Sunday, 1st November TREASURE MINES 1
MORNING Ephesians 1:15-23
Happy new month! It ushers us into a new dawn of God's goodness in Jesus' Name. We shall be going on a treasure hunt in treasure mines this new month. Treasures abound in God's Kingdom, be it spiritual, mental, emotional or physical. These treasures are found in mines that are available to all believers in Christ Jesus for fruitful living and fulfilment of purpose. From our text this morning, we understand that these treasure mines are: hope of God's calling, riches of God's glory and God's awesome power. All these are at our disposal! To access the treasures, we must be ready to engage spiritual wisdom, spiritual knowledge and spiritual understanding. Knowledge is the ground for information. We must be divinely informed about the treasure mines from God's Word. Understanding is the ground for decoding the information by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and wisdom is the ground for intelligent knowledge application with expectation of success. Let us pray the prayer of Paul in our text this morning as we set out to mine.
EVENING Psalm 24:1-6
The Lord owns the fullness of all treasures on earth and He is ever willing to release them to His saints who set their hearts to mine the treasures. The mining procedure is very simple as revealed in our text this evening: seek His face (vs 6) with clean hands, pure and contrite heart, and disciplined mind (vs 4). Let us mine the treasures with this consciousness and we shall be blessed as we do so. (see vs 5)
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 17 - 20
Monday, 2nd November TREASURE MINES 2
MORNING Ephesians 1:15-23
Did we pray Paul's prayer yesterday as we were admonished? As we read for the second time today, let us make it our prayer. One of the treasure mines mentioned in the prayer is the “Call mine” filled with treasures of hope (hope of God's calling – vs 18). It is a mine full of treasures for stability in the face of stormy life situations. It is what keeps the vision real even when invisible to the watching eyes. It is the kind described as hope believed-in against hope which was attributed to Abraham (Rom 4:18). It transcends the ephemeral and focuses on the life assignment given to us to accomplish. God's calling is that of honour and not of disgrace. The call is first a general one unto sainthood and sonship which comes by being born again, then a specific call unto Life's assignment as God's stewards. Inside this call abides hope that does not make one ashamed. The power of hope is a treasure in our calling. When things are running against us, hope keeps us on. Let us mine this treasure this morning as we consciously recall our hope in Christ Jesus and turn it to a weapon of battle. Victory is certain with our hope of calling. Hallelujah!
EVENING Genesis 15:9-16
Abraham heard a call from the Lord for a special assignment in spite of his wife's bareness. When his hope of having his greatest desire of becoming a father was ebbing away, he got hope rekindled on the pathway of God's calling to keep him until the arrival of Isaac. God went as far as revealing things about Abraham's yet to be born child, just to reassure him that he would not die childless. It was tough but it rekindled the hope kept by Abraham. On the mine field of God's call, Abraham excavated hope and saw Isaac manifest according to God's promise. Believers are called of God. Their desires and wants receive speedy attention on the mine field of His calling.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 21 - 24
Tuesday, 3rd November TREASURE MINES 3
MORNING Matthew 17:1-9
Good morning! We are still on treasure hunts. Let us not be tired. Today, we are visiting the “glory mine” and we are excavating the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints. God's mind for His saints is for them to show forth His praise and glory. It was for this reason He called them first to sonship, then to responsibility. It is a design in God's Kingdom filled with rights and privileges but excavation has to be done to access these rights and privileges. How do we excavate? We do so from God's Word and we reason with the Holy Spirt who gives guidance. There came a time when Jesus revealed His glory in a dimension that Peter and co had never experienced hitherto. It was on a mountain top in an atmosphere of prayer. As He prayed, a transformation happened and a radiant glow was revealed leaving us with an example. The revelation of glory is a “mountain top” experience. The mountain here is our quiet time the place of engagement alone with God, Excavation is done on our knees. Let us pray ourselves into glory land.
