That You May Know

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God- Ephesians 3:19

The next most important thing after salvation is knowledge. Now, you have come to a knowledge of your reconciliation with Christ, you need to know what that reconciliation has done for you. You need to know how the sacrifice of Christ directly affects you. You need to know who you are now in Christ.

The apostle Paul prayed this prayer for the Church at Ephesus that they would know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. That is, beyond head knowledge, you need a heart knowledge of the love of Christ. Beyond a mental assent, you need a revelation knowledge of the love of Christ.

And what benefit is that to you? The text goes on to say,…”that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Having a revelation knowledge of the love of Christ leads you to be full of God. The heart knowledge of the love of Christ leads you to be conscious of God.  

Friend, you can personalize this prayer and spend more time studying the Epistles. You will find that by the day, you will grow in your knowledge of the love of Christ. You are blessed. God loves you. Yes, you!

SAY THIS: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Love. As I study the Word and spend time in prayer, I discern Your Love more by the day. Amen

The House of God

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Where does God dwell? In a building? In a church building? Or In you? Well, God dwells in you! Hallelujah! God does not dwell in temples made by hands, He has chosen to dwell in you. You are the temple of the Lord. You are God’s habitation. God lives in you. I mean, the God of the universe has chosen to dwell in everyone who believes in Him through His Spirit.

If you meditate on this for a while, you will realize that it is too much of a privilege that God has given us. One that we must regard and hold in high esteem. I believe the consciousness of this will lead anyone who believes in Him not to give in to temptation, realizing that the God in Whom is no sin lives on the inside of us.

1 Corinthians 6:19

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

This is the reality of the man of Christ. God dwells in him. God lives on his inside. Wherever he is, God is. When he goes to a church building, God is there because he is there and vice versa. You carry the presence of God wherever you go. You are the house of God. This is something to believe. This is something to cherish and acknowledge every day. So you get up in the morning and begin to proclaim, Oh Lord, thank You for choosing to live in Him. Thank You for taking habitation in me. Thank You for making me Your house. Be conscious of this always.

SAY THIS: Lord, thank You for choosing to live in Him. Thank You for taking habitation in me. Thank You for making me Your house. Hallelujah! I therefore go conscious of this always.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you

Now in Christ

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:12-13.

It would interest you to know that there was a time when only the Jews knew the only true God. Everyone else had no hope and were without God in the world. As long as you were not a Jew, you didn’t know God. But now in Christ Jesus, we who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Hallelujah!

The middle wall of partition has been broken down. And now both Jew and Gentile alike have access to the Father by one Spirit. Glory! Who made this possible? Jesus! It’s all Him! He did it for us! He is our peace. He abolished in His flesh the enmity. Through the Cross, we all have access to the Father.

And now in Christ Jesus, there is no Jew or Gentile. What we have now is one new man—the man in Christ. Hallelujah! Who is this man? He is a new creature. He has been reconciled to God. Fellowship with God has been restored for this man. Once you believe in Jesus, this is your lot. You are new man! Washed clean and made anew by the precious blood of Jesus.

This is why there is nothing to boast in ourselves. Our boast is in Christ Jesus. He did the work to bring peace. This is something to be thankful for. So now we are no more hopeless and without God. We have access to God once we believe in Him. Oh, what a privilege to be in Christ. Oh, what a privilege to be called sons of God. Friend, you have something to rejoice in. So rejoice!

SAY THIS: Lord Jesus, You are awesome. Thank You for making peace between man and God. Thank You because today we have hope and access to God.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you!!!  

God is Good (5)!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)- Ephesians 2:4-5

In the previous devotional, we saw the story of a woman caught in adultery and how God’s goodness was shown to her. Today, we look at the story of another woman who had been married five times and the man she was currently living with wasn’t even her husband. On this blessed day, she encountered Jesus. So how did they relate? Let’s see!

John 4:16-18

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

If you read the preceding verses, Jesus had a conversation with this Samaritan woman about Him providing a water that would make her never to thirst again. And she literally took this not knowing He was referring to eternal life and wanted the water so she wouldn’t have to come to the well to draw again.

Jesus responded from verse 16 requesting her to call her husband. And she responded she didn’t have a husband. Jesus commended her that she had spoken well and went on to say the story of her life. But did He condemn her? No! He still said, “…in that saidst thou truly.” Jesus commended her honesty despite knowing her past. And how did she respond to the goodness of God?

John 4:28-29

The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Hallelujah! She immediately became an evangelist. She began to proclaim to everyone about Jesus. Her past which was supposed to be a thing of shame was her story. She would walk up to someone and say, I just met a man who told me I had been married five times and the man I am currently with is not my husband, is this not the Christ? That’s what the goodness of God does. It leads us to repentance. It gives us a change of heart.

Friend, you may be just like this woman and feel that your past is too dark. But I have good news for you, our God who is good will shine His light in that darkness. He would give you a new beginning and the past would be really, a thing of the past. All you need today is acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord.

SAY THIS: Lord Jesus, I am full of thanks because in You my past is forgiven and my present and future is secured.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you!!!  

God is Good (4)!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)- Ephesians 2:4-5

In the previous devotional, we saw how that Cain though a murderer when he asked for mercy, God abounded to him in great measure. Today, we look at the story of a woman caught in adultery and how God’s goodness was shown to her.

Friend, what picture of God do you have? Let’s see a picture of God

John 8:3-11

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.  

