God is the God of Success
"If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth" (Deut 28:1-2).
Our God is a God of success. You are created to be a success. Success is rooted in our relationship with God, not in our abilities. When our abilities are separated from our relationship with God, success is short-lived.
"All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you" (Deut 28:2-8).
Sometimes God allows you to fail in order for you to succeed. Each of us must first experience our own death and resurrection from our old nature. This is for you to learn Who the source of true success is. You will be amazed how easy success will come when your life is in proper alignment with the purposes of God.
Today, reaffirm your commitment to follow His ways in all that you do. This will ensure God's purposes will be fulfilled in you.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
THE WORD FOR TODAY
The Church
"Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you" (Lev 26:8).
The Church is called to impact the world. The biblical definition "church" is not an institution or building, but rather it is made up of individuals. Jesus said "wherever two or more meet together, I am in the midst of them." The biblical word translated as "church" is ekklesia which is the original Greek meaning "the people of God."
The New Testament used this word in two different ways. Sometimes it refers to people of God gathered together in congregations. That is our traditional idea of the local church. But other times it means believers in general, wherever they might find themselves.
God calls the Church to be transformers of society through their collective influence. Jesus prayed that His Church would be unified in order for the world to respond to Him. "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23). The enemy of the Church is secularism, a religion that says there is no God. When local congregations fail to come together as a collective voice and operate instead as individual silos in their community society is given over to the evils created as a result of an unbelieving society. Conversely, when the Body of Christ - the Church puts its collective resources together to solve societal issues, our enemies; crime, poverty, sexual perversion, etc. will fall by the sword of a unified Church.
God is birthing city coalitions of His Church among congregations in the city in order to fulfill John 17:23. Are you willing to be a catalyst in your community to see His Church take back your city?
"Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you" (Lev 26:8).
The Church is called to impact the world. The biblical definition "church" is not an institution or building, but rather it is made up of individuals. Jesus said "wherever two or more meet together, I am in the midst of them." The biblical word translated as "church" is ekklesia which is the original Greek meaning "the people of God."
The New Testament used this word in two different ways. Sometimes it refers to people of God gathered together in congregations. That is our traditional idea of the local church. But other times it means believers in general, wherever they might find themselves.
God calls the Church to be transformers of society through their collective influence. Jesus prayed that His Church would be unified in order for the world to respond to Him. "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23). The enemy of the Church is secularism, a religion that says there is no God. When local congregations fail to come together as a collective voice and operate instead as individual silos in their community society is given over to the evils created as a result of an unbelieving society. Conversely, when the Body of Christ - the Church puts its collective resources together to solve societal issues, our enemies; crime, poverty, sexual perversion, etc. will fall by the sword of a unified Church.
God is birthing city coalitions of His Church among congregations in the city in order to fulfill John 17:23. Are you willing to be a catalyst in your community to see His Church take back your city?
WELCOME BACK MESSAGE
Hi,
I am so sorry for the long absence.
We are now in business and the blog will comprise of both the "Book of Proverbs" and "Word for today".
Do have a great time.
KC
I am so sorry for the long absence.
We are now in business and the blog will comprise of both the "Book of Proverbs" and "Word for today".
Do have a great time.
KC
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
WISDOM
PROVERBS 3: 13-14
“For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”
This is inference from what has been previously said, especially in chapter 2. All true happiness is based upon knowledge of, and submission to, the divine will, spoken of here as wisdom, since it is an act of highest wisdom to be submissive to God, who is the source of all good, (Jam. 1:17). “Findeth” and “getteth” both suggest putting forth an effort to obtain this wisdom. “Getteth” is rendered “draw out” in Isaiah 58:10. “He is the happy man who, having found it, makes it his own, who draws out understanding (so the word is). Having it not in himself, he draws it with the bucket of prayer from the fountain of all wisdom, who gives liberally,” [M. Henry]. God delights to give good things to His children, (Matthew 7:7-11), but there is a correct order and way of obtaining good from Him.
The merchandise of it is what it (wisdom) buys—the gain which rebounds from it—viz., salvation,” [Faussett]. Silver and gold can only purchase worldly things which are temporal at best, but this Divine wisdom can obtain eternal life for us, for it brings us into harmony with the Divine will. Job discussed this same matter and came to the same conclusion, (Job 28:12-28). Learning just for the sake of having a degree is not profitable, but learning does have its merchandise and gain which are profitable.
