Godly Virtues, Please

TEXT: 2 KINGS 14:1-7

Key Verse: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did” (2 Kings 14:3).

A song writer, while imploring Christians to build a godly legacy with their lives, wrote: ‘While passing through this world of sin, and others your life shall view, be clean and pure without and within. Let others see Jesus in you. Your life is a book before their eyes. They are reading it through and through. Do others see Jesus in you?”

Our text reflects the impact and the influence of Amaziah’s father on him. This underscored the importance of paying attention to the type of influence which we should, either overtly or covertly, have on those that draw inspiration from us. It is obvious that king Joash influenced Amaziah much more than any other person. Parents, guardians, teachers and other stakeholders, who have the responsibility of mentoring children and the upcoming generations, should be conscious of the enormity of the task God has placed on them.

Amaziah started well, but he did not finish well. He was not as good a king like David, his ancestor. He did what his father, Joash, did by not removing the places where people worshipped on the high hills. Also, he killed, as a legal punishment, those officials who had murdered his father. He did not kill their children however, just to obey the laws of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:16).

So, we should know that every child is a delicate little person. He is an individual who is capable of growing at his own pace, having his own personality, his own intelligence, aptitude and temperament. He grows up physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually. He is an imitator, very observant and sensitive to what is happening around him.

All stakeholders, therefore, owe it a responsibility to the larger society to ensure their comportment, actions and inactions are geared towards building an enduring godly heritage that can help upcoming generations.

Thought for the day: Godly virtue is better than reputation.

Prayer for new week

It is God who gives power to make wealth. He will bless you on every side. Like Isaac, you shall dig in times of scarcity and profit in spite of famine, In the face of famine, you will have abundance. The favour of God will increase you on every side. 

You will prosper and become a blessing to your generation in Jesus name. Nobody can stop the wind from blowing. Whoever that tries to stop your Joy and Progress, God will destroy their powers in Jesus name.J

Happy New Week from us ASB-World.

Damned By Pride

TEXT: 2 KINGS 14:8-16

Key verse: “Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?” (2 Kings 14:10).

Charles H. Spurgeon said: “There is nothing into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride, and yet there is no more vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture. Pride is a thing which should be unnatural to us, for we have nothing to be proud of. In almost every other sin, we gather us ashes when the fire is gone. But here, what is left? The covetous man has his shining gold, but what does the proud man have? He has less than he would have had without pride, and is no gainer whatever. Pride wins no crown.”

Jehoash, in today’s text, showed Amaziah the folly of his challenge. “Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?”

The root of sin is in the heart, from which it flows. The Bible underscores Amaziah’s sinful state. Even when he was said to have done what was right in the sight of the Lord, his heart was not right while doing it. It is not providence that makes men proud, discontented, or arrogant, but their own hearts. The pride in the heart of the man at the helm of affairs in Judah led to serious losses when he instigated his men against another king: “And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.” This man subjected his people to unnecessary ridicule and humiliation.

Amaziah’s case should, therefore, be a strong lesson for us today; that success should not make us proud, aggressive, arrogant and troublesome. If he had heeded Jehoash’s advice and stayed at home, he would not have disgraced himself and his people. Whatever we achieve, we should always remember that God is the source. We must, therefore, learn to be humble and ascribe glory to God from whom all success flows.

Thought for the day: It was pride that changed angels into devils; so watch it.

YOU CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 

Sometimes the battles of life can seem overwhelming. It is reassuring in such times to read the account of David's victory over Goliath to understand that nothing is too big for God.

David was a teenager who was already deeply committed to the Lord because of the many nights he invested intimately seeking God while shepherding sheep.

In those lonely night moments, he learnt to trust in the Lord for protection and safety.

He also used his time profitably to perfect his skills at shooting out stones from the sling so that he could protect the sheep under his care.

When David least expected it, God opened a monumental door for him. His father wanted him to run an errand and take supplies to his older brothers who were engaged in a very tough contest on the battlefield.

When he got to the battlefield, he saw a big problem in the form of a gigantic giant called, Goliath.

