Category: Gospel

[The Glory Unveiled]

But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. [ 1 Peter 2:9 TPT ]

There is a purpose for everything under the sun; every action is initiated by a purpose. God called us out of darkness into His marvelous light for a reason. God had a plan for the creation of humanity, and that plan will come to pass regardless of the challenges and confrontations that arise. Often, when we make plans, we also create contingency plans so that if the original plan fails, the secondary plans can take effect. God called us and set us apart to experience His marvelous light. We are His chosen treasure; we are kings who are also priests. This is why we can enter the presence of God as if we were high priests, yet we are also able to make decrees and enforce the will of God as kings. Scripture says we are a spiritual nation set apart. In the Old Testament, God set apart the Israelites to be His special nation. In the same way, God has set us apart as His chosen people to live for Him. When we fulfill our part, God is committed to doing His part for His glory. Now that God has called us out of darkness, let us live as those who have truly been called out of darkness. Let us proclaim and make known to the whole world God’s glorious wonders. We are valuable to God—so valuable that He paid the ultimate price for our redemption. This is why we need to live to the praise of the One who called and saved us.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your mercy and love. As you have called me out of darkness into light. Help me to showcase your works.

Wisdom_Quote: The purpose of God informs the calling of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. [ Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV ]

The salvation that the Lord Jesus made available to the fallen human race is priceless. It cost the life of God’s only begotten Son. Scripture says it is by grace that we have been saved. This grace is God’s initiative to save us, regardless of what we would choose. God did not consult us before He made this ultimate provision. He took the initiative as a caring Father; this is grace! But then, this grace had to be conveyed to us through a certain kind of faith—a kind of faith we cannot generate, the God-kind of faith. It is like being served at a table where all you have to do is eat. You were not part of the preparation or the planning. Therefore, you cannot go about telling everyone that you prepared the meal; hence, Scripture says no one can boast. James says, “Show me your works without faith, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). This means faith is meant to be expressed through works. But if our scripture text says that salvation is a gift from God so that no one should boast, then this faith does not originate from man but from God. God made everything accessible to us in Christ Jesus so that no one can claim to have done anything to earn salvation. In fact, God gave humanity many centuries, from the time Adam and Eve were driven from the garden, to try to save themselves—but we couldn’t. It was at the end of our futile endeavors that Jesus came to the rescue. We have nothing to contribute to our own salvation. It may seem as though God is asking something of us for our salvation, but in reality, He requires nothing from us to make provision for our salvation. It is like when God asked Abraham to go to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac. At the last moment, God intervened and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead. Christ was slain in our place. Our sins have been paid in full. Glory!

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for taking the responsibility for my salvation. Thank you for how much you love me.

Wisdom_Quote: We contributed nothing to our salvation.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [ 1 Peter 1:3 NIV ]

The absence of hope in a place or situation is death to that place or situation. The believer’s hope is alive because it is rooted in the resurrected Jesus. If Jesus had not risen from the grave, we would be the most pitied of all. It would mean that everything Jesus accomplished on the cross was in vain. The payment for our sins would have been fully made, but there would have been no one to ensure we received the redemption that was rightfully ours as a result of His sacrifice. The penalty for sin is death. When Adam and Eve sinned, God told them they would die. Although they didn’t immediately fall to the ground, they had died spiritually. God’s word that went out from His mouth saw to it that His pronouncement was fulfilled exactly as spoken. When judgement was pronounced on Adam and the entire human race, God provided a way for humanity’s hopeless situation to have a chance at redemption. However, someone had to bear the punishment for our disobedience. And so, the God-man Jesus came on the scene (though He had been working behind the scenes, shaping and ordering events into the perfect scenario) in the fullness of time to bear our sins and their punishment on our behalf. He came back from the dead, bringing our hope to life. Let this be the pillar of your joy. You have a living hope.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the privilege and hope you have given me through your Son Jesus Christ.

Wisdom_Quote: The redemption of man is meaningless unless it is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. [ Philippians 1:6 AMP ]

If you judge a man who has God on his side too soon, you may be disappointed when God comes through for that person suddenly. Many times, we tend to give up on ourselves and others when it appears that nothing is working. However, sometimes God steps in when man walks out; when we come to our wit’s end and are ready to throw in the towel, that is when God comes in to help. God is our Designer and Creator—He formed and created us. He shaped us into fullness according to His foreknowledge. For this reason, God is trustworthy and dependable. Men, on the other hand, may begin well but can suddenly mess everything up and fail to complete what they started. This is why the Bible says cursed is the arm who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm [support]. Relying on a human for anything does not guarantee the desired outcome; it only leads to disappointment because man does not have the power to plan and execute, or bring something to pass. Now, it might seem that when Jesus left earth to go and prepare a place for us, it was a strategy to abandon His responsibility toward us. But Jesus did not abandon us. He left us with the Holy Spirit, who is with us, working on us, and perfecting us into the image of Jesus until we completely resemble Him when He appears. The good work of the Holy Spirit in us is unhindered. God is committed to building us into the image of His Son. You are not abandoned; you are loved and cared for. You are worth preparing a place for in heaven. You are precious to heaven.

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Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your to my well being. I am worth the Son of God and I am precious to my heavenly Father.

