FAITH CAPSULE:God is a gracious God and to be praised for the gift of unceasing celebration of salvation.

Psalm 92

Any man with ability to be counting number of times of giving thanks to God daily is evidently short of thanking God. Think of it, are you man that is thinking of thanks giving to God or giving thanks to God? Thinking thanks giving to God is limiting celebration of God’s doing. Giving thanks is celebrating God’s doing without ceasing.  God is good and He is worthy of praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, all that He is doing and all He will do. Psalmist prescribed stating, “It is good to praise the Lord, and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” (Psalm 92:1-3) God is a gracious God and to be praised for the gift of unceasing celebration of salvation through Jesus Christ. God sent His Beloved Son to die and bring to life for man’s salvation from sin.
The psalmist pointed out, “How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:5) We have a God whose thoughts for man are of good and not of evil. We do have a God whose thoughts were demonstrated in His work. The same God yesterday and today once told the Israelites, “I will visit you and perform My good word toward you and cause you to return to this place.  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11) Interestingly, what He said them speaks to all today. Clearly, when God sent His Beloved Son, the Living Word of God came and die for man for the purpose of man’s salvation the evidence of God’s word for all man.
It is worthy to praise Him with understanding. Without understanding, praising Him will not be backed with strength and that could be the reason why the psalmist declared, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding”. (Psalm 47:7) There have to be the understanding that praising God is what grants access into His presence. In any attempt to get to a king that is on throne, there has to be a process and the process is in traveling through the gate and eventually to the court where the king sits and reign. The psalmist clearly understood this when he stated in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.” There is hardly any other means which access man to the presence of God better and faster than praise. It is also understanding and knowledge that praising God cannot be separated from thanking God. However, when we praise Him we glorify Him (Psalm 50:23) and when we give Him thanks we magnify Him (Psalm 69:30). In this season, give God unceasing praise and thanks giving for grace which brought salvation to man.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of giving thanks not just thinking about thanks giving.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seek Jesus diligently to know Him, do not settle for knowing about Jesus.

John 21

Man needs to hear directly from God to know and answer to God’s divine assignment. Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. Until he heard directly from God, he could not resume at the center of divine assignment. Samuel did not know God’s calling when God called him three times while he was answering to Eli. After the third time of calling, Eli redirected Samuel to go and hear and answer directly to God. It is written, “Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” (1 Samuel 3:9) Samuel heard directly to know and answered to God for God’s divine assignment over his life.
Disciples spent time with Jesus but evidently could not hear to know Him enough and could not resume the calling of divine assignment upon their life. Jesus repeatedly appeared to His disciples before they heard, saw and know Jesus to resume their divine assignment. After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples at Sea of Tiberias where they were on fishing business. The bible recorded, “But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus” (John 21:4) The evidence that Jesus’s disciples not knowing Him is certain that those who read and not see Jesus in the physical are certain not to know Him.
Many celebrate the rise of Jesus with lack of knowledge. Many spend time in the church but very far from Jesus while He is in their presence. Today, so many answers title before God’s assignment but there is no evidence of engaging task of God’s calling.  As an acclaimed believer of Jesus, do you know him or you only know about Him? Since the times of Old Testament to New Testament, the people of God do not know God just as God spoke, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) Truly, it is time to seek Jesus diligently to know Him and avoid self-destroy.
Jesus is the word of God, desire to know Him in encountering the word of God. Ezekiel encountered the word to gain knowledge of God. Ezekiel 2:1-2 recorded, “And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”  Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.”” No man hears God indeed and doubts Him. Having doubt is the evidence for not been built by the word. Allow the word of God to build you. Before all that was built, Jesus was there in the beginning and there He is forever. Jesus is the Master builder. The same word that brought forth creation is still the same word that is building those who receive and believe in Him. Get to know Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know Him more.       

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you a once a year of celebration of Jesus Christ?