He did not only feel compelled to fight for what he knew was right but he was eager to bring the big giant down. In the end, David achieved a victory of monumental proportions.

David responded, as we all should, to our Goliath life struggles. He made a positive faith confession in the face of daunting odds.

He relied on the power of God and boldly confronted his challenges with faith. He invested countless hours in intimacy with the Lord.

He won because the battle outcome had already been settled on his knees before the Lord
.
Prayer: Thank You Lord, that in Your presence I am renewed to win all my battles.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Samuel 17:40-47

MATURITY

Maturity. How could you describe it? Maybe it is being able to resist some small whims or need for immediate reward and better choose the actions that will pay off some time later.

Maturity is also a well-measured persistence, knowing your true goals and seeking them in-spite of obstacles on your way. 

It is the ability to use your skills and knowlenge and do more than is expected.

A mature person is able to control his anger during conflicts or other unpleasant situations.

He solves the occurring problems with constructive approach instead of complaining.

He knows that he cannot control everything, thus sometimes you just need some thing to let go.

Maturity is also humility when a person is able to admit his mistakes, forget his pride and at the same time preserve his dignity. It is the ability to laugh at yourself.

A mature person is responsible and reliable, his words always go along with his actions. He keeps his word, so people know that they can count on him.

Maturity is also ability to be flexible and being aware that learning and self-improvement are necessary along your way.

Maturity is being in permanent harmony with everything. It means building harmonious relationship with yourself, with other people, with nature.

Maturity means living in the moment, appreciation of simple things, being mindful of everything, allowing yourself to feel gratitude of what you do have now, rather than to be looking back or forward.

Maturity is not competing, but sharing.

Most Important Habit You Will Ever Develop

So much of what we do every single day is the result of habits that we have formed over time. And when it comes to establishing healthy, new patterns in our lives, I've found that spending time with God and acknowledging Him in all of our ways is one of the most important and rewarding habits we can ever develop (see Prov. 3:6).

I can tell you from experience that God's help and presence in our lives is vital. He is the Author of all true success and everything that is good without Him, we can do nothing of true value. Spending time with God through prayer and His Word is a prerequisite for having a great life and fulfilling your purpose.

Now, it's true that we can improve ourselves through discipline and even have some success, but will power will only bring us so far. The truth is that nothing can really take the place of having a healthy relationship with God.

I absolutely love Heb. 11:6. It says that God ... is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (NKJV). When we draw near to Him, He fills our lives with His strength, peace, joy, provision, and favor ... and blesses us in ways we can't even imagine.

Prayer doesn't just change things it changes us. If we are diligent in seeking God, slowly and surely we become better people.

Putting First Things First

When it comes to our everyday habits, it's important to ask: Am I putting God first?

It can be easy to put ourselves and our reputations first ... or our friends ... or our possessions. But when we continue to put everything else ahead of the Lord, we cheat ourselves out of something good that God wants us to have.

I tried for many years to work God into my schedule, but it seemed like I never found time. I had good intentions, but procrastination got the best of me. I was always going to spend time with God later on ... or after the "one more thing" I was going to do.

The result? Not much was working right in my life or in my ministry. I was frustrated most of the time and felt like I was barely making progress. I am grateful to say that God finally got through to me! I have learned how to work my schedule around God, who is first, rather than trying to work Him into my schedule.

Jesus said in Matt. 11:28, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

The answer to my problem (and yours) is simple: Come to Jesus!

It's not about having a program to follow—it's simply about forming a habit of putting God first in everything we do. If we will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, He has promised to add everything else that we need (see Matt. 6:33).

Where to Begin

My 10-year-old granddaughter recently came to me and said, "Grandma, I want you to tell me how to spend more time with God because I'm so busy." I thought that was cute. I thought, Honey, if you think you're busy now, you just wait!

I told her what I'm about to tell you: Just start somewhere. So many people never start at all because they think they need a huge chunk of time to begin. Or they end up doing nothing if they feel like they can't do everything.

Here's what I recommend: Start by taking some time in the morning to talk with God in prayer and read His Word

even if it's just five or 10 minutes.

