DEAD WORKS (PART 1): WORKS DONE FOR FOR THE SAKE OF OBTAINING A REWARD

While it is true that Jesus will reward the faithful ones (Rev. 22: 12) and while it is also true that the ultimate desire of our life should be to please the Lord( 2 Cor. 5: 9), so that we can hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” from Him one day, yet Jesus Himself warned us against the self-centered desire for even a heavenly reward, motivating us in our sacrifice and our service for Him.

When Peter compared himself favorably with the rich young ruler ( who had just turned away from Jesus) and asked the question, “What shall we get for all that we have given up for you?” (Matt. 19: 27), Jesus replied with the parable of the laborers (Matt. 20: 1-16). There we find that those who worked for reward ended up last, while those who worked without any thought of reward ended up first (even though they had done only a small percentage of the work that the former had done).

Quality versus Quantity- Here we see the difference between dead works and living works. Works done with the hope of our ultimately being promoted above other believers and finding a place in the bride of Christ will be exposed as dead works in the final day. If you purify your thought-life, do good to others, and love your wife or submit to your husband, all with the thought of being exalted in some future day, then self is still at the centre of your life, and all your self-centered “good” works are dead works!

Those who do get crowns in glory are quick to cast them down at the feet of the Lord, saying, “Thou alone art worthy” (Rev. 4: 10). It is only when we have purged ourselves from motives rather than the desire to glorify God, that we can be freed from dead works. If we keep a record in our memory of all the good works we have done, those good works become dead works.

Jesus gave us two pictures of the final judgment day. One where people listed before the Lord all the good things that they had done in their earthly lives, “Lord, we prophesied in Your name, we healed the sick in Your name, etc” (Matt. 7:22, 23). These people were rejected by the Lord. In the other picture, we find the righteous surprised when they are reminded by the Lord of the good that they had done in their earthly lives, “Lord, when did we do that?” is their surprised cry. (Matt. 25: 24-40) They had forgotten about the good that they had done- for they had not done those works for reward
There we see a clear contrast between dead works and living works. Which category do we fit into?

CREDIT:G

 

Lust Of The Eyes

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever -1 Jn. 2:15-17.

Lust of the eyes is the desire to possess what we see or to have those things which have visual appeal. It is also referred to as coveting money and other possessions belonging to other people. God commanded His people against this in Exodus 20:17 –Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house…nor anything that is thy neighbour’s. Part of the reason Eve listened to the serpent in the Garden of Eden was that she looked at the forbidden fruit and saw that it was “pleasing to the eye” –Gen. 3:6. Satan used a visual image to help entrap her. He used a similar tactic on Jesus. One of His temptations in the wilderness was an attempt to make Him covet earthly power. He ”showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor”-Matt. 4:8. He then promised to give them to Jesus- for a price. Of course, Jesus did not succumb to the lust of the eyes and Satan was defeated –Matt. 4:10,11.

The world is full of ”eye candy” glamor and gaudiness. Materialism beckons with its promise of happiness and fulfillment. All that glitters is not gold, and the child of God knows that fame, fortune and finery quickly fade-Pro. 23:5. Our goal is not to keep up with the Joneses or to sorround ourselves with the trappings of a glittering magnificence. Our goal is to ”know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” –Phil. 3:10. Our eyes are to be set on Jesus- Heb. 12:2. Our view must always be to eternity.

Mrs. Cecil Alexander gave the becauidul rendation
Jesus calls us from the worship,
Of the vain world’s golden store;
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, ”Christian, love me more”.

Credit: S. Michael Houdmann
CEO, GotQuestions.org

 

Zoe -The God Kind of Life

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. -1 Jn. 2:15-17

There are so many things in the world that can distract us from the life that God has called us into. The world has so many things to offer us. But we are warned not to love the world nor the pleasures in it. If anybody loves the world, God’s love is not in him. Satan can succeed in pulling down a Christian using three strategies: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We are to focus on God. The world will soon fade away, with all its lusts. But only those who do the will of God will remain forever. Simple obedience to God is more important to Him than the world’s greatest accomplishments. Extraordinary obedience is based on our faithfulness to the little things of life. If our faithfulness in not complete in the litttle things, we have failed altogether. Faithfulness in little things is a stepping-stone to greater works. God’s will must be done.

But what is the will of God? God’s will is that everyone should know Him personally, and believe in Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. He wants us to have a close communion with Him in which we can be imbued with godly principles so that we can be conformed into the image of His Son. He wants our lives to be hid in Christ. That is the only kind of life that is acceptable unto God -Rom. 12:1,2. He desires us to yield ourselves to Him, to consecrate and sanctify ourselves for His use. His heart desire is to make us the vessel through which He can bless the world and affect the eternal destiny of millions. But if a man refuses to yield himself to God, he is yielding himself to Satan -Rom. 6:16. Let the desire to live for God rule your heart -Phil. 1:20. That is only when we can be the salts and the lights of the world.

