FAITH CAPSULE: God is awesomely awesome.

Luke 2:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

It is written “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) Paying attention to the references of foolishness is enough to activate fear as regard to how God works. It is easy to consider it foolish that among the various vocations that were in existence at the time of Jesus’ birth, God used shepherds as His messengers. When the announcement of the birth of Christ came, the shepherds in the fields were not only qualified but were also in just the right locations. There was no millionaire in place; no prophet in place and neither was there any doctor in place but shepherds were some of the first ones to see the Christ child. It is written, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2:8)
In their watching day and night, God visited them with the assignment that made them a part of the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The shepherds were taking their professions seriously and God took them seriously; He gave them a very important assignment which would be recognized by all people for all time. In your waiting and watching are you serious and committed or you are operating in convenience? When He comes back again, He will not come as a baby born in a manger. It does not matter what you do for a living; but it matters how you live for the Lord in all that you do. God is very much interested working with committed ones. Live for God and He will assign you for His name to be glorified. In your living for the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and continue steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12). Truly, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) God is awesomely awesome.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and moments that you become concentrated only on Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: God remains consistent overseeing and overriding the affairs of man.

Daniel 1

It is written, “…Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!” (Revelation 19:1) Thank God for God. He alone answers to His entire gracious and powerful name. He was God yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is not an author of evil but the evil one himself is the author of evil. The evil one has what it takes to operate as the author of evil but he does not have what it takes to execute any of his evil acts outside of the Almighty God. Job’s situation testifies to the truth that every of the evil one’s act is not without God’s knowing about it. The evil one could only strike at Job after asking and getting permission from God. It was not a permission to kill him but a permission to afflict Job. God testified, “…There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8) Despite God’s testimony about Job, affliction could not avoid Job but visited him. Affliction visited because the evil one was permitted by God. Thank God for God. His word states, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) The word of God is true to perform.
It is written, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.” (Daniel 1:1-2) The point here states that, “…The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” Imagine the king of Judah becoming a captive in the hand of evil king. Evidently, God remains consistent overseeing and overriding the affairs of man. The fall of Jerusalem led to the captivity of Daniel and his three friends. The request of the evil one led to Job’s affliction. Whatever is not going the way of your choice is not an evidence of wrong doing on your part and it is not to take your attention away from God. Keep hope and stay focus on God. God is sovereign in all affairs around you and outside of you. Daniel in the midst of all did not digress neither did he defile his God. Above all, Daniel remained purposeful to the glory of God. Also Job refused to curse his God as suggested by his wife (Job 2:9) God of Daniel and Job will glorify His name in your entire endeavor if you will not digress or defile Him. Thank God for God.

Prayer for today: Ask this day for the grace that enables one to remain focus and purposeful.

FAITH CAPSULE: keeping of testimonies of God.

Numbers 14

Psalmist testified, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:2)
What will you say of the Lord? Months after months God continues to be faithful to you according to His word.
Is complaining your testimony about God? What are your testimonies? Are you keeping the testimonies of God? The testimonies of God are worthy of mediation. The Psalmist knew what he was saying by virtue of his confessions in Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Psalm 119:14, I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches, Psalm 119: 24, “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors, Psalm 119:46, I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
Keeping the testimonies of God will keep one in going with the blessing of God; it will be the source of consistent joy. Without constant keeping of the testimonies of God through meditation, one will cease from going further in every area of life. The children of Israel cease from meditating God’s testimonies and they could not go further. In their journey, complain took over instead of complementing God for what he did in their life. A journey of eleven days went on and on for forty years.
The children of Israel were to travel through the wilderness to their Promised Land for eleven days, but the journey went on for forty years. Are you experiencing a time of wandering around in a wilderness situation? The generation that came out of Egypt did not only journey in the wilderness, but live and wandered in their in the wilderness. Also, they were not able to see or step on the Promised Land but passed away wandering in the wilderness. It was their acts of complaints against God that trapped them in the wilderness. Acts of complaining are acts of self-destruction, and termination. Are you complaining about your situation? Due to the children of Israel’s persistent complaining against what God was doing in their life, God responded in Numbers 14:22-23, “Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” God promised to take them to the Promised Land. He showed them great and mighty signs in Egypt, and on their way out of Egypt. The signs and wonders of God are His testimonies.
His testimonies are more than enough to transport one to the Promised Land. Are you constantly meditating on His testimonies?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to be complaining vessel.

FAITH CAPSULE: If you are doing good, keep up with what you are doing.

Matthew 13:24-30

God cannot be deceived. Are you deceiving man? There is no more of getting away with evil it is important to know that judgment is coming. There are so many that are getting away with evil and growing well without immediate consequence it is certain that God is fully aware and competent to judgement belongs God.
Are you tare or wheat? Can you identify yourself? Jesus stated in the parable of the wheat and tares, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew13:30) As one that cares and understand that consequence never fails, how do you identify yourself?
In this world that was created by no man but by God, nothing goes past God’s radar. There is an appointed time in God’s plan when everyone will be settled for their deed. Sounded a better warning to evil doer Ecclesiastes 8:11-12 sounded a better warning to evil doer, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. ¹³ But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” If you are doing good, keep up with what you are doing, but if you are doing evil be mindful that you will have to account for all your doings. Your growth while you continue to do evil or pretend to do good is not an indication of escape. There is an appointed time for every deed to be rewarded. It maybe you have not seen any difference in the life of one who is committed to doing good and one who is pretending to do good. You may have noticed that some who are doing evil are doing quite well while some who are doing good are not doing quite so well. Jesus said let them grow together. He was not advocating for their separation now because the time for separation is not now.
All that it takes not to be evil is in the fear of God. One that desire to fear God must devote to fearing God in all the ways of seeking God. Proverbs 23:17 stated what it takes to fear God, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day.” How are you growing for God?

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from the spirit of pretending.

FAITH CAPSULE: By the word God made all that was created

John testified, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4)
The word of God confirmed the engineering attribute of the word of God. Who else can dispute the awesomeness of the Great God? The word described Jesus better when it stated, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Without any doubt, Jesus is the living word of God. God sent His word to heal and to deliver us from all of our destruction. (Psalm 107:20) It is important to note that the Word of God came to give life and that we may have life abundantly. (John 10:10)
By the word God made all that was created (Genesis 1:1-24)
Among the notable exploits of the Word that came to give life abundantly is making available a net-crashing fish-catching where there was all night toiling with no fish to account for. The Bible narrates how four fishermen had gone all night and caught nothing. The fishermen were already washing their nets when Jesus sent His word in their direction stating, “…Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”(Luke 5:4) Despite not having caught fish all night, the fishermen could not resist the word of command that sounded in their direction but responded. After having responded, “…they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6-7) The word that sounded in the direction of the fishermen was a life-giving word; a word that provides where there is no provision, a word that restores hope where there is no hope. Above all, it is a word that results in abundance. Indeed it is true that just a word is enough to terminate every form of struggle, regardless of how long the struggle has existed. The all-night struggle with nothing to show off in the life of the fishermen was terminated. Has the word been sounding in your direction with no attention from you? The same word of God yesterday is the same today. The word of God, which is the counsel of God, cannot be broken. The Psalmist testifies, “The counsel of God stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” (Psalm 33:11)

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of God to help you follow Him fully.