“For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”
This is inference from what has been previously said, especially in chapter 2. All true happiness is based upon knowledge of, and submission to, the divine will, spoken of here as wisdom, since it is an act of highest wisdom to be submissive to God, who is the source of all good, (Jam. 1:17). “Findeth” and “getteth” both suggest putting forth an effort to obtain this wisdom. “Getteth” is rendered “draw out” in Isaiah 58:10. “He is the happy man who, having found it, makes it his own, who draws out understanding (so the word is). Having it not in himself, he draws it with the bucket of prayer from the fountain of all wisdom, who gives liberally,” [M. Henry]. God delights to give good things to His children, (Matthew 7:7-11), but there is a correct order and way of obtaining good from Him.
The merchandise of it is what it (wisdom) buys—the gain which rebounds from it—viz., salvation,” [Faussett]. Silver and gold can only purchase worldly things which are temporal at best, but this Divine wisdom can obtain eternal life for us, for it brings us into harmony with the Divine will. Job discussed this same matter and came to the same conclusion, (Job 28:12-28). Learning just for the sake of having a degree is not profitable, but learning does have its merchandise and gain which are profitable.
WISDOM
PROVERBS 3: 13-14
This is inference from what has been previously said, especially in chapter 2. All true happiness is based upon knowledge of, and submission to, the divine will, spoken of here as wisdom, since it is an act of highest wisdom to be submissive to God, who is the source of all good, (Jam. 1:17). “Findeth” and “getteth” both suggest putting forth an effort to obtain this wisdom. “Getteth” is rendered “draw out” in Isaiah 58:10. “He is the happy man who, having found it, makes it his own, who draws out understanding (so the word is). Having it not in himself, he draws it with the bucket of prayer from the fountain of all wisdom, who gives liberally,” [M. Henry]. God delights to give good things to His children, (Matthew 7:7-11), but there is a correct order and way of obtaining good from Him.
The merchandise of it is what it (wisdom) buys—the gain which rebounds from it—viz., salvation,” [Faussett]. Silver and gold can only purchase worldly things which are temporal at best, but this Divine wisdom can obtain eternal life for us, for it brings us into harmony with the Divine will. Job discussed this same matter and came to the same conclusion, (Job 28:12-28). Learning just for the sake of having a degree is not profitable, but learning does have its merchandise and gain which are profitable.
This is inference from what has been previously said, especially in chapter 2. All true happiness is based upon knowledge of, and submission to, the divine will, spoken of here as wisdom, since it is an act of highest wisdom to be submissive to God, who is the source of all good, (Jam. 1:17). “Findeth” and “getteth” both suggest putting forth an effort to obtain this wisdom. “Getteth” is rendered “draw out” in Isaiah 58:10. “He is the happy man who, having found it, makes it his own, who draws out understanding (so the word is). Having it not in himself, he draws it with the bucket of prayer from the fountain of all wisdom, who gives liberally,” [M. Henry]. God delights to give good things to His children, (Matthew 7:7-11), but there is a correct order and way of obtaining good from Him.
The merchandise of it is what it (wisdom) buys—the gain which rebounds from it—viz., salvation,” [Faussett]. Silver and gold can only purchase worldly things which are temporal at best, but this Divine wisdom can obtain eternal life for us, for it brings us into harmony with the Divine will. Job discussed this same matter and came to the same conclusion, (Job 28:12-28). Learning just for the sake of having a degree is not profitable, but learning does have its merchandise and gain which are profitable.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, November 6, 2008
CORRECTION
Proverbs 3:11-12
Thoughts for the Day
If we want to become wise, we must receive God's corrections (or as the above scripture says, "the Lord's chastening") in our lives. In fact, we should pray for correction, so that we might remain on the right path, because if we go astray we can be destroyed. Notice verse 12 says that God corrects His children as an earthly father would correct his children. We know that any good father does not injure his children when correcting them. When he spanks or punishes his children, it is for the purpose of teaching or correcting them, so that they learn proper behavior to avoid trouble and pain.
The main thing we need to understand about God is that He does not send evil things to punish us. How does God teach us? God teaches us by giving us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and His book, the Bible, as our study guide. Just as children go to school to learn, they must study to pass their tests. If all a child does, is just listen to his teachers (allowing it to go in one ear and out the other); and refuses to study, he will fail his tests and could even fail to pass on to the next level of learning. He must apply what he hears to be successful. In like manner, if we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and we study the Bible and apply it to our lives, we will be able to pass the tests (trials) of this life. However, if we are rebellious or ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, we will suffer many things that God never intended for us to suffer.
