WATCH AND PRAY- JESUS IS COMING SOON

10-01-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (I Timothy 4:5)
WATCH AND PRAY- JESUS IS COMING SOON
Those are the words that I heard from an Indian preacher with a brief case; and on its brief case is a sticker with the message: “Be ready, Jesus is Coming Soon” The same guy that I met in Bacolod City when I was a little boy, I met him the second time in front of the night club where I used to work in Manila. Please don’t ask me what type of job. Anyways, I was about between 19- 22 years old when I met him again with the same message. “Be ready, Jesus is Coming Soon”. This message really hit me and hunted my mind and conscience which caused me to really be afraid of what would happen to me after the rapture. Will I make it to Heaven and be with Jesus?
The Bible said: “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
There is a literal Jesus who is coming. (Matthew 24:42)”Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
I have a kid’s song that I wrote few years ago that goes like this:
“Jesus is coming soon, you must be ready, I don’t know when, May be today,
In John 14:1 to 3, Jesus has promised me He has prepared a place for me.
The Lord Jehovah, Our Blessed Savior, Who reigns in Glory,
We must be ready. When Jesus comes we have no time to count from 1 to 3,
When Jesus comes, we have no time to read from A to Z,
The Christians will fly, up, up in the sky, Hallelujah in the twinkling of an eye.
Jesus is coming soon, I’m always ready, I don’t know when,
May be today, First John chapter 3 verse two, Jesus has promised me,
When He comes again, I will be like Him.”
What a beautiful song to ponder upon on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Mark 13:26)”And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory.”
(Acts 1:10-11) 10”And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Titus 2:13)”Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

SAMSON’S SSS #: 3- LOST GOD’S PRESENCE BECAUSE OF SIN

09- 30- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Judges 16:18- 21)

SAMSON’S SSS #: 3- LOST GOD’S PRESENCE BECAUSE OF SIN

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

Have you ever had that experience? You can’t feel the presence of God in your life. Samson dishonor God by not pleasing the Lord who gave him the strength. Samson was brought down to his lowest point. He was humbled by the Lord because of his sin. I believe that Samson repented of the sins he committed and as a result, in verse 22, it appears like Samson was reconciled to God and in the process of time, his Nazariteship or his vow as a Nazarite was beginning to return as his hair began to grow. “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.” Those were the days when Samson began to feel the presence of God again. In verse 30- “And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” So, when Samson prayed to God for strength; God granted his prayer and got his strength back. Samson destroyed the whole house full of people. If you will have your last words on your death bed or if you would want to leave a will or have your last prayer; I’m very much sure it will not be like this in verse 28- “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

Looks like Samson would rather die than live in blindness, used for fun and let the enemies make a sport out of him. He became the enemies’ instrument for their own pleasure and an instrument to dishonor God and give honor to their god Dagon. Samson was a loser, but he did not want to die a loser so he prayed for God’s help and blessing. At least in his last breathed, he died praying and standing against the enemy of God. Take the advice of Apostle Paul: (I Corinthians 15: 57- 58) 57- “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58- “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

SAMSON’S SSS #: 2- HE LIVED IN SUFFERING

09- 29-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Judges 16: 19- 20)

SAMSON’S SSS #: 2- HE LIVED IN SUFFERING

19- ”And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20- And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”

Samson suffered in living under the hands of his enemies and the enemies of God- the Philistines. Samson suffered in living a defeated life. The enemies made fun of him and used him for their own pleasures. And Satan can do the same to us Christians. (Judges 16: 25) “And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.” Samson also lived in blindness after the enemies took off his 2 eyes. The Philistines knew that if Samson would be blind, they can control him and they don’t have to live in fear of Samson’s getting back on them. If you would just think of how the devil operates and how they works. I wish everyone would see the big pictures on how the devil made billions of followers by blinding the spiritual eyes of the world. Samson lost control over his own life because he was blind. Billions of People all over the world lost control of their lives, of their family, of their business, of their spiritual life and you can think of millions of things that causes blindness in our lives. Money, Power, Position and Possession can cause spiritual blindness. What happened to Samson is happening to this present generation. Samson suffered and lived a defeated life because of blindness. In verse 21 is really a bad picture of a man who was once the strongest, powerful, Godly and a family man. Now check out what happened to him as he suffered in the hands of the enemies: They: “took him”, “put out his eyes”, “and brought him down…”, “bound him” and “…he grind in the prison house.”

(Judges 16: 21) “But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.”

AS LONG AS OUR PRAYER IS UNTO THE LORD

09- 28- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Psalm 69: 13)

AS LONG AS OUR PRAYER IS UNTO THE LORD

“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

How often, how long, how sincere, how earnest, how do you pray? Those are some of the questions people asked. Others are so conscious of their physical position when they pray or as they pray. God is more interested in our inside attitude than with our outside expression in prayer.

Hannah went up to the house of the Lord… and she wept. It was when Hannah was praying for a son. (I Samuel 1: 7; 10) 7- “And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 10- And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.”

