Monday, July 23

“After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”

Isaiah 53:11NIV

The knowledge of the Lord is not only a means to our sanctification, it is also essential for our justification. It is through the application of what we understand God has done for us in Christ Jesus that we are justified. The more the Holy Spirit reveals the atoning work of Christ to us, the more victory we have before the throne of God, principalities and in the courts of men. “By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” implies that without his knowledge, we have no access to that justification which comes by faith. As Isaiah 53 puts it, that atonement is extensive and conclusive. Just before the Lord laid down His life, He instructed the disciples, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”( John 16:13 NIV)

The guidance of the Holy Spirit comes as we daily sit at His feet with an eagerness to learn more about the Lord. As this takes place, we are justified and Jesus is glorified. Jesus has worked out the legal authority that will bail you out of whatever problems you face presently. The knowledge of that saving grace will be revealed by the Holy Spirit, if you seek Him.

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Tuesday, July 24

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

2 Peter 1:3 NIV

God does not lie, it is not in His nature to do so. Peter tells us that God’s divine power has already worked in our favor to give us everything we need to live and to remain godly. If we are not living the full life He promised or we are making ungodly compromises to get by, it means much of the power He has prepared for us is not at work in our lives.

How then can we tap into that power? The bible says “through our knowledge of Him.” The power in Christ is accessed as we daily soak ourselves in His word.

There is a lot Christians can learn from martial arts. Victory does not necessarily come from the potency of the weapon, but from the skill of the fighter. Godless people who understand the source of their power have continuously put Christians to shame, despite the massive power accessible in Christ. Many of us are unskilled in using the spiritual weapons at our disposal. We need to devote more time to knowing more about Christ at the personal and church level. How much time do you spend with the Lord on a daily basis?

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Wednesday, July 25

“For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.”

Romans 10:2 NIV

Proverbs 19:2 warns us that “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Those words came from an Israelite, but several years later, Romans records that the Israelites were zealous for God, but their zeal was not based on knowledge. They did not heed the words of king Solomon. We are equally guilty.

I have found that when I tell a lot of people about my plans, I am actually doing nothing about it. But the more I understand the task and gain depth of insight about the solution, I become silent. The more I know, the easier the task appears, the more confident I become, the less I need to tell people about it because my enthusiasm has been adequately channeled.

Up till today, the Israelites offer sacrifices daily, to appease God, who has provided the perfect sacrifice by Himself. They reject the knowledge of Christ and thereby waste their efforts to “re-invent the wheel. “Christianity is built on the priesthood, prophet-hood and brotherhood instituted and headed by Christ, its central truth is the Godhood of Jesus. As His followers, our ministration efforts must be anchored on the foundation He has laid. Without an understanding and acceptance of this foundational knowledge, our zeal will not yield much fruit. Granted, we can’t know it all, but we have access to a teacher who knows all things. The Holy Spirit is a willing teacher, talk to Him.

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Thursday, July 26

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:8 NIV

Knowledge is good, but it is not enough. The way one type of nutrients in food are not sufficient to make us grow without others, our knowledge of God can become ineffective and unproductive unless some other “nutrients” are added. Faith, goodness, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love are some other things which Peter says must be added to knowledge. Thankfully, all this other essentials come from the same source. As we learn from God and respond in obedience, we will grow in them.

Men, by nature, will follow those who practice what they preach. The purpose of knowing God is that we may become more like Him, if we continually deny Him through our actions, our knowledge is ineffective. The ultimate knowledge communication tool is a triumphant Christian life, if others do not see Christ in us our knowledge is unproductive.

Pray that God may remove those things which hinder the transforming power of the knowledge of God in your life.

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Friday, July 27

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV

Without a right motive for acquiring and displaying knowledge, it can be a waste of time. I can spend time expounding the word of God for many reasons- perhaps I want to impress some people. Maybe I want to write a book and make money. It may even be out of a cruel plot to mislead and misinform. None of these come from love. I may also do it because I have been greatly blessed and transformed on the inside as I learn from the Lord and I think it will be prodigal of me to keep such knowledge to myself. Maybe I am doing it out of a genuine desire to see some other lives blessed through it. Thankfully God does not judge outwardly, he judges our motives.

Love is the only acceptable reason. All other motives are rewarded here and now. The only motive rewarded by heaven is love, it is only when we live by love that we are “something”, otherwise we are “nothing”. Any other motive does not register in heaven, the system is built to reward them automatically.

In God’s eyes, knowledge is best used as one of the means to express and comprehend love. It is not meant to be a means to brag and inflate our ego. I often find it amusing when I see men of God with their academic gowns and long titles. When we seek and display knowledge we must constantly check our motive. Don’t belittle your knowledge, use it in love.

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Saturday, July 28

“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”

Ecclesiastes 1:18 NIV

There is a downside to most knowledge. When we know what ought to be done and cannot effect it, it gives us much sorrow. When we see people making losses everyday, oblivious of the potential gains that could be theirs, it results in grief.

Someone wondered how many Africans who live on less than a dollar a day can be happy, and I was amused. It is not just poverty that makes people sad(as long as they have food), it is the knowledge of what they want but cannot have, as long as they don’t know what they are missing, they are happy. It was the knowledge of good and evil that signaled Adam’s fall.Those Africans don’t pay electricity bills, internet access bills, water bills, telephone bills, gas bills and they don’t miss those services. They have learnt to survive without them. But those of us who are not content knowing about the evils of our immediate society but must read about the plane crash in Russia, the war in Iraq, kidnapings in Nigeria, and famine in Ethiopia are the truly unhappy ones. Never slowing down to look at the beauty of the world God has made, we are busy learning how to make it better.

