Tag Archives: Matthew

God is good

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God is Good

 

READ: Matthew 19:16-26

[Jesus said,] “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” —Matthew 19:17

When someone asks, “How are you?” it has become common for the response to be, “I’m good.” When we say this, we are really saying, “I’m well” or “I’m doing fine,” speaking of our general well-being and not our character. I have answered with that response more times than I can count, but lately it has begun to bother me. Because, whether we realize it or not, we are saying something specific when we use the word good.

Jesus once encountered a wealthy young man who called Him “Good Teacher” (Matt. 19:16). The young man was right, for Jesus is both good (completely perfect) and the Teacher. He is the only One who can truly make that claim.

The Lord, however, challenged the man to think about what he was saying in using that term good. “So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments’” (v.17). Jesus wanted the man to understand that the assertion he was making needed to be taken seriously. Jesus can be called “good” because He is God.

Next time someone asks you, “How are you?” it is great to be able to say, “I’m well.” But remember, only Jesus is good. —Bill Crowder

Eternal with the Father, One,
Is Jesus Christ, His own dear Son;
In Him God’s fullness we can see,
For Jesus Christ is deity. —D. De Haan

God is great and God is good, but without Him we are neither.

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

 

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God’s commandments are not intended to make us miserable–they’re meant for our own happiness

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Marriage Day

God‘s commandments are not intended to make us miserable–they’re meant for our own happiness

COMMANDMENTS LEAD TO HAPPINESS

Matthew 5:32, “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, save for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

MATTHEW 5:31-32

God’s commandments are not intended to make us miserable–they’re meant for our own happiness. Satan‘s lie in the Garden of Eden caused Eve to question God’s motives behind His command (Genesis 3:5).

Malachi 2:15 says God hates divorce. God doesn’t hate the people who divorce. He hates the act of divorce because of the damage it does to people. God loves people.

Today, people see divorce as an easy way out of marital problems. But this is based on the misconception that the mate is the problem–which is rarely the case.

People who blame their mate for their problems give in easily to divorce, thinking that a new partner will solve the situation. Yet second marriages have over twice the failure rate of first marriages. That’s because we take ourselves and all our unresolved problems into the next marriage.

You can’t control other people–not even your mate. But through obeying the Lord, you can control yourself and have fullness of joy. God’s commands tell us what will produce true happiness for us.

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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Spiritual Fitness

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SPIRITUAL FITNESS

Matthew 5:29, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

MATTHEW 5:23-30

Is Jesus advocating dismembering of our bodies? Quite the contrary. He is drawing on the universal drive within every person of self preservation to make a point. If you value your body highly enough that you would never sacrifice one of its parts, then you should esteem your spiritual well being much higher.

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, man’s priorities have been misplaced. Great effort is put into preserving our physical life while our spiritual condition is often overlooked. It constantly gets put on the “back burner” while we tend to more urgent matters of this life.

Yet our physical bodies are just temporary. If we live 70 years or more, that is just a fraction of a second in the light of eternity. Our spiritual man lives forever. The state in which it exists is determined by choices made in this life.

Therefore, choose to make your spiritual condition your top priority. Spend more time on your spiritual well being than you do your physical well being. You and everyone around you will be eternally grateful that you did.

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

Matthew 5:6, “Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

MATTHEW 5:1-9

In the natural world, people eat even when they aren’t hungry. Many of us can prove that by turning sideways and looking at ourselves in the mirror. But in the spiritual realm, only those who are hungry can get fed. One of the worst things that can happen to us is spiritual complacency.

Being hungry for the things of God is one of the best things that can happen to us. Most people don’t feel that way. They would rather have the feeling of being full. But Jesus promised us that fullness would follow hunger. No hunger, no fullness.

Therefore, what many people hate is actually a sign of spiritual health. Longing for more of God is a healthy sign. No one hungers for God on their own. That is not the nature of man. No man hungers for God unless the Spirit of God is drawing him (Jn. 6:44).

Hungering for God doesn’t cause God to move in our lives, but it is a sign that God is already at work in us. We should praise God for spiritual hunger and be encouraged. He doesn’t make us hungry and then let us starve. He does so in order to fill us with His blessings and love. We need a hunger that will never be satisfied until the marriage supper of the Lamb.

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Nigeria is 51 Hip Hop Hooray!!!!

