07 - Jul

Walking with the Spirit of God in fellowship and obedience is a sure way to activate joy which no force on earth can quench.

There are two ways to activate the peace of God. Firstly, walking in righteousness is a must.

God’s operations are beyond the limits of human conventions. One of the reasons why many people miss God’s operations is that they expect Him to reason and act in a certain way.

The summary is that music is indeed powerful, and must be used with discretion. If a category of music brought the hand of God to bear, it is not in doubt that Satan may also manifest if the choice of songs appeals to him.

In our text, we see a different type of endurance – enduring blame for what He did not do wrong! Martha’s statement implied that Jesus’ delay was the cause of Lazarus’ death.

There are two possible extremes one can fall into regarding pleasing God. The first can be illustrated with the story of the Pharisee told in Luke 18.

Judging who is courageous based solely on outward appearance is a flawed and unreliable measure. It will be misleading to assume that someone who appears macho and cocky is courageous.

There is what could be described as the “extra mile” principle. This is derived from Jesus’ teaching where He instructs us to go two miles for anyone who compels us to go one.

Whenever you are tempted to make God play the second fiddle, remember that it is only the blessing of the Lord that can make you rich and add no sorrow with it. Keep God where He belongs!

Most importantly, your reward is tied to faithful administration of God’s gift in your life.