When we look at the Book of Acts and elsewhere, we see that the earliest Christians went about introducing people to Jesus via the preaching of the Gospel and miraculous healings. This was in line with what Jesus did while on earth because He was not only concerned with the spiritual state of people, but also their physical condition. This is why He healed and fed people's bodies and souls. The earliest members of the Body of Christ equally spent a lot of time helping others, including sharing their wealth with the group and taking care of widows, for instance. These were some of the good works they did for their fellow believers as well as strangers.
That duty to help people continues today for those who believe in Jesus Christ and consider Him to be the Son of God. In fact, it is for this reason some Christian groups and individuals give food and finances to the needy where they can. This is also why some allow the Lord to guide them to people in need of healing so they can lay hands on them. Or, the reason why God would prompt one of His children to pray consistently for someone to be delivered from whatever is keeping them from God's promise of the fullness of life.
However, did you know that to truly do good works as a believer you have to be rooted in the word of God? To learn more, look at today's anchor scripture, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This verse teaches us that scripture is essential for many things including equipping God's people for every good work. In essence, we need to spend time in and with the word of God in order to be prepared to do good works that glorify Him. It is no wonder then that satan wants people to think they don't need to study the Bible. Or that devotionals and bite-sized inspirational messages are enough to truly feed a child of God on a regular basis. It is why so many people hear that lying voice that tells them they can never understand or enjoy scripture directly from the source but should settle for God's word aggregated by someone else. Many don't realize how they limit themselves by failing to consistently meditate on God's word as instructed in Joshua 1:8 and elsewhere.
Let me frame things differently to provide another perspective on the point we all need to learn. How many of us have heard another person pray that they want God to bless them so they become a blessing to others? Have you possibly said that prayer yourself? Well, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 essentially states that nobody can be blessed to become a blessing to another person if they are not familiar with God's word. This is not to say that God is not blessing folks who make this petition. It is also not to say you must know the Bible inside and out. However, an individual's lack of intimacy with God's word will always limit their access to the fullness of blessings that can be showered upon them from on high. The type of blessings whereby they become not only a blessing to others but a reason why people rejoice and glorify God (2 Corinthians 9:11). Also consider that God wants us to have all we need for ourselves and more to be of help to others in a multitude of ways (2 Corinthians 9:8). Thus, failing to spend time with God's word keeps us from receiving this promise and truly doing good works.
Please do not be mistaken, the terms "fullness," "blessing" and "good works" do not merely mean money or things tied to money. The fullness of blessings a person needs to do God's good works for others is multifaceted. The foundation, though, will be wisdom, which comes from the word of God. That wisdom will guide an individual to discern whether a person needs money, prayer, a helpful phone call to set things in motion or something else. The more we study the word, the more of God's wisdom is released to us so we can use the blessings He's given to us to glorify Him all the more via the good works He will call us to do. In addition, the more of the word we consume, the more of His promises we receive such as healing (Proverbs 4:20-22), deep insight into the hidden things of this world (Proverbs 2), spiritual strength (Psalm 119:28) and life itself (Proverbs 3:8) among other things.
Do you want to do God's good works on earth? Do you want to truly help others? Then it's time to commit to God's word and let Him build you into the more He's created you to be.
Join us for Praise & Pray (for others) today at Noon EST when we will worship then pray for other people. The Lord will continue to teach us in His word and we will be equipped to do good works that please Him by His grace and to His glory, IJMN, Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You are the God who has shared everything He has with us. You have done so because You love us and want us to reflect You here on earth.
Thank You for the grace You granted whereby we could fellowship together this day. I give You all the glory.
I pray for today's participants as well as those who will join at a later point, that they will commit to interacting with and meditating on Your word more regularly. I know that in doing so, You will be glorified and pleased. I also know that in accordance with Your word in 2 Corinthians 9:8, You will grant the blessing of having enough and more to do Your good works.
Bless Your people. Bless them that the world may fear You in accordance with Psalm 67:7, IJMN, Amen.
*From CD* - I am here everyone, I am here!!! I started a new job and have been in transition, Praise God!!!!! I love you all ❤️❤️
LAST 10 MINUTES
We've learned today that spending time with God's word is essential for us to do good works that glorify Him. Psalm 1 tells us the many rewards that come from delighting in His word.
Right now, each of us is at a different stage in our journey with the Lord and we need Him to carry us all the way through this life till we reach our eternal residence in heaven. Between now and then, we cannot afford to ignore the Bible and the nourishment it contains. It is our Life Manual. We might get away with installing that IKEA furniture without looking at the instructions but we can't afford to take the risk with our lives.
Will you join me in a prayer?
Lord God, I pray over each of us that we receive the cloak of zeal mentioned in Isaiah 59:17. I pray, oh Father, that we shall strive to read Your word and meditate on it. That it shall be a delight so that in due time we will do the good works that only the Scripture can equip us for. To You be all the glory and the praise, IJMN, Amen.
Here is another prayer from sis Justa that I feel we need to pray today:
Dear Daddy God. I want to lift up Mr. K who has been missing for at least 2 weeks.
Father his family is undoubtedly worried and wanting their loved one back safe and sound.
Lord, I depend on Your word in Proverbs 23:18 and call on You to bring him back to his family and I thank You in advance for answering prayers to this effect IJMN Amen.
Psalm 20:2 - May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
Psalm 50:15 - and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
Lord, please help those who are crying out to You for help. All by Your grace and to Your glory, IJMN, Amen.
This is an old prayer shared by our sister, @Justa back in 2021. Saw it this weekend and felt compelled to share it today.
PRAYER TIME
Glory to God in the highest! Now, it is time for us to lift up the needs of others in prayer. Let us call on the Lord to help them by turning their situation around.
