Forgotten Sacrifices (II) ? Author: Esther Agbi
King David would not give to God anything that cost him nothing [2Sam 24:24]!
This is in line with giving something special. That is the right attitude. No little wonder
God testified that David was a man after His Heart!
Cornelius was another man whose offering stood out [Acts 10]….. “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God”, an angel of God told him. This is very fascinating! His prayers and offerings were stored up for future blessings. God remembered Cornelius. He and his household were blessed.
There is a Lady I know of who loves offering sacrifices to God even when she does not have. As her story goes, a man of God called for the members to give sacrificially to foreign missions, assisting refugees. She had no money at the time to donate, but somehow, material goods were being accepted. She had this beautiful and costly attire with shoes and jewelry to match. She contemplated for a long time because she really loved the attire. Finally, she decided to give it up as a sacrifice for foreign missions. A prayer was said that day, according to her, she never thought that she would ever be in that situation in her life time because she was very comfortable at the time. The Man of God prayed that no one who has given towards the missions would ever become a refugee in a foreign land.
Somehow, after many years, this lady found herself as a refugee in a foreign land. She remembered that prayer, and I believe that God remembered that prayer too because she was set free from that situation and now a Citizen of that country. That prayer by the Man of God was stored up for a future blessing. God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.
The Lord will remember you and me for greater blessings in Jesus Name.
It is good for us to give to the Lord because we care. Give because you love, give because God demonstrated it by giving his only SON Jesus to die for us. Give because God instructed us to do so [Luke 6:38] and there is a reward. God will remember someday. It may not be in your life time, maybe your children or generations down the line.
Sacrifice may not be monetary only. It could be just a smile, a nice compliment that is sincere, or a phone call to brighten someone else’s day, a quiet prayer for someone you know or don’t know. You could sacrifice your talent or your time even when it is not convenient. That is why it is called a sacrifice. If it were convenient, it would not have been called a sacrifice. When Jesus gave his life for us, it was not convenient. That is love.
Solomon gave a sacrifice, and God asked him what he wanted [1 Kings 3:5]. Has God ever testified of your offering/sacrifice? Has He asked you what you wanted after you gave your offering? The same questions I would ask myself.
It is good to ask from God, but it is better to be asked by God what we want. I believe that the Lord is working on us all and he will grant us wisdom to work in line with HIM in Jesus Name.
My prayer for you is that the Lord remember all your offerings in whatever form you have given to Him in support of His kingdom and that He fulfill all your heart desires in Jesus name [Psalm 20:3, 5], Amen.
Success
SWEET SAVOUR AND VICTORY IN CHRIST
SWEET SAVOUR AND VICTORY IN CHRIST
Text: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Please commit this Scripture to memory. It is very important if you do not want to start on the defeat line as a believer over and over again, or if you want to step up the ladder of spiritual victory and give your life to Christ for the first time.
“14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ [2 Cor. 2:14-17].”
This was the first Scripture, the Holy Spirit ministered to me when I began to lay the groundwork for this ministry, Christ our Wisdom and Power Missions. I meditate on this Scripture from time to time, and the Holy Spirit reminded me again, invigorating me with the Scripture, and telling me to share it with you. It always makes me exude great confidence that I am triumphant always in Christ, as long as I am in right standing with God. Jesus sweetens lives and as a disciple of Jesus, a Christian should manifest the power and radiate the glory of God in every place.
When Jesus was on earth, He healed the sick, raised the dead, healed the broken hearted, comforted those who were mourning and gave liberty to those who were in bondage, fulfilling the mission He was commissioned to do [Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-21]. How fragrant His life was!!! What does this mean? It means He touched the lives of those He met in a positive way. Some became saved and others who refused to believe became condemned because they refused to believe in the only begotten Son of God. As the Son of man, Christ was anointed and consecrated with the Holy Spirit by God. The Holy Spirit gave Him strength, and empowered Him for the works He did. He forgave sins, healed the sick, and raised the dead, the same thing He can do today [Heb. 13:8]. His resume as the Son of God was all written with victory after victory, culminating in the victory over Satan and the Host of hell when He died on the Cross of Calvary and rose again the third day. He went back to heaven triumphantly and will come again to judge the living and the dead. Are you ready to meet Him?
Of His mission on earth, the Amplified bible reads.
38How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him [Acts 10:38].
Since He is the same, yesterday, to day and forever, He can meet you at the point of your need through the same power of the Holy Spirit that anointed Him. To the sick, if you believe and reach out by faith, He can heal you and your life becomes a testimony to others of the wonders He does.
To every believer, Jesus has deposited His powers in us to enjoy who He is and sweeten the lives of others with His knowledge by the power of the Holy Spirit. On earth, Jesus said to His disciples, “I will send the Holy Spirit and each one of you will do greater works because I go back to my Father in heaven [John 14:12, paraphrased]”. This was literarily fulfilled, after the day of Pentecost, in the life of Peter [his shadow healed the sick, Acts 5:15] and Paul [anointed handkerchief’s from him healed people, Acts 19:11-12]. The power of the Holy Spirit transformed their lives, becoming clean vessels in the hand of God. They brought fragrance in Christ to others in their missionary journeys, both to the saved and unsaved.
Figuratively, a person’s life is like salt. It can sweeten or destroy. My prayer is that the beauty of Jesus be seen in your life as you savour His knowledge and power in every place. Amen.
Prayer of Faith
To the unsaved, confess your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Tell Him you will not go back to your sins and old ways anymore [Read Rom. 10:9-10; Rom 6:23; 2 Cor.5:17].
To the saved affirm this prayer in your spirit-man.
“Lord I thank you for making me to be victorious in Christ. Thank you for the victories I have had in spiritual battles. Oh Lord, let my life continue to be a sweet fragrance, imparting the lives of others with the power of your Holy Spirit. Lord, I consecrate my life unto you. Make me, mould me, heal me, and use me for your kingdom to your glory. No part of my life shall be wasted anymore. I will live for Jesus day after day. Anoint me with your Spirit and power to do the works that you did and the greater works you promised that your disciples would do. Let my life minister grace to others in Jesus name. Amen.”
Wisdom Fountain 0104
THE TREE OF MY LIFE SHALL NOT WITHER
Wisdom Fountain 0104 [Psalm 1:1 – 6, KJV]
1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
This chapter of the Holy Bible begins the Psalms and defines the man who wants to walk with the Lord, stand where the Lord stands and seat where the Lord sits. As you put the words of this chapter into your memory, read and pray other chapters in the Psalm for yourself, talk to God with this prayer.
Prayer Points 0104
1. Lord I draw inner strength from you in Jesus name. I delight in you all the days of my life in Jesus name.
2. My tree has deep roots and will continually draw from the wells of salvation in Jesus name. Lord have mercy and save such as you have appointed to be saved in Jesus name.
3. I shall be distinguished by my walk with you from those that do not know you and those who have made up their minds to reject you in Jesus name. They shall bow down at my gate in Jesus name. Amen.