READY FOR JUDGMENT DAY -REVELATION 20:1-15 KEY VERSE: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them" (Revelation 20:11). Many live as if they would not give account for their actions and conducts in this world. Driven by selfish interests, they act as if they no longer have a conscience. They defy constituted authority; they trample on the rights of other people. And most times, they get away with their actions. But it will not always be so: a day of reckoning will eventually come once you shut your eyes in death. On that day, there will be no hiding place for anyone, irrespective of class and status, material well-being and popular acclaim. Once the judgment throne of God is set, all men that ever lived on earth, both small and great, would heed the inescapable summons to appear before God and be judged. All will stand before the Great White Throne to account for their a...

AT TABLE WITH THE SAVIOUR -1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-34 KEY VERSE: "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27). It is often the lot of man to turn God’s sacred practices to fads and fashion. Yet, God’s standards remain unalterable. The wise keeps to them and rejoices. The Lord’s Supper is a practical demonstration of the gospel, a vivid illustration of the death of Christ, for the sin of mankind. Through it, believers are reminded of the death of the Saviour and of the imminence and hope of His return. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper in the early Church also incorporated a love feast. This was a form of sharing and caring which preceded the actual celebration and in which all believers freely participated. Sadly, the Corinthian church soon lost this admirable tradition. It was replaced by wanton discrimination between the rich and the poor. Paul...

REBELLION DOES NOT PAY -EZEKIEL 17:11-24 KEY VERSE: "But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?" (Ezekiel 17:15). Change has taken a central place in global lexicon. This age is especially notorious or renown for change, whether for good or for evil. Man is wont to rebel against the order of the day and break the covenant of the Creator by the damning quest for change. Zedekiah’s rebellious action of sending ambassadors into Egypt to form an alliance with its king with the aim of obtaining help from him to break the Babylonian yoke spelt doom for him. How can one, guilty of a breach of covenant, and of perjury, escape the vengeance of God and man? Some children of God are impatient whenever they are in trouble. They are eager for immediate rescue. They cannot wait for God’s time nor exercise ...

TRUE REPENTANCE REQUIRED -EXODUS 8:1-15 KEY VERSE: " But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said" (Exodus: 8:15). God is too just to overlook sin and take remorse for repentance. In His justice, He warns before bringing judgment. The only response He expects from man is repentance, which is total turning away from sin. In His judgment, He always shows mercy to whosoever is truly penitent. Pharaoh was warned to expect the epidemic of frogs if he refused to let Israel go and serve the Lord. On Pharaoh’s willful refusal, Moses and Aaron, with outstretched rod, performed the miracle of judgment. It was a plague of frogs that came from the streams, the rivers and the ponds throughout the land of Egypt. Frogs invaded the houses, the ovens, the kneading troughs of both the king and his subjects. Pharaoh’s magicians, in their folly, conjured more frogs with their enchantments. At this stage, ...

HELPING THE HELPLESS -JOB 29:12-25 KEY VERSE: "Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him" (Job 29:12). On the platform stood a very small crippled body; his basket was filled with fruits and nuts to sell to passengers. The train had not yet come to a full stop when a businessman swung himself from the train and in his haste, collided with the boy on the platform. The basket was overturned and its contents scattered. The man saw what happened, yet, walked away towards the city without a word. Just then, the train stopped and a travelling man alighted. He too, had important business in the city, but here was a boy in trouble. The travelling man comprehended the situation at a glance - the scattered fruits, the crippled boy, the distress on his face, and the tears in his eyes. The man said nothing, but set down his bag, and quietly but rapidly, assisted the boy to gather and replace the fruits and packages w...

DIVINE COUNSEL -PROVERBS 19:21-29 KEY VERSE: "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21). The May 2009 edition of Readers Digest shared a story of a couple who asked a pastor to perform their marriage ceremony. He proceeded to tell them that he used to give several sessions of premarital counseling before performing weddings and would want to do so for them. The couple replied, "We don’t need counseling. We’ve both been married several times before." Guess who needed counseling most! Someone said that the trouble with good advice is that it usually interferes with your plans. How true! We need the counsel of God because it is always dependable. You cannot do without His opinion in your life. The passage under study opens our eyes to the advantages that will come our way when we accept and exalt the counsel of God in every area of our life. It will influence our desire so that we ...