EVENING Exodus 34:29-33
Moses radiated God's glory after spending days in His presence on the mountain top. The glory faded away gradually after Moses left God's presence (2 Corinthians 3:13) telling us that we can only mine on the glory mine field as long as we keep ourselves in God's presence. The longer we tarry in His presence, the greater the intensity of His glory. The farther away we are, the thinner the intensity becomes. It all depends on our choice.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 25 - 28
Wednesday, 4th November TREASURE MINES 4
MORNING Acts 13:1-12
We are considering the third mine field this morning: the “power mine”, having considered the “call mine” and the “glory mine” in the last two days. The power within a child of God is a treasure that we must treat with high a degree of gravity. From the power mine, we can dig out treasures of unprecedented eruptions that upstage every appearance of evil. That was exactly the scenario which played out in our text this morning. Paul and Barnabas had been separated unto a specific call by the Holy Spirit and in obedience, they set out to fulfil the call. It was all about evangelism (we all have that same call in different wrappings). A time came that Paul had to mine from the power mine of the Holy Spirit because an unforeseen contest with an agent of darkness came up. Paul made a declaration which was backed by the power of the Holy Spirit. A believer in Christ is imbued with power, same power at work when Christ rose from the dead. It is an eruption that defies all natural laws and confirms the authority we have in Christ Jesus. This is a treasure we are blessed with. However, we must dig to mine it by opening up to the Holy Spirit, the embodiment of this power. Remember, Paul was first filled with the Holy Spirit before he could exercise God's power.
EVENING Judges 15:11-15
Under the agency of the Holy Spirit, Samson could wield such an amazing power to deal with the enemy of Israel. It feels so easy and awesomely amazing when the Holy Spirit displays His power through a believer. However, the believer in question, would have been maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. The power mine is available but only accessible through the Holy Spirit. Let us strengthen our relationship with Him and experience His power eruption in and through us.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 1 - 3
Thursday, 5th November MIND THE GAP 1
MORNING Luke 24:15-27
"Mind the gap” is an audible or visual warning phrase issued to rail passengers to take caution while crossing the horizontal, and in some cases vertical, spatial gap between the train doorway and the station platform edge. This visual and auditory warning is needed to advise passengers of the risk of being caught unawares and sustaining injury by stepping into the gap. There are some gaps in a believer's spiritual life that he or she must pay attention to. One of such is knowledge gap in the things of God and His Kingdom. With knowledge gap, we are exposed to ignorance of our inheritance in Christ and we stand the risk of falling for the deceit of the devil. The Bible provides this knowledge in absolute terms. Cleopas and his friend had troubled minds over the death of Jesus as they sorrowfully travelled down to their base from Jerusalem. Jesus, who met them on the way, was alarmed by the level of their ignorance, and He eventually bridged the knowledge gap using the information from the law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets. Let us bridge our knowledge gap by the Word of God and live a life of true freedom. Let us remember that the Word of God which we know is what sets us free.
EVENING: 2 Kings 6:15-20
The lack of knowledge of God's assured presence made Elisha's servant to fret when he sighted the army that came after his boss. However, all that Elisha did to allay his fear was to pray for his eyes to be opened and have the knowledge of the overwhelming presence of heavenly host that was with them. Lack of knowledge opens the door for the torments of fear. Let us seek knowledge from God's Word and receive boldness to live a victorious life.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 4 - 7
Friday, 6th November MIND THE GAP 2
MORNING John 16: 19-28
Today, we shall be taking a look at communication gap in our relationship with the Lord. The admonition for us is to bridge this gap. Prayer is the two-way means of communicating with the Lord and when we do not do it, we create a gap. In praying, we intercede, supplicate and receive response from the Lord since it is a two-way exercise. From our text this morning, Jesus gave believers the latitude to ask and keep asking until their joy is full (vs 24). Our prayer is our voucher to access heavenly supplies. As Jesus implied, we do not just do it once but until our joy is fulfilled i.e. until we see the end of our travail. We should therefore pray without ceasing. Let us make prayer habitual and better done in the Holy Ghost. Let us bridge our communication gap.
