There Is No Loss In Following Jesus

Devotion for Friday June 15, 2018

Sing SS&S 601

Topic: There Is No Loss In Following Jesus

Text: Luke 18:28 – 30                        

Most times, people assume that those who surrender their lives to Christ are at a loss because they will no longer “enjoy” the things of the world. This is a wrong notion. There is no loss in salvation or following Jesus. It was this notion that led Peter to ask Jesus what becomes their fate as His followers (Luke 18:28). The response of Jesus is in Luke 18:29 – 30. Jesus noted that those who had left all and followed Him are no losers; that is, in this world they shall receive manifold blessings in hundred-fold (Mark 10:30). Job lost all in order to prove to Satan about his faithfulness in serving God and at the end, God restored all he lost while he was still alive (Job 42:10) and I know that his faith will certainly take him to heaven. Is there any lesson for us here in this story of Job? Beloved, our God is faithful. 1Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” For this reason, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). People may have been taunting you concerning your faith in Christ Jesus and calling you names. Don’t mind them! There is a reward for you. The greatest reward we look forward to is the eternal life in the bliss of heaven. Are you looking forward to that city? Don’t allow the distractions of the world to keep you out of it.

Food for Thought: There is no loss for the sake of the gospel that is greater than the love God has for us.

Memory verse: Luke 18:30

Prayer: Lord God, as I have left all to follow you, may I not lose my reward in Jesus name.

Do As I Have Done To You

Devotion for Maundy Thursday March 29, 2018

Topic: Do As I Have Done To You  

Text: John 13:1 – 17  

Feet were usually washed before the meal but Jesus waited until during the supper (John 13:2) to make the act of feet washing stand out and to be noted. He took the role of a servant without losing anything (John 13:3). The purpose of this action was to fix in their minds the nature of true greatness. This could be traced to the event in Luke 22:24 – 30 when the disciples were in dispute over who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus had taught them that greatness in the kingdom comes through serving others (Matthew 20:26-27), but they had not learned the lesson. Thus, He gave them this unforgettable illustration. According to Brunner, “When a man turns to God desiring to serve Him, God directs his attention to the world and its need.” Have you realised this truth? At first Peter refused to allow Jesus wash his feet (John 13:6 - 11), which pointed toward Jesus’ cleansing work on the cross. But when Peter saw that this foot washing was symbolic of cleansing from sin, he requested to be washed from head to foot. He misunderstood Jesus the Messiah’s servant role and therefore his own role as disciple. In John 13:10 Jesus came back to the literal point. The spiritual point had already been understood. They were already clean. Jesus was also showing His disciples what it meant to serve and what it meant to be great in the kingdom of God. His challenge in John 13:15 is for us today. Are you serving God in others? Sing A&M 108; Abu 31

Food for Thought: “When a man turns to God desiring to serve Him, God directs his attention to the world and its need” – Brunner.

Memory verse: John 13:15

Prayer: God teach me humility and service for humanity in Jesus name.

What Is Acceptable To God

Devotion for Wednesday November 1, 2017

Topic: What Is Acceptable To God

Text: Romans 12:1

It is not everything we do that God approves and accepts. He accepted the sacrifice of Abel and showed disdain to that of Cain. Also He does not accept the act of not entirely depending on Him (Isaiah 31:1). God does not accept sacrifice that is not holy or anything not pleasing to Him. In this our text for the day, Paul exhorts us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. This means that we should dedicate and devote our souls and bodies to the service of God and His glory. Christians should offer up their lives unto God as a whole burnt offering. This must be voluntary as you are expected to do it (present yourself). It must be a living sacrifice; a holy sacrifice, a reasonable sacrifice, otherwise God will not accept it.

Have you offered yourself as a sacrifice that is acceptable to God? Your commitment should be reasonable and not offensive to God. A life that has been sacrificed to God as a living, holy and reasonable sacrifice is seen in its dependence of God for direction and instruction in everything. The person lives according to detects of God. Christians shouldn’t invent services, or make trials, or seek persecutions or provoke opposition so as to be seen as serving and suffering for Christ’s sake. They should do just what God requires of them, and that will be acceptable to Him.

