PREACHER: Theme, GOD, Intensified, Bond, RELATIONSHIP
By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: GOD INTENSIFIED THE BOND OF RELATIONSHIP“
SCRIPTURE: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
REFLECTIONS
The basis of God’s selection and His relationship with us is love. This four-letter word epitomizes God’s action on humanity. Indeed, He created us—so we are His by creation. No god can challenge God’s claim on our lives as the Creator. Nor can anyone claim to be the author and finisher of our faith – Jesus and He alone bears the description (Hebrews 12:2). As part of His ultimate plan, God offers us salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. Grace, the result of love, bought and brought us back to God – the original Owner. He doubly owns us – by creation and redemption. Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” God intensified the relationship through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our race. Therefore, no one deserves to be lost – except out of one’s choice.
Paul presents the effect of the transaction of our redemption and our response in 2 Corinthians 5. In verses 14-15,17,19,21, we read – [14]For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; [15]and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. [17]Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. [19]that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. [21]For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The shed blood of Jesus Christ has restored the original relationship and has deepened it. We are called the children of God – what a privilege, a blessing, an honor, and dignity! God has adopted us as children and given us the right to represent Him before the world. In Christ, we are saved. Concerning what Jesus has accomplished for you and me, Acts 4:12 emphasizes: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” We are saved and safe in Christ. Jesus has taken away the burden of sin. The shame that accompanies sin has been erased. The guilty mind is at ease, healed, and restored through the forgiveness we receive (I John 1:9). Please meditate afresh on Isaiah 53 to deeply appreciate God’s love for us. Thank God for this phrase in verse 5 – “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Beloved, consider the relationship Jesus has established for you and work out your salvation accordingly – do it with diligence, “fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12,13). We are on this planet for a purpose for a specific time frame; therefore, ensure you are working towards achieving this noble purpose. You cannot be only by name; you must be a person – saved, justified, sanctified, and ready for glorification. In the Lord, your dreams must be nobler; your life must be purposeful and meaningful, and your waiting for translation must be decisive and action-driven. We must desire an everlasting relationship with God.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
“Nothing But the Blood of Jesus”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His lovingkindness; thank God for the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ; pray for strength to stay connected, loyal, and faithful to Him;
– Pray for people who have not been reached with the gospel of Jesus, individuals and families who are learning about Jesus for the first time, and Christians to bear witness of their experience in Christ;
– Pray for believers to be transformed into the similitude of Jesus Christ; pray that the presence of Christians in society will help reduce corruption, evil, injustice, oppression, and the neglect of the poor;
– Pray that your family will be mission-oriented; pray for the well-being of the nation’s citizens and for God’s intervention in the severe economic crisis countries and individuals face.
