GOD IS A GOOD FATHER …what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! - Matthew 7:9–11 How do we know that God is a good God and a good Father? Jesus dealt with this question simply by asking another question: “If earthly fathers, imperfect as they are, know how to give good gifts to their children, don’t you think that your loving Father who is in heaven will be even better?” My friend, if your child asks you for bread, would you give him a stone? Certainly not! You would give him the best bread you could find. How much more then, will your heavenly Father give good things to you when you ask Him! Beloved, meditate on His love and His tender mercies for you today. Know in your heart that God is a good Father to you. So if you need something today, just ask Him for it. And as you ask Him, know that it is His joy to see you, His beloved child, blessed with His best! LIVE THE ‘MUCH MORE’ LIFE : ROMANS 5:17 - For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ… When God created man, He did not intend for man to grow old, become weak and powerless, suffer diseases and die—first the physical death, then the second or eternal death. God never meant for man to go through all these and for death to reign. But because of one man’s offense—that man being Adam—death reigns. The ultimate death is the second or eternal death in the lake of fire. Before this death is physical death. Before physical death, you have diseases and illnesses. Not all diseases and illnesses lead to death, but they are manifestations of death. One step before diseases and illnesses is tiredness, weakness and powerlessness, which are signs and symptoms of death. Now, all these are forms of death. As you can see, death reigns! Are you resigned to the fact that death can strike whoever, whenever and wherever it wishes? Are you allowing death to reign in your life and in the lives of your loved ones? Or are you allowing God’s Word to tell you the truth about death? “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more…” Thank God for the “much more”! What Jesus, the last Adam, did is much more and far greater than what the first Adam did. We are those who have received the “abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness”. Therefore, our “much more” is that we will reign in life through Jesus Christ! God considers death an enemy. He came to destroy death and give us eternal life. And the more we walk in the grace of God and His righteousness, the more we will reign in life. The more we believe in His grace or undeserved favor, and the more we know that we have been made righteous by His blood and not our good behavior, the more we will reign over all forms of death! THE BENEFITS OF FASTING : MATTHEW 6:16, Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. It was a Jewish custom to anoint ones self with olive oil and in Jesus day it was apparently customary to anoint the heads of your guests, also (Lk. 7:46). At times ointment or perfumes were used in this personal anointing. A lack of having ones head anointed was associated with mourning or sorrow. Jesus is saying that there should be no external sign of fasting or sorrow, but it should be done secretly to the Lord to receive a full reward. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 7:5, that abstinence from the physical relationship in marriage for the purpose of fasting should not be done without the consent of ones spouse. A fast does not always have to be totally secretive to be productive. Rather, Jesus is once again dealing with the motives behind our actions. The fast must be directed toward God and not men. Fasting accomplishes many things. One of the greatest benefits of fasting is that through denying the lust of the flesh, the spirit man gains ascendancy. Fasting was always used as a means of seeking God to the exclusion of all else. Fasting does not cast out demons, but rather, it casts out unbelief. Therefore, fasting is beneficial to every aspect of the Christian life - not only in the casting out of devils. The real virtue of a fast is in humbling ourselves through self denial, and it can be accomplished through ways other than total abstinence. Partial fasts can be beneficial, as well as fasts of our time or pleasures. However, because appetite for food is one of mans strongest drives, fasting from food seems to get the job done the quickest. Fasting should be a much more important part of our seeking God. Endeavor to live a fasted lifestyle, whether it is a denial of yourself through food, or denial of your own wishes. Exalt Jesus today. Put Him first in everything that you do.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 13:53:24 +0000
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