DATE: SATURDAY 7 JANUARY 2017
THEME: BE THOU PERFECT
Memorise:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48
Read: Genesis 17:1-9 (KJV)
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
MESSAGE:
There are many misconceptions about God’s demand for perfection. These misconceptions have led some people to erroneously conclude that perfection is an unrealistic aim in the Christian walk, and should therefore be abandoned. To debunk this line of thought, our Lord Jesus Christ in today’s memory verse re-echoes His Father’s demand for our perfection. My prayer is that the power of God will come upon you today, and you will begin to live in perfection as God demands in Jesus’ Name.
Why do people see God’s demand for our perfection as being unattainable? It’s because they think that perfection is to be attained by our strength. However, the truth of the matter is this: if man did not create himself but came to existence through the power and wisdom of God, by this same wisdom and power, God will help him to meet His demands. The problem with such people is unbelief. For this reason, the Bible in Hebrews 11:6 says:
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Unbelief breeds disobedience. The case of the first man and woman shows this. They fell into imperfection through their unbelief in the efficacy and infallibility of God’s word! This is in contrast to Abraham, of whom God also demanded perfection, who responded to God’s demand in faith. This is why the Scripture say this about him:
“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Galatians 3:6
From God’s point of view, perfection is total obedience to His instructions in faith. You are perfect if you obey what God asks you to do, even if it seems illogical or is politically incorrect. Obedience in faith brings justification, which is the key to perfection.
Do you find yourself in a state of unbelief? Are you one of those who don’t believe perfection is attainable? If you are, you must pray today like the man whose child was tormented by the devils in Mark 9:24:
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Action Point:
The Spirit of Jesus Christ helps us into perfection. Therefore, accept Jesus today and ask Him to give you His Spirit, and His Spirit will make you perfect.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Matthew 14-15 and Isaiah 5:24-6:7,
AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Chorus:
O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Chorus:
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Chorus:
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Chorus:
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
Chorus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR PASSAGES
Matthew: 14. 1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2. and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him." 3. Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4. for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5. Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. 6. On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7. that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9. The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10. and had John beheaded in the prison. 11. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12. John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. 13. When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16. Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17. "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18. "Bring them here to me," he said. 19. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. 22. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24. and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28. "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29. "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32. And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." 34. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36. and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Matthew: 15. 1. Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2. "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" 3. Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4. For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' 5. But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is 'devoted to God,' 6. they are not to 'honor their father or mother' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8. "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'" 10. Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." 12. Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" 13. He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." 15. Peter said, "Explain the parable to us." 16. "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18. But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them." 21. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly." 23. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24. He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25. The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." 27. "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." 28. Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment. 29. Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. 32. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." 33. His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" 34. "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish." 35. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
Isaiah: 5. 24. Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25. Therefore the Lord's anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 26. He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily! 27. Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal strap is broken. 28. Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hooves seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind. 29. Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue. 30. In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is only darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds.
Isaiah: 6. 1. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." 6. Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.
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