If you plan on spending your time with Him later in the day, then I encourage you to take at least a few moments in the morning to get started with God on your mind. Acknowledge Him and ask for His help. It can be as simple as saying, "God, I love You, and I appreciate everything You do for me. I really need Your help with my day."    

Sometimes we are defeated because we try to begin where we should be finishing, or we try to do what someone else is doing. The truth is that God will meet you where you are right now. As you take a step of faith, He will give you the grace and strength you need!

Remember, don't allow yourself to do nothing simply because you can't do a lot. If you want to form a habit of spending time with God, then start small and go from there.

Today, I can truly say that I am addicted to spending time with God—He has become a necessity that I require every day! Perhaps you are at a point in your life where you are ready to form the God habit. If so, I want to encourage you to take a moment right now and ask Him to help you get started.

As you do, you'll find that His guidance and presence are things you just cannot live without.

Joyce Meyer

Just Develop your capacity

Genesis chapters 37, 39, 40 and 41

Have you ever read the story of Joseph in the bible? I’m sure most of us know this story, especially from Sunday school. We know the story of the young man who had a coat of many colours, made for him by his father out of love to show him how special and loved he was. We also know how his brothers hated him because of this favouritism and the bible says “They could not speak a kind word to him”. When Joseph had a dream and shared it with his brothers, they hated him all the more and before you know it, they plotted to kill him. Well, they eventually didn't and sold him off into slavery. We have heard sermons woven around how Joseph the slave became the prince of Egypt. We have heard people talk about the prison to palace experience. And I’m sure a lot of us have prayed that prayer for our lives too

“Oh Lord, take me from the prison of my life to the palace. Crown me before my enemies in Jesus name”

Sounds familiar? Of course! And that in itself is not a bad prayer point, after all who doesn't want to become king before the very people who persecute them?

But Joseph did not just spring from the prison to the palace to become 2nd in command to Pharoah. He was already ‘well cooked’ in his experiences. I’ll show you how

From the first time he was made a slave in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar saw him as a hardworking young man who got things done. He put him in charge of his household

When he was put in prison after Potiphar’s wife lied against him, the head warden saw him and favoured him. He put him in charge of the whole prisoners.

When he appeared before Pharoah and interpreted his dream, Pharoah saw him as a wise young man and favoured him. He put him in charge of the entire nation.

Let’s do some guess work here:

Potiphar’s house – Number of staff – 40

Prison yard – Number of prisoners – 1500

Nation of Egypt – Number of citizens – Over 1 million

In each case, the number of people Joseph was put in charge increased greatly, but his job description remained the same – be in charge. What happened was his capacity was enlarged. He still did the same thing, but on a larger scale each time.
Did he do it effortlessly? Probably not. He would have made lots of mistakes which he learnt to corrections apply on the next assignment.

Was he able to handle it on his own? No, because the bible says he was favoured of God. It was that grace that made a difference in his life, causing his bosses to be favourably disposed towards him.

If he had remained in his father’s house, being loved and petted and doing nothing but flaunting his coat of many colours, he would not have had the chance to develop his capacity. He wouldn't have grown. God had to take him from his father Jacob in order for that dream to come to pass. His father’s house was his comfort zone. He had a dream, but couldn't have accomplished it while remaining there. His destination was the palace, being 2nd to Pharoah and God needed to make that happen, even if it took a shaking….

So before you complain, before you begin to cry and hiss and oh and ah asking “where is God in all of this wahala (problem)”, stop! Take a look around and ask yourself “what capacity am I developing and where exactly is God taking me to?” Because when it comes right down to it, if you must get to the next level, you would need to leave your comfort zone, prove your faithfulness in the little things, handle similar assignments especially on a lesser scale.

It may not be a pleasant process. You may be made a slave first, then falsely accused along the way, forgotten by those you thought would never forget the help you rendered to them, and grow such bushy hair you couldn’t appear before the king when summoned without a shave first! Yes you may go through all these, but if you must get to that next level, remember these experiences help shape you for that glorious future.

Develop your capacity……but only if you want that next level!

BY sis Deby