GENESIS 2

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him.”

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  

22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made[h] into a woman and brought her to the man

THE FIRST BLIND DATE

In the 1980’s in the UK, there was a TV programme on Saturday night called Blind date; a boy and a girl had to choose their date from behind a screen by asking three questions. This is a terrible way of choosing a girl/boy and you should never do this.

The first date night in history was in Genesis 2, and Adam had no choice.

So, how are we to choose our future wives/husbands today?

God’s word gives us some principles:

Realise that God understands your situation: vs 18. God said ‘it is not good that man is alone,’ Some people may think God doesn’t understand, everyone is getting married, why not me?

God fully understands, a faithful friend of mine, has waited on the LORD for many years, he and his now wife waited and waited and then brought them together, both of them are over the considered marriage age in China, but God knows when is the right time to bring someone into your life. They will be married shortly, and they are  shining examples of Gods grace and power.

God sees your situation. He sees that it is not good for you to be alone. however you have to understand that some are called to singleness. This is a specific calling and God knows who can handle this tremendous ministry.

I will make a help meet for Him’ – vs 18. God will make a perfect helper for you, the person God makes you will be a perfect fit. God did that with Helen. My sister in law said often to me ‘There is someone for everyone’. Little did I realise she would be in China.

He caused a deep sleep to come unto the man vs 21. So often we seek and seek to find the perfect mate. It’s only when we let go and go to sleep that God can work. We need to go to spiritual sleep and let God work. We are so active thinking we can find the right person for us, that we miss what is really important. We need to have God’s choice, not ours, and not someone’s else choice.

A word to parents and church members: it is not your job to be a matchmaker, let God lead as he is the perfect matchmaker.

Finally, he brought her to the man: he made the woman and then he brought her to the man. If God has not brought him/her into your life it is because He is making your mate, and if He is making her/him spiritually, then he will surely bring her to you.

Single Christian, wait for the Lord. He will bring your mate to you, if he wants you to be married then he will bring that one to you.

Trust Him to do so, wait for the Lord; do not have the blind date mentality.

Whilst you are waiting God is preparing you and him/her spiritually.

God bless you

KK

 GENESIS 24

READ WHOLE OF GENESIS 24

LED TO YOUR LOVE

So how can we find our perfect partner? It’s a minefield today. We have so many people giving us advice, even people in church seek to play matchmaker for singles in their church. If you haven’t done, I certainly have.

Abraham was sending his servant to find a wife for Isaac his son. In this chapter we have some good principles for us.

In verse 4 Abraham told his servant to go the land of his brethren to obtain a wife for Isaac; likewise it should be for us. Christians should only date, and certainly only marry other believers. Look at the trouble the children of Israel got into through mixed marriages, and indeed the trouble nowadays that believers get themselves into by going into marriages and relationships with unbelievers.

In verse 9, there was a commitment to keep to this. As Christians we need our young people to make a covenant to keep to the promise of verse 4. Not just to marry a Christian, but to keep themselves pure also BEFORE MARRIAGE.

The servant went to the right place at the right time: see vs 11-13. We need to look for a wife in the right environment. You will not find a good Christian wife at the local bar, but you will find them in church or in a Christian setting.

Look how much Abraham prayed and how much he let the Lord lead him. To find a Godly Christian wife/husband, you have to seek God and leave it to GOD. Proverbs 3:5-6 come to mind here. The servant leaned on God’s understanding and God lead him.

5.Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
   and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make straight your paths.

Just as the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out. God is always ahead of you, he knows your need. God is always one or even many more steps ahead of us. Amen.

This is a story of faith and complete trust in God. This is a short devotion so I can’t tell the whole story, but we see the principles of praying always, making a commitment to God and then letting God lead.

If you do this young single believer, God will do the rest, See how easy it was to convince both Rebekah and her family to come to Isaac.

Two more points: You know Isaac’s sons. Firstly Esau married outside the family just to upset his parents, and then Jacob, – look how much trouble he got into because he didn’t trust the Lord. Indeed he was dealing with the same Laban we see here in Chapter 24.