Don’t feel depressed, we have the Good News, that is one knowledge that will always cheer us up. Read the Bible more often.

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Sunday, July 29

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Colossians 1:9 NIV

My Mum can predict my Dad, she knows him. After several years of living together, she knows when to make requests and when to refrain from so doing. She knows what he will tolerate and avoids what he won’t tolerate. When he is not around to speak for himself, she can speak his mind, she knows his will.

One knowledge that we always need is the knowledge of God’s will. Every day when we wake up, the question that ought to engage us is “What would God want me to do today.” When we know God, it gets to a point that we become prophetic- we can predict what He will do or won’t do.

Many pains that we go through are because we do not understand what God is doing. We can actually rejoice in sorrow if we know why God has allowed it. Paul was a matured Christian, he knew that it was not enough to pray for material provisions for the people of Colosse, they needed to know what God would have them become and have them do. It was not a prayer that will be answered overnight. It required a process of in-filling, overtime.

As we come to the end of this series, there is no better prayer to end with other than the one Paul prayed for the Colossians, may “God fill us with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Amen.

Monday, July 16

“He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”
Daniel 2:21NIV

Knowledge is “general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles” it is acquired as “familiarity or understanding gained through experience or study”(encarta).
While few will dispute the definition of knowledge, many people in our present day world will dispute its source. Daniel 2:21 succinctly states that it is one of those things that come from God.
This is a fact in many respects. A popular adage of the computer world is “garbage in, garbage out.” The wealth of wisdom that we daily reap as we study nature and browse the cosmos is only possible because an intelligent being with the intention of teaching us, ordered it so. If He had put in garbage, we will be harvesting garbage.
God’s part is to provide the knowledge. He has, He does, He will. But the same verse qualifies it, not only does God provide, He provides to the discerning. For us to benefit from the wisdom God provides, something must be found in us -discernment, that is our part. Proverbs 18:15 says “the heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.”
Ask God for a greater gift of discernment and begin to log on to the knowledge He is trying to impart to you through the things you see and experience daily.

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Tuesday, July 17

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”
Isaiah 33:4 NIV

What graphic imagery! Imagine a treasure room with three types of treasures stored inside, if a key to that room is made available to you so that you can go in and come out at will, will you use it? Will you take some treasures for yourself, your family, neighbors and friends? Will you lead them to the key and the room?
While trying to comfort the Israel nation, Isaiah let us into a secret. There is a rich store room of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. All we need to enter the room is the fear of the Lord. A healthy respect that makes us seek God’s opinion, treasure His words to the point of committing them to memory and doing our best to live by them. Knowing that if we fail to take His instructions into consideration, we do so at our own peril.
If we live in the fear of God, we will come to understand God- that is true knowledge. We will live by divine wisdom, and our human wisdom will grow as we learn from Him. Finally, we will be delivered from danger as we act in due time, forewarned by the Lord, who we obey. Ultimately we will escape the danger of eternal damnation.

Discernment is not enough, we must be receptive to the Lord.
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Wednesday, July 18

“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Luke 11:52 NIV

Here lies the value of studying.
What is the key to knowledge? How was it taken away? Does that mean they can’t learn anymore?
Jesus did not give us the answers to these questions in the passage where he declared woes on the pharisees, perhaps because the answers had been revealed elsewhere in the scriptures. There they were, very concerned about people falling ill physically, so for knowledge they taught people the fear of germs- wash your plates before you eat. They were also concerned that the treasury of the temple may be empty, so they stressed the issues of tithe to combat their fear of poverty. The custodians of faith threw away the issues that relate to the fear of God, which our study has revealed, is the key to knowledge. They no longer walked in the fear of the Lord and by their inappropriately focused teachings they diverted others away from cultivating the fear of the Lord.
It is not for nothing that God was called “the fear of Jacob.” As a minister of God, man of God or child of God what is your greatest fear? What keys are you delivering to your wards? Do you accord the things of God a prominent place in your life? Your children are watching and learning. The wrong keys can never open the right doors. Worldly knowledge has increased, it is godly, appropriate knowledge that’s declining. We are now running a socially civilized but spiritually primitive culture.
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Thursday, July 19

“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”
Romans 1:28 NIV

One of the abilities I admire in my wife is her ability to remember people, faces and names. Its like she has a pictorial directory tucked away somewhere in her head. But don’t expect her to remember what a building looks like- that’s my own fascination. We all have selective memory. Some people will recount a sports event, detailing every move, while others track the performance of the stock market.
Romans 1:28 warns us that even if we jettison every other knowledge, it will be perilous for us not to cultivate and retain the knowledge of God.
The school is supposed to be the center for the cultivation of knowledge. When a foremost country like America throws the knowledge of God out of its curriculum, no doubt we now have towns where nudity is the norm and same sex marriage is fast gaining ground. An African adage translates “he who falls into a ditch is a lesson for those coming behind,” here is wisdom for the nations who currently imitate everything American.
On the micro level, families and individuals that don’t retain and cultivate the knowledge of God will retain a contrary knowledge. Nature does not give room for vacuums. How are you doing in your family?