PREPARE YOURSELF! -JEREMIAH 19:1-15 KEY VERSE: "And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle" (Jeremiah 19:3). A story was told about a boy who failed all his school work. He sent a text message to his mother: "Failed everything; prepare Papa." His mother, after some time, replied, "Papa prepared; prepare yourself." This is the message all mankind needs in view of the looming judgment of God. God is prepared. We need to prepare ourselves! After several attempts by God to bring backslidden Israel back into fellowship with Him, coupled with clear warnings on the impending judgment of their persistence in obstinacy and rebellion, He sent prophet Jeremiah to announce the fast approaching judgment on idolatrous Israel. The prophet was directed to deliver the message near...

GOD IS MINDFUL -PSALM 115:12-18 KEY VERSE: "The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron" (Psalm 115:12). John Claypool writes, "Do you remember Anthony DeMello’s anger as he looked one day at a starving child that was shivering in the cold and lifted his eye to heaven and said, God, how could you allow such suffering? Why don’t you do something? There was a long silence and then DeMello was startled when the voice of God said to him, "I have certainly done something-I made you!" In our text today, the Lord proved to the Israelites that He had not forgotten them. He that delivered His people from great calamities and restored them to their native land after a long and painful experience in Babylon would not forsake them. Past experiences of God’s goodness to His children furnish believers with the fullest evidence that He will continue to bless His people. His words are yea ...

NEVER DESPAIR! -JOB 30:1-14 KEY VERSE: " They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face" (Job 30:10). One of the noblest of human vocations is providing encouragement to others. It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals and pour cold water on their enthusiasm. But, Christians have a duty to encourage one another. Many a time, a word of praise or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Today’s text begins with a melancholy: "But now…". This was Job, overwhelmed by sorrow resulting from a sudden fall into horror, into the valley of ridicule and derision from the height of honour and reputation. He was cast down and depressed. It is then clear that the best of saints like Job, have sometimes received the worst of injuries from the devil. Christians should therefore not think it strange when they go through trials because our Master (Jesus) enjoyed no immunity from it (1 Peter 4:12-16).  Our duty towards others at such a...

POWER OF INFLUENCE -2 CHRONICLES 24:1-14 KEY VERSE: "And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house  Someone said: "Whenever you hear of a man doing a great thing, you may be sure that behind it somewhere is a great background. It may be a mother’s training, a father’s example, a teacher’s influence, or an intense experience of his own. But it has to be there or else the great achievement does not come, no matter how favourable the opportunity." How true this is especially for spiritual leaders! They must influence worshippers and people who have had personal encounters with God. Jehoiada, the priest, had great positive influence on the young king Joash, in doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. The single-mindedness and dogged determination...

LOVE OF GOD’S LAW -PSALM 119:97-104 KEY VERSE: "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97). It is wonderful to have people who really love the Lord and commit the whole of their lives to serve Him. It is however more wonderful to have people who serve the Lord even in the face of great trials and afflictions. Charles Wesley Naylor, born in Athens County, Ohio in January 1874 was a man moulded in the above description. In spite of many challenges he faced, he served the Lord with an unabated love, zeal and passion. His story is one outstanding example of how a stalwart personality can achieve happiness, success and usefulness in spite of the handicap of a pitifully afflicted and broken body which lasted for more than 42 years. The eight verses of our choice of meditation today aptly befit a life given to the study and love of the word of God. The knowledge of the word of God gives wisdom and an understanding above the cunning and craftine...