A personal note here: I tried and tried to find a wife, made a bad decision which led to a failed marriage and divorce. It was not until I let God lead and fully trusted Him, did he bring Helen into my life.

Trust and obey God, let him lead you to his choice for you.

God bless you

KK

JUDE

9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil (Satan), and[a]arguing about the body of Moses, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but [simply] said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

9 DISPUTING WITH THE DEVIL

This verse seems very obscure, but it so wonderful.

It shows us some things about how to defeat the devil, but also urges caution.

Firstly the caution, Michael who is one of the senior angels, and here he is disputing with the devil. Look at what he is saying. He does not bring an accusation against him, he says The Lord rebuke you. He does not use his own power or authority, he uses the authority of God. Likewise we have to use the authority of Christ’s name, unlike the seven sons of sceva, who tried in their own strength to handle the devil. You cannot handle the devil in your own strength, but you can use the authority you have in Christ.. use the name and the blood to defeat HIM.

Secondly, look at the tactics of the enemy. In Deuteronomy chapter 34 verse 6, it says that no one knows where Moses was buried. The tactic of the devil is to sidetrack the church into disputing about issues that are not important.

Church, you need to stop doing the devil’s work. His tactic is to entangle the church in petty arguments about minor points. You would of thought the devil would be discussing some major point, but here he is talking about the body of Moses.

Let’s be careful, and not get involved in petty disputes over words. So many Christians spend their lives disputing over some minor points of doctrine. Also don’t handle the devil on your own, you have the armour of God, you have the blood of Christ and you have the power of the name of JESUS

。

Use them wisely and use them often!

God bless you

Keith

ISAIAH 1

13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

BRINGING THE WRONG THINGS TO GOD

The Bible is so full of comforting words.  So it may come as a shock, when we read passages like this.  The church today loves to say that it’s like the Children of Israel, when they went to the promised land. Let’s hope that isn’t the case, given that it took them 40 years to travel to reach the Promised Lan when it should have only taken 3 months!  What happened when they got to the Promised Land is also something we do not want to imitate;  they started quite well but their idolatry placed them back in bondage.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in sixty six chapters words of divine comfort, but also of divine warning. Here God sets out his case against his people, oh we say, it doesn’t apply to us, it applies to the Children of Israel. Who are you kidding? It does apply to us, because we do all the things outlined above.

God does not appreciate any kind of sham worship.. JESUS said that God should be worshipped God in spirit and in truth John 4:24. Are you as a church doing any of the things that God is not interested in?

Look at verse 13, solemn meetings and assemblies. You can have meeting after meeting, but they can mean nothing. The Ephesian church in Revelation 2, had much activity, but it was still criticised by Jesus as a church that had left it’s first love. Meetings and activities do not equate to spirituality or revival.

If our worship to God is not right, then we can pray all we want. Our hearts need to be right before Him. Remember if we regard sin in our heart, then what happens?  GOD WILL NOT HEAR US.

These are frightening words, they should make every Christian, every pastor and every church tremble.  The Lord is saying.. I am sick of all this sham religion, believe me, he can see right through it.

Let us bring the right things to God, let us bring sincere hearts longing to be made right by Him.  

Please read Psalm 24 for further study, it will tell you the right things to bring to God.

God bless you

keith

1 COR 11

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

REMEMBERING OUR LORD

Having communion is probably on of my favourite aspects of my life in Church. It is a wonderful time of worship and praise.

When we have communion, we need to do these things:

We need to be reverent, the believers in Corinth, acted in clear disregard to God’s table, they were drunk at it. We need to come in quietness and take these things very seriously, this is not a thing to be done lightly.

We need to reflect, on the awesome sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, his body was broken for us, his blood was shed for us. 

We need to repent, when we look at the cross and our saviour’s sacrifice, it gives us a true picture of our sin, we are not to come to the Lord’s table, carrying sin and bitterness. As we reflect on the sacrifice of Calvary, this will lead us to repent.