When what we do is acceptable to God that will be the greatest recompense we can get because not everybody will have the privilege to serve God. If He approves what we do, what men think of us doesn’t matter. Therefore, to please Him should be our highest aim in this new month and we will certainly reap the benefits. Happy New Month!

Food for Thought: God’s priority and what He accepts matters. Is this your guiding principle in this heavenly race?

Memory verse: Romans 12:1

Prayer: Grant me, O Lord, the understanding of what you accept so that I can make them my priority in this heavenly race in Jesus name Amen.

Serve God Without Conditions

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When I was praying in the Church early Wednesday morning before the Holy Communion Service, I said, “GOD, GRANT ME THE GRACE TO LIVE WELL SO THAT I WILL MAKE HEAVEN AT LAST.” Immediately God told me that “I AM SELFISH.” Before I could ask how, He said, “YOU SHOULD SERVE ME BECAUSE YOU LOVE AS I LOVE YOU AND DIED FOR YOU.” As I heard God speak to me, I didn’t argue. I changed my language of prayer asking God to forgive and help me to love Him as He loves me which should be my aim of serving Him.

I spent time to meditate on what God told me before I went to preach. How many of us actually serve God without attachment to our service? How many of us will be in the church today if God didn’t promise heaven? How many of us will serve God today if the assurance of protection is not there? How many of us will still serve God wish all these worldly distraction from the devil and his agents? How many of us will serve God just because He loves us and died for our sake before we even came to know Him? Just few people would have been in the church today if God didn’t promise us heaven!

Beloved in Christ, what is your aim of serving God? It will be sad to focus on what we stand to gain from serving God than serving Him because He loves us and died for us when we were yet sinners. God didn’t attach any condition to the love He has for us. He loves us unconditionally and still blesses us even when we still compromise and sin against Him. The love for God should be the first motivation factor in serving Him. Any other thing can follow later. When He chose to die for us, He didn’t have the doubt if people will accept His death or not. Today is enough history of what He did for us.

St Matthew warns us saying, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” When we serve God and live out His righteousness, He will give us that heaven at last. We should not be carried away by the promises of God forgetting He who made the promise. Love God freely without attachments or sentiments and certainly He will grant you your heart desires.  

Tabugbo Uzoma

(Servant of God & Humanity) 

It Has Been God’s Grace

My Daily Covenant (2017 Edition) Devotion for Tuesday January 3, 2017                     

Topic: It Has Been God’s Grace

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1 – 11   

The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. If you remove it, all our hopes for eternity will sink at once. That is the basis of our preaching the gospel message and gathering to worship God. It is only by holding this truth about Christ’s death and resurrection firm that we can stand in the day of trial, and are kept faithful to God.

Paul had been an enemy of the Christians because he captured and persecuted them - (Acts 9:1-3). Thus, he felt unworthy to be called an apostle of Christ. Undoubtedly, he was the most influential of the apostles, yet very deeply humble because God bestowed a honour which he felt he never deserved such. He knew that he had worked hard and accomplished much but only because God had poured His kindness and grace upon him.

True humility is not convincing yourself that you are worthless but recognizing God’s work in you. It is having God’s perspective on who you are and acknowledging His grace in developing your abilities. Paul knew that it was not by his own merit to have been called Apostle and the privilege to have seen Jesus, but it was God's grace which enabled him to do a more abundant work than any other apostle. How much do you acknowledge God’s grace working out its purpose in your life, ministry, career, etc?  

It is that grace of God that has sustained us into the New Year and all we have achieved in life. Therefore, we should be grateful to God for this and certainly show our appreciation through our service to Him and humanity. This is what we owe God in this New Year and certainly, that is what He expects from us.

Action: Think and write down in your devotion note the things you can do to appreciate the grace of God you have received and begin to do them.

Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 15 verse 10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Prayer: Humble me, O God by granting me the understanding of your grace upon my life in Jesus name Amen.