 

Lay Up Treasure For Yourself In Heaven

”So save your treasure in heaven. The treasures in heaven cannot be destroyed by moths or rust. And thieves cannot break in and steal that treasure.” -Matt. 6:20 (Easy-To-Read)

Treasure is something that is extremely valuable. Treasures create a deep sense of joy and satisfaction in man. It is the craving of all people. Jesus expounded the meaning of treasure in His parable in Matt. 13:44: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in the field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for the joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”

God has created a magnificent world, and He has adorned it with treasures. However, these treasures are not found on the surface of the earth, but deep down the earth. Strength and determination are required to exploit and tap these resources. God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed them deep down the earth so that only those that sacrifice their time and energy can have joy when they have gotten it. As the treasures hid in the earth brings joy, so do heavenly treasures, and even much more.

In Jesus’ parable, the man had to sacrifice his wealth to get what his heart longed for. That correctly spells out the difference between happiness and joy. Many of us are happy because we possess riches and wealth, but we lack the joy that our heart desires. Until we are willing to let go of all that is holding us back, we cannot experience joy at its fullest. We must be willing to sacrifice everything we have in order to have true joy. Jesus Christ commanded: “Sell the things you have and give that money to people that need it.” -Luke 12:33 We should let our hearts be drawn out in pity to the afflicted souls. We should satisfy the hungry (Read Isaiah 58:10-11). If our hearts are not drawn out to the needy, we should not expect anything other than a spiritual drought from God. That was the mistake of the rich man in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12: 16-21. He did not reach out to the needy, nor did he feed the hungry. As a result, he was ”not rich toward God” because he laid up treasure for himself in the world. A similar thing occured in Luke 16:20-31. The rich man was condemned to hell because he refused to comfort hungry Lazarus.

God’s gifts are of no value until we are willing to give it back to Him so that that gift will be a blessing to everyone it touches.

 

The Warfare of a Christian Life

It is blessed and glorious to be a Christian. No other life is so beautiful and pure; no other life is so tranquilly peaceful; no other life is so full of rest and satisfaction. The Christian, however, does not go to heaven on flowery beds of ease. There is now and then a thorn. There are some things to oppose a Christian on his pilgrimage to the heavens. These must be contended against. The contending against those things prepares him for his blissful home above.

”All things work together for good to them that love God…” -Romans 8:38

Heaven’s blessings and hell’s venom, angels’ smiles and Satan’s frowns, all work good to those who have union with God. It is the battle that disciplines and makes strong and brave the warrior and not the victory. We are exhorted to endure hardness as a good soldier. James says, ”Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.”Temptations are outward influences acting upon our natural emotions and passions to induce the will to act contrary to the law of grace and satisfy self. We need not expect to be free from temptations. Temptations will never cease to attack the soul as long as it inhabits this ”muddy vesture of decay”. Be brave, and fight the good fight of faith.

It is not sinful to be tempted. We never lose any spirituality by being tempted. It is the slight yieldings that cause a leaking, a loss of grace. Clear up the vision of your faith a little and take a look at your beautiful, glittering crown of life. It is not gold, neither crystal. Do not look at it as such. Yea, you will be crowned with eternal life if you will but endure temptations. Think of this in the hour of sore trial. Fight on, heaven awaits to reward you.

Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth,
Lest thou shouldst stumble in the way
And faint before the truth.

It is the only road
Unto the realms of joy:
But he who seeks that blest abode
Must all his powers employ -Anne Brontë

 

Book of Life

This is the story of a brother,
Who slept and woke up in Foreverland.
He looked around nothing’s familiar.
He wondered how he got to be there.
He took a walk around the city
And saw this brick house witha small door.
He walked into the room and saw a man in white
Must be an angel so he said:
“Mr. Angel I’m a stranger, don’t know what’s going on,
The last thing I remember was I slept last night”.
The angel said: ”This is a border town that takes you where you get a crown.
Must have heard of Heaven where you came from.
Only those whose name I find
Written in this book of life,
Will forever be in paradise.”
Is your name in this book of life?

Flipping the pages of this great book,
This brother gave a cursory gaze.
He saw the names of prophets, saints and martyrs
Who kept the faith and won the race.
But he said “Mr. Angel, where is my name?”
“Can you tell me what is going wrong?
“I was a pillar in my local church,
Gave the offerings and the tithes
Fed the poor and got a good name”
Is my name in this book of life?
Is my name in this book of life here?
Tell me is my name in this book of life?
Is my name in this book of life here?
The angel replied: “Unforgiveness lurks within your heart.
Some folks that you will never let go.
Little foxes and secret faults
Will spring surprises on that final day.”

It comes down to us dear reader.
What about you? What about me?
Let him who thinks that he stands,
Let him take heed lest he falls.
Only the pure in heart will see Jesus.
Those whose garment glow with purity.
Is your name in that book of life?
Is your name in that book of life there?
Is your name in that book of life?
Tell me is your name in that book of life there?
Think about it.

