FAITH CAPSULE: Get out of story celebration, get into Christ reality.

John 10

The coming of Jesus is being named, “The Greatest Story that was told.” Indeed, majority inside and outside of church, the acclaimed believers of Jesus only know about Jesus’ story and not know Jesus. Celebration of Jesus as story is clouding man to only know about and not know Jesus’ as source of living life abundantly. Jesus stated the reason of His coming, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11)
Is celebrating of Jesus’ story limiting you from knowing Jesus? To know Jesus is to be occupied by the reason of Jesus’ coming. What is causing you to have doubt instead of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? With doubt fear will eventually come to place. Where there is fear or when fear is rising, faith will sink. Lack of understanding the coming of Jesus is the evidence of knowing about. Get to know Jesus to deny doubt from living life abundantly as stated by Jesus.
Imagine John the Baptist’s doubt in Jesus. It is written, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) John the Baptist was in prison of SELF-DOUBT. John was not sure of knowing Jesus but questioned as a certified one that only know about Jesus. It was John that baptized Jesus but did not know Jesus but knew about Jesus. It is written, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13) John the Baptist bears witness of Jesus, “…Behold The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’ (John 1:29-30) John also exalted Jesus when he stated that, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) John the Baptist knew about Jesus, when he was in the prison of his life, he doubted Jesus. Remember, you have heard about Jesus and if you will hold on to all that you have known you will depart from doubt. Jesus’ responded to John’s doubt, speaks to all with doubts, “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Mathew 11:4-6) Get out of story celebration, get into Christ reality to declare Jesus is Lord over your challenge.

Prayer for today: Ask for grace of God to bring you out of the prison of doubt.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s gift for man is to inherit eternal life.

John 4:1-42

God’s gift for man is to inherit eternal life. Gift of God to man is an indescribable gift! Unfortunately, many are yet to receive or believe fully to accept indescribable gift of God by unwrapping the gift of God to embrace God’s indescribable gift for man. Sincerely, it is serious to know indescribable gift of God for man instead of knowing about. It is crucial for man to be meditating day and night that God wants man to inherit eternal life and not be amiss of eternal life. Jesus alone is the indescribable gift of God. Jesus revealed Himself as the gift of God when a Samaritan woman had an encounter with Jesus. It is written, “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) God the giver of all good expects man to give back to Him in appreciation. We are to give back to God an unconditional love for His gift because He is a jealous God.
To fear God is to love God by doing good all through under heaven. Claiming to love God is to always obey His commandments. Apostle Paul pointed out that the purpose of God’s commandment is to love God. He stated, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” (1Timothy 1:5-6) Paul was talking about love that counts before God. Love before God is love that is worthy to provoke God’s attention to acknowledge obedient ones for His good.
From today, begin to ask self a question as, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life.” It is crucial question to be holding man, provoking man for doing good at best and not at less before God. Living a righteous life is a command from the word of God it is doing good at our best before God. Jesus was speaking, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) It is clear in the documentation of the bible that the scribes and Pharisees were versed in the word but not living life according to God’s word. Are you an acclaimed believer of God that is full of the word of God in the head but far from God in the mind? Evidently mind that is not full of God’s word is far from God living disobediently before God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be living life not to miss eternal life.

FAITH CAPSULE: In this time and season, re-assess self-priority before God.

Luke 10:25-37

Focus on time and season we are living not just focusing on this season of Christmas. In this season, what are the questions that are being generated within your heart? Man, that is mindful of the things God does have a need to re-assess own’s priority before God. It is important not to narrow your question to what you are giving or what you are receiving in this Christmas season. However, in this Christmas season, question yourself: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Throughout the whole bible, the question is repeatedly asked and answered directly and indirectly. There is only one answer and the answer is to Love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 stated it, Luke 10:27 emphasized it, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, ‘and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Do you love the way of God or the way of the world? (Waiting to be given before giving is a way of loving in the way of the world)
Jesus pointed out in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) about what it means to love in the way of God. To love in the way of God is to know and to do good when and where doing good demands it. James 4:17 buttressed, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” It is true through the bible that with sin no shall see God. Evidently, ignoring not to do what is good when the chance to do good present itself is a sin. In the parable, when chance presented itself to the Levite to do good he passed it bye. Luke 10:31, “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” Giving out in love where there is a need for love is a reasonable sacrifice that is acceptable before God. God is God that no man can deceive by telling lies and manipulating others pretending to love others. God love us so much that He gave to us His beloved son, in whom He is well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
What you are giving is the determinant of what it takes to inherit eternal life.
God wants us to give Love in full. It is the will of God for us to love. Without the fear of God there is no way to love as commanded by God. The book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 admonishes us stating, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.”