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017 HIS KINGDOM -LUKE 17:20-37 KEY VERSE: " And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-37) Children of God begin to experience the kingdom of God within, when they surrender to Jesus. When we become genuinely born again, we start to enjoy untold spiritual blessings made available to us through the Spirit of God. The Jews expected the kingdom of God to supersede the Roman kingdom of their own time. God’s kingdom is universal and greater than the myopic concept of the Jews. Jesus was on a journey to Jerusalem passing through Samaria and Galilee and in one of their villages, there met Him ten Lepers whom He cured. Only one of them returned to show his gratitude. It was in this process that the Pharisees asked Him matters concerning the kingdom ...

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 GOD’S SANCTUARY AMONG MEN -EXODUS 25:1-22 KEY VERSE: "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Exodus 25:2 God still seeks to dwell among men. He still craves to continue His fellowship with us just as He did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He has a burning desire to have a continuous relationship with man the crown of His creation; hence, the call to the nation of Israel to build a tabernacle unto Him where He would dwell among them. God instructed Moses on the mountain to prepare for the making of a tabernacle wherein He might dwell with man. He had to invite offerings of various kinds (metals, skins, fabric, oil and spices) from willing minds to contribute towards an abode for Him. In the New Testament, God through the Son came down t...

SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 COME OUT OF THEM -NUMBERS 16:23-35 KEY VERSE: "Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram" (Numbers 16:24). God is loving; He is a righteous judge who would not give any occasion for an excuse when He is to deliver His judgment. He had never judged any generation without giving them enough warning. Korah and his accomplices courted the wrath of God by challenging the leadership of Moses whom God appointed over His people. God told Moses to tell the congregation to leave the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram so that they would not be destroyed with the rebels. In delivering the message to the congregation, the man of God prayed them to leave the camps of the rebels.  tripleclicks.com LED TV 28 —  $170.00   (Save 15%!) This RCA 28" LED HDTV with built-in DVD player delivers 720p HD resolution to provide richer colors and more vivid details. The rear-lit LED features ...

BEHOLD HIS GREATNESS AND GLORY -PSALM 113:1-9 KEY VERSE: "The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens" (Psalm 113:4). A songwriter beheld the glory and the greatness of the Most High and rightly described Him in this manner: "The Ancient of Days, Pavillion’d in Splendour, And girded with praise." The psalmist in our text today commands all the servants of the Lord to praise Him. True servants of God are those who appreciate His ownership over their lives through creation and redemption. Praise is a necessary and most excellent duty we have towards God. He is the supreme Ruler over the earth and heaven. No matter how powerful a kingdom on earth may be, it must have its boundary. But God’s Kingdom is boundless and universal. David through the Spirit of God searched for whom he could compare God with but found none. Great men he had known could not be forever but God lives forever whose beginning and end no mortal can kno...

  Mistake were Made Cindy Hess Kasper  Exodus 32:1–5, 19–26 They gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!  Exodus 32:24 “Mistakes were made,” said the CEO as he discussed the illegal activity his company had been involved in. He looked regretful, yet he kept blame at arm’s length and couldn’t admit he had personally done anything wrong. Some “mistakes” are just mistakes: driving in the wrong direction, forgetting to set a timer and burning dinner, miscalculating your checkbook balance.  But then there are the deliberate deeds that go far beyond—God calls those sin. When God questioned Adam and Eve about why they had disobeyed Him, they quickly tried to shift the blame to another (Gen. 3:8–13). Aaron took no personal responsibility when the people built a golden calf to worship in the desert.  He explained to Moses, “[The people] gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (Ex. 32:24). He ...

Painting a Portrait Bill Crowder Philippians 2:1–11  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5 The National Portrait Gallery in London, England, houses a treasure of paintings from across the centuries, including 166 images of Winston Churchill, 94 of William Shakespeare, and 20 of George Washington. With the older portraits, we may wonder: Is that what these individuals really looked like? For instance, there are eight paintings of Scottish patriot William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), but we obviously don’t have photographs to compare them to. How do we know if the artists accurately represented Wallace? Somethin similar might be happening with the likeness of Jesus. Without realizing it, those who believe in Him are leaving in Him on others. Not with brushes and oils, but with attitudes, actions, and relationships. Are we painting a portrait that represents the likeness of His heart? This was the concern of the apostle P...