A Debt You Can Never Repay...

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

Much has been written about this verse, suggesting that it expressly forbids the believer to borrow money from others. For our part, we will not address that issue now. Instead, we will consider the part of the verse that has its meaning so apparent.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Paul here teaches us that we all owe one another a debt which we can never repay, which is an obligation to always show love to each other. Consider this. If a man owes his friend 100,000 Naira and pays 30,000 Naira, is it still necessary for him to pay the remaining 70,000 Naira? Of course! No matter how much love you may have shown to the man or the woman next to you, you still have an obligation to show even more! That man may not appreciate you. That woman may take advantage of you. That boy may hurt you over and over again. That girl may prove an unfaithful friend. But the time-honoured injunction from Bible is to love them, the same way a debtor, no matter how much he has paid his creditor, is still obliged to pay more if he has not paid up the full amount... Jyde

God the Giver 2

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are FREELY given to us of God.

1 Corinthians 2:12

Indulge me again today as I celebrate the Father of lights. Let me remind you of the God Who is a Giver, and tell of His inclination to give freely. God is by nature a Giver. This fact cannot be repeated too many times. It is important for you to think deeply about this fact and let it permeate your consciousness. God is by nature a Free Giver. We live in world where "nothing goes for nothing." The Good Samaritan, or stranger who does a favour for free is the exception, rather than the rule. No wonder we find it difficult to deal with the idea of God giving us things freely! Many times we hear men make statements like, "God is ready to give it to you, if you are willing to pay the price." Many times we are reminded to "of the cost of serving God." Thank God for the blessedness of serving Him! Thank God because He gives freely! Jyde

God the Giver

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, THAT GIVETH TO ALL MEN LIBERALLY, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James 1:6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

All over the Scriptures, God is presented to us in terms of His multiple attributes all revealing different aspects of His divine nature. We read that God is good, God is love, God is a Father, God is a consuming fire, God is a helper, God is a comforter, and a thousand and one other things in between. Today I want to remind you that one of the things that Scripture also teaches us is that God is a giver. Too many times God is presented to us by contemporary preachers as a stingy, miserly, hard-to-please Deity Who might just let you have a liitle bit of something (once in a while) if you've spent enough time running from pillar to post to get enough people to support you in prayer and fasting to get whatever it is you want from Him. Too many times we end our prayers uncertain as to the outcome because we're not sure what our Father which art in heaven will do. The truth is, with Him there is no varying, or changing. He is and will always remain the Cheerful Giver Who loves cheerful givers. Always approach your Father with confidence! He is the Great Giver of good gifts! Jyde

God and angels, and ... and ... and you!

And YOU hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:1

But now in Christ Jesus YE who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13

Now therefore YE are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Ephesians 2:19

As far back as I can remember I've always been very interested in the Bible. I remember my first one, red with a hardcover, Revised Standard Version.

What a world of discovery it was. I realized that this was a Book of books that spoke of God and angels, of devils and demons, of kings and kingdoms, of wars and warriors, of prophets and prophecies, of Jews and gentiles, of psalms and proverbs, of apostles and epistles, of talking donkeys and parting seas, and a myriad of riddles, parables and chronicles... I enjoyed it much as I later enjoyed novels, and found it rather interesting.

But the day my attitude to the Bible changed was the day I discovered it was also a Book written about ME. I saw the verses quoted above and saw that they referred to me as surely as any letter addressed to me. I saw that my destiny and my destination in life and in eternity were tightly bound to the way in which I responded to the Message of the Book and the invitation it contains.

True, the Bible is a Book about the Trinity. But it is also a Book about you! And is this so surprising? You are God's child, planned for before the foundation of the world. He loved you and he knew you and He purposed for you to take your place in His will from eternity past. Beyond the transient nature of physical things is the reality of His love for you. Go through your Bible again, and take special note of the message contained in this Book. It contains a lot of information about you!

