CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS VIEWS IN IUO
ABOUT THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE GOSPEL OF TRUTH.. DAILY MEDITATION
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*DAILY ⓂANNA* *THURSDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER, 2022
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*DAILY ⓂANNA* *THURSDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER, 2022
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</div><div>_It is advisable that you prayerfully and meditatively read the text first_</div><div>
</div><div>*CONDITIONAL SECURITY*</div><div>*TEXT:* GENESIS 35:1-5</div><div>
</div><div>*📖 READING*</div><div> *GENESIS 35:1-5*</div><div>
</div><div>[1]And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.</div><div>
</div><div>[2]Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:</div><div>
</div><div>[3]And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.</div><div>
</div><div>[4]And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.</div><div>
</div><div>[5]And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.</div><div>
</div><div>🔑📖KEY VERSE:_*”Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments” (GENESIS 35:2).*_</div><div>
</div><div>There are countless events recorded in the Holy Bible to disprove the so-called doctrine of unconditional eternal security. The theory holds that once you are saved from sin, you remain justified forever, regardless of your unguarded post-salvation lifestyle. It advocates that you may live a carefree life after salvation.</div><div>
</div><div>From the text, the Lord had restrained the children of Shechem from wreaking vengeful fury on Jacob and his household. Though He had delivered them once, He now asked him to head for Bethel, “and make there an altar unto God.” But Jacob was not ignorant of the ways of the God of his fathers. For him and his family to continue to enjoy divine protection, they must be in a constant state of holiness. As they heeded Jacob’s directive to “Put away the strange gods… and be clean”, the Lord also retained His presence with them.</div><div>
</div><div>Unless we discard the “strange gods” in our lives, we would not be able to enjoy the full security Christ brought through His death and resurrection. We must do away with anything that drives away God’s presence in our lives.</div><div>
</div><div>Strange gods give man a false sense of joy and destroys our relationship with God. To continue to enjoy His presence, we must remain with Him every moment after being born again. Jesus makes it clear that only those who endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).</div><div>
</div><div>✍🏽THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:_*Believers’ security is conditional.*_</div><div>
</div><div>THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: *LEVITICUS 1-4*</div><div>
</div><div> *MEDITATION*</div><div>
</div><div>*Back to your Bethel*</div><div>
</div><div>*1. The forgotten covenant*</div><div>a. At the time of distress, Jacob made a covenant with God after a great encounter with God, Genesis 28:16-22.</div><div>b. Part of the covenant was that he will come back to that Bethel, Consecrate his life to God, build a house of God there (an altar) and give God tithes. </div><div>c. Obviously Jacob had forgotten due to vicissitudes of life and family cares, a large family for that matter🤷♂️</div><div>
</div><div>*Questions*</div><div>a. Study the covenant carefully and check whether God fulfilled His own part.</div><div>b. What could have made Jacob to forget this important and unforgetable encounter and covenant he voluntarily made with God?</div><div>c. Can you reflect on the vows you have made to God at different divine encounters and ponder on your faithfulness🤔</div><div>
</div><div>*2. The faithlessness of the caravan*</div><div>a. A lot of distracting and distressing waters had passed under the bridge since he made the covenant🤔</div><div>b. For 20 years, he was deceived into a wrong marriage which altered his family dream permanently.</div><div>c. Rivalry and competitions among his wives was at his peak.</div><div>d. He was cheated and exploited by someone who suppose to be his mentor and play the role of a father for 20 years.</div><div>e. At over 100, his life was pitiful and purposeless. He ran from Laban at about 107 years of age. Wasted years and delayed divine destiny fulfliment🙆♂️</div><div>f. By the time he ran away from Laban, he had forgotten his covenant with God. He decided to settle in Shechem instead of Bethel, 33:17-20.</div><div>g. Settling in a wrong place landed the whole family in a serious scandal and criminal bloodshed through his daughter Dinah, Genesis 34</div><div>h. His beloved and preferred wife, Rachel, also died prematurely during childbirth. </div><div>i. Yet God, the covenant Keeper did not forget the covenant. God never forgets covenants even when you forget and He holds it against you if unfaithful👌</div><div>j. During this trying period, Jacob’s family had gone after foreign gods and foreign dressings that were not compatible with the worship of God of Israel. </div><div>
</div><div>*Question*</div><div>a. What are the vicissitudes of life you have passed through and how negatively have they impacted on your journey with God including your whole family?</div><div>b. Could the scandal of Dinah had happened and Rachel died if Jacob had gone straight to Bethel rather than settling elsewhere? </div><div>c. What lesson can you learn about those avoidable calamities?</div><div>
</div><div>*3. The Fatherly call*</div><div>a. It is never too late to go back to the original covenant and blissful spiritual status with God.</div><div>b. “Go back to Bethel and dwell there”. Go back to your previous consecration and devotion and stop wandering in your relationship with God, v1.</div><div>c. “Make an altar unto God”, a place and time of constant devotion.</div><div>d. “Put away the foreign gods that are among you”. All the actions and activities that are foreign to deep piety including worldliness should be totally put off.</div><div>e. “And change your garments”. Who said God does not care about your garments? Your wardrobe arments is a reflection of the state of the heart. Worldly comportment and dressings are foreign to truly heaven bound citizens.</div><div>f. Jacob hid them in Shechem and travelled to Bethel to settle, an indication of permanent sacrifice of those things never to use them again. </div><div>g. Jesus is calling: “Remember where you are fallen and repent and do your first works (and reconsencrate) or else…” Revelation 2:5.</div><div>
</div><div>*Prayer points*</div><div>Ask God to remind you by the Spirit where you have been unfaithful and ask for forgiveness🙏</div><div>Ask for grace and courage to set your life and that of your nuclear family members aright🙏</div><div>Pray for a fresh divine visitations upon your life🙏</div><div>Ask God to visit all the brethren and help them to come back to their Bethel🙏</div><div>
</div><div>*HYMN* When I survey the wondrous cross</div> -
41 Replies
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50778
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Hallelujah
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Amen
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Praise God
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Hallelujah
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Amen amen 🙏
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Yahweh
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Come fill us up Holy Ghost
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Let him broaden our knowledge
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Hallelujah always
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❤😏😏😏
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🔰🔰
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😯q😯
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Hallelujah grcae
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Gracious
