It is What is Inside

Text: I Sam. 16:1-7
More Lessons: Jer. 4:14
Bible Reading in One Year: 1 Sam.11-13

Appearance, personality, beauty, cleanliness are all important but as important as they are, they cannot be the most vital things in your life. Your life is more than your face and how you appear. Our text today brings out the vital part of man; the heart, that is the source of everything in man. The way a man appears, dresses, talks and walks is a reflection of the state of his heart. Verse 7 of our text makes us to understand that God looks at man from inside out. For us to please the Lord we must handle our heart correctly. For example, Prov.4:23 says Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. it is never a thing to play with ...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matt 12:34. When wisdom entereth into thine heart... Prov. 2:10. We need a heart that knows wisdom because a heart full of wisdom is a tree of life; everyone can feed from it. Wisdom is a principal thing.

The way man looks at another man's face to judge him is the way God looks at man's heart to discern him. When God wanted to choose a king, He looked for someone with the right attitude- David. And when God gave Samuel instruction for finding the king He said ...Look not on his countenance,…:vs7. While it is good to take care of ourselves in the area of cleanliness and attractiveness and in using the personality that God has given us, these should not take top billing. Neither should they be the basis for choosing friends, marriage partner, as some people do. It is not what is on the outside that makes the person it's his or her attitude.

Check your heart, not just your appearance. How beautiful and colourful are you on the inside? Is it clean enough for the King of kings to be resident there? Hear the admonition of the Lord on how you can become clean: Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:16-18

Prayer/Action
* I subject my heart to the cleansing power in the blood of the Lamb.
* Father, help me to put more emphasis on the beauty of the spirit more than that of the body.
* I receive a heart that is well pleasing unto the Lord.

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Nineveh

Text: Jonah 4:1-3
More Lessons: Psa.94:1-3, 22-23 Bible Reading in One Year: 1Sam.8-10

Nineveh was a city built by Asshur after the flood of Noah. It was the capital of Assyria, situated on the river Tigris and was first called Nina. And to this city was Jonah the prophet sent. And as a prophet, Jonah was obviously in close communication with God. Yet when God told him to go to Nineveh to preach, Jonah was scared. Nineveh then was the capital of Assyria and was known for its wickedness. Jonah was afraid for his life and for his nation because he was likely thinking, ‘if they believed what I preach, God might save their nation, then they might in turn conquer His nation Israel’. So, he refused to go and paid to go down to Joppa. And to confirm that Jonah knew God so well, God forgave the nation and Jonah became angry. He didn't have the faith to leave the situation in God's hands.
Do you have faith to trust the Lord even when everything goes wrong? Dearly beloved, we must allow God to have His way in our life. He is all knowing and good. We must trust God's judgment. God asked Jonah a great question in the last verse (v11) And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? All things and people belong to God, including your enemy. It is always better to allow God to deal with our enemies rather than taking over.
Our God is the Lord of Hosts. Let Him take over the battle and you will surely be victorious in Jesus. You must know that the devil is your only enemy although he specialises in using the ignorant humans to achieve his purpose. Let's face the enemy in battle and he will flee in Jesus' name. Read the following scriptures: Exo.14:25, Deut.1:30, II Chron.32:8

Prayer/Action
* Come against every work of the enemy in your life that will not allow you to always obey God.
* Ask the lord of Hosts to fight the battles of your life.
* Declare yourself victorious and more than a conqueror in Jesus' name.

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Real Faith

Text: Jam. 2:14-18
More Lessons: Eph. 2:8-10 Bible Reading in One Year: 1Sam.4-7

The Christian faith is described by Paul as ...the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: Heb.11:1. Faith is bringing into reality that which has never been. Believing in what you can see is not as real as believing so much in what you have not seen. Biblical faith is active, not passive. Real faith produces a changed life. Heb.11:2 says For by it the elders obtained a good report. Active faith is a great force on earth. We can achieve so much by it if properly exercised. God's gift of salvation as the result of genuine faith must result in good works as we can see in verse 2 of our text. Verse 15 of our text says turning away a friend who is cold and hungry with empty words “be warmed and full” but doing nothing to help is like somebody saying that they have genuine faith when their lives give no evidence of being changed.
Faith in Christ should produce the good works that God's Word teaches. Talking about Jesus and being aware of what He can do is not enough. Real faith is total commitment to Christ and the Word of God which brings about a changed life. It is faith that is more than just words; it is faith that works. Verse 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Since your work is a proof of your faith, you can know the dimension of your faith by the size of your work.
Laziness which people exhibit by just confessing the word and not doing the work in it is not of faith because James 1:25 says there is work in every word ... he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,.... God's blessing comes when we take steps of faith and do what we should because we know that God brings increase upon man's labour and He rewards people for their labour of love and faith. The names of Abel, Noah, Abraham and others entered the chronicles of faith because they exercised their faith. It is about time you begin to put your faith to work because faith without works is dead.

Prayer/Action
* I receive power to activate my faith.
* Father help me to honour you every day by the way I live my life.

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Knowing the Author Helps

Text: Heb. 12:1-11
More Lessons: Heb. 5:9 Bible Reading in One Year: 1Sam.1-3

One way to know a true child of God is his/her thirst for the Word of God. The one who truly loves God will want to read about Him. David the king, the man after God’s heart describes his love for God by how much he values God's word. Psa. 19:10, More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Psa.19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psa.19: 8, The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
David having tasted the sweetness and the authenticity of the Word of God declares it in his book. Many teachers of literature will tell you that reading a certain person's book will help you to understand the author. But Christian authors often reveal their true happiness and joy as they put their thoughts on paper. As you read, you feel you are getting to know the author. And there is no book which so beautifully expresses the love and concern of the author as the Bible. The more you read it, the more you learn to love the author. There is no deep knowledge of God except through his Word.
Our text today points out attention to the fact that Jesus is not only the author of the Bible but of our faith and the finisher of it. This means that there is no faith in God outside of Jesus Christ. Being in Christ is determined by how we see the Bible, read it, study it, memorise it and live by it. All these are possible only when you take time to personally find out that God's Word is a lamp, a light, a defense, a guide and our spiritual food.

Prayer/Action
* Father, help me to love your Word more than ever.
* Cause me to see you through your Word as I need it all the time.
* I receive divine capacity to love in Jesus' name.

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