EVENING 2 Kings 6:17-20
It is amazing how Elisha prayed thrice in our text tonight and how swiftly the Lord answered all. It speaks of a man who had always been in habitual fellowship with God. Once he knocked, he had access. The moment he asked, he received and whenever he sought, he found. We should be better than him, being under a better covenant. As we bridge the communication gap we shall operate ceaselessly in the supernatural.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel8 - 10
Saturday, 7th November MIND THE GAP 3
MORNING Luke 16:1-2, 10-13
Good morning and happy weekend! Finally, today, we shall be looking at service gap. In God's Kingdom, there is no room for idleness. We are saved to serve in the Kingdom. What do we do for the Lord in our local assembly? Answering this question will go a long way in helping us to situate the service gap that exists. We can safely draw a conclusion from Jesus' parable in our text this morning: that Believers are expected to labour faithfully for the Lord. He desires our fruitful service. We do not just serve but we do so acceptably and faithfully. The servant in our text was reported to be unfaithful in administering his master's business and this cost him his job. Can we take a look at our service gaps and make appropriate adjustments? If we are not serving at all, then let us start immediately. If we are, then let us be found faithfully doing so. We shall receive rewards for our labours according to Jesus' assessment and not men's assessment on judgment day. This Sunday presents an opportunity to bridge the gap as we go for worship service.
EVENING: Genesis 2:10-15
Right from Genesis, God had made it known to us the importance He placed on serving He provided adequately for the well-being of Adam, the first man He created and tasked him to tend the garden. There are always things to be done for the Lord. Let us identify what exactly He would have us do for Him at our place of worship and get down to work. Let us bridge the service gap.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 11 - 14
Sunday, 8th November STRETCHED, YET STANDING
MORNING 2 Corinthians 4: 3-12
To be stretched is to be made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. The capacity to withstand the pressure that comes with being stretched depends on the material one is made of. Believers in Christ are made of non-collapsible material so that no matter what we face in life, we remain in one piece. Believers are made of faith material. Our text this morning shows us the tensile strength of the material a believer is made of. It is for that reason that someone like Paul could be hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. The secret of the strength to withstand Life's pressures lies in the personal revelation we have of Jesus which builds faith in us. Let us keep building ourselves up in faith praying in the Holy Ghost. (Jude 1:20)
EVENING 2 Samuel 30: 1-6
David's soldiers were stretched to breaking point and so reacted the way they did in our text this evening. David, however, distinguished himself from others by keeping his calm even when he was stretched. He resorted to the strength he had always relied on, the Lord. While others chose to give in to fate, David simply advanced into recovery. What we have as our source of strength is what shall carry us beyond the pressures of life.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 15 - 17
Monday, 9th November STRETCH! 1
MORNING Philippians 3:8-16
There is a command to us this morning to stretch. Stretch can be defined as the ability to make or the capability of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. It is the extra effort one makes deliberately to reach a goal or height in one's daily preoccupations. Today, we are considering a believer's responsibility to stretch towards God. There is always a height to attain in God at every material time as believers and it is an unending, continuous exercise leading to one height after another till we lay our sword at the Master's feet. Paul, after admittance of his imperfection and not being there yet, (vs13) described 'stretching towards God' in our text this morning, as a resolve to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (vs 14). He added that the driving force is the unquenchable desire to know the Lord Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering (vs10). It all boils down to being intimate with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. Can we begin to stretch towards God as we develop a fresh hunger and thirst for Him in habitual fellowship and holy living? Let us forget about those things which are behind and reach forth unto those things which are before us in Christ Jesus (vs13). There are heights in God waiting for us to apprehend.
EVENING 2 Chronicles 7:1-6
Solomon stretched towards God in prayers and burnt offering as we read in our text this evening. God's response was so definite and swift. Fire fell from heaven, consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. As we stretch towards God in prayers and in presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, we shall receive swift response from God and it will be in the likeness of fire for refining and God's glory for rebranding.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 18 - 21
Tuesday, 10th November STRETCH!
2 MORNING Luke 10:25-37
In continuation with our focus on stretch, we shall be taking a look at stretching towards other people having concentrated on stretching towards God yesterday. We understand from our text this morning that we owe people around us love which most times require our stretching in order to communicate it. The certain Samaritan in our passage this morning, moved by compassion, stretched himself to cater for the urgent need of the man left half dead by robbers on the highway. Two other people who had passed by before the arrival of the Samaritan were unwilling to help because they were not willing to sacrifice their comfort and time. The Samaritan had to temporarily halt his own journey, expended some energy transporting the helpless victim to a healing home and parted with his hard-earned money for the payment of the hospital bill. Can we learn from the Samaritan this morning and extend our love to people around us in practical terms, especially the needy? God is pleased when we do so.
