In His Image Ministries

Tuesday October 31 Bible Reading:     Rom. 15: 14 - 21 Topic:                  Because Of Grace People view grace as a lazy man's way out of the demands of God. Grace is seen as a relief from duty. Two persons do the same thing in the same way and get different results, Why? Because one has grace for it and the other does not. Therefore grace specializes a man for duty. Paul still has something to offer to brethren who are filled with goodness, knowledge and capacity because of grace. Grace does not allow him to rest. It drags him to duty, it makes him seek where Christ has not been preached so he could preach Christ there also. When people are struggling and quarreling to do God's work, striving over members, engaging in adverts to corner people from other denominations and engaging in packaging in the name of ministry, it is because they do not have grace. Grace enables and empowers a man but also delimits him so that he does no

Monday October 30 Bible Reading:     Rom. 15: 1 - 13 Topic:                  By The Spirit Of Unity, Grow And Serve God The theme of unity Paul began to treat once he began to teach how Christians should behave, from Romans 12: 9, in love for all including our enemies (vs. 17 - 21); he elaborated in Romans 13 to indicate the need for a viable Christian witness, that involves our submission to the authorities. In Romans 14: 1 through Romans 15: 1 - 13, Paul tells us how in fellowship of God's Church, Christians should bear with one another in strength and weakness over every department of life in the choice of what to eat or to drink, wear, e.t.c. and not being judgmental or "destroy a brother for whom Christ died" What God wants is that in His Church, those who are strong should get along and bear with the inadequacies of the weak amongst them (15: 7ff). As God has accepted both Jews and Gentiles, so His Church should accept one

Sunday October 29 Bible Reading:     John 1: 26 - 34 Topic:                  John The Baptist Proclaims Yesterday's reading showed John the Baptist declaring himself "a voice calling in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord" (a quotation from Isa. 40: 3) In today's text, John saw Jesus coming towards him where he was baptising converts in the River Jordan and announces (v. 29) "look the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world" In humility we see John taking the humbler place in speaking about Jesus as "A Man Who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me ... Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit ...." (v. 30, 33) In v. 27, John the Baptist said he was not even worthy to be Christ's slave, to perform the humble task of unfastening His shoes. But in Luke 7: 28, Jesus had given a testimony that John was the greatest of the Prophets. If such a person felt inadequate ev

Saturday October 28 Bible Reading:     John 1: 17 - 25 Topic:                   Maintain Your Life With God The text shows a conversation between the Jews of Jerusalem sent as emissaries (Priests and Levites) and John the Baptist on who he was. These were Pharisees and they had many reasons to see John the Baptist: 1. John's new teaching; 2. if he had the credentials of a Prophet; 3.  why he had quite a following and it was growing. To all the questions asked (v. 21 - 22) John gave an answer: "I am the voice ....." (v. 23; Isa. 40: 3) He was a voice, a herald or forerunner to some other Greater, Who was coming - Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. The question of the Pharisees in v. 25 was about the Gentiles. We learn a great lesson throughout this epistle between John and the Jewish Teachers that we are to be only a voice, a pointer or men to the Lord Jesus Christ to call me to repentance Prayer Oh G

Friday October 27 Bible Reading:     Rom. 14: 14 - 23 Topic:                  A Walk In Love Our growth in the concept of Christ should bring us to a state where we judge ourselves by the measure of our exhibition of the virtues of Christ. Love is one of the strongest virtues of Jesus. It is a height of maturity in Jesus to walk in love. To walk in love means to use love as the standard of the measure for every action that is already judged as good. Paul shows us the great need for us to consider what other Christians may think about what we eat or do not eat and what we drink or do not drink. And this is the heart of the inevitable relationship between strong and weak brothers and sisters in the faith today. Christians believe all foods to be good and so eat all foods. Paul tells us in this passage that all foods are clean but in order not to destroy a weak brother or sister for whom Christ has died and in love for him or her, it is bette

Whatever our differences may be, if we profess the same God, then we must know that we are one in Him and relate to one another with that thought in focus always

Thursday October 26 Bible Reading:     Rom. 14: 7 - 13 Topic:                  We Are The Lord's The assumption we make is that because we live, we are useful to God. We also assume that if we die, then we are of no use to the Lord. Therefore we pray so much and so hard not to die but that we may live and serve God in the land of the living. It is simply because we have a wrong perception of God. We assume that as we are limited by death, so also is God. This is wrong We are His, whether we live or we die. Each aspect and experience is carefully crafted by HIM to His Glory. He is LORD both of the living and the dead. So a Christian should not choose life He should resolve that whether in life or in death he is of the LORD. For it is to the Lord that we give account of our lives. Indeed St. Paul has declared "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God ... neither death nor life, neither angels nor demo

Wednesday October 25 Bible Reading:     Rom. 14: 1 - 6 Topic:                  Unto The Lord Physical chemistry helps us to know some of the wonderful ways of God in His creation. An atom  consists of electrons in orbit around the nucleus of the atom All atoms are equal in many respects but they differ in their energy levels. Each atom can move up and down the energy level as it acquires more or less energy. However, whether it moves up or down, energy is emitted. So it is in the House of God. We have brethren at different levels of spirituality and faith. As the electrons in an atom accommodate one another, so should we accommodate different levels of faith, whether strong or weak. Every Christian with his level of faithfulness has his usefulness to God. Whatever is done at every level of faith should be for God's glory. Let all ensure and be convinced they live for the Lord whatever degrees of faith they may have. Prayer