Wisdom_Quote: God steps in when man walks out.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. [ Matthew 21:31 NIV ]

The Lord Jesus told a parable of two sons, where a father went to one of his two sons and asked him to work in the field. This son said he wouldn’t go, but later changed his mind and went. The father went to the other son and asked him the same favour. This other son responded in the affirmative but he did not go. Jesus ended the parable by asking a question that is the heart of the parable. “Which of the sons did what the father asked them to do? The disciples gave the same answer you’re probably having in mind, “the first son.” Jesus then opened their eyes to something unexpected, people who are ordinarily called sinners are entering the kingdom of God ahead of the ones who seem more deserving of the kingdom. Running this statement through the parable of the two sons we see these “sinners” as people who said to their father that they would not go to the field but later changed their minds and did or will. While the righteous, disciples and some believers belong to the category which said they would go to the field but didn’t go. In the end, Jesus is not looking for those who said they would go but those who did. Results beat intentions. Whatever your intentions are do not matter if they are not carried out. Some people have good intentions but unless these intentions are carried out, they are as good as no intentions or bad ones. The kingdom of God is admitting sincere and intentional people. No present situation holds us back if we want to change our ways. God has given us the willpower, an ability to make our own choices. Now that there is still grace and mercy, the time to change is today.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your word. Help me to be true to my words.

Wisdom_Quote:* One’s actions outweigh their intentions.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [ Matthew 5:16 NIV ]

In verse 14 of our anchor text, the Lord Jesus calls us “the light of the world.” This helps us better understand the people referred to as “others” in our focal text, verse 16. The “others” mentioned are the people of the “world,” the place of darkness under Satan’s influence. This is why Jesus said we should let our light shine, so those under the influence of darkness can see it. Obviously, light is needed wherever there is darkness. Where there is no darkness, people have no need of light. Unfortunately, in our day, many believers who carry the light only let it shine in the gathering of other believers (fellow light-bearers) where light is not “needed.” But if our light only shines in the gatherings of believers and not among unbelievers, then we are hypocrites and pretenders. Our light is needed more in the world (among people) than in the gathering of believers where light already dwells.
Daniel let his light shine before the pagan worshippers and the king of Babylon, who were in darkness. After they saw the light of God, they glorified the God of Daniel. Daniel did not try to impress his fellow Hebrew friends. Instead, he lived in such a way that the pagans themselves began to declare that the God of Daniel was the true God. Some people’s light is turning to darkness because they have a habit of changing. Rather than changing and pretending from one group of people to another like a chameleon, our light must shine consistently. Wherever we find ourselves, we must let our light remain light. Beloved, we have been called to a consistent life of light. Let’s reveal the nature of Christ in us to the world.

Prayer_Bead: Lord, Jesus, Light of the world, thank you for sending us into this world to be it’s light. Help us to not relent or compromise. In Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: Consistency in our walk with God increases our reachability and influence in the world.

GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [ Luke 9:23 NIV ]

Our walk with the Lord Jesus is not forced. As much as God desires that we come to Him, He does not override our free will, insisting that we choose Him. In our text above, the Lord Jesus asks that anyone who would come after Him—follow him as a disciple—should deny himself and take up His cross daily and follow Him. This makes the invitation to follow Him an open one. He does not forbid anyone from becoming His disciple but He does have a condition that must be met to actually succeed in following Him. Hence, this means that, to succeed in this endeavor is solely our responsibility. Amos 3:3 asks how two people can walk together unless they agree, we cannot follow Jesus nor walk with Him except we agree with Him. And we can only agree with Him when we live as He lived; denying the self life it’s freedom and taking up His cross daily and following His father. The same principle is expressed when Isaac denied his free will and followed his father, Abraham, carrying the firewood (his cross) for his death. There is a price to following Jesus and this price is encased in a condition; the condition of denying the self through daily obedience to the word of God. When we choose to obey Jesus on daily basis, ignoring what our self life wants, we are on the path to a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Are you committed to walking with Jesus? Are you willing to pay the ultimate price?

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing us how to enter into a lifelong relationship with you. Help me to obey you daily.

Wisdom_Quote: The call to follow Jesus is open to everyone at the cost of their lives.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [ Mark 8:34 KJV ]

The principles and procedures of the kingdom of God do not discriminate between people—the marching order is the same for all. The Lord Jesus informed the people who were following Him and His disciples alike that whoever wants to be His disciple, in other words, whoever wants to look like Jesus, must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. This instruction was not given to the crowd alone; it was directed to the disciples as well. When it comes to looking like Jesus, there is no shortcut or discrimination. We have to pay the full price, and that price is self-denial, taking up our cross, and following Him. The first step in paying this price is to deny oneself. Naturally, we are self-preserving; we love and care about ourselves selfishly. Therefore, denying ourselves does not come naturally to us. We have to break a culture that we have been steeped in all our lives. This breaking is painful and discomforting. A young man came to Jesus seeking guidance on what he had to do to inherit the kingdom of God. After it was established that he had some things in order, the Lord Jesus asked him to sell his properties and belongings and give to the poor. He left downcast because his wealth and properties were preserving his sense of importance (Mark 10:17-22). Taking that away from him would make him feel nonexistent. However, it is only after we have denied ourselves that we can take up our cross. After we have denied ourselves, we can listen to and follow Jesus. When we “lose control” of our lives and give control to Jesus, we can take up our cross and follow Him. And then, in following Him, we begin to look just like Him; as we follow Him, we are changed into His very image from glory to glory.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing me the terms of the marching order, help me to deny myself and take up my cross so that I can follow you. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Self denial is the ticket to following Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.