March 2021
01/03/2021
Mat 22 v 1-14; Rom 2 v 1-29; Ps 50 v 1-23; Num 5 v 1-6 v 27 The blessing
“”…but glory and honour and peace to everyone who does good...” (Rom 2 v 10)
The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace
Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen
The Lord bless you
And keep you
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you
The Lord turn His
Face toward you
And give you peace
Amen, amen, amen (we sing, we sing)
Amen, amen, amen
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children
May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you
In the morning, in the evening
In your…
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
03/03/2021
Mat 22 v 1-14; Rom 2 v 1-29; Ps 50 v 1-23; Num 5 v 1-6 v 27 The uninvited
“But to the wicked God says, ‘What right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth?‘” (Ps 50 v 16)
Are those who do not believe in God, beyond reproof without any accountability? Surely not?
How much more are we (who believe in God) responsible for our actions, whether under the law or not, for those that are under the law will be judged by it, while those who are saved through grace receives a circumcision which is of the heart, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts either accusing or else defending them (Rom 2 v 15).
Do not be deceived in thinking that we can enter the kingdom of heaven – uninvited – without the appropriate “attire”, for flesh and blood cannot enter heaven. We are called to be righteous and therefore we should strive to live holy lives, just as Christ did, for He was the perfect embodiment of righteousness, while in the flesh, without any blemish.
Our earthly vessels are ridden with sin, like filthy rags, yet it seems that often we are content with the state we find ourselves in. Is it not time to wash ourselves in the Word? Should we not desire being in the presence of our Lord, Jesus, at the wedding table that He has prepared for us?
Do not defile yourselves with everything this world deems as good. Refrain from wrongdoing through giving into the lusts of the flesh. How do we do this, you may ask? How is it even possible to go through a single day, even an hour without committing any sin? The answer is simple. We cannot… not on our own, at least.
Put on your wedding garment today. Go out into this world as one that is justified through the blood of Jesus. Allow Him to sanctify you and set you apart for His good work. Seek the Lord for guidance in every aspect of your life and above all, love Him wholeheartedly.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, shine His face on you and be gracious to you and give you peace.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
06/03/2021
Thought for the day The heart of worship
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Ps 51 v 16-17)
How do you worship? We are instructed to worship in SPIRIT and in TRUTH, while sacrifices and burnt offerings will not help us to gain God’s favour.
He longs for us to fellowship with Him and the only way to approach Him is with a broken spirit and a contrite (repentant) heart, i.e. in humility, remorseful and with absolute dependence on Him for forgiveness.
True worship does not only involve songs of praise, but a lifestyle dedicated to serving the Lord and living according to His principles. Loving Him above all things, seeking His kingdom first and foremost and loving others as ourselves.
If you think that you are the only one struggling with doing the above, do not feel alone, for we all fall short and it is only through the grace of God, while running the race with our eyes fixed on Jesus that we can do what is right in God’s sight.
God is pleased with us when our hearts long for fellowship with Him. Do you have an affection in your heart for the Lord? Do you make time for Him or do you simply live on instant prayers and single verses?
Start this day with God in mind and turn to Him before stepping out into this world, which will only drag you down, if you do not walk in the Spirit.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His favour be upon you!
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
07/03/2021
Mat 22 v 15-33; Rom3 v 1-31; Ps 51 v 1-19; Num 7 v 1-8 v 26 The righteousness of God
“…This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed…” (Rom 3 v 25)
We are justified by faith alone, through our belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus, on whom God poured out His wrath in order for us to be saved from the condemnation of the law, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (vers 23)
The law and prophets have proclaimed God’s righteousness which has been fulfilled in the Messiah, who came to show us the heart of God and what it should look like to serve and obey.
My prayer for today is that we will return to the mercy seat of God and plead with Him like David did. May He wash us thoroughly from our iniquities and cleanse us from our sins (Ps 51 v 2) in order for His righteousness to manifest in us.
Let us declare His righteousness, truthfulness and grace for God desires truth. May He renew your spirit and heal your soul. May you abound in His love and long for fellowship with the living God.