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to love as it pleases before God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Invite the presence of Jesus to convert mockery to miracle.

Luke 9:10-17, John 2:1-11,

The word of Jesus is recorded for man’s understanding that, “…With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Truly, with God there is no impossibility. With God, challenges of past and the present is possible for God to convert all to celebration. With trust and hope in the name and the word of God impossibility will be converted to possibility. With God, all that is named as impossible shall answer as the possibility of God. God is the Ancient of Days, the only God that dwells in unapproachable light is in position to reverse irreversible for good to the glory of God. Absolutely there is no challenge which God cannot change to celebration. In life, no situation is too late for God to settle and establish for good. God alone reverses irreversible if man will trust and hope on God.
Ridicule was in the place to mock wedding in Cana of Galilee, but the presence of Jesus was in place to convert mockery to miracle. Mockery was set to upset celebration when supply of wine suddenly ceased. When the wedding celebration was out of wine embarrassment set itself against the new couple. Is it possible that your marriage is running out of oil that is burning the fire of God which is joy of marriage? Wedding of Cana was set to experience mockery, but presence of Jesus converted challenge to celebration.
At the wedding of Cana of Galilee, the mother of Jesus spoke to Jesus, “…They have no wine” (John 2:3) Jesus responded to her by stating, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) Jesus’ response was not discouraging enough for the mother to back out of her attempt to help through Jesus. In John 2:5, the mother of Jesus said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” With no doubt, when there is no way Jesus’ direction will give way to expected end. With impossibility in place God is in position for possibility.
At the feeding of five thousand, the disciples asked for the multitude to be sent away because there was no possibility for provision in place at the desert ground. Jesus intervened commanding that the multitudes be fed from five loaves and two fish that was available. The request seemed impossible when Jesus gave His word to His disciples in the place of about five thousand men stating, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” (Luke 9:14) Always obey His direction in full to avoid mockery for His miracle. Is there any way you have missed obeying the commands of God?  In Luke 9:15 it is recorded, “And they did so, and made all sit down.” After they had followed His direction, He blessed the five loaves and two fish, and the multitude ate in abundance. With God nothing is impossible.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of trust and hope in your word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Self-assumption will lead to taking step outside of God’s direction.

Genesis 19

Every God created day is a journey that is loaded with God’s plan to keep man in His way. The way of God is His word for man to follow through and not be a waste. Ignoring and disobeying the way (word) of God will set man up consciously or unconsciously outside of God’s plan. Self-assumption is an avenue to self-destruction. There is no reasonable excuse to disobey God’s plan for man. Proverbs 13:13 is stated for the wise as warning “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Walking outside of God is also the evidence of not being afraid in respect for God. Simple obedience to God’s direction for daily journey will get man to God’s divine destination for man’s life.
Are you a man with self-assumption or self-determination to engage self-assignment in the place of Divine assignment? Evidently, the way that that seems right to man always lead to untimely death in one’s assignment that is not of God. Man is created to be obedient to the warning word of God as it is written in Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Determination to depend on self’s assumption will lead to taking step outside of God’s direction.
A specified direction of God was His plan for Lot’s family in a day’s journey of life. Encased in the direction for Lot’s family was deliverance and guidance. The book of Genesis 19:17 recorded, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”  Despite of God’s direction, Lot’s wife took to self-assumption. Genesis 19:26 recorded the result of Lot’s wife self-assumed direction, “But his wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt.”
In her journey that day, she looked back against God’s direction and her journey was terminated. In every determination outside of God is an evidence of the spirit of disobedience operating in man’s life. Are you finding it difficult to obey God’s direction for your life? Your determination will fail you. 1Samuel 2:9 says that, “by strength shall no man prevail.” Ask God to give you grace and strength as you go forth in the journey of God’s package which is loaded with unfailing promise of God.
Determination is acceptable but not to dispose God’s divine intervention. Determination that is rooted in ignorance will fail man. Self-determination made Peter to deny Jesus three times but the seed of prayer of Jesus was in place to deliver Peter as stated, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32) Avoid self-assumption, self-determination that is outside of God.

Prayer for today: Ask from God for the grace to be determined only in His word of direction.