Matthew 28

Celebration of Jesus’ going to cross and rising up is the ACTION OF JOY which is celebrating with faith. (Jesus saw paralytic man and friend’s action as faith for healing. It is written, “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:4-5)) Celebrating with faith must be with KNOWLEDGE. Without knowledge there be no answer for celebrating of Jesus Christ’s rising from the grave. (Man perish without knowledge) Celebrating with faith should be every moment of life by knowing that Jesus Christ paid it all on the cross and rose up for man to have life abundantly.
Celebrating the suffering, death and rising of Jesus Christ should be meditating or thinking on the passion of Jesus Christ. Meditating the passion of Jesus Christ is to always think, to be reflecting on what Jesus Christ has done. Celebrating while meditating passion of Jesus Christ will make man to focus and be-living for God.
It is very important to know (not to know about) celebrating by meditating the passion of Jesus Christ and not perish. Bible says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3,16-17)
Celebrating by meditating the passion of Christ regularly changes the lives of those who practice. Are you a once a year of celebration of Jesus Christ? Is your celebration of Jesus a mark of religion? With knowledge, celebrate by meditating the passion of Jesus Christ to experience such as:
Celebrating the passion of Jesus does not lead to pessimism (doubt) but takes away disappointment and hopelessness.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is keeping alive the memory of death and rise of Jesus for man.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is not think of self but of God’s will.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is turning to God in faith.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is the power that saves.
Celebration of the passion of Jesus Christ is a reality that should grow in us. The more man abandon self to meditating passion of Christ, the more it becomes Jesus living in man. Galatians 2:20 is all that celebrating passion of Jesus Christ should be centered of in man as it is written, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know more of Him and not miss out from God’s divine assignment.

FAITH CAPSULE: With knowledge of celebration of Jesus, man does not have to be in position of paying all over.

Mark 15:15-41

Believers of Christ are celebrating without questioning self’s position in God’s assignment for life. Celebrating Christ without understanding is taking a position to be decreased and not be elevated. Believers of today are the same of yesterday that went to bound Jesus early in the morning. The book of Mark 15:1 recorded, “Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.” (Mark 15:1) Today, take a pause from celebration to search self about where you are standing in Christ. Come out of pause, with understanding and knowledge, begin to seek Christ in reality.
Bible recorded, “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15) Pilate satisfied man in the place of God’s truth. Taking position of satisfying man instead satisfying the Truth of God is stepping out against the glory of God. How often have you been missing out in the presence of God? How often do you scourge Jesus like those who crucified Him in His days of Jesus on earth?
Consciously or unconsciously, have you been scourging the Lord just as Pilate did?
Pilate satisfied man to make man feel good when he gave the Lord Jesus up for persecution and crucifixion. Today, majority believers are same as Pilate of Jesus’ day. Many acclaimed Christians cannot identify with the name of Jesus outside of their fellowship. Those who carries the Bible from home to work or from work home cannot be counted as believing believer of Christ.
Jesus came to give it all on the cross of Calvary and He gave it more abundantly that we may have life. (John 10:10) Jesus gave it all for man but man is yet to be giving all to Jesus in the face of the wicked world. Pilate gave up Jesus, “Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.” (Mark 15:16-20) In this celebration, gain understanding and knowledge of the price which was paid by Jesus on the cross so that every brokenness of man shall be made whole to live life abundantly. Man, with knowledge of celebration of Jesus does not have to be in position of paying all over. Jesus paid it all.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to be a victim of lack of knowledge of Jesus’ journey to the cross.

FAITH CAPSULE: No man is born with having fear of God but learn by hearing to fear God.

Deuteronomy 6

To be fearful of God is to be sin-less before God. Exodus 20:20 buttressed, “…His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” No man was born with the fear of God. Knowing to fear God is learning by hearing God’s word. God spoke to Moses, “…Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.” (Deuteronomy 4:10) One that learn to fear God will know to seek Him as stated in Deuteronomy 6:13, “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name.”
Sincerely, do you fear God? Today, many claims to be a Christian but far from walking as CHRIST-LIKE. Many claims having faith but majority are not FAITH-FULL. God deserves to be feared. God pays attention to recognize those who fear Him indeed. Man, that is occupied by the things of this world is empty of the word of God and not full of God’s fear. Man, that is not mindful of God is not possible to be living life in the fear of God.
Man, that is fearful of God shall be identified by God. With fear of God, Abraham obediently answered to God’s word of command. God could not overlook Abraham’s obedience but pointed out His fear in Abraham as stated, “And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now, I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:12)
Wickedness has been on earth and was not hidden from God. Genesis 6:5 stated, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Wickedness has been and it remains as the center of evil doing due to lack of fear of God. Foolishness in the heart of man is blinding man from learning and knowing that God see all wickedness and God pays attention to the fearful ones. It is the fear of God that set Job before God. Bible recorded “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Is it your identity to be shunning evil? Learn to fear God by hearing and hearing by His word. To fear God is seeking God with a loyal heart. Always, the eyes of God will be spotting those who fear Him as 2Chronicles 16:9 recorded, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.”  God is watching over all, fear God to seek God diligently.

Prayer for today: Ask for the fear of God that will keep you not to depart from Him.