Music: “Our turn Now” by Carman and Petra
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Friday, July 20

“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD“

Isaiah 11:2 NIV

There is a spiritual angle to knowledge. Isaiah was not describing many spirits, all those qualities come from the same spirit. We can not have the Holy Spirit selectively, if we reject the spirit of knowledge because He demands that we live in the fear of God, it’s only a matter of time before we realize that God’s wisdom, understanding, sound counsel and power have departed from us.
In this prophecy about the Christ, Isaiah reveals that productive wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord does not derive from mere study and experience. Rather, it is the spirit in us that attracts, filters and ultimately determines which kind of knowledge we retain and how we retain it. Like attracts like, if the spirit is evil, it will attract evil knowledge and use good knowledge for evil. Indeed, history has taught us that the very knowledge harnessed for good can be used for evil. Satan quotes the scriptures! Of all the motives in man, the spiritual is the most potent.
Do you want qualitative education? Cultivate the Holy Spirit.
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Saturday, July 21

“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,…”
1 Corinthians 12:8 NIV

At what point does a fruit become a gift?
Every child of God naturally desires to know more about God and share their knowledge of Him. That is knowledge as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. But Paul tells us that there is such a thing as the “message of knowledge.” This ability is not given to everybody. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. A gift is a fruit manifested in a greater proportion so that the possessor has more than sufficient for his own spiritual health. The intention is that he should share it with the body of Christ. God is willing to broaden our capacity for His knowledge beyond our need, if we ask Him. Surely, a fount can never lack.

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Sunday, July 22

“Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”
Proverbs 19:27 NIV

Sometimes we feel its all futile. We conclude that there is nothing more to be gained from cultivating the knowledge of God. We want to call it quits. We sometimes think we are old, we have our fixed ways, we can’t improve, we don’t need instructions, we are not kids.
The words of Solomon echo to us through the ages. Knowledge is like food, you don’t need it only to grow, you also need it to remain healthy even when you have reached your full stature. The moment we stop listening to instruction, we begin to lose our desire for the words of knowledge, we stop seeking it and cultivating it. Eventually, it will reflect in our actions.
John 17:18 says “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” His words are the words of knowledge, there is life in them, they sanctify us as we study and learn from them. Sanctification is a continuous, never ending process. When we stop studying the word of God, our sanctification level deteriorates.
Even if you know the Bible inside out and your character is as set as mortar, you still need the knowledge of God, its fresh every day.
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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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Monday, July 9

“…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5 NIV

Individually and collectively God’s will concerning us is that we should become a part of His priesthood. When we become His children, He begins the process in us, it is not something that happens overnight. The goal is that as the process matures, we learn to offer spiritual sacrifices which God will accept. No, not like the sacrifices which were offered in the old testament, but sacrifices which are acceptable to God in the New Testament, ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ and offered in His name. Our maturity process in the priesthood will also lead us to recognize those kind of sacrifices which are unacceptable to the God we serve. We learn these as we cultivate sensitivity and obedience to the Holy Spirit, who leads us. Are you responding to His leadership?

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Tuesday, July 10

“To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
Proverbs 21:3 NIV

As important as sacrifice is, it only becomes useful because our obedience has failed and still fails. Where there is perfect obedience, sacrifice will be unnecessary. Sacrifice is actually costly obedience that results from failed obedience of the past. Getting it right the first time is always better than having to make corrections.
Before we think of the holy priesthood we must be a part of the holy brotherhood- the group of believers that are committed to doing the will of God. What is God asking you to do today? Do it and save yourself some costly sacrifices in the future.

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Wednesday, July 11

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:6

Sacrifice exists as a tool to manage failed relationship. Hosea 6:6 breaks down the essentials of ideal relationship that God desires more than sacrifice. Mercy affects our relationship with fellow men. The merciful is extra considerate, he easily forgives, empathizes with others. He fulfills the law of love. He will not need to offer sacrifices unto God or men for his failure in his relationship to other men.
Acknowledgment of God goes beyond mere lip service. It is fully manifest in our obedience. When we do what God demands, we are confirming His lordship, kingship and Messiahship in our life. We are declaring that He is God, the unquestionable, one worthy of our worship through obedience. When we make ends meet through ways that are unacceptable to God and then offer sacrifices to seek His face and blessings, we insult His Godhood.
Giving God and men their rightful places in our life is more acceptable than making sacrifices when things have gone wrong.
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Thursday, July 12

“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Mark 12:33 NIV

Jesus reminds us that love is a more important form of sacrifice than burnt animals or fragrances and material sacrifices. During Jesus time, the worship of God had been reduced to burnt offerings and sacrifices. As we put God and others first, true love leads us to make willful sacrifices on a daily basis, before it becomes a necessity for our survival.
The passions of our heart, the thoughts of our mind and all the actions to which we commit our physical bodies should reveal our love for God.
The triune God demands that we love and express our love to Him with all of our being. He also demands equity in our relationship with fellow men- that we do unto them as we want them to do unto us, love them as we would like to be loved.
The self sacrifice that accompanies love is of greater value in God’s sight than any other thing we may sacrifice to Him. ____________________________________________________________

Friday, July 13

“I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
Philippians 4:18 NIV

Once the foundations of obedience and love have been laid, we also need to cultivate the habit of giving, especially to facilitate the work of God and assist the needy.
Paul points out that resources committed to the spread of the gospel and assistance of the saints are like resources used to purchase and burn fragrant offerings unto God. He accepts such sacrifices, because they are pleasing to Him. As obedient children who love our Father in heaven it should delight our heart to offer such a sacrifice which will please Him.
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Saturday, July 14

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
Psalm 50:23 NIV

Giving thanks is one of the easiest and most profitable sacrifices we may offer to God. God feels honored when we give thanks and that encourages Him to deliver us from our predicaments.
It is aptly captured in Psalm 50:23 which is one of the gateways from the old testament to the new. Praise prepares the way. There are many forms of salvation. Family, friends, mentors, nation, church etc. may have their own form of assistance in place, they are good if God chooses to work through them. But there is a salvation which is not to be duplicated or found anywhere else. The name of Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation.” Ultimately God was saying that He will reveal the salvation which He has prepared in Jesus Christ to the one who sacrifices thank offerings. If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!