When we are faced with a trial, test or trouble, we must never blame God for it; but rather turn to Him and praise Him for being there to help us through the problem. Praise God, that we can call on Him to show us the way to overcome our trouble and grow in God in the process. Now we should not praise Him for the trouble, as He did not send it; however, we should praise Him for loving us and being there to help us in the midst of our problems. Remember He loves us and delights Himself in us!
Thoughts for the Day
If we want to become wise, we must receive God's corrections (or as the above scripture says, "the Lord's chastening") in our lives. In fact, we should pray for correction, so that we might remain on the right path, because if we go astray we can be destroyed. Notice verse 12 says that God corrects His children as an earthly father would correct his children. We know that any good father does not injure his children when correcting them. When he spanks or punishes his children, it is for the purpose of teaching or correcting them, so that they learn proper behavior to avoid trouble and pain.
The main thing we need to understand about God is that He does not send evil things to punish us. How does God teach us? God teaches us by giving us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and His book, the Bible, as our study guide. Just as children go to school to learn, they must study to pass their tests. If all a child does, is just listen to his teachers (allowing it to go in one ear and out the other); and refuses to study, he will fail his tests and could even fail to pass on to the next level of learning. He must apply what he hears to be successful. In like manner, if we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and we study the Bible and apply it to our lives, we will be able to pass the tests (trials) of this life. However, if we are rebellious or ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, we will suffer many things that God never intended for us to suffer.
When we are faced with a trial, test or trouble, we must never blame God for it; but rather turn to Him and praise Him for being there to help us through the problem. Praise God, that we can call on Him to show us the way to overcome our trouble and grow in God in the process. Now we should not praise Him for the trouble, as He did not send it; however, we should praise Him for loving us and being there to help us in the midst of our problems. Remember He loves us and delights Himself in us!
Monday, November 3, 2008
OBEDIENCE
Proverbs 3:5-10
Thoughts for the Day
5-8 These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances. In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.
9-10 In these verses we find another wonderful promise of God. This one has to do with material blessings. We are told here that if we honor God with our material belongings and put Him first, we will be blessed with plenty. When we study the Bible we find the Word of God addresses the people of that day and their culture. Since many were farmers or herders, many of the parables or admonitions would be shared in a way that they could identify with their surroundings or occupations. In these verses, the firstfruits represented their first harvest of crops; or the first lambs of their herds; or the first fruits from their orchards. Many had grape orchards and when their fruits were gathered they brought them to the grape presses which extracted the juice for wine. Since they did not have refrigeration, their grape juice did not take long to become wine.
If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will always have the desire to give because it is the nature of God to give. Greed and stinginess are from Satan. If we are truly committed to God, giving will not be a burden, but rather a joy. God is calling us to be committed to the point where if He told us to leave all and follow Him, we would not hesitate. We find a rich man in the Bible that could not make this commitment, and he ultimately missed God's blessings for his life (Luke 18:18-25). Let us be faithful in the area of giving and we shall never lack in the things we really need as that is God's promise to us. Our barns will be filled with plenty.
Thoughts for the Day
5-8 These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances. In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.
9-10 In these verses we find another wonderful promise of God. This one has to do with material blessings. We are told here that if we honor God with our material belongings and put Him first, we will be blessed with plenty. When we study the Bible we find the Word of God addresses the people of that day and their culture. Since many were farmers or herders, many of the parables or admonitions would be shared in a way that they could identify with their surroundings or occupations. In these verses, the firstfruits represented their first harvest of crops; or the first lambs of their herds; or the first fruits from their orchards. Many had grape orchards and when their fruits were gathered they brought them to the grape presses which extracted the juice for wine. Since they did not have refrigeration, their grape juice did not take long to become wine.
If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will always have the desire to give because it is the nature of God to give. Greed and stinginess are from Satan. If we are truly committed to God, giving will not be a burden, but rather a joy. God is calling us to be committed to the point where if He told us to leave all and follow Him, we would not hesitate. We find a rich man in the Bible that could not make this commitment, and he ultimately missed God's blessings for his life (Luke 18:18-25). Let us be faithful in the area of giving and we shall never lack in the things we really need as that is God's promise to us. Our barns will be filled with plenty.
Monday, October 27, 2008
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Proverbs 3:1-4
Thoughts for the Day
The book of Proverbs has so many "cause and effect" statements throughout its pages. That is why it is a book of wisdom. The first verse above gives us an admonition, while the second one states the results of keeping that admonition. These verses are simply stating "cause" and "effect." The Bible states here, that if we will not be forgetful to keep God's laws, but rather keep them in our hearts and obey them; they will produce three things -- days full of accomplishment, long life and peace. These three things are in addition to other things that the Lord promises His people.