Jesus said that anyone that has seen Him has seen the Father. So Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). If you want to see God, look to Jesus. From this text, Jesus showed a picture of God which depicts good. In study of this text, the question that has always come to mind is, “It takes two to commit adultery, so where was the man?”  

So, a woman had been caught in adultery. And the Pharisees brought her to Jesus hoping she would be condemned. But Jesus responds, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. This definitely wasn’t the response her accusers were expecting. They were hoping she would be condemned, but they were the ones that ended up being condemned because one by one, they left! This is why we don’t claim to self-righteousness. We instead acknowledge that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).  

Jesus looked at the woman and asked, where are your accusers? Has none of them condemned you? She responded, No man, Lord. And Jesus who had the sole right to condemn her said, neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more. That is the way of our Lord. That’s the goodness of our God.

Notice the woman called Him Lord. She acknowledged Him as her Lord. And once Jesus saw this response from her, He gave her a no condemnation verdict and the strength to go and sin no more. Friend, no matter how great you feel your sins are, once you acknowledge Jesus as Lord, once you believe in Jesus, you receive a no condemnation verdict and the strength to go and sin no more.

This is the goodness of God. That even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, He quickened us to life in Him. We boast in Christ Jesus and God’s Spirit in us which strengthens us and keeps us from falling. This is the goodness of God that He who began a good work in us, will complete it. He is able to keep and strengthen us in the face of temptation because He is a good God.  

SAY THIS: Lord, Thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for bestowing me with Your righteousness. Thank You for Your Spirit in me which strengthens me daily.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you!!!   

God is Good (3)!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)- Ephesians 2:4-5

In the previous devotional, we stated that the reason Jonah didn’t want to preach to the people of Nineveh was because he knew that God in His goodness would show them mercy once they turned to Him (Jonah 4:2). Today, we would look at the story of Cain to see the goodness of God.

When I was younger, every time I heard the story of Cain, the emphasis was always on the fact that because he killed his brother, God pronounced a curse on him (Genesis 4:11-12). But we will miss an important lesson on the nature of God—that He is Good, if we only focus on that. Let us see God’s goodness to Cain:

Genesis 4:13-14

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth: and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

How did God respond? Did He say, “Yes, you deserve it”? Let’s see!

Genesis 4:15

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Hallelujah! That’s our God. He is good. He is rich in mercy. He is patient and kind. If we will turn to Him, He will in no wise cast us away. Cain a murderer? And God said that anyone who kills him vengeance would be taken on such an individual sevenfold. Well, for nobody to be subject to the vengeance, the text goes on to say, “…And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” 

Still, the goodness doesn’t end there! Read on!

Genesis 4:16-17

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

One of the meanings of the word ‘vagabond’ is wanderer. But the text we just read said he dwelt in the land of Nod. Not only that, he built a city. As if that was not enough, he got married and she bore him a son. Glory to God! That’s our God. He is good and His mercies endures forever. Also, something you may not have noticed is that God was still having a conversation with a murderer!

Friend, you may be in a place where you feel like you are too far from God. But I have good news today that if you will return, God’s arms are wide open to receive you. They have always been! He is actually waiting for your response. Respond today and see that God is good and His mercy endures forever. 

SAY THIS: Father I thank You because You are good and Your mercies endures forever. And I thank You because I respond positively always to Your goodness to me.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you!!!  

God is Good (2)!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)- Ephesians 2:4-5

In the previous devotional, we established that to see the goodness of God, we look to the Cross and what He has done in reconciling us back to Himself. Today, we would go a step further to look beyond the salvation story to understand the character of God generally—just how good He is.

Growing up, I always thought the reason Jonah fled from going to preach to the people at Nineveh, was simply because he didn't want to answer the call of God. But that was not the reason!

Jonah 4:1-2

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? THEREFORE I FLED BEFORE UNTO TARSHISH: FOR I KNEW THAT THOU ART A GRACIOUS GOD, AND MERCIFUL, SLOW TO ANGER, AND OF GREAT KINDNESS, AND REPENTEST THEE OF EVIL.

This was the statement of someone under the Old Covenant. He said the reason that he fled was because he knew God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, greatly kind. How much more we under the New Covenant? This is how we should speak. All those words speak of how good God is. That is God’s character. He is good. He is gracious. He is merciful. He is slow to anger. He is kind.

Does it mean after hearing this, one goes on and lives as he pleases? No! The more we hear about the goodness of God, the more we love Him and honor Him in our hearts. The more we reverence Him and regard Him in our hearts. The goodness of God is what leads us to have a heart change from evil to good. The more we see how good He is, the more we respond positively to His goodness. The more people hear of the goodness of God revealed through the Cross, the more they will turn away from sin and turn to God. The more people hear that God chose them before the foundation of the world, the more they will respond to His Love.   

Friend, yes there is a coming judgment, and we don’t deny it. But that is the more reason why we need to tell those yet to believe how much God loves them and chose them before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him. And all they need to do is believe in Him and they will be saved. Our message is not that of condemnation, it is of reconciliation. We are to go out and tell people yet to believe, that God in His goodness has reconciled them to Himself and once they believe in Him, they are accepted in His eyes because He loves them. Go out today and tell that unsaved fellow how good God is because He is!      

SAY THIS: Father, Thank You for goodness, mercy, kindness and love. I therefore go forth to tell anyone yet to believe how good you have been in reconciling them to Yourself because You love them.

You are blessed. God loves you. Yes you!!!