Credit: Nathaniel Bassey

 

Worshipping God

God holds the worship His children offer to Him with high regard. He desires complete consecration to Himself; and He has pledged that our needs will be met if we rely solely on Him.

We need not entangle ourselves with the things of this life. God’s presence is all that matters. It is the Holy Spirit that fosters the extraordinary communion with divinity. He makes the presence of the Father and the Son to be real to us. That is the source of true joy- the joy that cannot be expressed by words. This was what Jesus meant when he said: ”…that your joy may be full” (John 15: 11). When our low is full, then we are on that point when we “will worship the Father in truth and in spirit (John 4: 24).. We must strive to be in God’s presence continually. That makes us sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is our defense against the assaults of sin and the devil and makes up to become partakers with Christ as we sit together with Him in heavenly places.

God bless you.

Hope 4 U-Discover God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness.

 

The Wilderness Experience

”THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” -Matt. 4: 1

There comes a time in the Christian’s life when he has to pass through the wilderness in his journey to his place of eternal rest. That wilderness is where he is proved whether he is worthy of that heavenly home or not, whether he is deeply rooted in Christ or just on the surface. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil. The devil challenged Him, but He succeeded. When we are faced with persecutions, trials and tribulations, we should look to Jesus and be at peace because He has assured us that even though we shall face troubles, He has overcome the world. John 16: 33.

God allows us to be tempted in order to refine us and to conform us into the image of Christ. But the devil brings the temptations in such a way that we will give up and turn back. We must not relent, God has provided a means of escape for us. That is His Word. Satan tempted Jesus, quoting the Scriptures (Luke 4: 9-11). Satan can quote the Scriptures and can twist its teachings. If we would stand in time of temptations, we must understand what the Bible teaches. That is the essence of studying and meditating on God’s word. Someone has rightly said: ”He who builds up a Christian experience in obedience to the word of God will have something to serve Him in a time of need.

Our task is to glorify God no matter what the circumstances. If we do, our struggle can direct others to the Saviour as we make our way towards our ultimate goal of rest and reward in heaven.

 

Spiritual Dryness

Most Christians do not enjoy the sweetness of fellowshipping with God. Some experience so little while others do not experience it at all. In order to have such a happy experience, however, we must meet certain conditions. ”If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul.” If our souls are not drawn out in pity for the hungry and we fail to relieve them, we need not expect anything other than a spiritual drought from God.

It may also be the result of attachment to the world. ”Set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth”. Unless we live by the Bible, we can not be spiritual. A little affection for the things of the world robs the soul of spiritual life. We can sometimes console ourself that what we seek is for God’s glory. Beware! Underneath may be a desire for self-gratification, ease or luxury. If you are troubled by a lack of sensible devotion in worship, examine your affections.

It may also be the result of sloth. ”Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep” Pro. 19: 15. Any neglect of spiritual devotion must result in lukewarmness. ”Awake, thou that sleepest.” Up and away to the hill of the Lord. Be the frequent witness of a sunrise scene from a mount of prayer. If your spiritual fruit is not beautiful, well-flavoured, and fully developed as it should be, look for the presence of sloth in the soul. Satan is too wise to suggest an entire abandonment of the spiritual duties, but he will suggest a little postponement. One delay will soon be followed by another and then by another. These delays are an opiate that dulls the spiritual senses, until we find pleasure in them. Nothing but the greatest diligence and determination and strong laying hold upon God will ever put spiritual sloth to death.

The lifting of the heart to God in praise and adoration is of greater value than the wealth of worlds . We must be filled with the Spirit. Take plenty of time to gain heaven. Stand upon God’s Word and you’ll be suprised at the Lord’s dealings with you.

Source: How to Live a Holy Life by Charles E. Orr

 

Doing The Will of God.

”For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother.” Matthew 12: 50.

Every genuinely born-again Christian is a brother and sister of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a priviledge to be identified with God as brethren! Surely, everybody longs for that day in which they’ll be welcomed by their brother into the place of rest that has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

However, every Christian must DO the will of the Father to be reckoned with Christ as His brother. It is not enough to seek and know His will but to do it. Some may ask, ”what is the will of God?” Apostle Paul answers this question in his letter to the Romans: ”…that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” Romans 12: 1. It is when we offer ourselves as a living offering unto Him that we’re doing His will. Jesus laid this example by giving Himself to reconcile us back to God; to do the will of His Father.

God wants the same from us. When we make deliberate efforts to do His will, He gives us even more grace. We must destroy our ”SELF” which is at enmity with the spirit. That is when we are controlled by the Spirit of God and we’ll say, just as Jesus said, that: ”…not as I will, but as Thou wilt” Matthew 26: 39. When we are brought to a state of total submission to God, we begin to know Him the more. Nothing motivates us more than to do His will; ”…my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me…”. And at the end of our life here on earth, we have an incorruptible inheritance in heaven.

Trust and obey,

For there’s no other way,

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey