#GOFAMINTDailyDevotion Sun. 4/2/1018
Quarter’s Theme: INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CHURCH
UNIT 3 – Sustaining Interpersonal Relationship (Lessons 8-12)
CONSECRATION AND DEDICATION MONTHS
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 150, 223
Devotional Reading: MATT. 7:7-12
Topic For Adults
DO GOOD ALWAYS
Topic For Youths
CHRIST IS OUR STANDARD
Topic For Intermediates
REPAY EVIL WITH GOOD
Scripture Lesson
MATT. 7:12; LK. 6:31; 2 COR. 8:3-14
4/2/2018 LESSON 10
DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU EXPECT FROM THEM
MEMORY VERSE
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets (Matt. 7:12) NKJV
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 4/2/1018
Do More Than The Pharisees
Lk. 6:30-38
Jesus has set a standard for us higher and by far better than the standard and principle of the world but it takes spiritual insight and deeper understanding to appreciate and practice it. It is not extraordinary to be kind to those who were at one time or the other kind to you. But like Jesus who came to die for humans and was also rejected and killed by humans, we must be kind also to those from whom we have received injuries. We must not only love our enemies and bear goodwill to them, we must also do good to them. Do they curse us, speak ill of us, and wish ill to us? Do they despitefully use us, in word or deed? Let us bless them, and pray for them, speak well of them, and do the best we can. It is when you do what sinners will not do and which natural or social principle cannot understand or approve to be sane, then the name of the Lord your God is praised just for the life change He has achieved in you as His child that stuns the world and her system of values and ideas. This should strongly engage us to be merciful to our brethren, even such as have been injurious to us, just as God has been to us, though we have been, and are, evil and unthankful; it is of his mercies that we are not consumed.
Point Of Emphasis: We must not only love our enemies and bear goodwill to them, we must also do good to them.
Prayer Points: Help me, Oh Lord, to live by Your standards and not by the standards of the world.
BACKGROUND
Citing from the account of Howard Strickland in his piece titled, “What kind of fruit is on the tree?” is an intriguing story that is very important to our lesson of today. “For over 40 years, East Berlin was controlled by the communists. West Berlin was free. One day some people who lived in East Berlin took a truck-load of garbage and dumped it on West Berlin side. The people of West Berlin could have retaliated by doing the same thing. But instead they took a truckload of canned goods, bread, milk and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side. On top of this stack of food they placed the sign; “Each gives what he has.” So what do you have to give? If the soldier gives strength, the merchant goods, the teacher instruction, the farmer food and the fisherman fish, then the Christian; being a regenerated being should give Christ’s characters. This week’s lesson encourages believers to do exactly what they expect from others so that the name of God will be glorified.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: DO GOOD ALWAYS (LUKE 6:27-38; MATT. 7:12; 2 COR 8:13-14)
Children of God are enjoined by this text to do good always irrespective of who you are dealing with or the untoward experience meted out unto you. All you do unto people is what you know is right, godly and beneficial by the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you not minding who you are dealing with and whatever may be the response from them.
Once you become a child of God and become regenerated, a lot of spiritual transformations evolve in your life and being. The old nature is lost and really, you lose the ability to do evil, to sin; to keep malice, hate or backbite – simply because all mentioned and other appearances of evil are not compatible with the regenerated life. Mankind has the nature of the fallen man while the man God created and also recreated at salvation is God-kind. The normal human (mankind) because of the Adamic nature cannot love his enemy, or treat well and act nobly towards those who detest and pursue him with hatred or invoke blessing and pray for those who hate him. Doing good always will take a God-kind man who has had an encounter with Jesus, following Jesus as a disciple and would act like Jesus.