Jyde

Forgiven, Part 2

For he hath made him to be sin for us, WHO (Christ) KNEW NO SIN; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2 Cor. 5:21

WHO (Christ) DID NO SIN, neither was guile found in his mouth:

1 Peter 2:22

And ye know that he (Christ) was manifested to take away our sins; and IN HIM IS NO SIN.

1 John 3:5

Ever since Adam and Eve left Eden, the problem of sin-consciousness has been with man. Many religions have risen and attempted to address this issue to no avail - most people sense instinctively that they fail to meet the mark when they are measured alongside a Holy and Righteous God. That is why many believers find it hard to believe that they could actually be in deed and in fact, "the righteousness of God". Consider the verses above. The reason why you are righteous is because a sinless Man took your place. The reason why you stand before God just as pure and as holy as He is is because on a particular day in history, a Man Who was just as pure and as holy as the Father bore your sins. He knew no sin, He did no sin and in Him was no sin, but He bore your own sins so that you could be sinless. He bore your sins so you could be free to walk in righteousness. Walk in righteousness. Jyde

Forgiven

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions FOR MINE OWN SAKE, and will not remember thy sins.

Isaiah 43:25

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE.

1 John 2:12

What a wonderful thing it is to be assured of the forgiveness of one's sins! So many live their lives today under a heavy burden of guilt. They can recollect so many bad things that they've done and the thought of it causes a gnawing unease in their hearts. For the believer, there ought to be no such thing. We are blood-bought and we are blood-washed. We are assured that our sins are forgiven. Not because of anything we've done, but FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE. When Christ suffered for us in his death and ressurection, the legal claims of justice were satisfied. We can no longer be made to pay the awful penalties for our sins anymore because Jesus has already borne those sins on our behalf. Now there is nothing left for us to do but to spend each day in gratitude to the One Who does not remember our sins. Now there is no more sacrifice expected on our parts but to live each day for the One Who stands for us as an advocate with the Father. Now there are no more works of the law for us to struggle to please God with, but a yielding of our lives as labourers in His vineyard to share the work of bringing in the lost! Thanks be to God for the forgiveness of our sins! Jyde

The Able Word...

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, WHICH IS ABLE to save your souls.

James 1:21

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, WHICH ARE ABLE to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:15

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, WHICH IS ABLE to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Acts 20:32

In these Scriptures a particular characteristic of the Word of God is revealed - its ability. The Word is ABLE. We cannot learn this truth well enough. We should always be conscious of it and let it rule our mentality. The ability is never in us or in anything we can do, but in the Word of God. The ability is in the Word. Not in our ability to pray, our ability to believe or our ability to do anything else. The ability is never of us. For example, in 2 Timothy Paul reminds the young pastor Timothy about the ability of the Scriptures to make us wise unto salvation. We know that all the wisdom we need with respect to God and the things of God are resident in the Word. But beyond that the ability to "make us wise unto salvation" is itself inherent in the Word. Next time you read your Bible, don't "try to catch something". The very words you are reading convey to you the truth you need to understand. Simply believe them. Next time you're facing a challenge in life, don't look to yourself or your ability to engage in any spiritual activities of any kind for help. The Word has the help you need. Next time you see a man or woman who needs a touch of the supernatural, look beyond the things our eyes can see for the ability to meet that need. Look to the Word. The Word is ABLE.

Jyde

A Willing Mind...

For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

2 Cor. 9:12

In the eighth and ninth chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul teaches about giving as it should be done in the New Testament. Verse 12 of Chapter 9 is particularly insightful. When we give, the first requirement is a willing mind. It is meaningless to give anything when the motivation is not love. Equally important is the fact that our giving is accepted according to that which we have. Too many times we make statements like, "I wish I had a million dollars. I would give it all to support the ministry." Or others like, "If I had a my life to live all over again, I would spend more time serving God." Well, you probably do not have a million dollars anywhere, and you definitely do not have your life to live all over again. What you have right now is what you are expected to give. What you can do right now is what you are expected to do. Don't wait until you have billions before you give. Don't wait until you are behind a pulpit before you preach. Don't wait until you have resigned from your job before you start labouring in the ministry. "If a man have first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that which a man hath..." Jyde