If you're not praying for a person but are praying about an issue affecting people, call on the Lord to work miracles.
The Lord bless and guide you, IJMN, Amen.
Father, we thank You for loving each of us. Thank You for this love that never ends. Thank You that even when we sin, You continue to love and bless us for Your word says You let the sun rise on both the righteous and the wicked (Matthew 5:45).
Thank You that You don't want the wicked to go to hell. You want them to come live with You in heaven and continue to extend Your salvation to all.
Glory be to Your Holy Name!
Amen.
Sovereign Lord, thank You for this opportunity to fellowship together. Glory be to Your Holy Name!
Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Psalm 50:14 - “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
Dear Jehovah! I come before You with my thanks offering. I pray that it will rise as a sweet smelling incense to You. Father, You have done so many incredible things - things that still amaze me. You are my incredible God!
Thank You for being my Daddy. For loving me as a great Father. For showing me mercy and great kindness.
Amen!
Father, thank You for the children who went missing in Colombia. Thank You Lord that after 40 days, they were found.
God, please comfort them on the loss of their mother and others, IJMN Amen.
Glorious God! Thank You for being everything that I need. Thank You that when I am weak, You are strong.
Thank You that when I'm about to make a mistake, You take the time to caution and lead me away from the problem.
Thank You for protecting me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You that Your goodness doesn't stop at me. It goes before, covers my flank and encapsulates others.
Glory be to Your Name!
PRAISE TIME
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
We need to give God all the glory. He is worthy of all our adoration. He is to be exalted at all times, and the holy hosts do so according to the Bible.
The next 25 minutes are our opportunity to join those who've made it to heaven in magnifying the name of the Lord. Think of how excited they must be? They get to walk through the highest heaven as members of God's eternal household!
That's how we need to praise the Lord right now! Let's sing Hosanna in the highest! With fervency! Let us anticipate joining the great assembly to praise our God. We're just practicing now but it counts to the glory of God and obedience of His instructions - Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (KJV).
*From AC* - Amen!! Thank you for sharing today's lesson @FFJ. In Mathew 4:4, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy when he told us that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
God's Word is our sustenance, more important than the food we eat that keeps us alive. I have learned that daily feasting on our life manual is truly the key that unlocks the blessings and power of God available to us believers. and I thank God because, years ago studying the bible would feel like a chore, now I crave it and enjoy reading it (so many juicy stories lol) and I pray that for all of us, our hunger only continues to grow - because our lives depend on it.
My God help us and guide us, Amen.
*From AC* - Abba I am so so thankful for this new day You have made, I rejoice and am so glad in it. Thank You for your love, mercy, and grace that renew each day. Thank You for Your unlimited blessings and for my incredible family and friends. Thank You for healing me and restoring my health. I worship at Your feet and praise Your Name above all names. Take all the glory, almighty Lord! Amen
Good morning Peppers, I won't be able to attend P&P live today (or Friday) at noon as I have hospital appointments this week but I wanted to take a moment to glorify God and share how He saved my life on Friday when I was admitted to the hospital.
For a year I have been dealing with debilitating periods due to fibroids but I have been managing. Last week the bleeding was more excessive and on Thursday I was extremely weak and had shortness of breath. By Friday the symptoms were worse. I have dealt with this before but this time the Holy Spirit told me clearly that I needed to get to a hospital and not delay. I wanted to push it aside and go back to bed but the feeling that came over me was so strong that I needed to obey and go.
I called my husband and told him to leave whatever he was doing and come home. By this time my HR was irregular/rapid and I couldn't walk a few steps without feeling winded. He took me to the hospital and they performed an EKG straight way and my HR and BP were through the roof. The initial blood test wasn't too alarming but the doctor decided to repeat the test and took a urine sample (which at this point was full of blood). The second blood test showed that my hemoglobin was rapidly dropping and then I started hemorrhaging right there in the ER. They administered several meds to stop the bleeding, I received double blood transfusions, Iron infusions, and electrolyte infusions because I was losing so much.
I am home now and feeling so much better, praise God! I am still on medication to stop and also will have surgery soon. I am just so so thankful to God because when He spoke to me there was no confusion and He got me to the hospital just in time. I am also very grateful to the doctor that wasn't satisfied with my initial results and kept me there to double-check. God bless her and all the med staff who took great care of me.
*From BI* - Thank You Lord for letting me see this beautiful sunny day that You have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank You Lord for blessing me beyond what I deserve. I thank You for being the greatest Father. You alone are worthy of all praise.
Thank you sis @FFJ for today’s word. I certainly do not read the bible enough and that needs to improve. May God open our eyes to see the truths in His instructions. May God grant us wisdom and understanding as we study His Holy Word. I pray our spirit feed on God’s word and may our faith dwell in Him IJMN Amen.
*From EC* - Amen and good morning ladies!
*From LN* - I have decided to read the entire Bible and following a one year reading plan which is in the back of my Bible. I think for at least once in my life, I need to read it in chronological order and not just pick what I want to read. I think it will be really beneficial and help with my growth as a Christian. Firstly because it is helping make sure that I read the word everyday and secondly, I think you get really great insight. I remember once when I read Matthew from beginning to end and how much more insightful that was than just picking a verse or chapter that was, so I want to do it with the entire Bible. I've tried to do it a few times but got lazy after a while so pray for me y'all. God wants to speak to all of us and He needs his word inside of you to do it.
In addition, I found a really great book, Jesus Always by Sarah Young which I read after I read my Bible chapters for the day. It's really one of the best religious books I've ever found. I'm usually very sceptical and overly cautious with religious books :) but this one is surprisingly helpful.