This leads to remembrance, Jesus said  how we are to remember him. He put the focus on his death. If anything is able to keep us grounded and humble, it is the cross, you wont be able to continue to live in pride when you look at the cross.

Finally, the Lord’s supper, it is a time for rejoicing, one day, Jesus will come again. Having looked back to the cross, we now look forward to the promise of his coming.

One day, we will eat the marriage supper of the lamb  with him, that’s something to look forward to.. amen

God bless you

kk

KK 

JUDGES 2

1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?




IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG




All through their wilderness wanderings, the children Of Israel had been warned that they must not associate with the people of the land. 




In Chapter 24 of Joshua, they had pledged to serve God and him alone and here barely two chapters into Judges, we have the angel of the Lord asking why they had broken their covenant with God.




The problem started in Chapter 1, so many of the children did not conquer the land they were given. They compromised with the people of the land. They were to destroy the people of the land, but instead they compromised with them.

The book of Judges shows what happens when a child of God compromises with the world, it is a book of missed opportunities. It is a book of broken promises.. broken covenants.

So how does this apply to us. Well we make promises every Sunday, we re-dedicate our lives on Sunday and are compromising in Monday.. amen.




We are like the Children of Israel. Let me explain.

Your pastor is like Joshua in Chapter 24 of his book, he is saying.. Who will serve the Lord?. we all stand and say Oh We will we will. Maybe we will set up a memorial like the children of Israel did, maybe we will write down the date of that commitment.




How often are we like the children of Israel?




We forget our commitment that we made very quickly, just like the children of Israel did. God never breaks his covenant with us, so how can we so easily break our covenant with Him?




Why don’t we follow through with our commitment, simply said it’s because we refuse to throw down our idols. So many times, the kings of Israel put away their idols, but when that Good king died, they were brought out again, it’s like us, we just move our idol like our TV to another room. Maybe we should be like Josiah who ground the idols to dust.




God wants to ask you the question at the end of verse 2




 why have ye done this?

Basically, why have you broken my covenant?

Why have you not obeyed me?

Why haven’t you broken down your idols?

Why have you compromised with the world?




It’s time to keep your covenant with God.. He’s keep his with you

God bless you

Keith

EZEKIEL 34

2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

FALSE SHEPHERDS

Over a period of 400 years, prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and others warned the people to put away their idols and return to the Lord. Israel not only rejected the message, they killed some of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

In the Book of Ezekiel, the children of Israel are in captivity in the land of Babylon. In this passage, God condemns the leaders of His people for serving themselves, while neglecting those who were under their care.

In this passage, God refers to His people as “His sheep.” Jesus also refers to those who follow Him as “Sheep.” (See John 10).

Ezekiel is not the only prophet God used to show His anger towards the leaders of His people. In the book of Jeremiah, God displays His utter disappointment with the pastors and prophets.

One of the most powerful chapters of the Bible is Jeremiah 23. While Jeremiah was preaching repentance and impending judgment, these preachers were lying to the people, saying that there would be peace.

The Babylonian army had come twice and taken people to Babylon; Jeremiah warned the people not to resist, but his message was rejected. The people did not believe that judgment would come until King Nebuchadnezzar broke through the walls of Jerusalem.

For Christians, the question is, “What does God have to break in your life before you realize that He is trying to get your attention?”

It appears that the church has learned very little from Israel’s failings and faults.

We have preachers that refuse to preach against sin, enriching themselves with tithes and offerings, while neglecting to teach the whole counsel of scripture.

Churches are crumbling, saints are struggling and pastors are saying that everything will be okay.

Let me give you an example. The website Covenant Eyes says that 65% of Christian men view porn images once a month. Also, it is reported that 49% of Christians believe that there are multiple ways to heaven. The purity and belief of the pew is directly linked to the purity and power coming from the pulpit.

Ezekiel tells these false shepherds that they have sought to “tickle people’s ears.” Look at what he says in verses 2 and 3, the shepherds “feed not the flock.”

