Month: January 2024

Scriptural Reading:

Psalms 46:10

King James Version

Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted4 in the earth.

New Living Translation

“Be still, and know that I am God!

    I will be honored by every nation.

    I will be honored throughout the world.”

Who is God? For some, the question is, what is a god? People usually associate gods with religion. Right? Some people claim to have found their god by adding the letter “l” between “o” and “d,” naming their god “gold.” Some may even deny the existence of a supreme being, saying believing in a god is just a fairytale.

We must wake up to the fact that we are absolutely on the wrong track. Trusting ourselves entirely to some of our beliefs is the silliest thing we’ve ever done. It is an alarming truth that demands our attention. Today, some Christians are losing faith in our Almighty God, a worrying trend, precisely what the Bible prophesied about the end of the world. One of the many reasons is that our time demands us to do almost everything except our Maker. Now, chaos and confusion wear away the foundation of our faith in Him, turning our backs on Him and turning to another. What do we have to do to increase our faith? What are we going to do to protect the foundations of our faith? Every moment left on this earth gives us a reason to ask ourselves these questions.

Be still…,

We believe we live in a fast-paced lifestyle that exceeds our timeline.” But the truth is, we never improve for the better. We never leave where we were initially. The truth is we are in a make-believe world. Prayers with wishes are nonsense. We call this attitude, “Who needs a god?” or “What is the point of having a god anyway?” Sometimes, we ask why the Creator needs our attention, but it always ends up with Him getting our attention. When problems seem to halt us, we all have every reason to blame, including the Almighty, not knowing He’s always there for us. How can we know if He is there if we continue to move as fast as we can? We think we have left the Lord behind, but the truth is, we have not moved an inch. Be still. It is a commandment.

.., and know..,

We now live in a world that defies almost anything we believe in. Things we think are impossible can be possible in just a few years. Are we serious about how we can reach omniscience? Facts and information we can trust are essential to success in every aspect of our lives and become our guidelines, even in our spiritual lives. And where do we end up? More chaos. What do we have more of? A host of problems include anxiety and disappointment. What does it profit a man if he gains the entire world but loses his soul? At this point, we must ‘Be dead serious’ about our spiritual condition. What other things must we have and know?

..I am God Almighty.

Is the first commandment still fresh in your mind? In the first place, He wrote it because he knew we would have more than one Supreme being. There is still much for us to learn, experience, and be grateful for from our Creator. And the thing is, instead of approaching Him from His throne of grace, we choose not to, but rather, determine what we think is appropriate for us. In most circumstances, we end up with the wrong things.

The more it pleases our minds, gratifies our flesh, and is associated with sin, the more it is reasonable. Our Lord countless times warned us about this lifestyle. We cannot serve two masters simultaneously. It’s either we hate one and love the other. (Matthew 6:24). OurGod will take corrective action to grab our attention, that is for sure. We should not lose our identity as His children and Him as our Father. It is for the same reason that Satan does not want us to be with our Creator. He lost this relationship, and now, he wants, if possible, all of us to be with him in eternal damnation.

And finally,

In shedding his blood at Calvary, Jesus secured our salvation, as Almighty God had already done. Modern-day gods appear in many forms to steal, kill, and destroy. Anything takes us away from our Creator, and our Lord Jesus becomes our god, anything. We seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us. It alone tells us that the Creator we have, worship, and love with no condition is the modern God Almighty of all time. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

Scriptural Readings: 

John 8:3-10; Hebrews 10:16-17; John 15: 4-8

John 8:3-10

King James Version

v.3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

v.4   they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

v.5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

v.6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

v.7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 

v.8 And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

v.9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

v.10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

New Living Translation

v.3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

v.4  “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

v.5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

v.6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with [his] finger wrote on the ground, [as though he heard them not].

v.7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

v.8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

Is it a mistake or a wrong choice? Getting trapped in these tricky questions is inevitable. Correct? These are the common inquiries we ask ourselves as our endeavors end with mistakes and questions of morality.

There is no exception to making a mistake or generating a wrong choice. And the thing is that we do it over and over, expecting that one day it will end. State-of-the-art technology is undoubtedly a great help. However, it will still offer more options and increase the chances of picking unnecessary ones.

Blaming is another thing. For some, it is the death blow. It is another burden on our consciences. Our suffering extends beyond overwhelming emotions to include mistakes and incorrect decisions. Now, we raise the universal question. What do we do next?

Here is a scenario of a picture-perfect crime, wherein guilty should be the verdict. But it did not end the way it had to. Living with imperfection is our life. Making a choice happens at the onset, with the possibility of a right or wrong outcome, while at the far end, we can only find our mistakes. For us to be sensible, we must have God’s righteousness. We can never see the divine unless God allows us to. That is why we should have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Acceptance is now the name of the game. The minute we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we enter the divine, and humanity falls behind.

So, what is the difference between before and now? Here is how it happens. Conscience tells us not to sin, and we struggle. Right? God reminds us (of conviction), and we confront it. That was before. Now, God reminds us that He will fight for us. It means we are not struggling as much as we used to be and have a guarantee of success in every issue we will have in the future.

Hebrews 10:16-17

King James Version

 v.16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

v.17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

New Living Translation

v.16  “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

v.17 Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

The law of Moses says, stone her. What do you say?”

Here is an unmistakable example of humans committing mistakes. Choosing to take the woman to Jesus for conviction is unnecessary. Humanity believes that human-made laws can produce faultless answers. And, of course, Jesus answered them with a divine law exposing their mistake. God had already written His holy laws into our hearts. It is why, even if we cannot see God, we can sense and follow Him through faith in our spirit. Check these Bible verses for confirmation: I John 4:12-16, John 10:27-28, Psalms 119:11.

John 15: 4-8

King James Version

v.4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

v.5  I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

v.6 If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.

v.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

v.8 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

New Living Translation

v.4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

v.5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

v.6 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

v.7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

v.8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

To abide by or continue is a form of a relationship. To highlight the consequences of relationship-building in our lives, the word “abide” is used several times in this chapter. Jesus wants us to accept a relationship with Him to be productive. And the only way to accomplish this is to be true to His words. Options will always be available. As Christians, we can live wisely. It is to our advantage. We are not faultless, but we have Jesus. We either reject Him or prosper in a relationship with Him.

Jesus said we must live contrary to how this world tells us to. He wants us to deny our selfish desires in obedience to Him. It is tough, but there is a reward waiting for us. Now, we can boldly say that we made the right choice, and that it was not a mistake but, in fact, a victory.