4 June
Ps.145:20
The Lord’s promise to the wicked
As the Lord promised to watch over those who love Him, so has He promised
to destroy the wicked (Ps.145:20).Thus, the wicked are not entitled to
God’s watch and care but to His destruction (see Deut.28:15-68;Ps.1:4-6).
This promise applies to all the wicked without exception(Ps.145:20).
The wicked are all subject to God. The wicked refer to all those who
neither acknowledge God nor love Him nor live for Him (Ps.145:20). Their
destruction is most certain. Part of it will occur in this present life,
but the fullness of it will take place when Jesus returns (see Rev.20:15).
God does not tolerate wickedness, hence His promise to destroy the perpetrators.
However, the wicked can escape God’s destruction by turning from
their wicked acts to Him (see Deut.30:1-10; Ezek.33:14-16).
The Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that
they turn from their ways to Him and live (Ezek.33:11;cf.Acts 2:38-39;
Acts 3:19-20).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please keep me away from every form of wickedness.
2. Father, please deliver me and everyone and everything relating to
me from the hands of the wicked.
3. Father, please enable the wicked to turn from their ways to you and
live.
5 June
Rev.2:20
Jesus rejects false teachings and teachers
In spite of the good qualities of the Church at Thyatira (Rev.2:19),
Jesus states that He has something against her (Rev.2:20). What He
holds against her is that she tolerates Jezebel, a false prophetess,
whose
teaching has misled His followers (Rev.2:20). This means that the Church
must not condone or tolerate false teachers and their teachings (see
1 Tim.1:3-4; 1Tim.4:7; 2 Tim.2:16-18). The Church must not tolerate
them since they do not serve the purpose of the gospel (Rev.2:20).
As Jesus
was not pleased with the Church at Thyatira for tolerating them, He
is equally not pleased with any Church that is guilty of the same
offense
today. Here Jesus makes it quite clear that false teachers and their
teachings have no place or part whatever in His church. We who are
His followers must take the same stand and hold no other view concerning
false teachers and teachings. The gospel has nothing whatever to do
with
false teachings. Therefore, there is no reason or basis for the Church
to tolerate them.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please keep me from all false teachings and teachers.
2. Father, please enable me to discern all false teachings and teachers.
6 June
Acts 26:19-23
Paul’s example of obedience
In his defense before King Agrippa, Paul gives what is rightly a true
summary of his apostolic or Christian testimony (Acts 26:19-23). According
to him, he obeyed the vision from heaven (Acts 26:19). By the vision
from heaven he means his encounter with Jesus Christ and his subsequent
commissioning (Acts 9:1-31). His obedience means preaching the gospel
to those in Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and to the Gentiles (Acts 26:20).
Deadly persecution by his fellow Jews did not stop his obedience (see
Acts 26:21). From what we know of him in the New Testament, Paul’s
testimony as given here is most accurate. As far as the New Testament
is concerned, Paul did exactly as it is asserted here of him. Obedience
is the mark of true faith and confession (Jn.14:21,23-24). Like Paul,
every true believer must be completely obedient to his faith and confession.
A truly obedient believer must be faithful to the gospel as Paul was.
As was the case for Paul, persecution cannot and must not stop true obedience.
Where there is no genuine obedience there is no genuine testimony.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to be completely obedient to you.
2. Lord, please keep me from ever disobeying you.
7 June
2 Tim.1:9
God’s salvation is by grace
What is the basis for God’s salvation and call? This question is
thoroughly answered by this passage. According to this passage, God does
not save and call on the basis of anything we have done (2 Tim.1:9).
There is nothing whatever that we have done that justifies our salvation
and call. The Scripture is quite consistent about this fact (Eph.2:8;
cf.Rom.9:16-18; Rom.4:13-17). There is no act or merit of any kind on
our own part that
accounts for our salvation and calling (Eph.2:9). Our salvation and calling
are entirely the acts of God’s grace from the beginning to the
end (2 Tim.1:9; Eph.2:8). Therefore, God does not require anything from
us in order to save and call us (cf.Ps.51:16). All that we need to do
in order to benefit from His salvation and calling is to believe (Jn.1:12-13;
Jn.3:16,18,36). Even our ability to believe unto salvation is God’s
gift as well (see Eph.2:8). Anyone who truly thirsts and seeks for God
will surely find Him (Jn.7:37; Rev.3:20). God never turns away anyone
who genuinely seeks after Him (Jn.6:37).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to know that your salvation is entirely
by grace.
2. Father, please let your grace be sufficient to me at all times and
in all things. 8 June
2 Tim. 1:12
It is a blessing to suffer for the gospel
According to Paul, he is suffering on account of or because of the
gospel (2 Tim. 11:12). This is quite true of him (see 2 Cor. 11:23-33).
This
ought also to be true for every believer. In fact, believers must suffer
for no other cause or purpose than the gospel. As far as the Scripture
is concerned, to suffer for or because of the gospel is the only acceptable
reason for suffering (see 1 Pet. 4:12-16). This is the only kind of suffering
for which there is a blessing (1 Pet. 4:14; cf. Rev. 2:10). To suffer
for any other reason is to suffer in vain. To suffer for or because of
the gospel is never in vain. If anyone suffers, let it be for or because
of the gospel. There is no reward or gain for suffering for a cause or
purpose other than the gospel.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please keep me from suffering for any other purpose
than the
gospel.
2. Father, please bless me when I suffer for the gospel.
9 June
Acts 28:7-9
God heals
After prayer, Paul healed the father of Publius, the chief official
of the island of Malta where they landed after the storm and shipwreck,
as well as the rest
of the sick on the island (Acts 28:7-9). God enabled him to heal all the illnesses,
without any one of them resisting or defying God’s healing power (cf. Acts
19:11-12). Our God is a healing God (see Matt. 4:23-24; Matt. 8:1-, 14-17). He
still heals today. No illness can resist or defy His healing power. Jesus promised
that anyone who has faith will do greater things than He did (Jn. 14:12). Therefore,
with faith in Jesus Christ a true believer can move a mountain (Matt. 17:20-21;
Acts 3:11-16). In fact, with faith in Christ Jesus, nothing is impossible for
a true believer, including healing of any illness (Matt. 17:20-21; Acts 3:11-16).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please increase my faith.
2. Father, please hear me when I call upon you.
3. Father, please let your might and power be my portion.
10 June
Rev. 2:18
The authority of Jesus Christ
This passage describes Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as one whose feet
are as burnished bronze (Rev. 2:18). This refers to His authority (see
Rev. 2:26-27;
Dan. 10:4-6). It is on the basis of His authority that He promises to judge the
false prophetess and those who refuse to repent of her ways (Rev. 2:20-23). God
has given all authority over His entire creation to His Son (Matt. 28:18). This
authority is exclusive to His Son (Matt. 28:18). Jesus is exercising this authority
now (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3-4), and will exercise it fully when
He returns to judge all mankind (2 Cor. 5:10; Acts 17:31). Every human being
is subject to Jesus’ authority, whether willingly or unwillingly. And there
is no rival authority to His own, whatever (Matt. 28:18).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please make all creation subject to Jesus’ authority.
2. Father, please let there be no aspect of creation that is not subject to Jesus’ authority.
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