As a pastor or teacher reading this: Are you feeding the flock of God vs 2-3?

God is calling for preachers and pastors to be true to His Word and His people. To place the cross above popularity, politics and profits.

Let us pray that we do not relive the pain and suffering experienced by the children of Israel.

Luke 4
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Jesus is the true shepherd. He will feed his flock, He will open the eyes of the blind, and bind up the wounds of the broken. He will lead His sheep to green pastures.

There is an old hymn which says, “What a friend we have in Jesus! All our needs and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.” There is no need too great for our Lord. He is our Shepherd. He is our Savior. He is our Friend. He is our all. Trust Him today.

If you are looking for peace in these troubling times, give your burdens to the Lord and receive His rest.

God bless you
kk

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ISAIAH 62

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silent.

ARE YOU A WATCHMAN?

Nanjing is surrounded by high mountains and it has a wall that is over 200 feet high. It stretches around the entire city providing a defence against potential invaders.

There is a big wall like Nanjing or York in the UK, but if you don’t have anyone on the wall to sound the alarm when it is attacked, then the city will be taken by the enemy.

Nowadays more than ever, we need people who will sound the alarm…especially to the church.

The walls of the church are being attacked by misguided believers, the world and the devil. Where are the Christians who will sound the alarm?

In Ezekiel chapters 3 and 33, the prophet is commanded to warn the people when he sees judgment coming. If he failed to do so, then he would be held accountable for what happened to the people.

Has God called us to warn the people of our day? I believe He has…Spurgeon said ” If you have no desire to see others saved, then you are not saved yourself”

You can be a watchman by:

Warning the church of dangers…that is telling them about false teachers

Warning the unconverted about the judgement to come

It’s time!

Time to get out of our comfort zone!

Time to get off the sofa!

Time to turn off the TV and get onto the wall and sound the alarm!

God bless you
kk

LEVITICUS 16

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

JESUS OUR SCAPEGOAT

You are playing in the championship football game; a player from your team has a penalty kick to win or tie the game.

He misses, and your team loses the contest.

Everyone on the team blames him for losing the game.

The player becomes what is known as the “scapegoat.”

The term “scapegoat,” which is often used to identify a person who is responsible when things go wrong, has a completely different meaning in the Bible.

According to the passage in Leviticus, a “Scapegoat,” provides the means by which God extended forgiveness to sinners.

The ordinance of the scapegoat in Leviticus involved two goats.

The high priest was to cast lots to determine which goat would live and which goat would die.

The goat that was chosen to die would be sacrificed on the altar.

Its blood would be used to sanctify the Most Holy Place and the altar of sacrifice.

Next, the high priest would take the live goat and lay his hands on its head.

This act symbolized the transfer of the sins of the people onto the goat.

The living goat, bearing the sins of the people, would then be released into the wilderness never to return.

The scapegoat in Leviticus typifies the work of Christ in bearing our sins.

Jesus did no wrong; no evil ever came out of His mouth, but on Him was laid the sins of his redeemed people.

He is our scapegoat; He made atonement for us by taking on our sins.

The two passages below illustrate this fact:

1 Peter 2:21-25

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Lord Jesus is our scapegoat; all of our sin has been placed on Him.

Let us now place our faith in Him that we may experience the grace of God, and receive His great salvation.

God bless you
kk

JOB 42

3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

JOB’S CLEAR VISION

Job had gone through a lot and now God has responded to him in the form of a whirlwind.  God did not tell Job why he permitted the devil to afflict Job. Please note that this affliction did not come from God; He allowed Satan to afflict Job up to a point.  Satan was allowed to take everything from Job except one thing…his life.  

It says later in the Bible, that the thoughts of God are far above our thoughts.  Our finite minds are unable to fully comprehend the purpose of God.  This is especially true when it comes to suffering. 

Job’s vision here is beautiful, it is like the one given later to Isaiah. Both of them knew God, they had heard God, they were in fellowship with God, God had spoken to them, but now through divine revelation, God had revealed himself to them.