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Sunday, July 15

“May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.”
Psalm 20:3 NIV

David knew that a sacrifice is only of any worth when it is accepted. Cain discovered the loss an unacceptable sacrifice brings.
What a beautiful prayer! What better way to end this series on “sacrifice”? Sometimes we think our sacrifices go unnoticed- the internal struggles to make our thoughts and feelings submissive to Him, the songs of praise, the gifts, applications of skill and talents, fasting and the time we “burn” in His service. May God bring them all into remembrance and fill them up with the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Having become rooted in love and obedience towards Him, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” Amen

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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Music: “Choose Life” by Big Tent Revival

Sacrifice is one of those words that are central to most religions. The central theme of most religions is that man and God(s) have some issues that need settling between them. This necessitates the involvement of intercession. The intercessor must make sacrifices to effect re-union. This done, man enjoys the fellowship and blessings of God, and God enjoys the worship of man.

According to the Encarta dictionary, sacrifice is “a giving up of something valuable or important for somebody or something else considered to be of more value or importance.” The bible reveals that God has always judged man by how much man is prepared to give up for Him. In the garden of Eden it was a choice between continuous fellowship with God by choosing the path of obedience and life or an opportunity to become like God, managing our own lives by ourselves. Man choose the latter. Cain and Abel were rejected and accepted respectively based on the value of their sacrifices and the condition of their hearts when they offered them. The fate of the very first four humans were determined by the value of their sacrifices in relation to God.

Lets move up a bit to the time of Abraham. This man made some splendid discoveries about God and sacrifices. His experiences will be our focus for today. Don’t let me bore us with a story we know so well. Abraham received a promise at the age of 75 years. The promise was fulfilled when he turned 100 years. The old man had a son. It was his first and only son by his wife, Sarah. God had promised that through that son, his promises will be reckoned (regarded).
When the boy came of age, God instructed Abraham;
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him”. Gen. 22:2 NIV

What could have gone through Abraham’s mind when he heard these instructions? We are not told, but his next actions speak volumes:
‘Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’
Gen 22:3 NIV

Abraham did not take a decision making holiday. He set out to obey the next morning. He did not rationalize the word “sacrifice” he knew it meant a burned offering and prepared to offer nothing less. He did not rationalize the word “son” nor dare offer God a replacement by sacrificing one of his servants. He approached the sacrificial ground with only one visible lamb- his Son. Thankfully, God does not test us this way nowadays but Abraham’s obedience remains unrivaled, not only in the weight of the sacrifice but also in the promptness of obedience. Abraham knew something that most of us don’t know or don’t remember in our moments of crisis. The words which were documented for our sakes and which should be written on the marble of our hearts are contained in the following discuss between the would-be priest and his would-be sacrifice;
“Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Gen. 22:7-8 NIV

Abraham knew his son very well. He was the boy’s mentor. Perhaps he knew the time will come when he will pop the question, as any inquisitive young man would. So, maybe Abraham had a well rehearsed, diplomatic answer thought up overnight. The answer silenced the boy. But God himself was to expound that answer through His actions, for our benefit.

Abraham’s answer reveals that God will not ask us to sacrifice anything that He has not provided. Isaac was God’s provision, if God was requesting that Isaac be sacrificed, Abraham was just grateful for the joy of having been a father. God provides for test sacrifices. Indeed if God did nothing else on that mountain, God had already provided the sacrifice. He always does. The freedom he demanded of Adam and Eve was a gift from Him in the first place- a luxury that His angels cannot afford. Cain’s crops and Abel’s flock were not really their making, it was God who created those plants and gave them increase as they labored. When God asks us to give up sin or its pleasures, that is not a test of faith meant to bring about our promotion, rather, it is an opportunity for us to make amends so that we may be spared from judgment. God does not need or accept the sacrifice of resources acquired outside His will to provide for us. Our self sufficient God will not ask us to sacrifice unto Him anything that His will has not provided in the first place. Ishmael was not requested for sacrifice. The offspring of spiritual illegality cannot gain legitimacy through sacrifice – King Saul learnt that lesson at the cost of his kingship. Sacrifice is one of the processes through which God commits what He has given us to death, thereby sowing it to yield more unto us. A seed that is not of God will not be cultivated by God. If we are gaining promotion through the offering of ungodly resources, we need to check the god that is accepting our sacrifices.

God’s provision of a ram caught in a thicket took Abraham’s answer to another level. Not only does God provide a lamb for the test before we are tested, He also provides for real sacrifices. There is a day to day grace that accompanies our walk so that we will always have provisions to sacrifice unto God.

