it and your heavenly Father is good. The same God who paints the flowers of the field and tends the birds of the air, holds every part of your life in his nail-pierced hands. The same God who loved you so much that He went through the hell of Calvary for you, loves you too much to leave your life to chance. Don’t worry! God is in control!
“Do not worry about your life …” (Matthew 6:25).
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, you hold the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of the smallest molecules in your hands. Please help me to trust in your perfect care for me, so that I may be free to build my life in you. In Christ’s name, Amen.

 

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