Tuesday October 24 Bible Reading:     Rom. 13: 8 - 14 Topic:                  Ushering In The Day No matter how long the night may be, the day will surely come. In Genesis Chapter Number 1, we learnt the full day starts from evening to morning. It is always the night that comes first, then the day. Therefore the day should not come as a surprise to a man who has been in the night. And God wants us to be ready for the day when it arrives. When a man understands that the day is coming, he takes up first -love - the summation of all the commandments. Love fulfills all the commandments and does no harm to is neighbour. Other things which a man must face daily are waking up and out of the bed coming out of insensitivity to casting off the works of darkness putting on the armour of light walking as in the day, putting on Jesus Christ and refusing to make provisions for the flesh and its lusts. Prayer Oh Lord, I want to m

Monday October 23 Bible Reading:     Acts. 15: 12 - 22 Topic:                  Building Out Of Ruins When you pass by a collapsed building, what comes to your mind? When you see a place devastated by war, what strikes you? Ruin, lots of ruins! dashed irrecoverable hope, you lament on what it used to be, when it was standing previously. God can change ruins and rebuild from new edifices. This is how God deals with our lives when it appears we have been ruined. We should not remain in the ruins around us, but on to God and allow Him to come and rebuild them for us and others. Prayer Lord, let me know how to make a building out of ruins. May I not be steeped in failed traditions to the detriment of revival in Jesus Name, Amen. Memory Verse             Acts. 15: 16 "After this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof and I will set it

Sunday October 22 Bible Reading:     Matt. 21: 28 - 32 Topic:                  Repentance Change is one thing that is constant in life, but people find it difficult to embrace it. Repentance literally means "change" To repent is to change from sin to believe in and obedience to Christ. Although sorrow is a process of repentance, repentance involves considerably more than that. There must be a renewal of one's heart and spirit which are obvious images connoting not only forgiveness (Psa. 51: 1-2; 7: 9) but also a change that compels a person to live in complete obedience to God's commands (1 Sam. 10: 6, 9; Jer. 32: 39; Ezek. 36: 26) In the parable, the son who said he would obey but later didn't represents many Church leaders/Pastors/Members who promise obedience to God with many vows made at ordination/confirmation/admission, but have never fulfilled them. The vows were simply phony. It is dangerous to pr

Saturday October 21 Bible Reading:     Rom. 13: 1- 7 Topic:                  Subjection To Authority The Kingdom that God operates is characterized by orderliness, and so are God's Kingdom inhabitants known for orderliness. The distinctive nature of every people and place of order are authority and submission. God requires us to be subject to the governing authority in every place. It is God Who instituted the governing authority in every place whether it is good or bad, righteous or evil, godly or ungodly. None of these authorities was set up without God's approval. They have the mandate of God to operate and are used of Him to execute His Will. There is a governing authority in the home, in every family, in Christian assemblies, in market places, in schools, in communities, in states and countries. Every person who is in any of these places should be subject to the authority. Every human authority represents God and acts

Friday October 20 Bible Reading:     Rom. 12: 9 - 21 Topic:                  Doing Things That Make A Big Difference From the text we have read, there is a dire need for us to always live to draw to God the souls of our family members, relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours by doing practical things that are pleasing to God and that can make the big difference in the world. These include 1.      avoiding hypocrisy (v. 9) 2.      being kind and affectionate (v. 10) 3.      giving preference to one another (v. 10) 4.      being hospitable (v. 13) 5.      returning good for evil (v. 15) 6.      seeing to others needs and feelings (v. 15) 7.      being of the same mind (v. 16) 8.      treating others respectfully (v. 17 9.      living peaceably with all men (v. 18) 10.    leaving vengeance for God (vs. 19 - 21) Let us not be ignorant of the fact the call to us to make the big difference on earth is very timely and it is for

Thursday October 19 Bible Reading:     Rom. 12: 3 - 8 Topic:                  Many, Yet One Body In Christ Spiritual gifts are shared by God to different members in the Body of Christ - the Church. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many is one body. 1 Cor. 12: 20 says "but now indeed there are many members yet one body" all spiritual gifts are important and useful for building the Church. In the text, Paul pointed out seven (7) spiritual gifts that can motivate us in building God's Church - Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership and Mercy (vs. 6 - 8) The manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all God's gifts are not for selfish purpose or for merchandize as we have them today is given to each in some Christian gatherings. They are to be used in equipping the Saints and edif

Wednesday October 18 (St. Luke the Evangelist's Day) Bible Reading:     Col. 4: 10 - 18 Topic:                  Labour For God's Kingdom In this passage, Paul commended the effort of some fellow workers who had earnestly laboured with him in God's Vineyard and who had been steadfast in their faith despite the challenges they had encountered on the way. One of them was St. Luke the Evangelist, whom we remember in the Church today. St. Luke was a Physician (Medical Doctor) by profession (Col. 4: 4), a seasoned companion of Paul during his Missionary journeys (Act. 16: 10; 2 Tim. 4: 11; Phil. 24) and also the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the  Acts of the Apostles. God has given everyone a gift, a talent, a Ministry and even the ability to work for the Kingdom. That God placed you in that working place, that business line, somewhere you go to fetch a living, does not stop you from spreading the Good News of His Kingdom.