The third dimension of Abraham’s answer is understood when we look at Hebrews 11:19:
“Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”
As Abraham laid the knife on Isaac’s neck, something happened. He saw a new horizon of faith. His faith survived death, it was lifted up to a higher level of fulfillment. At a point, Abraham had fixated his faith in God’s word on Eliezer of Damascus, who was his servant(Gen. 15:2-3). God lifted up his faith by telling him his heir will come from his body. Abraham’s hope shifted to the likes of Ishmael- a son from his body but not from his wife’s body. After the deed was done, Ishmael had to leave home, a reject. When God suggested a son from Sarah, Abraham pleaded that God would just work with Ishmael, but God was far from done! By the end of the day, Abraham’s faith was now fixated on a son from his marriage. But Isaac too was spared or is it rejected as the perfect offering for sacrifice. God wanted to do something through Abraham’s son, Eliezer was not good enough, Ishmael was sidetracked and Isaac was spared.
Abraham believed that God could actually give him a son that will survive death. He believed that even if he killed Isaac, it does not nullify God’s promise, God could raise Isaac up and fulfill His words. There must have been rejoicing in heaven that day! A mortal man believed that what God wanted to achieve on earth was possible, God gained the legal authority to pierce through and effect his purpose of redemption through his eternal son, Jesus. What was Abraham’s reward? Co-fatherhood. The son which will finally be an acceptable sacrifice unto God would be the offspring of Abraham’s faith. Ultimately, God provides himself for our sacrifice by faith. When the sacrifice is beyond what we’ve had, what we have and can have, it can never be beyond what He has provided in Himself. In Christ, the priest, the lamb and the deity become one.
Let no man ever say that there is nothing to spare for sacrifice, because the one and true God has provided, is providing and will provide for test sacrifices, real sacrifices and faith sacrifices. This is the foundation of the Christian priesthood.

Music: “Jesus is the Lamb” by Carman

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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Monday, July 2

‘But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.’
2 Samuel 24:24 NIV

The word sacrifice is fast losing its importance among Christians. David knew the importance of sacrifice. He knew that the word means “to give up something valuable or important for somebody or something else considered to be of more value or importance”. Hence the value of the person is reflected in what we are prepared to give up for their sake. Thankfully, Jesus made the sacrifice for our sins. God sacrificed to us, showed us that we are more valuable to Him than His own life. Sadly, many Christians want to worship God at their convenience- only when it costs them nothing! The result is evident, pews are increasingly empty on Sundays and mid week services. We all desire the blessedness of David but how many of us are prepared to accord God the same kind of worth accorded Him by David?

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Tuesday, July 3

“But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?”
2 Chronicles 2:6 NIV

Solomon figured it out. Rich and wise, he had all the resources he needed to build the most palatial dwelling for God. But he came to realise that no dwelling can match the beauty and vastness of the cosmos. What then is the purpose of the place of worship? It only finds relevance as a place where we may meet to offer sacrifices to Him. It’s really a portal meant for us, not for Him.
If we then go before Him with no sacrifices or with unacceptable sacrifices, do we not dishonour His presence? As we sit on the pews in church, God looks into our hearts, he sees the obstacles we overcame to be present, He feels our wandering hearts, inwardly grumbling mind and restless bodies that long to be out of His presence.
Be ready to “burn” time in His presence, it pleases Him more than burnt rams.

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Wednesday July 4

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.”
Ecclesiastes 5:1 NIV

In Nigeria, any Pastor who wants to fill up the pews of his church knows what to do- simply brand your church as one where people talk to God! We all have demands, questions, accusations and promises for God. But the Preacher(ecclesiastes) warns that an otherwise good action can be turned into a foolish one if we do not cultivate the habit of listening to God. The more we listen to God, the less we have to ask. The questions we want to ask are already known to Him. He also knows the limits of our abilities, so our promises which are meant to entice Him to do our will only infuriate Him, it is wrong doing.
To have a church where people speak and God hears is no big feat; the ears of God are everywhere and He is ever attentive. To have a church where God speaks and men listen- now that is an achievement! What is your quiet time with God like? Do you listen to Him or talk to Him all through?

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Thursday, July 5

“Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.”
Psalm 4:5 NIV

David always baffles me!
How does he come to these enduring conclusions? A critical look at Psalm 4 sheds some light. We find David asking the Lord for assistance, shrugging off the diversion of those who are godless and then prophesying the mind of God to him in his situation. Only a man who listens to God can speak the mind of God.
There are two essentials for victory. Man’s part and God’s part, for He has called us to be co-workers with Him. We must be ready to do away with distractions and do what God demands of us, even if it costs us something. Then we must exercise faith in God to work it out. Very often we go before God to lament “I trusted in you but you did not work it out!” But how often do we ask God to reveal what we need to do and then ask Him for strength to do it?

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Friday, July 6

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Psalm 51:17 NIV

Very often, when we think of sacrifice, what comes to our mind is money and material possessions. The psalmists tells us that the sacrifices that really please God are those we can all afford. A broken spirit is a spirit that is no longer relying on itself, in this case, so that it may start relying on God. A contrite heart has lost its mirth and pride- it is waiting to be led and revived. We can lay our self reliance on the alter of sacrifice and God who is faithful will pick us up as we rely on Him. Every heart has sufficient sins to bring about contrition, no humble soul will fail to bow and listen before God.

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Saturday, July 7

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
Hebrews 13:15 NIV

Its easy praising God when you get a pay rise. Sometimes praise must assume the dimension of sacrifice. In Job 1:21, after Job had lost his children, servants, oxen, donkeys, sheep and camels, he declared:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
Praise that is not based on what we see God doing but on who we know God is, praise that demands an effort, like a mortgage we pay whether it is convenient or not- that is sacrificial praise.
We often sing in church that our sonorous voices may be appreciated by our listeners- sacrificial praise does not necessarily proceed from trained voices, God feels the honour not the rhythm.