Remember that when we sin, we ultimately sin against the Lord, for His institution is one of truth and obedience to His statutes. He instructs us to live a life according to His Word, which is the Word of truth.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
10/03/2021
Mat 22 v 34-46; Rom 4 v 1-25; Ps 52 v 1-9; Num 9 v 1-11 v 35 Justified by faith
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.” (Rom 4 v 7) [referencing Ps 32 v 1]
If we were justified through our works, then God wouldn’t have had to become a man in the form of His Son, Jesus, who in turn wouldn’t have had to die the most horrible and humiliating death on a cross and there would also not be any need for repentance.
This is the belief of many so-called “Christians” in the evangelical church today and contradicts the Scriptures in every possible way concerning our sanctification and redemption, which is preceded by justification.
Through believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection, repenting from our sinful nature and accepting His forgiveness, we can come into the presence of God, for Christ has reinstated that which was lost when man fell into sin – fellowship with the Living God.
Our faith is credited as righteousness when we believe in the Messiah, who justifies the ungodly (Rom 4 v 5) for we have all sinned and rebelled against God, whose grace (undeserved mercy) is available to everyone who is willing to accept Jesus as the Son of God and the only Way to the Father.
The righteous fear the Lord and makes God their refuge, while the ungodly boast in evil (Ps 52 v 1). They do not revere God, nor do they acknowledge their wrongdoing. They pride in the work of their own hands and therefore have already received their reward.
Let us press on, justified through our faith in Jesus, while reminding ourselves that it is also by the grace of God that we stand. For we need to be cautious that we don’t become spiritually proud, because Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall (Prov 16 v 18) [CSB]
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
13/03/2021
Thought for today God's mercy, our saving grace
Lamentations 3 v 19 – 66
“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.” (vers 22)
Scriptures teach us that God is just, perfect and righteous. His lovingkindness endures forever. He is timeless, space less and immaterial – a being far beyond our comprehension – and seemingly out of our reach. Yet, He has made Himself known to us and showed compassion towards us, when He became a man and bore our transgressions.
How can we say that God is not present in our times of need, when He has revealed Himself to us through His Son? Jesus, walked among men, was tempted and persecuted and eventually killed for the sake of mankind. He even suffered for those who sentenced Him to die the most brutal death. His undeserved mercy became our saving grace.
“For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion, according to His abundant lovingkindness” (vers 32)
God is not the author of evil, although He will allow certain situations and our current circumstances to mould us into a being that is willing to serve. Does this mean He takes away our free will in order to force us to serve Him? Not at all!!! He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him (Rom 8 v 28) and therefore He will allow us to suffer, in order that we may seek Him to fulfill our purpose.
We live in a fallen world that is destined to perish and we have the choice to either choose God and His ways or perish with the world. Again, He leaves it to us and we can decide between the one or the other. It is ultimately our choice and He will never force us, because God is love, and love by definition implies that one has a choice. Love is kind, love is patient and love endures all things (1 Cor 13 v 4 – 8).
“Let us examine and probe our ways and let us return to the Lord” (vers 40)
As believers we are instructed to test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Cor 13 v 5). Are you standing with one foot in the world and one in the faith? Are you struggling to fight the lusts of the flesh and continually give in to its desires? Is your conscience convicting you and yet you still give in to sin? It is good that you are convicted, but for how long until your conscience is branded (seared) and you are no longer able to withstand temptation…
Christ died a terrible death, once for all and every time that we sin, we crucify Him again and again and again. How do we then return to the Lord and walk away from our sinful nature that is causing us to drift further and further away from God and what He has intended for us? Yes, His lovingkindness is abundant and never ends, His compassion(s) never fail, but this does not exempt us while living in sin.
We are saved by grace, which came at a price far to high for us to bear and comprehend. Our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus is based on the “assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” (Heb 11 v 1) [BSB]. Do not allow that which is seen for a short while to destroy the promise of an eternity with Him, who might seem to be unseen, but is revealed to us through His Word.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
20/03/2020
Mat 23 v 1-12; Rom 5 v 1-11; Ps 53 v 1-6; Num 12 v 1-14 v 45 God is my Teacher
“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.” (Mat 23 v 8)
Who is your Teacher, your Father and your Leader? Do you depend on men to teach you the things of God, or do you rely on the Spirit to reveal the deeper meaning of Jesus’ teachings?