Note both of Isaiah’s and Job’s vision had some similarities:

They both knew God, he had spoken to them, but this was something deeper. You know you can go to church for years and you can say like Job, I have heard thee by the hearing of the word, but now I see you. We need to have a vision of the glory of God like both Isaiah and Job had and indeed like Moses did. John had the same thing, he knew Jesus personally, he was the one who leaned on Jesus, but in Revelation 1, he had a vision of the glorified Jesus.

They all had the same response, they all fell on their faces. Moses, John, Isaiah and Job all fell on their faces in light of the awesome majesty of God.  Confronted by the majesty and holiness of God, Isaiah and Job became aware of their sinfulness.  And in each instance God showed them mercy.  And He longs to show us mercy as well.

Too many Christians spend their lives listening to good preaching, and enjoying great worship, and yet they never experience a deep and moving relationship with the Lord.  

What about you?

Have you heard the word of God, but have not responded to it?  When we meet Job he is very religious.  The Bible calls him “ blameless.” Was he saved?  He certainly had faith in God, and in the end the Lord honored that faith by healing his body and restoring all that was lost.  Today, we do not need for God to appear in a whirlwind in order to experience His presence in our lives.  We have His Word.  Jesus said, “That if any man comes to me, I will in no wise cast out.  Here’s a question:  Have you experienced the presence of God?  Is He real in your soul?  The same God who spoke to Job is speaking to you today.  Turn away from your sins and make Him Lord of your life today.  

God bless you

Keith

NAHUM 1

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

FOUR TRUTHS ABOUT GOD THAT SHOULD BRING US COMFORT

Nineveh and Assyria, were the top regional powers at that time and Nahum was called to prophesy against them, but he was much more than a bringer of doom and gloom, his name means comfort and his prophesy about the end of these two godless powers, was to bring great comfort to Judah.

Now you probably wont find many devotions on the book of Nahum, these are the clean pages of the bible, but this verse is so wonderful. 

It teaches us four truths: 

God is good, don’t we know it. Every day he showers us with blessings 

Psalm 68

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

James 1:17 
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.

His goodness is so amazing, we need to realise how good God truly is. 

Secondly, he is our stronghold, whenever we are in trouble, we can run to him.

Psalm 18, puts it beautifully 

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

Whenever we are in trouble, our Lord is there, he has placed the comforter, the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Thirdly, He knows us, Psalm 139 tells us, he knows us from head to toe and not only that his knows us as his children.

What a wonderful thing to be called a child of the king of kings, I think that this is the greatest privilege in the world. Do you agree?

Lastly, we can trust in him, why because he is absolutely and totally trustworthy.

God is and always will be faithful to us, we are often faithless, but he abideth faithful.

2 Timothy 2

13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Psalm 119
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

These and other wonderful truths about God, should bring us great comfort.

Nahum was called comfort.

May these amazing truths, bring you and I great comfort.

God bless you

kk

Choose Your Words Wisely

“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore, let thy words be few… Ecclesiastes 5:2.”

Solomon, who the Lord used to pen these words, was full of wisdom. Scripture tells us apart from the Lord Jesus, he was the wisest man who ever lived.

What we are to remember from this verse is that God sees and hears everything we say; you mutter under your breath, he hears that; he hears ever little bit of gossip people say.

We think the more words, we say the better. We look and think, if I say this or that, I will be recognized.

Remember, Job’s friends were ok, until they opened their mouths! Their words did not edify Job or bring him closer to God.

How many words are you saying? What words are you saying? Are they words of encouragement and words of blessing?

Do your words draw people closer to God or drive them further away from him?

Remember God is in the heavens and hears everything and He weighs the intention behind all our words.

God bless you, Keith

Further, Deeper and Higher

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day that ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord… Joshua 24:14-15.”

In this passage, the life of Joshua, a mighty man of God, is ebbing away. He has seen it all; he grew up in Egypt and he and Caleb are the only ones to have been allowed to enter Canaan.