PRAISE YOU IN THE STORM by CASTING CROWNS

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Sunday, July 8

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16 NIV

It was a Sunday afternoon. After church, my mother had to attend a church society meeting holding at the house of one of her society members. Though unwilling, I was chosen to drive her to the meeting.
We arrived at the venue where a lot of cars were already parked outside, in the hot blazing sun, the only shade available for drivers and escorts were the comfort of their cars. As I sat outside in the car, with another ‘driver’, more members of the society arrived. Soon, a deaconess arrived and disappeared indoors.
Shortly, a lady brought two bottles of chilled soft drinks outside for my fellow ‘driver’ and I-it was a very welcome relief!
On our way home, my mum revealed that there were no spare drinks at the meeting; the ones that were sent out were actually the share of the deaconess- she had reckoned that those of us outside needed the drinks more than her!
It was a little gift, but it greatly influenced my perception of brotherly kindness in Christianity. God used that little sacrifice to mould the faith of a young man. God is ready to shoot all our human needs out of contention, if we will give Him the ammunition of good works.

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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Video above: The Courtroom, by Carman

Monday, June 25

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD:
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.”

Ps. 37:39 NIV

A car accident occurred at the road junction. Soon both drivers started boasting about who they know and how much punishment they can inflict on the other person through their connections. While one called the police and his influential father who is a politician, the other called his lawyer.
True, when some people are in trouble, the ‘ powerful ones’ in the land empathize and react. But it is a good thing that the most powerful being has reserved his intervention, not for the wealthy or nobles but for the righteous.
When the righteous is in trouble, there is someone he may call upon-he doesn’t even need a cellular phone! God’s lines suffer no congestion and if all men pray at the same time he can attend to the individual needs of each.
He is a ready source of help for the righteous -be they poor, rich, peasants, politicians, black or white.

Are you in any trouble? Have you been made righteous by the blood of Jesus? Why don’t you call your advocate, He is waiting.
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Tuesday, June 26

“Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
He will spend his days in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.”

Ps. 25:12-13 NIV

God is aware that all men desire to find a way for self actualisation . We all desire to prosper and to leave the fruits of our labour to our offspring, who will be well established in the land.
God has not left us without a prescriptions for obtaining these things.
They will, naturally, as divinely ordained, come to the man who fears the Lord. Those who live and serve with the consciousness of God’s presence, who know He will call them into account and who see themselves as his instruments to lift up the downtrodden and bless his subjects – they will be blessed. History proves it.

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Wednesday, June 27

“One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
A generous man will prosper;
He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. “

Pro. 11:24-25 NIV

Givers Never Lack! You’ve probably seen the sticker on several vehicles. But when we talk about giving, some people easily excuse themselves on the basis of not having money to give-Thankfully, Solomon did not even mention money. Time, knowledge, car rides, attention-are some of the many other things which can be given to others. God has given each and everyone of us the grace to have something we can share. Abundance and prosperity is meant to be shared, not hoarded – even if we must remember the “rainy days.”

Look back to yesterday, can you make a list of three people you shared something with – anything? Also pray for someone who was a blessing to you.

_______________________________________________________________Thursday, June 28

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”

Rom. 1:16 NIV

I remember my first year in the University. Whenever I went to the fellowship, I felt odd clutching onto my Bible, so I bought a wallet to ‘protect’ it. There is nothing wrong in protecting the Bible, but that was not my real motive.
I was liberated one day, in my second year. A group of students brought their parent’s cars to the University and they all held cigarettes which they puffed as they posed in front of the girls hostel-then it struck me like a lightning bolt! Here were some people taking pride in something that will eventually take their life, something they should actually be ashamed to hold in secret; and I was ashamed to hold the ‘word of life’ in public.
Since that day, I boldly carry my Bible-unless it simply makes sense to have it in a wallet or bag.

If you say you are a Christian and you are ashamed of being identified with preaching, the Bible or Jesus Christ, what in the world will make you feel proud? Pray that you may no longer be a nominal Christian, rather you should be ready, at all times to identify with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.
I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”

Hab. 3:17-18 NIV

Praising God when everything is working well is easy, but how do we react when nothing is working? Habakkuk had been having a discussion with God, and the LORD revealed the reasons for the hardships to him. When Habakkuk finally saw things from God’s view point, he found a reason to praise the LORD. He came to realise that even when things are bad, God is working out our peace and leading us to greater heights.
Knowing that God is always on our side, and he is always working out our salvation – we can rejoice always. It’s a vote of confidence in Him. _______________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 30

“This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel;
Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel,
Do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba.”

Amos 5:4-5 NIV

Bethel and Gilgal are two sites with great spiritual significance to the Israelites. They are both places where God made his presence felt to the Patriarchs in their times of need. Israel developed a tendency to return to those places and over time, they started exercising faith in the places rather than in the God who manifested in those places.
Church going is good, powerful preachers are nice, television and radio programs that minister to us are wonderful. Publications that draw us closer to God are splendid – but when we begin to believe that God cannot or will not communicate with us unless we access a particular medium other than his Holy Spirit who indwells us, we must re-consider what we believe in.
The God whom the bible reveals, the new testament God is everywhere and manifests to anyone, anywhere – once they have received faith in Him.

