WE WERE COMMANDED TO “GO”

FRIDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

WE WERE COMMANDED TO “GO”

(II Timothy 4:2- 4) 2- “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3- For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4- And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The work of the minister of the gospel is unique and very special in the sight of God and may not be as pleasing to others who have no hope. But witnessing and soul winning or evangelism was ordained and entrusted to every believer of the Lord Jesus Christ. The importance of the command to “GO” was proclaimed to the disciples before Jesus went up to heaven. (Matthew 28:18-20). But the Apostle Paul has a warning for us Christians as according to (I Corinthians 9:16-18) “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”If you are a Christian, you are Christ’s minister and as a minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are required to be faithful in the business of telling others about the free gift of salvation. God may not call you to be a preacher, but He has called you to share the good news of salvation. Apostle Paul said; “woe unto him who preach not the gospel.” Notice verses 17- “For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18- What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”

“WHY LOVE AND GOSSIP CAN’T BE IN ONE ROOM?”

THURSDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“WHY LOVE AND GOSSIP CAN’T BE IN ONE ROOM?”

(I John 3:15) “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

You cannot put love and gossip in one room. You cannot reconcile love and bitterness without the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you cannot reconcile love and hatred without forgiveness standing in the middle. Can you reconcile our text to what other teachings, religions, beliefs and what people believed in and practiced? The Bible, God’s teachings and the Christian’s practice are opposite from the enemy. We need to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. In (I John 3:16) “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” “Where there is love there is life…” Mohandas Gandhi. So, we perceive (we discern, we observe) or we have witnessed the love of God. How? “…because he laid down His life for us.” It was God the Father who manifested His love to us through the death of His Son- the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the proof of God’s love. “Love is life…And if you miss love, you miss life.” Leo Buscaglia. God has set an example for us to follow. It is God’s character to love and He wants for us to love one another and not hate each other. We were made in God’s image and not in the image of the animals so we can bite and eliminate each other or destroy one another. In (Genesis 1:26- 27) 26- “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27- So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

WILL YOU TRADE GOD FOR SOMETHING?

WEDNESDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

WILL YOU TRADE GOD FOR SOMETHING?

(Genesis 37:28)”Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

It was his own brothers who betrayed him. Joseph’s brothers were supposed to help him but it turned out to be the other way around. Joseph’s own blood was the one who sold him as a slave. In (Matthew 26:15-16) “And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” Notice the phrase, “Judas was looking for the opportunity to betray the Lord.” Do we look for the opportunity to serve God or to deny God for money or friends? Joseph was sold by his brother for 20 pieces of silver and Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver. We may actually have trade him for money, for fame, for position or possessions. Don’t put money as your first priority instead of God. Some Christians sold him to friends by not letting them know that they’re Christians. They trade Jesus for shame. They denied Him because they’re ashamed of Him. They trade Jesus in some ways. This was Peter’s attitude when he was confronted that he was Jesus’ disciple and he denied Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the true Messiah. You will either trust Him or deny Him as your Lord, Savior and King.

In (Matthew 6:33) “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

“YET, IT PLEASED THE LORD”

TUESDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

“YET, IT PLEASED THE LORD”

(Isaiah 53:10). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief, When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

(Luke 3:22; Ephesians 2:14-22; II Corinthians 5:14-21)

For God the Father, it pleased Him to bruise Christ. It’s very obvious in the gospel and even in the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ during His times here on earth that He always honored, glorified and pleased the Father. While the Lord Jesus Christ was doing the will of God and the work of God; His focus and goal was to give God the Glory which is a very good example for us to follow. (John 8:29). “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” God the Father said; “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And this should be the commendation of God to us. (Romans 8:5-8) Paul was talking about “pleasing the Lord” and in (I Corinthians 7:32) “But I would have you without care. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord.” We can eliminate the bad attitudes in the Christian circle of competing, envy, jealousy and gossip if our desire is “How we can please the Lord…” We need to have the right perspective or motivation. (Galatians 1:10) “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

DO YOU WANT WEALTH, PRESTIGE, INTEGRITY OR GOD?

MONDAY

MI DAILY DEVOTION

DO YOU WANT WEALTH, PRESTIGE, INTEGRITY OR GOD?

(Mark 8:35- 37) 35- “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36- For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37- Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

This is a very simple question that many people could not answer without taking a pause. “Do you want wealth, prestige, integrity or God?” May we all could say; “I can’t afford to trade my soul to wealth and worldly things or any worldly pleasures. And I will not ride on my personal conviction if it’s against the Word of God.” May the lost world will stand for the salvation of their soul even if it will cost them their worldly pleasure and wealth. May the children of God will stand and serve the Lord with integrity and the fear of God. May the believers of this present times will stand for what is right and pleasing to the Lord. May all those who comes behind us could say; “It was indeed a life that was pleasing to God and a life that was lived with dignity and integrity.”

I desire to live a life that may not be move and not be deceived by money, by position, by people and prosperity. At the end of the day, may we all could say; “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (II Timothy 4:7).