As the leader, it was Joshua’s role to say these things, indeed there is only one other who possibly could do this and that’s his good mate Caleb. Both were part of the twelve spies but unlike the other ten, they had the vision of God; they were the ones to believe and put their trust in God to assure victory.

This rallying call will be echoed down through the centuries. For example, you can hear Elijah saying it on Mount Carmel, David saying it to the Jewish People, and Jeremiah pleading with tears to the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem.

Although the Israelites in Joshua’s day had conquered most of the Promised Land, they needed to know stagnation and standing still are not an option. As Joshua rightly points out, there is more land to be captured and more battles to be won.

Standing still in the Christian life is backsliding. There has to be no complacency. Just because you have served God and he has blessed you in the past is no guarantee for tomorrow.

We should make a daily decision to serve the Lord and put away any idols that stop us going further, deeper and higher with God. Like the Israelites, we have a choice and this is a daily choice.

The Children of Israel made a sweeping declaration that they would serve the Lord, but it didn’t last long. That is why every day, we commit anew.

Let us commit to go further, deeper and higher with God.

God bless you, Keith

In Spirit and In Truth

“Jesus replied, “Woman, believe Me, a time is coming [when God’s kingdom comes] when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You [Samaritans] do not know what you worship; we [Jews] do know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth… John 4:21-24.”

This is probably one of the greatest discourses between Jesus and the people whom he met. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus displays His ability to connect with those who were considered outcasts. Conversations such as this one with the woman at the well reveal the heart of our Savior. And it reminds us that we serve a King who delights in showing compassion and mercy to those who broken and lost.

In his conversation with the woman, Jesus sought to open her eyes to her own spiritual thirst, and His ability to satisfy that thirst through faith in Him alone. But the woman, like many of us had a past. However, her past did not stop Jesus from connecting with her, and your past will not stop Him from connecting with you, if you are willing to receive Him.

The woman, realizing that Jesus was more than a man looking for a free drink, shifts the discussion to worship. What she did not know was the One she was speaking with knew all about worship. The woman told Jesus that her people (the Samaritans) worship God in their place, and that the Jews worship the Lord in Jerusalem. Jesus responded by telling her that worship is not about being at a specific place, nor is it exclusive to a particular ethnic group. He goes on to say that true worship will be based on a relationship with the Living God.

The old Jewish form of worship based on animal sacrifices was soon to be fulfilled in the ultimate and great sacrifice of the Son of God. Jesus, through His work of redemption at Calvary was creating a new and living way for anyone to enter into the presence of God (See Hebrews 10:19-22). In essence, Jesus says, “You Samaritans have no idea what you worship; the Jews think they do; but God is seeking those who will worship Him based on a relationship with HIs Son, Jesus Christ.”

This is so incredible and let me leave you with this: Have you any idea of who or what you are worshipping? We are not worshipping a thing or an object; we are worshipping the living God. So how does this affect our worship? On Sunday, do you worship God in Spirit and in truth? Do you worship Him with all your heart? Or is your worship just a show? Like the Samaritans, do you know who you worship? Or like the Jews, do you have a form of worship but no love for God?

This passage teaches that God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. To worship Him in spirit and truth begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ. Next, our worship must be sincere, not pretentious. True worship transforms us, encourages us and sustains us.

What kind of worshipper are you?

God bless you, Keith

Religious or Repentant

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you; this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbled himself shall be exalted… Luke 18:10-14.”

The Pharisee sought to justify himself. He was arrogant and prideful. Everyone thought he was addressing God, but he was in fact addressing himself。 You see the same type of people in church every week. They are just a little bit better (or think they are) than the rest.
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The publican was a man who knew what and who he was. He was a sinner and was aware of his sin. Unlike the Pharisee who knew only his so-called self-righteousness.

This publican talked to God. But he couldn’t even look up to heaven. He showed a holy reverence for God. and by the beating of his chest, he expressed genuine sorrow and repentance.

So, which are you? Are you someone who goes to church twice a week and gives tithes but only has a form of religion? Jesus would say you are like a tomb full of dead men’s bones? You have a form of godliness, but you deny the power of God.