The Lord wants to bless us and our families with long life and peace; just as many of His other blessings are available to us. However, our part is to put His Word in our hearts, and through faith and obedience we must appropriate these promises. God has a plan and a purpose for every human being in this world. It is a wonderful plan and He promises each of us a long life so that we can fulfill it. However, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is out to destroy that plan, along with God's purpose for our lives. Jesus, in the New Testament, speaks of the devil as a robber, who is out to kill and destroy. The devil seeks to rob us and our families of our peace and our promised long lives.
Verse 4 is a promise that we shall find favor and understanding with God and man if we do two things: that is, to allow mercy and truth to rule our hearts and lives. When we are told to bind truth to our hearts, this scripture is referring to God's Word as truth. Therefore, we are admonished to keep God's Words and His truth in our hearts. What is truth according to the Bible? We find this answer in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
To bind truth in our hearts, we must invite Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts since He is the Truth. We can never find our way in this world, until we allow the Holy Spirit through Jesus to guide us and lead us. Life is in Him. Truth is in Him. When we follow Him, we will keep His commandments. His commandments and words are the absolute truth. The Bible makes the following statement about the Word of God and the words that Jesus spoke: Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
In the day that we live, humanistic teachings have spread that say there are no absolutes; thus -- no absolute truth. Humanism teaches that each man is his own guide and truth. We are told to do what feels right for us; however, others may not do the same thing, if their consciences bothers them. This destructive teaching is creating havoc in our world because it eliminates a standard, and without standards we have no justice nor fairness. Everyone's own ideas create situations where there is no right nor wrong -- just what is decided by each individual at the moment. Each person becomes a law unto themselves. The Bible even speaks of this kind of thinking in Proverbs 16:25: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
If we desire the favor of God, we must embrace His Words and His ways. If we would like the favor of men, we must not only embrace the truth, but we must also be merciful to people. We must not be legalistic about the Word of God, but always have mercy in our hearts toward those that break the laws of God. The Lord tells us, if we desire to obtain mercy in our time of need, we must be merciful to those that fall short of the truth. Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Thoughts for the Day
The book of Proverbs has so many "cause and effect" statements throughout its pages. That is why it is a book of wisdom. The first verse above gives us an admonition, while the second one states the results of keeping that admonition. These verses are simply stating "cause" and "effect." The Bible states here, that if we will not be forgetful to keep God's laws, but rather keep them in our hearts and obey them; they will produce three things -- days full of accomplishment, long life and peace. These three things are in addition to other things that the Lord promises His people.
The Lord wants to bless us and our families with long life and peace; just as many of His other blessings are available to us. However, our part is to put His Word in our hearts, and through faith and obedience we must appropriate these promises. God has a plan and a purpose for every human being in this world. It is a wonderful plan and He promises each of us a long life so that we can fulfill it. However, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is out to destroy that plan, along with God's purpose for our lives. Jesus, in the New Testament, speaks of the devil as a robber, who is out to kill and destroy. The devil seeks to rob us and our families of our peace and our promised long lives.
Verse 4 is a promise that we shall find favor and understanding with God and man if we do two things: that is, to allow mercy and truth to rule our hearts and lives. When we are told to bind truth to our hearts, this scripture is referring to God's Word as truth. Therefore, we are admonished to keep God's Words and His truth in our hearts. What is truth according to the Bible? We find this answer in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
To bind truth in our hearts, we must invite Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts since He is the Truth. We can never find our way in this world, until we allow the Holy Spirit through Jesus to guide us and lead us. Life is in Him. Truth is in Him. When we follow Him, we will keep His commandments. His commandments and words are the absolute truth. The Bible makes the following statement about the Word of God and the words that Jesus spoke: Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
In the day that we live, humanistic teachings have spread that say there are no absolutes; thus -- no absolute truth. Humanism teaches that each man is his own guide and truth. We are told to do what feels right for us; however, others may not do the same thing, if their consciences bothers them. This destructive teaching is creating havoc in our world because it eliminates a standard, and without standards we have no justice nor fairness. Everyone's own ideas create situations where there is no right nor wrong -- just what is decided by each individual at the moment. Each person becomes a law unto themselves. The Bible even speaks of this kind of thinking in Proverbs 16:25: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
If we desire the favor of God, we must embrace His Words and His ways. If we would like the favor of men, we must not only embrace the truth, but we must also be merciful to people. We must not be legalistic about the Word of God, but always have mercy in our hearts toward those that break the laws of God. The Lord tells us, if we desire to obtain mercy in our time of need, we must be merciful to those that fall short of the truth. Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