EVENING 1 Samuel 30:12-16
David had a promise from the Lord about recovering all he lost into the hands of Amalekites who raided his camp when he was away. However, he needed to pass the test of love on his way to actualising the recovery. Had he failed the test, he could have lost the opportunity of recovering his lost fortunes or made to labour excessively before making a head way. The Egyptian he had compassion on and helped back on his feet became the joker for the recovery. Every good we show the next person has a way of coming back to us in measures and dimensions we may never imagine. Let us be kind to men always.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 22 - 24
Wednesday, 11th November STRETCH! 3
MORNING Luke 19:12-26
Finally on the topic 'stretch', today, we are considering stretching towards ourselves. We are being admonished to go the extra mile and improve ourselves in every area of endeavour. It does not come easy and cheap most times, but when done, it is the most profitable. Two men stretched towards themselves in our text this morning when they traded with the resources they were given and gained profits. They went to work with what they had and at the end,, they were rewarded with cities. Laziness destroys potential blessings. Cities are waiting to be occupied by us but the way to getting there is by stretching through profitable labours. Let us get down to work with the gifts God has graciously endowed us with. Let us stretch to get the certifications, acquire that new skill, write that book, do the volunteer work, etc. It shall always end in profits.
EVENING 2 Kings 2:5-10
Elisha could have acted like the other sons of the Prophets by doing nothing about the information they were all privy to, which was that Elijah would be taken away on a certain day. The day came and rather than joining the other sons of the Prophets idly, considering the epoch event, he decided to stretch himself and go on the journey to the realm of the supernatural with Elijah. Elisha was rewarded with a double of what Elijah carried. Every extra effort we make towards becoming our better selves will always yield dividends.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 25 - 27
MORNING Ephesians 1:15-23
Happy new month! It ushers us into a new dawn of God's goodness in Jesus' Name. We shall be going on a treasure hunt in treasure mines this new month. Treasures abound in God's Kingdom, be it spiritual, mental, emotional or physical. These treasures are found in mines that are available to all believers in Christ Jesus for fruitful living and fulfilment of purpose. From our text this morning, we understand that these treasure mines are: hope of God's calling, riches of God's glory and God's awesome power. All these are at our disposal! To access the treasures, we must be ready to engage spiritual wisdom, spiritual knowledge and spiritual understanding. Knowledge is the ground for information. We must be divinely informed about the treasure mines from God's Word. Understanding is the ground for decoding the information by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and wisdom is the ground for intelligent knowledge application with expectation of success. Let us pray the prayer of Paul in our text this morning as we set out to mine.
EVENING Psalm 24:1-6
The Lord owns the fullness of all treasures on earth and He is ever willing to release them to His saints who set their hearts to mine the treasures. The mining procedure is very simple as revealed in our text this evening: seek His face (vs 6) with clean hands, pure and contrite heart, and disciplined mind (vs 4). Let us mine the treasures with this consciousness and we shall be blessed as we do so. (see vs 5)
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 17 - 20
Monday, 2nd November TREASURE MINES 2
MORNING Ephesians 1:15-23
Did we pray Paul's prayer yesterday as we were admonished? As we read for the second time today, let us make it our prayer. One of the treasure mines mentioned in the prayer is the “Call mine” filled with treasures of hope (hope of God's calling – vs 18). It is a mine full of treasures for stability in the face of stormy life situations. It is what keeps the vision real even when invisible to the watching eyes. It is the kind described as hope believed-in against hope which was attributed to Abraham (Rom 4:18). It transcends the ephemeral and focuses on the life assignment given to us to accomplish. God's calling is that of honour and not of disgrace. The call is first a general one unto sainthood and sonship which comes by being born again, then a specific call unto Life's assignment as God's stewards. Inside this call abides hope that does not make one ashamed. The power of hope is a treasure in our calling. When things are running against us, hope keeps us on. Let us mine this treasure this morning as we consciously recall our hope in Christ Jesus and turn it to a weapon of battle. Victory is certain with our hope of calling. Hallelujah!