There are many like this; they may even hold a high office in the church but are filled with self-righteousness and of their own importance. Jesus will say that he never knew them when it comes to Judgment Day.

We must all come to God like the publican; he stood afar off. But like the prodigal son, when he was a great way off, the Father saw him and ran to Him.

God sees your heart; he sees the heart that is repentant and he will accept you right where you are.

God bless you, Keith

Sitting Still or Standing Strong?

“Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the LORD has given them…? Numbers 32:6-7.”

This is a question that every Christian needs to be asked. Are you as a Christian who chooses to not sit on the sidelines, while your brothers and sisters are engaged in spiritual warfare?

Moses asked this question of his brethren, and it has application for us today. Yes, we have to be refreshed at times and take time out for rest. Jesus even took time out with his disciples, when He said…”let’s go and rest a while in Mark 6.

Many of us are engaged in hand to hand combat with the enemy. As Christians, we are called to fight a fight that will not stop until the day we die. We are up against an opponent, who is very powerful; an adversary that cannot be defeated with carnal weapons. We must fight Him with the “Whole Armor of God.” (See Eph. 6:10-18)

The children of Reuben and Gad had settled on the east side of the Jordan River. Their refusal to cross over the Jordan with their brethren was not only a betrayal of duty, it became a source of discouragement for the remaining tribes who were about to fight for their very existence as a nation and as a people.

When we sit out of the battle, or simply give up, we not only experience defeat in our personal walk; we may cause others to lose heart as they seek to go into battle.

If you have become comfortable sitting in the pews, I want to encourage you to suit up for the battle for the souls of men and women. Christianity is not a spectator sport; it is a war between the people of God and the adversary of our souls. But through Christ we have the victory!!

The time is short, and the return of the Lord is near. When Christ returns, will He find you in the midst of the fight, or on a spiritual vacation?

God bless you,

 kk

Keith

THE 5 W’S OF Service

1 Kings 18

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

I want to put everything into perspective. Serving the Lord is such a privilege, it is the outflow of knowing the Lord.

When the Lord called me to write, he called me using these verses, so these verses are very precious to me.

Let’s look at the five W’s of serving GOD, through these wonderful verses.

THE WHO OF SERVICE VS 36

Elijah knew who he served; he knew that he served the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We serve the all-powerful God, we can serve him, because we know who he is. We can have this amazing confidence in preaching the gospel and sharing Christ, because we are not serving gods of wood, stone and iron, like the 450 prophets of Baal were.

Do you have that confidence?

We know that the same God who did the miracles in the lives of his former saints, is still the same today. He doesn’t change and his power does not weaken.

THE WHERE OF SERVICE VS 36

We serve God in two situations, first of all, we serve God in the midst of the world, we seek to share Jesus in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. We live in the world, but we are not of it. 

Secondly, we serve God’s people. Look at the time, Elijah was serving and sacrificing, at the time of the evening sacrifice. We are to serve God’s people in the local church community, that is where we serve. Our gifts are for the edification of our fellow brothers and sisters.

THE WHAT OF SERVICE VS 36

Luke 17:10 says

So, you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

What are we?

We are nothing really, God is everything.

Elijah says, that he is God’s servant, he doesn’t try to grab any of the glory for himself.

Someone put it like this” We are nobodies, seeking to tell everybody about somebody who saved my soul”.

THE WORD OF SERVICE VS 36

We all want to serve GOD, we want to be at the forefront, me included. So often we fail in our service for God, we fall flat on our faces and we wonder why.

The reason is that God didn’t tell us to do that thing, we are led by our flesh, we need to make sure that the service we do, is because the Lord tells us to..

We do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ.

THE WHY OF SERVICE VS 37

This is the most important one, why do we serve God.

We serve God for one reason and that is to turn the hearts of the people back to God. How can you spot a faithful ministry or a faithful preacher?

They are seeking to bring people closer to God, they are seeking to lead people to Christ, they are seeking to uplift God and the gospel. It is not about them.

