BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

“When we give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back” – Proverbs 19:17 (GNB).

It is said that “no person is too poor to give and no person is too rich to receive”— true! Everybody has a need and everybody has something to satisfy a particular need of another person, be it the rich or the poor. The need in question may be spiritual, physical, social or emotional. A rich person may need a godly or professional counsel from another person who may not be equally rich. We may also be able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked despite our limited personal and family finances. It is relatively easy to receive from others. On the other hand, we most often struggle to give to those who may need our assistance due to some negative human attitudes such as ingratitude, mismanagement of the gifts given, and abuse or mistreatment from persons we helped. Some people may also exploit the kindness of a particular giver. Nevertheless, giving becomes easier if we make Jesus the receiving object of our giving and accept the fact that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Matthew 25:31-44 is one of the most revealing Bible passages on the Second Coming of Jesus and the final judgment of all things. The passage highlights the importance of meeting the needs of other persons. It particularly links true righteousness to meeting the needs of strangers, prisoners, the hungry, the thirster, the naked, and the sick. “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me’” (vv. 34-35 (GNB)). The pronoun ‘I’, which appears three times in the foregoing scripture, refers to the ‘King’, who is Jesus. This means that Jesus appreciates and rewards every kindness we show to other people irrespective of their attitude. Therefore, do not get tired of doing good; Jesus has a reward for you in this life and in Heaven (Galatians 6:7-10). Giving is ultimately more beneficial to the giver. Therefore, do not give up on giving!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

                                       Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                      Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION

REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered...I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” – Psalm 32:1, 5 (KJV).

Sin always opens a person up to loses and destruction. It hinders desirable breakthroughs, derails progress and ultimately destroys a person’s life and fortunes if it is not dealt with rightly and timely. Repentance is the only right response to sin. It means “a radical turning from sin to a new way of life oriented towards God”.[1] It involves acknowledging one’s sins, confessing them, and asking for forgiveness from God and offended persons.

Repentance usually goes hand-in-hand with forgiveness of sin, reconciliation and restoration of a covenanted blessing. Generally, repentance and restoration are, respectively, the sole responsibility of an individual or a group of persons, and God. “If they pray to me and repent from and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again” – 2 Chronicle 7:14(GNB). In Psalm 51:12, King David asked God to restore to him the joy of salvation after he had genuinely repented of his sins. Thus restoration only comes after a genuine repentance.

Joel 2:12-27 and Luke 15:11-24 are graphic illustrations of the solid relationship between repentance and restoration. The former and latter passages of scripture deal with the sins of a group of people and that of an individual respectively. In Joel 2:25-27, God promised to reconcile with His people and restore the years of harvest they have lost as a result of their sins. However, their genuine repentance was a conditional precedent to the said restoration (Joel 2:12-18). Similarly, in Luke 15:11-22, a younger son who rebelled against his lovely father, and consequently lost his fortunes and relationship with the father, received restoration after genuine repentance. What do you need to repent of in order to receive restoration?

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

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[1] William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Zondervan 2006).

OUR DYING WORLD

OUR DYING WORLD

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” – Genesis 2:17 (KJV).

A study by the World Health Organisation(WHO) indicates that global life expectancy at birth as at 2015 was 71.4 years, which comprised 73.8 years for females and 69.1 years for males. According to the WHO, "global average life expectancy increased by 5 years between 2000 and 2015, the fastest increase since the 1960s".[1] The foregoing statistics at first sight presupposes an increase in global average life expectancy of humanity. On the contrary, however, the global life expectancy of humanity, from the perspective of the Bible, is declining.  Humanity is dying and our world is passing at a very fast pace because of sin.

Methuselah, Adam and Seth are among the people in history who lived several years on this earth before their passing (Genesis 5). They respectively lived 969, 930 and 912 years before their passing. The life expectancy of subsequent generations after Methuselah, Adam and Seth, including ours, continue to decline because of sin. In Noah’s generation, global life expectancy was 120 years (Genesis 6:3). In that generation, like ours, God regretted for making human beings because their thoughts and imaginations were continually sinful. The wages of sin is always death (Romans 6:23). Death in this context includes both spiritual separation from God and physical death.

“Seventy years is all we have — eighty years, if we are strong...Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise” – Psalm 90:9-10a, 12(GNB). We can deduce from this scripture that even living up to 80 years today is considered a short life, compared to life expectancy in previous generations. Fortunately, however, we have a choice to wisely receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Everyone in this world who believes and receives Jesus Christ will not die but will have eternal life (John 3:16).

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

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[1] http://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/life_tables/situation_trends_text/en/ <accessed 14 October 2016.

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 41

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 41

   A YEAR JOURNEY INTO EPHESIANS 1

‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ – Ephesians 1:7.