Be careful of spiritual or religious figures who expect to be called pastor, father or leader, for God is our Heavenly Father and Christ is our Leader, the Head of the Church.
Man is fallen and corrupt and is bound to disappoint, while God is righteous, consistent and reliable. He has “demonstrated His own love toward us” (Rom 5 v 8) sacrificing part of Himself to reconcile us with Him. He knows our challenges, weaknesses and deepest hurt. Don’t you think we should rather put our trust and our hope in Him, instead of a man?
“The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgressions…” (Num 14 v 18). God is patient, but He is also just and fair, He pardons those who repent and seek His forgiveness and He rebukes His children like a parent would if they truly loved their children.
An incorrupt Teacher, a loving Father and a true Leader – these are the attributes of the God of the bible in the persons of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Three in One and One in three. How can we even begin to comprehend Thee?!
Allow God’s Spirit to reveal the treasures of His kingdom to you today. Seek His uncompromising truth in the Scriptures and let Him teach you His truths, and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
21/03/2021
Thought for the day A higher standard
“Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom 8 v 2) [NIV]
If you also feel that the world has set an unrealistically high standard for Christians to adhere to, then raise your hand! It’s as if they have set the bar for how Christians should behave and we dare not fail in any department and we shouldn’t, right?
Well, it seems that Christ has actually established a higher Spiritual law through fulfilling the law of Moses, so take note brothers, that now if you even look at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery and if you hate someone you have committed murder, while coveting another’s possessions is as good as stealing them.
Now why would Jesus raise the expectation, knowing we wouldn’t be able to adhere to these standards?
God says “Be holy, for I AM HOLY” (1 Pet 1 v 16). The only way to live up to God’s standard, is to accept the fact that we cannot keep any laws in our fallen state and then turn to the One and Only Messiah, repenting from our sinful nature, which has brought dissension, separation and distance between us and our Creator.
The Lord says “that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Cor 15 v 50) [NKJ]. God’s righteousness is displayed through Jesus, who lived a perfect, sinless life in the flesh and even allowed His flesh to be crucified. He also instructs us to die to self and our sinful desires, in order to be acceptable in God’s sight.
Knowing that we couldn’t keep the law, Jesus came as a Mediator between us and God to restore our relationship with the Father. Knowing that we also cannot keep His higher, Spiritual law, He has given us the Holy Spirit as compass, who speaks to our conscience, empowering us to discern between right and wrong.
Having acknowledged our sin, repenting from our wrongdoing and accepting Jesus’ death as the only means of salvation, we receive God’s undeserved mercy – His grace – which allows us to become part of the body of Christ to confirm what Paul said, “…because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord‘” (1 Cor 1 v 30 – 31).
Our faith in Jesus and what He has done on the cross, becomes our righteousness and that is the only way that we can stand in the presence of God, in the Holy of Holies.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
24/03/2021
Mat 23 v 13-24; Rom 5 v 12-21; Ps 54 v 1-7; Num 15 v 1-17 v 13 The free gift of grace
“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5 v 17)
God’s abundant grace is available to everyone who is willing to acknowledge that they have sinned against Him and repent from their wicked ways. Why wouldn’t you accept the fact that we are born in sin as a result of Adam’s disobedience?
Just look at our history and the current state of mankind, while being very honest with yourself. Do you think man is inherently good? Do you think there is no such thing as evil and if you do, do we have the capacity to discern between right and wrong, without a moral compass?
In Matthew Jesus addresses the pharisees and scribes, accusing them of “shutting off the kingdom of heaven from the people...” (vers 13) [paraphrase], while preventing those who are willing to accept God’s grace to enter, even though they, themselves are unwilling to submit.
The Lord says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and we can take Him on His word. Due to the sin of one man, all have sinned “so then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men” (Rom 5 v 18).
Think of the sacrifice Christ made and how He took all our transgressions, all our sins and wickedness on Him. He even became sin for our sake and God was pleased with bruising him
(Is 53 v 10). There is no other worldview where God chooses to become one of us, suffering with us and for us, offering grace to those who choose to accept it.