EVENING Genesis 15:9-16
Abraham heard a call from the Lord for a special assignment in spite of his wife's bareness. When his hope of having his greatest desire of becoming a father was ebbing away, he got hope rekindled on the pathway of God's calling to keep him until the arrival of Isaac. God went as far as revealing things about Abraham's yet to be born child, just to reassure him that he would not die childless. It was tough but it rekindled the hope kept by Abraham. On the mine field of God's call, Abraham excavated hope and saw Isaac manifest according to God's promise. Believers are called of God. Their desires and wants receive speedy attention on the mine field of His calling.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 21 - 24
Tuesday, 3rd November TREASURE MINES 3
MORNING Matthew 17:1-9
Good morning! We are still on treasure hunts. Let us not be tired. Today, we are visiting the “glory mine” and we are excavating the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints. God's mind for His saints is for them to show forth His praise and glory. It was for this reason He called them first to sonship, then to responsibility. It is a design in God's Kingdom filled with rights and privileges but excavation has to be done to access these rights and privileges. How do we excavate? We do so from God's Word and we reason with the Holy Spirt who gives guidance. There came a time when Jesus revealed His glory in a dimension that Peter and co had never experienced hitherto. It was on a mountain top in an atmosphere of prayer. As He prayed, a transformation happened and a radiant glow was revealed leaving us with an example. The revelation of glory is a “mountain top” experience. The mountain here is our quiet time the place of engagement alone with God, Excavation is done on our knees. Let us pray ourselves into glory land.
EVENING Exodus 34:29-33
Moses radiated God's glory after spending days in His presence on the mountain top. The glory faded away gradually after Moses left God's presence (2 Corinthians 3:13) telling us that we can only mine on the glory mine field as long as we keep ourselves in God's presence. The longer we tarry in His presence, the greater the intensity of His glory. The farther away we are, the thinner the intensity becomes. It all depends on our choice.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Acts 25 - 28
Wednesday, 4th November TREASURE MINES 4
MORNING Acts 13:1-12
We are considering the third mine field this morning: the “power mine”, having considered the “call mine” and the “glory mine” in the last two days. The power within a child of God is a treasure that we must treat with high a degree of gravity. From the power mine, we can dig out treasures of unprecedented eruptions that upstage every appearance of evil. That was exactly the scenario which played out in our text this morning. Paul and Barnabas had been separated unto a specific call by the Holy Spirit and in obedience, they set out to fulfil the call. It was all about evangelism (we all have that same call in different wrappings). A time came that Paul had to mine from the power mine of the Holy Spirit because an unforeseen contest with an agent of darkness came up. Paul made a declaration which was backed by the power of the Holy Spirit. A believer in Christ is imbued with power, same power at work when Christ rose from the dead. It is an eruption that defies all natural laws and confirms the authority we have in Christ Jesus. This is a treasure we are blessed with. However, we must dig to mine it by opening up to the Holy Spirit, the embodiment of this power. Remember, Paul was first filled with the Holy Spirit before he could exercise God's power.
EVENING Judges 15:11-15
Under the agency of the Holy Spirit, Samson could wield such an amazing power to deal with the enemy of Israel. It feels so easy and awesomely amazing when the Holy Spirit displays His power through a believer. However, the believer in question, would have been maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. The power mine is available but only accessible through the Holy Spirit. Let us strengthen our relationship with Him and experience His power eruption in and through us.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 1 - 3
Thursday, 5th November MIND THE GAP 1
MORNING Luke 24:15-27
"Mind the gap” is an audible or visual warning phrase issued to rail passengers to take caution while crossing the horizontal, and in some cases vertical, spatial gap between the train doorway and the station platform edge. This visual and auditory warning is needed to advise passengers of the risk of being caught unawares and sustaining injury by stepping into the gap. There are some gaps in a believer's spiritual life that he or she must pay attention to. One of such is knowledge gap in the things of God and His Kingdom. With knowledge gap, we are exposed to ignorance of our inheritance in Christ and we stand the risk of falling for the deceit of the devil. The Bible provides this knowledge in absolute terms. Cleopas and his friend had troubled minds over the death of Jesus as they sorrowfully travelled down to their base from Jerusalem. Jesus, who met them on the way, was alarmed by the level of their ignorance, and He eventually bridged the knowledge gap using the information from the law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets. Let us bridge our knowledge gap by the Word of God and live a life of true freedom. Let us remember that the Word of God which we know is what sets us free.