*WEEK 41:

The riches of His grace redeems, forgives and restores – vv. 3-7, 10-14, 17-18.

The riches of His grace empowers the saints to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness to enable them inherit all divine blessings – vv. 3, 7, 11-23; Matthew 6:33-34.

The riches of His grace also empowers the saints to demonstrate God’s original purposes for their lives – vv. 3-5, 7.

The riches of His grace embodies God’s redemption and restoration strategies for mankind – vv. 3-7, 11-14.

The riches of His grace is the common thread that connects Jesus, the saints and God’s blessings for mankind – vv. 3-7, 10-11, 13-14, 22-23.

The blessings of the saints which are connected to the riches of His grace are not restricted to a particular geographical location – vv. 3, 7, 10.

Having a spiritual insight into the riches of His grace is central to appreciating the blessedness of the saints and depth of God’s love – vv. 3, 7, 16-19; Colossians 1:3-21.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

HOW TO HONOUR YOUR PARENTS

HOW TO HONOUR YOUR PARENTS 

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth” – Exodus 20:12 (KJV).

Long-life is one of the vital things almost every human being desires.  A number of people undertake various forms of body exercises and are mindful of what they eat with the aim of attaining and enjoying long-life. As useful as these exercises and good dietary measures may be, they do not always guarantee long-life. Long-life ultimately is a blessing that is only sanctioned by God. One of the ways God may bless a person with long-life is how that person honours her parents. God-given long-life is not only measured in duration of time but also in life-depth, ever shining significance and exemplary legacy. “Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” – Ephesians 6:2-3.

We honour our parents when we discover and fulfill our God-given purposes. Our successful lives honour and glorify our parents in the sight of society. Jesus honoured God when He fulfilled His assignment on earth. Although He was gruesomely crucified and taken to the grave at age 33, death could not hold Him captive. He resurrected after His burial and is alive forever. Jesus has become the only medium for receiving eternal life from God. Joseph also honoured his father, Jacob, when he became a shining star in Egypt to climax his God-given dreams. He was blessed by his father and lived 110 years before his passing.

We can also honour our parents by ministering to them our substance. “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty...” – Proverbs 3:9-10. Joseph was a bread winner to his father and siblings in Egypt. Jacob on his death-bed prophetically blessed Joseph and his descendants profusely.

We also honour our parents when we obey their godly counsel. They seek our best interests and welfare through such guidance. Thus obeying their good counsel is to demonstrate respect for their person and wisdom. Our earthly parents are the earthly representatives of our heavenly Father. God even expects us to honour Him as we honour our parents (Malachi 1:6-9). Honouring the godly counsel of our parents makes it easier for us to submit to God’s counsel. Obeying godly counsel always leads to wise choices which are vital to long-life.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

                                         Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                       Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 40

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 40

   A YEAR JOURNEY INTO EPHESIANS 1

‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ – Ephesians 1:7.

*WEEK 40:

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a saint is a proof of the receipt of the riches of His grace in the life of that saint – vv. 3, 7, 13-23.

Spiritual illumination is enhanced upon redemption and receipt of the riches of His grace – vv. 7, 15-22.

Although the riches of His grace seals saints with the Holy Spirit, there is a need for prayer for His total manifestation in their lives – vv. 7, 13-21.

The provisions of the riches of His grace include empowerment for spiritual maturity – vv. 7, 13-23.

The riches of His grace empowers the saints to conform to the holiness of God– vv. 4-7, 13, 15-21.

The riches of His grace require the saints to exhibit God’s character traits of holiness and love – vv. 4-7, 13, 15, 19-20.

The riches of His grace is Christ-centred and causes a saint to live, move and have that saint’s being in Him – vv. 7, 11, 13; Acts 17:28.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 39

THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 39

   A YEAR JOURNEY INTO EPHESIANS 1

‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ – Ephesians 1:7.

*WEEK 39:

Every saint needs to draw closer to the Holy Spirit to make the most of the riches of His grace – vv. 3, 7, 13-14, 17-23.

Understanding the riches of His grace will naturally cause a saint to be thankful to God – vv. 3-7, 11-19.

The provisions of the riches of His grace are out of reach of all principality, power, might, dominion and every name other than that of Jesus – vv. 3, 7, 20-21.

The provisions of the riches of His grace stir up the hope of the saints– vv. 7-14, 18.

Redemption and forgiveness of sins are a measure of the riches of His grace – vv. 6-7, 15-20.

The Blood of Jesus and the riches of His grace are the channels and destination of the redemption of the saints – vv. 7-8, 11, 13-14, 17-23.

The riches of His grace demonstrates the blessedness of the saints – vv. 3-7, 15-22.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com