______________________________________________________________Sunday, July 1

“Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”

Jonah 2:8 NIV

The cup into which God pours our blessedness, is the same one that we use to receive from other quarters. If we have filled our cup with unworthy material, we may discover that even if God wants to bless us, there is no room. For everything we receive from the devil, there is something which God would want to give us that we can’t receive.
For this reason, we must constantly and voluntarily be emptied of those things that are not of God.
The word of God is a seed. Every word of God would come to pass if there is room to accept and germinate them in our lives. We are often the architect of our own misfortunes as we often give room to rival sources and resources which conflict with God.

With determination and prayerful dependence on God, you can let go those habits that war against your soul.

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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Monday, June 18

‘Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”‘

Genesis 22:2 NIV

Abram was 75 years old when God called him and said he would make him a great nation. After waiting for 25 years, Isaac was born as the one through whom the seed of promise would be reckoned.

Then God requested the humanly unthinkable: Abraham was to sacrifice that only son! He took the journey to the mountain, without questioning God’s rights, wisdom, power and love.

We all know the result of that faith based obedience: God renewed and expanded His promises to Abraham while the foundation of faith was laid for an eternal Son that will bless us all.

What has God asked you to do? You don’t know what wonders He will bring about through your obedience. Do it now!

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Tuesday, June 19

‘When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”‘

Joshua 6:5 NIV

Joshua was a trained warrior. His traditional weapons were the sword, knives, spears and arrows- so we must understand how puzzled he must have been when God demanded that all they needed to do was walk around Jericho, blow trumpets and shout. But because Joshua was also a man of faith, despite his military skills, he obeyed God .We know the result.

Do you doubt God’s tactics for your life? Very often, when we read His words we tend to disagree with His tactics on some issues like how to deal with our enemies or handle our financial resources. But if we ask Him for the gift of faith, with patience, we will come to realise that He is always right.

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Wednesday, June 20

‘The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.’

Judges 7:7-8 NIV

Gideon was another man who learnt the value of obeying God. He had prepared for the battle the way any commander would. He had 30 thousand men who were ready to march out with him against the oppressive power of Midian.

God reduced the 30 thousand to 3 thousand, then to 3 hundred soldiers. Worse still, their primary tools were not to be spears and swords but trumpets and jars. Gideon obeyed, God fought for them and Israel had the victory.

Perhaps you have refused to move forward in obedience to God because your resources appear insufficient for the tasks ahead. If your resources were humanly sufficient, would you really need God? Rather, by raising the need beyond your means, He is preparing the stage for His involvement. With patient and obedient faith, you will overcome through God.

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Thursday, June 21

‘After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.’

1 Kings 18:1 NIV

There was famine in the land; God withheld the rains for three years. Elijah was concerned and God was ready to grant relieve. Elijah received a very simple instruction, he was spared the details. “Present yourself to Ahab, I will send rain”, it was that simple. Elijah did not question how one was connected with the other, he simply obeyed.

I have a ten year old boy who always asks “why?” While I respect his inquisitiveness and see it as a learning process which can also prevent him from harm when other people want to lead him astray, it sometimes communicates distrust. When we deal with God, the brain must bow in reverence and retire in obedience.

Israel had been led into Baal worship by the house of Ahab, all that was required of Elijah was to present himself before Ahab, the real confrontation was between God and Baal. Once the problem was solved, God granted rain to his people whose minds had been cleansed from the abomination of idol worship. God always knows the real problem. He deals with problems from the roots rather than granting us superficial relief. As His arks, our duty is simply to be positioned where he wants us to be. The battle belongs to Him.

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Friday, June 22

“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”

2 Kings 5:13-14 NIV

The wisdom and words of God does not always come to us through distinguished, respected and learned media. It came to Naaman through his maid. Through humility, he scaled that hurdle. But once more, when he was asked to go and wash in the Jordan his nationalistic pride nearly robbed him of his healing. God’s solutions for many of our problems are often so simple and humbly packaged that we may miss them- if we are not humble and unquestionably obedient. The test is not always that we do the near impossible, sometimes it is the surprisingly simple task that is required of us.

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Saturday, June 23

‘Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road-the desert road-that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”‘

Acts 8:26 NIV

The walk of faith is taken one step at a time. Before we come to understand what the Lord is working out, we often have to start out on simple, obedient faith. Philip knew this.

Why should I go down to the south road?

What am I going to do there?

Am I going to be there for long (so I can pack a lunch)?

We can think of so many questions we would have asked, as if the one who instructs us has not figured it all out. We reduce God to men whose plans often fail us. Through our disobedience, the failure we fear often becomes out lot.

Philip went to where he was directed. When he got there, he saw and heard the eunuch reading the book of Isaiah. Philip witnessed to him and the eunuch was converted. While our earthly team members may have to “break it all down” for us nothing replaces simple faith when God is in the picture.

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Sunday, June 24

‘Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”‘

Matthew 26: 39

To teach us that no one becomes great and walks with the Lord unless by obedient faith, the master himself faced this test.

It’s easy to risk wasting a few hours, days or years going somewhere without knowing why. Following a God who has proved himself at the Red Sea and at the Jordan may not be too tasking when He gives you a plan to bring down walls (especially when you have no plans of your own). It’s also not fully self-giving when you are asked to offer someone close to you as a sacrifice. When compared to laying down your own life and making your flock feel your absence, all other acts of obedience look mild.

He made an appeal not a complaint. As the physical counterpart of the invisible God succumbed to the will of the mental counterpart, he taught us a lesson that even God must obey God. How much more men!

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/

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What is the heart of a father like? What are his aspirations for his child? Mark Harris captures the heart of a Christian father in this song titled “FIND YOUR WINGS”.