Apostle Paul has a different way of praying, he has different desires and requests to God (Romans 1: 9- 10) 9- “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10- Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.”

 King David has a different story when it comes to prayer- David prayed for his enemies and he prayed constantly as well. (Psalms 55:16-17) 16- “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 17- Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

As for King Solomon, he has a different story. His desire and prayer requests were so different from other kings, prophets and servants of God including the rulers and soldiers of God. (II Chronicles 1: 7- 12) 7- “In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8- And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 9- Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10- Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? 11- And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12- Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”

SAMSON’S LOVE LIFE WERE NOT HEALTHY

09- 26- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Judges 16: 23- 31)

SAMSON’S LOVE LIFE WERE NOT HEALTHY

Samson was a Nazarite while Jesus was a Nazarene. There were only 3 people in the whole Bible that were called Nazarite which would be John, Samuel and Samson. (Judges 16: 17) “  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

What leads Samson to give God his causeless death wish? What was the cause of Samson’s miseries, grief and causeless life and prayers? What made him so mad and miserable? In (Proverbs 6: 32-33) “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33- A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.” Adultery and choosing the wrong life partner (Judges 14: 1- 4; 16: 4). Samson loved the wrong woman, the unbeliever and the wife of the uncircumcised philistines, in verse 3- “Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.” He married a woman with a wrong purpose. He married a woman according to his fleshly desire. Samson said to his father: “Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.” Samson made a big mistake and committed sin when he went in unto harlot. (Judges 16: 1) “Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.” And then he felt in love with another woman- this time it was Delilah. (Judges 16: 4) “And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.” Samson was idle. It means that he was not doing anything. He was just chatting with Delilah. I like Facebook and I like email and the Internet. These are some of the good stuffs that we have and we really all enjoy the good thing about Internet and chatting. I believe that they’re a blessing to this present generation, but it could cause a lot of problems. Samson lost his moral value after wasting so much of his time by chatting with Delilah. He was idle, got tempted, he grabbed the temptation and he fell into sin. Does it sound familiar to many of your friends? If you’re a victim of Satan’s temptation to idleness and for not being a good steward of your time; try to ask the Lord to forgive you and make a big U-Turn. Keep yourself busy for the Lord.

Samson also listened to the voice of the enemy. Satan can use anyone, even the closest person in your life including your family circle. Satan can put words in the lips of your friends and love ones to destroy you and to cause you to fall in your faith and relationship with God. (Judges 16: 5- 6) 5- “And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. 6- And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.”

WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE ON THE GOSPEL FOR OUR SALVATION.

09-25-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Proverbs 1:5-7)

by Ely R. Sagansay on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 9:35pm

09-25-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Proverbs 1:5-7)

WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE ON THE GOSPEL FOR OUR SALVATION.

“5- A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6- To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

 (I Corinthians 15:1-5; 1:21) In verses 3 and 4 it says: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4- And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

What is the definition or the meaning of the word “Gospel”? Paul defined Gospel as the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures. Believing on what Christ did on the cross 2,000 years ago for eternal life is foolishness to the unbelieving world. In (Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9- Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Believing in Christ for eternal life sounds impossible for many. But that’s what the Bible says… It was because of the finished work of Christ. We don’t have to make it hard for ourselves. We don’t have to work hard and focus on what we can do or must do, because of the finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary is the only resolution to our sin problem and for our salvation.

(Romans 1: 19-21) 19- “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20- For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

People sometimes could not fully understand the power of the Gospel which is the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 1: 21-22) “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22- Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23- And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

YOUR HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE SERVICE

09-24-10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (ROMANS 12:1- 2)

YOUR HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE SERVICE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

I know of some Christians who would pray like this, “Lord, here’s my life, take it because I’m willing to die for you.” OR “whatever God wants me to do, I’m willing to follow and risks my life even to the danger zones of this life… because I’m willing to die for Christ’s sake.” But Christ wants for us to love Him and live for Him and not to die for His sake. A soldier may go to war, but he’s not going to war to die for His Country but to protect, to obey and be truthful, faithful in his duty… As a soldier of Christ, we are here to do more than that. We are to live in His name and be faithful for His sake. (Galatians 2:20) “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

We are crucified with Christ… as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ this is one good picture of the believer’s mysterious life and standing before God and man. A believer is crucified, yet he live, and he live, yet not him but Christ…

So you live for Christ and not die for Him. You are crucified… you crucify the old men…with Christ and you will live by faith… “Serving God does not mean you ought to be willing to die for Him but to live for Him.” ERS

God will honor our holy life, our righteousness for His name’s sake and our sacrifices. It means that God will accept our offering, service and our labor of love for Him. God wanted us to live a fruitful and useful life. He wants for us to start right and accordingly. It is the Lord’s desire for us to end in a right way or to end in a right path. Success for me in the ministry is starting right, keep on doing what is right and end up right. You may have heard of Pastors and Ministries that started right, working and doing right, but in the process of time; unfortunately end up in the wrong way or wrong direction. Paul’s advice: (II Timothy 4: 5- 8) 5- “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6- For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7- I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8- Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”