EVENING: 2 Kings 6:15-20
The lack of knowledge of God's assured presence made Elisha's servant to fret when he sighted the army that came after his boss. However, all that Elisha did to allay his fear was to pray for his eyes to be opened and have the knowledge of the overwhelming presence of heavenly host that was with them. Lack of knowledge opens the door for the torments of fear. Let us seek knowledge from God's Word and receive boldness to live a victorious life.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 4 - 7
Friday, 6th November MIND THE GAP 2
MORNING John 16: 19-28
Today, we shall be taking a look at communication gap in our relationship with the Lord. The admonition for us is to bridge this gap. Prayer is the two-way means of communicating with the Lord and when we do not do it, we create a gap. In praying, we intercede, supplicate and receive response from the Lord since it is a two-way exercise. From our text this morning, Jesus gave believers the latitude to ask and keep asking until their joy is full (vs 24). Our prayer is our voucher to access heavenly supplies. As Jesus implied, we do not just do it once but until our joy is fulfilled i.e. until we see the end of our travail. We should therefore pray without ceasing. Let us make prayer habitual and better done in the Holy Ghost. Let us bridge our communication gap.
EVENING 2 Kings 6:17-20
It is amazing how Elisha prayed thrice in our text tonight and how swiftly the Lord answered all. It speaks of a man who had always been in habitual fellowship with God. Once he knocked, he had access. The moment he asked, he received and whenever he sought, he found. We should be better than him, being under a better covenant. As we bridge the communication gap we shall operate ceaselessly in the supernatural.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel8 - 10
Saturday, 7th November MIND THE GAP 3
MORNING Luke 16:1-2, 10-13
Good morning and happy weekend! Finally, today, we shall be looking at service gap. In God's Kingdom, there is no room for idleness. We are saved to serve in the Kingdom. What do we do for the Lord in our local assembly? Answering this question will go a long way in helping us to situate the service gap that exists. We can safely draw a conclusion from Jesus' parable in our text this morning: that Believers are expected to labour faithfully for the Lord. He desires our fruitful service. We do not just serve but we do so acceptably and faithfully. The servant in our text was reported to be unfaithful in administering his master's business and this cost him his job. Can we take a look at our service gaps and make appropriate adjustments? If we are not serving at all, then let us start immediately. If we are, then let us be found faithfully doing so. We shall receive rewards for our labours according to Jesus' assessment and not men's assessment on judgment day. This Sunday presents an opportunity to bridge the gap as we go for worship service.