It’s all about Christ

THE RESULTS OF GOD’S SERVICE VS 38-39

When we keep to the five w’s, God does certain things:

He shows his power.

The people worship God.

They acknowledge HIM AS GOD

They turn from their idols and serve God

Right service brings right results, God blesses right service.

Elijah honoured GOD, so God honoured Elijah.

In all we do, lets serve God in the right way, we will surely get the right results.

God bless you

Keith

True Faith



“And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net… Luke 5:3-5.”

True faith is taking God at His Word. There are many examples of true faith in the Bible, and in this passage, Peter is about to learn that lesson. To many of His day, Jesus was the new teacher in town, and when He talked, people listened. In this text, Jesus requests the use of a boat in order to keep the crowd from smothering Him as he spoke. The boat that He got into belonged to Peter. What Peter did not realize is that the moment Jesus stepped into the boat; life would never be the same.

After preaching to the multitude, Jesus turns His attention to a crowd of one: Peter. He directs his future disciple to launch the boat out into the sea for a catch. Peter’s response was based on experience. He was being real with Jesus. Many times, when Jesus asks us to do something that appears not to make sense, we feel the need to get real with Jesus, and tell him our situation. We often stop at the first part of peter’s answer. We say, we have tried everything, but no result. The response from Peter is incredible. Here he is an experienced fisherman and he is trusting this carpenter turned teacher.

Remember that Jesus was and is God; he knows everything and he understands everything. His deity shines through in this story, Jesus knows us totally; he knows our needs and he provides. Peter shared with Jesus the fact that he and his friends had been fishing all night long and caught nothing. However, Peter did not stop there. What he says next would change his life forever: “Nevertheless, at Thy Word I will let down the nets.”

Faith looks beyond our obstacles! Perhaps you have toiled all year at your church and seen no fruit… don’t give up! Keep letting down your nets. The fish will come in due time. Peter obeyed Jesus, even when it did not make sense. Listen carefully: Jesus did not need to know anything about fishing, because He was in control of the sea and the fish that were in it! As soon as Peter let down the nets, Jesus called for the fish to fill them! And that principle works for you and me today. Jesus knows what we are dealing with, and He has the power to command every situation to bow to His will.

So take Him at His Word, and wait patiently on Him to move on your behalf. Faith is summed up in this verse in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Peter and his fellow fishermen were tired. They were frustrated. They were demoralized. But, this one act of obedience by Peter transformed a long night of failure to a moment of overwhelming success!

There is another important lesson we must consider. After looking at the abundance of fish, and the financial benefit that would come from the catch, Peter took another leap of faith: He walked away from the fish, and the financial success to follow Christ. As Christians, there are two insights we gain from this passage: First, we need to take God at His Word and let down our nets. Second, we need to be willing to walk away from the “catch” and follow Christ, depending on Him and Him alone to meet our needs.

God Bless, Keith

A Passionate Heart

“A prophecy: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi… Malachi 1:1.”

Malachi was a very special prophet. He was the last prophet to speak before the long silence of 400 years and he had a real passion for speaking truth. So, what did Malachi have a passion for? He had a passion or a burning desire for God, and for God’s honor.

Look at verse 6 of chapter 1:

“A son honors his father and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

Let me ask you… Do you have a passion for God’s honor and glory? Do you have a burning desire for God Himself? Malachi had a passion for the word of God. The word of God was being trampled underfoot. It was listened to but not obeyed, just like it is today. Does that make you burdened or even angry?

Malachi had a passion for God’s work. All through the book, especially in chapter 1, he sees the altar of the Lord being polluted (vs 7). He sees eye service to the work of God and he is burdened and passionate to speak out under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Malachi has a passion for God’s people. They were living lives that appeared to the outsider, good and sacrificial lives, but in reality, within they were living lives that were a lie.

There were many in Malachi’s day, which saw the same things, but said nothing… It is the same today. Be open to the Spirit’s voice. Share God’s passion with the world. Share God’s passion with His church.

God bless you, Keith