The greatest task of a father is simply for him to be there. David Meece captures the importance of the father’s presence in this beautiful song, “MY FATHER’S CHAIR”

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

The video below is a must watch for all Christians. If you haven’t seen it before please see it now( even if you’ve seen it, see it again!)

SCRIPTURE NARRATION FOR FATHER’S LOVE LETTER

The video below is a narration of about 50 beautiful verses that were woven together to create the Father’s Love Letter.

One of the common stumbling blocks for most Christians is the knowledge of the Holy Trinity. Yet, generations after generations of Christians continue to be blessed as they strive to know more about this nature of God. The trinity is not a New Testament invention, evidence of the triune Nature of God abounds in the Old Testament. Perhaps, it is also there that we find the key to a deeper understanding of the Unity of the Trinity. Our search will begin from a text of scripture held in awe by Christians, Jews and Muslims:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”
Deut. 6:4 NIV

Why was it necessary for Moses to say these words to the Israelites?

They had been delivered by the mighty hand of God from in Egypt. They saw how
”by day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.(Exodus 13:21)
They also witnessed how
“… the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.”(Exodus 14:19-20)

They had evidence of God manifesting to them in a distinguishable form as the angel of the Lord. At night He appeared as a pillar of fire, and during the day as a pillar of cloud. But when the Egyptians pursued the children of Israel, the Angel moved to separate the two camps, the pillar of fire provided light to one side and the pillar of clouds provided darkness to the other. Before the eyes of the children of Israel they had seen God manifesting in three different forms. Moses witnessed this rare occurence and it was not to be duplicated until the time of Elijah and then Jesus’ baptism in the New Testament. As they continued their journey, there was a tendency for the people to begin to think that they were dealing with more than one God or being. Moses sounded a note of warning that despite the multiple manifestations, and revelations of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God remains one. If there was no tangible tendency to conclude that God was more than one, the warning would not have been made. Even today it is still relevant for us to remind ourselves that God is one.
Having made a case for the possibility of plurality of manifestation by God let us look at a few more examples.

God had just defeated the prophets of Baal through Elijah. Rain, which had been held back for three years began to fall. Then Elijah heard of how Jezebel had killed the other prophets and he feared for his life when the woman sent threats of death to him. He therefore embarked on a journey to Mount Horeb, where he believed he would have a deeper and personal encounter with God. When he got to the mountain of God, we read:
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)

Three manifestations preceded a fourth one. The Lord was not in the first three, He was in the gentle whisper. Elijah pulled his cloak over his face, why? Did Moses not talk to God face to face so that his face shone? Did men not touch the Lord and fellowship with him physically? Do we not have the Holy Spirit indwelling our mortal bodies? So what was special about the revelation to Elijah?
Yes, the Bible tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light and also that in the day any man sees Him that man shall die. Is the word of God contradicting itself? Perhaps there is a difference between the personalities of God and the essence of God. While He may choose to appear to us in the persons of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the real Spirit, the essence dwells in unapproachable light and anyone who beholds that unshielded glory will die! The Hebrew word translated Jehovah(erroneously or not) has been revealed to be the words God gave Moses when He said “I am that I am”. Hence God revealed that He is the one who can choose to be whatever He wants to be and no one can stop Him!

We are triune beings living in a triune world. Our experiences are filtered through mental, emotional and physical interpretations, the only way we can experience that God is if He humbly manifests to us in personalities that we can experience and appreciate. While the Father is the mental polarity in whom the physical and emotional are contained, the Son is the physical polarity in whom the mental and emotional are contained, the Holy Ghost(Holy Spirit not used so that we may not confuse Him with the essence in this discussion) is the emotional polarity in whom the mental and physical are contained. But the optimized personalities reveal the will and work out the purpose of that one being, who is Spirit.

Another passage in the old testament that sheds light on the unity of the trinity is Isaiah 9:6NIV
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Holy Spirit was introduced as the counselor by Jesus Christ, the Father had appeared to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and was the predominant personality of the Old Testament. God gave man the laws in His personality as the Father. Then there is the Prince of Peace, Son of David, who is the Son. That leaves us with one description- Mighty God. Jesus came to atone on behalf of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and the Mighty God. He was therefore called by all the titles because the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are the Mighty God reaching out to us in three different personalities. The three are one because the one chose to be three. The three have always existed in the One as the One with the One because they are the One.

Wrap-Up
What then is the purpose of knowing about the unity of the trinity? God’s nature affects the way we view Him. The Bible says that we perish for lack of knowledge, many of the confusion in Christendom today can be linked to a poor understanding of the nature of God. The Baptists pride themselves as the people of the Word. The Charismatics worship with tears, feet stamping and other dramatic emotionalism and they see themselves as Spirit filled. The Catholics and several other churches try to duplicate the spiritual in the physical. To them, the Lord’s supper is actual flesh and blood, white garments and hierarchies imitate heavenly orders. The great divides that has created denominations is nothing but different groups looking at the same God and worshipping Him with their inclination to mental, emotional or physical expression. Irrespective of how we worship Him, no one is totally right and no one is wrong. The key element is that our mental, emotional or physical acts of worship should flow from our spirit because God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. If we marshal a thousand tongues to praise the Lord, deliver very eloquent and rightly divided messages or roll on the floor endlessly in tears it amounts to nothing until spirit begins to worship Spirit.

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This article has been contributed by ‘Yemi Ogunjimi.

To find out more about him please follow this link

http://blogtheword.wordpress.com/about/ ________________________________________________________