EVENING: Genesis 2:10-15
Right from Genesis, God had made it known to us the importance He placed on serving He provided adequately for the well-being of Adam, the first man He created and tasked him to tend the garden. There are always things to be done for the Lord. Let us identify what exactly He would have us do for Him at our place of worship and get down to work. Let us bridge the service gap.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 11 - 14
Sunday, 8th November STRETCHED, YET STANDING
MORNING 2 Corinthians 4: 3-12
To be stretched is to be made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. The capacity to withstand the pressure that comes with being stretched depends on the material one is made of. Believers in Christ are made of non-collapsible material so that no matter what we face in life, we remain in one piece. Believers are made of faith material. Our text this morning shows us the tensile strength of the material a believer is made of. It is for that reason that someone like Paul could be hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. The secret of the strength to withstand Life's pressures lies in the personal revelation we have of Jesus which builds faith in us. Let us keep building ourselves up in faith praying in the Holy Ghost. (Jude 1:20)
EVENING 2 Samuel 30: 1-6
David's soldiers were stretched to breaking point and so reacted the way they did in our text this evening. David, however, distinguished himself from others by keeping his calm even when he was stretched. He resorted to the strength he had always relied on, the Lord. While others chose to give in to fate, David simply advanced into recovery. What we have as our source of strength is what shall carry us beyond the pressures of life.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 15 - 17
Monday, 9th November STRETCH! 1
MORNING Philippians 3:8-16
There is a command to us this morning to stretch. Stretch can be defined as the ability to make or the capability of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. It is the extra effort one makes deliberately to reach a goal or height in one's daily preoccupations. Today, we are considering a believer's responsibility to stretch towards God. There is always a height to attain in God at every material time as believers and it is an unending, continuous exercise leading to one height after another till we lay our sword at the Master's feet. Paul, after admittance of his imperfection and not being there yet, (vs13) described 'stretching towards God' in our text this morning, as a resolve to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (vs 14). He added that the driving force is the unquenchable desire to know the Lord Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering (vs10). It all boils down to being intimate with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. Can we begin to stretch towards God as we develop a fresh hunger and thirst for Him in habitual fellowship and holy living? Let us forget about those things which are behind and reach forth unto those things which are before us in Christ Jesus (vs13). There are heights in God waiting for us to apprehend.
EVENING 2 Chronicles 7:1-6
Solomon stretched towards God in prayers and burnt offering as we read in our text this evening. God's response was so definite and swift. Fire fell from heaven, consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. As we stretch towards God in prayers and in presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, we shall receive swift response from God and it will be in the likeness of fire for refining and God's glory for rebranding.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 18 - 21
Tuesday, 10th November STRETCH!
2 MORNING Luke 10:25-37
In continuation with our focus on stretch, we shall be taking a look at stretching towards other people having concentrated on stretching towards God yesterday. We understand from our text this morning that we owe people around us love which most times require our stretching in order to communicate it. The certain Samaritan in our passage this morning, moved by compassion, stretched himself to cater for the urgent need of the man left half dead by robbers on the highway. Two other people who had passed by before the arrival of the Samaritan were unwilling to help because they were not willing to sacrifice their comfort and time. The Samaritan had to temporarily halt his own journey, expended some energy transporting the helpless victim to a healing home and parted with his hard-earned money for the payment of the hospital bill. Can we learn from the Samaritan this morning and extend our love to people around us in practical terms, especially the needy? God is pleased when we do so.
EVENING 1 Samuel 30:12-16
David had a promise from the Lord about recovering all he lost into the hands of Amalekites who raided his camp when he was away. However, he needed to pass the test of love on his way to actualising the recovery. Had he failed the test, he could have lost the opportunity of recovering his lost fortunes or made to labour excessively before making a head way. The Egyptian he had compassion on and helped back on his feet became the joker for the recovery. Every good we show the next person has a way of coming back to us in measures and dimensions we may never imagine. Let us be kind to men always.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 22 - 24
Wednesday, 11th November STRETCH! 3
MORNING Luke 19:12-26
Finally on the topic 'stretch', today, we are considering stretching towards ourselves. We are being admonished to go the extra mile and improve ourselves in every area of endeavour. It does not come easy and cheap most times, but when done, it is the most profitable. Two men stretched towards themselves in our text this morning when they traded with the resources they were given and gained profits. They went to work with what they had and at the end,, they were rewarded with cities. Laziness destroys potential blessings. Cities are waiting to be occupied by us but the way to getting there is by stretching through profitable labours. Let us get down to work with the gifts God has graciously endowed us with. Let us stretch to get the certifications, acquire that new skill, write that book, do the volunteer work, etc. It shall always end in profits.
EVENING 2 Kings 2:5-10
Elisha could have acted like the other sons of the Prophets by doing nothing about the information they were all privy to, which was that Elijah would be taken away on a certain day. The day came and rather than joining the other sons of the Prophets idly, considering the epoch event, he decided to stretch himself and go on the journey to the realm of the supernatural with Elijah. Elisha was rewarded with a double of what Elijah carried. Every extra effort we make towards becoming our better selves will always yield dividends.
To Study Through The Bible This Year, Study Today Ezekiel 25 - 27