PROVOKING POSITIVE CHANGE

Memorise:
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:20

Read:
Matthew 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Message

Change is one event that is constant in life. Change denotes movement from one state to another. There are two categories of change: positive and negative. Due to the fact that change can either be positive or negative, Africans would say: “Change is good for the poor but bad for the rich”. Change in life is constant, certain and inevitable. Sometimes, change in a certain direction can be provoked, prolonged, shortened, averted or delayed. In today’s reading, we are told of how a particular woman experienced positive change. She was a Canaanite woman. She had a daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil. She desired a positive change – recovery and wholeness for her daughter. Her expectation was almost dashed until she provoked positive change. This season, you will provoke positive change from the Most High God in Jesus’ Name.

From this story of the Canaanite woman, we can learn a few lessons. The first thing to note is that she cried for mercy. She told the Lord how things were with her. She did not pretend like some people do. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, the inhabitants of Jericho provoked positive change from the Most High when they confronted Elisha with their situation of helplessness. Again, when faced with discouragement and apparent delay, the Canaanite woman persisted in worshiping the Lord. True worship will provoke positive change. John 4:23 says,

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

Do you want to provoke positive change? Make up your mind to worship God in spirit and in truth. Matthew 15:7-9 presents a category of people who are hypocritical in worship. These are the people whose hearts are far from God. I pray that you won’t be among those whose hearts are far from God. Another lesson from this story is faith. The woman provoked positive change by her great faith (Matthew 15:28). To emphasise the importance of faith, God in four separate places said: “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). Faith is acting on the word of God (James 2:18). Are you passing through a negative situation? Are people aware of your predicament but no one seems to care? God cares. If you don’t lose faith, there will definitely be light at the end of the tunnel.

Action Point:
Pick an area of your life where you need positive change and follow the example of the Canaanite woman to provoke positive change in this area.

REASONABLE SERVICE

MEMORISE:
The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?
1 Chronicles 29:5

READ:
Hebrews 7:26-28

26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

 

MESSAGE

Service is good, but no service is acceptable before God without the servant working with Him. Working with God is serious business. It requires consecration i.e. setting apart an object or person to the worship and service of God. For a true believer in Christ, this is a life of service and worship that follows our commitment to take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus. This denotes giving ourselves up to Christ as persons bought with a price and no longer our own. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says,

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Consecration is not necessarily volunteering for full-time service, though that might come up along the line. In Romans 12:1-3, we learn that there are three characteristics of consecration. These are:
1. Consecration is a voluntary decision.
2. Consecration is a personal decision.
3. Consecration is a sacrificial decision.
These three elements of consecration involve two actions. The first is giving up the will or sacrificing one’s will to God (Hebrews 10:7). The second action is God’s acceptance of the sacrifice which has been made (Romans 12:1). When you give up your will for God’s will, you will hear the voice of God (Act 13:2), set yourself apart from sins and devote yourself and your substance to God (Isaiah 52:11, Micah 4:13). God expects that a believer’s total life would be consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ. This includes the feet to carry the gospel everywhere, the hands to help victims of circumstance, the ears to hear the cries of demonically and economically oppressed people and the use of time for the glory of God (Ephesians 5:16). Consecration results in a life governed by the wisdom of God and controlled by the Holy Spirit. It results in a joyous and happy life of victory over sin, self and Satan. God should come before gold. Your life is not meant to be spent on self-indulgence and career advancement alone. Your life is a privilege and a responsibility to be lived according to the will of God through consecration. This is your reasonable service.

KEY POINT:
Our service becomes acceptable when we consecrate our all to God.

REFLECTING GOD'S IMAGE

MEMORISE: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them       "Genesis 1:27"

READ: PSALMS 8:3-6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 14, Psalms 125-126

MESSAGE:
The work of creation as recorded in the book of Genesis reveals God's great variety, beauty, exactness, accuracy, power and order. Man was the epitome of God's creation. He was made last of all the creatures and as soon as he was made, he had the whole beautiful creation before him to enjoy. It is also interesting to know that man was made in the image of God and after his likeness. God gave him authority over other creatures and made man His representative on earth.
    "Thou madest man to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou has put all things under his feet."  Psalms 8:8

In spite of all this, many people are living in ignorance. they roam about the surface of the earth without fulfilling their destiny. As God's representative on earth, you have been honored with an open cheque. You have the right to exercise authority over God's creatures. It is your duty to reflect the image of God. In what ways should you reflect the image of God? taking cursory look at Genesis 1:26, It is logical to conclude that the soul of man bears the image of God. The soul is no doubt the sit of knowledge, emotions and instinct. These faculties can be described as the brightest and clearest looking-glass in nature through which we see God.
Since like begets like, the soul of man should be God-like to reflect the image of God. In effect your soul must be regenerated. One way to reflect the image of God is by being born again and by living in holiness on a daily basis (1 Peter 1:14-16).
God is holy and we can reflect His image by living holy. In His purity and rectitude, God's image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness. A true child of God should reflect God's image in his or her discussion. Again we should ensure that our righteousness is intact in Christ and we should abstain from all appearances of evil. Another way to reflect the image of God is by walking in love. As Christians, we should love one another. You reflect the image of God when you put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy and filthy communication out of your mouth. You reflect the image of God when you do not allow your decisions and actions to be clouded by tribalism, racism, nepotism. You reflect the image of God when, if any man has a quarrel you forgive the person even as Christ forgave you. Finally, you reflect the image of God when you are thankful and allow the word of God to dwell in you in all wisdom ( colossians 3:16)

KEY POINT:
The soul of a regenerated person bears the image of God.

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