Firstly, this saving grace is a free gift from God Himself and secondly, we have the free will to surrender to Him. Wouldn’t you want to serve a God who loved us so much that He became a man and gave His life as ransom so that we can receive eternal life.
Let us give thanks and worship the living God who was and is, and is to come. His lovingkindness is everlasting, from generation to generation. To Him, all the honour, power and glory. Forever and ever. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
27/03/2021
Thought for the day The crux of the cross
“Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8 v 34) [BSB]
What is the significance of the cross to you?
I recently had the privilege to attend a short representation of the Jewish pass over meal and was amazed at how every little detail pointed to Jesus, whom the Jewish nation does not acknowledge as the Messiah, who has already come.
The presenter, a Messianic Jew, who came to faith a few years ago, would almost start crying when merely mentioning the Name of Jesus. This humbled me as a believer who was raised in a “Christian” environment, both at home and in the church, believing I was a Christian, without having to take up my cross and follow Jesus.
This I only realized after coming to faith myself in 2003, although it has taken a long time to understand what it truly means to deny myself (and my flesh), in order that Jesus, through His Spirit might live in me.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2 v 20) [ESV]
We are bound to this flesh until the day we breathe our last breath. There will always be temptations and the enemy will continue to entice us. The questions is, will we allow him to succeed?
The moment you come to the knowledge of the truth and on your path of sanctification realize what it actually means to pick up your cross and die with Christ, by denying yourself, we get a glimpse of the sacrifice He made when He gave His life as a substitute for ours.
Even then we will not fully comprehend and every time we sin, we crucify Him over and over, again and again. Think about it. He died once, for all and the sacrifice we have to make, can never begin to match the price that He paid on that cross.
Our flesh should be a temple of the living God and we are to honour Him through living according to His principles. Think about it and let it sink in for a moment. God gave part of Himself and descended to earth, in the form of His Son, who in turn, saved us from eternal death, separated from our Creator, in order that our relationship with Him, as it was intended from the beginning, may be restored.
My prayer is that, starting today, we will live a Christ-filled life, by loving Him and seeking His will, through obedience. Let us take up our cross and follow our Saviour, for our reward awaits us. Amen
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
31/03/2021
Mat 23 v 25-39; Rom 6 v 1-14; Ps 55 v 1-23; Num 18 v 1-20 v 29 Freedom reigns in Christ
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it” (Rom 6 v 1-2)
Jesus, who had no sin, died a brutal death and experienced the most excruciating pain during the period leading up to His crucifixion. He sacrificed His own life so that the will of God may be accomplished.
“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for ALL” (vers 10), so that we may overcome and be dead to sin but alive to God.
Please take the time to watch this video to get an understanding of His suffering:
“For he [referring to us] who has died is freed from sin” (vers 7)
How could we who have buried the old nature through repentance and baptism, continue to allow sin to reign in us?
People who have not yet come to the knowledge of the truth and are still caught up in their sinful nature, tend to think that they are free and those who follow Christ are in bondage, when it is actually the other way around.
A simple search online for the meaning of “freedom” reveals the following:
Definition of “freedom”
The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
Oxford dictionary
Wikipedia explains that;
Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or change without constraint. Something is “free” if it can change easily and is not constrained in its present
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (vers 14)
Man has the freedom to choose, whether that entails living a life in bondage to the lusts of the flesh or a life dedicated to the One who gave us a new life through His death and resurrection.
The law convicts and condemns us and points out our sinful nature and inability to do good. For this reason Christ fulfilled the law and yet set a higher standard that we still cannot meet on our own.
Have you tried not too sin lately and then soon realised it is only by the grace of God that when you do commit a sinful act, which is inevitable, depending on your definition of sin, of course, you are convicted and feel disappointed, guilty and dirty and most of all, separated from God? Well this is the nature of sin.
How do we then overcome the bondage of sin? The answer is three-fold:
- We need to take up our cross, then
- We ought to die with Christ, through dying to self, and
- We should rise with Him through baptism in newness of life
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (vers 5).
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“
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