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Flag of Nigeria

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NIGERIA IS
51! HIP HOP HOORAY!!!!!!

Don’t always
be asking, “Where are the good old days? Wise folks don’t ask questions like
that” (Ecclesiastes 7:10 MSG).

For many,
our national independence day has become a time to reminisce and wish for “the
good old days”. Many wonder how come fifty-one years after independence, we
still find ourselves where we are today. Many complain and blame the government
of the day for the deplorable state of affairs in virtually every sector of our
national life. Well, though the nation might have been afore dominated by
governments that may have been lethargic to the needs of its people, yet it’s
important for us to count our blessings as a nation and rejoice about where we
are today.

Our opening
scripture shows that it’s unwise to wish for the “good old days”. The Words of
God in Matthew 7:17 let us know that the results we’re seeing today as a nation
are harvests of the decisions we made yesterday: “Even so every good tree bringth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringth forth evil fruit.” This means the state of the nation today is
founded on the choices of past governments. This is a spiritual reality. So
rather than lament how badly things have turned, be glad about today’s
opportunities, and seize the moment. Be glad about the day you’re living in and
create the joyful atmosphere for a change.

Celebrate
the hope of the glorious future that lies ahead. If we all make the right and
proper investments in our today, we will all reap the harvest of a more
prosperous tomorrow. Make projections and proffer solutions to current
challenges while positioning yourself and the nation for a greater tomorrow.
Our hope of a better tomorrow is in itself worth celebrating.

CONFESSION

My path in life is the path of the
just which shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Today is better
than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today. I’m on an upward and
forward journey, and the story of my life is the testimony of God’s grace,
mercy and kindness! Amen!

http://www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May God Almighty prosper Nigeria and
Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected.

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How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected.

A married lady was
expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a
beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and knowing her husband could afford it,
she told him that was all she wanted. As her birthday approached, this lady awaited
signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring.

Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband called
her into his study room. Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a
good wife, and told her how much he loved her. He handed her a beautifully –
wrapped gift box.  Curious, the wife
opened the box and found a lovely, leather – bound Bible, with her name
embossed in gold. Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, “With
all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving her
husband for good.

Many years passed and the married lady was very successful
in business. She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful
family, but realized her ex – husband was very old, and thought perhaps she
should go to visit him. She had not seen him for many years.

But before she could make arrangements, she received a
telegram telling her that her ex – husband had passed away, and willed all of
his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of
things.

When she arrived at   her
ex – husband’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart. She began to
search through his important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as she
had left it years ago. With tears, she opened the Bible and began to turn the
pages.  Her ex –husband had carefully
underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, “And if
you, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”
as she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible. It
had a diamond ring with her name engraved on it, the same diamond ring which
she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birthday, and the
words….”LUV U ALWAYS”…How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because
they are not packaged as we expected?

Remember, if your gift is not packaged the way you want it,
it’s because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little
things; they usually lead you to bigger and better things!

www.tbn.org

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Keep Shining.

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Do you know
that you are the light in your world?
The Lord Jesus Christ wasn’t kidding when He said, “Ye are the light of
the world…..” (Matthew 5:14); He meant every word He said.

What is
light? Light is that which makes manifest; it gives direction and shows the
way. Also light brings fulfilment and joy. This is why He gave you the
responsibility of teaching the people of the world the way to live (Matthew
28:19). What a calling, what an honour, what a commission!

Jesus
announced to the people that He is the Light of the world (John 8:12). You are
the light of the world today, in the same sense as Jesus was the light of the
world in His day. If you are a student, you are the light of your school. If
you are a businessman, you are the light of your industry. If you are a
policeman, you are the light of the service. If you are a soldier, you are the
light of the army.

Jesus has
made you the light of the world! When you understand this truth, it’ll put
springs in your steps. There can be no darkness in your life anymore for you
are the light of the world. Sickness, poverty, discouragement and death are no
longer part of your life. There’s something special about you. You’re unique
and different; you’re a shining light. Begin to walk in this reality today.

CONFESSION

I’VE FOUND MY PLACE.
I’VE DISCOVERED WHO I AM – THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. I AM SHINING FOR JESUS
CHRIST TODAY! I WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS. I WILL NEVER WALK IN CONFUSION OR
DEFEAT BUT IN VICTORY, IN JESUS CHRIST NAME, AMEN! 

www.christembassy.org

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