You do unto others what you think is right for them to do if they are also in their right senses; transformed and have moved from darkness and the devil to the Light and the deeds of light. God’s standard is that you live a good and godly standard irrespective of what people do to you or return your good gestures with. God’s standard is that you do unto others what you expect them to do unto you. This phrase of scriptures assumes that you are a regenerated being, with the love of God shed abroad in your heart. This would have affected your thoughts, actions and behaviour and this will take a good toll on all you do. In essence all you do unto others should be right, loving, godly acts irrespective of what they do and who they are.
PART 2: BE A MAN AFTER GOD’S HEART (COL. 3:12-17, 23-25)
To maintain peace in this wicked world may be difficult to those who don’t have the mind of Christ. Christians witness disagreement and argument at home, church and work places or school. Since God has made us to be at peace with Him despite the fact that we were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel in the time past, it shouldn’t be difficult to live in peace with others. Paul in this passage (Col. 3:6-17), also encourages us to be thankful to God for giving us peace. In 1 Sam. 24:1-10, the Bible records what some believers would see as an opportunity over their enemies between David and Saul. Though David lived during the Old Testament era when there was no indwelling Holy Spirit, he still lived a life that is challenging and exemplary for us in this era. All he had was a heart for God and His word for instruction. Saul was the king who wished him dead by all means. He escaped the spear meant to pin him unto the wall on some occasions and had to become a fugitive for his dear life. King Saul left the palace and was in hot pursuit of him (his son in-law at that) just to harm him and terminate his divine destiny. How worse can an enemy be unto you?
The matter of the heart is really the heart of the matter. Genesis 6:5 recorded this about the fallen man, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. What is produced in the factory of the unregenerate is evil and not by mistake or seldom but continually, by default. What makes you a different person is the heart that has been touched by God, changed from stone to flesh, following what God declares right in His word and consciously shunning what is evil. Your heart is the real you. What is brewing in your heart? What is the state of your heart? What is the direction of thoughts emanating from your heart to fellow humans? The answers to these questions reveal the real you inside you!
David had all the opportunity to retaliate but chose to do what is right before God. He could have pinned Saul down with the spear just once to the ground as he was advised. Instead he cut the edge of Saul’s royal robe as a proof that he could really have harmed the king. He chose to wait for God to elevate him in due time. Are you patient and waiting for God to intervene in all cases when you feel cheated? Do you check if the advice you are given rings through on the touchstone of the word of God?
This is not a popular message in this our age and time as all your enemies must die! The question you must then prepare to answer is that of your spiritual paternity. If God doesn’t want anyone to die or perish, even sinners for which He sent His Son, so then whom do you resemble? (2 Pet 3:9).
PART 3: DON’T REACT WITH HATRED (MATT 5:44-48;PROV 25:21-22)
Jesus set a very high standard for us, greater than what we can achieve in the natural but achievable in the spirit. Walk in the spirit, put on the Lord Jesus and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. (Rom. 13:14). You should do more than love those who show you love, you should do more than greet those that greet you, you should do more than help those who help you or who can reciprocate your good gestures. The Christian life is one that takes you to the extra-mile that the natural cannot explain, and that is a way of showing the world that you do not belong here. Some people by this uncommon act of yours will be forced to ask you what makes you different and then you will show them Jesus and bring praise to the name of the Lord. If you do well only to those who wish you well and give only unto those who give unto you, how are you better than the ungodly? Your life will be challenging to the people of the world if you can do things which the Bible stipulates (Prov. 25:21-25; Rom. 12:20) should be done to our enemies. It is God who makes this possible for true believers. Doing good to our enemies may cause them shame and could make them to change and embrace the gospel.
CONCLUSION
This lesson reminds us about Jesus’ teaching on how we should deal with others. It is best summarised as the “Golden Rule”. We must always inculcate the attitude of rendering to all their dues as we want them to do to us in all our interpersonal relationships with others.
QUESTIONS
- What should a person who becomes regenerated witness in his or her life?
- What does God’s standard on our actions stipulate for others?
- Why is David counted as a man after God’s heart?
- What is your opinion about the popular prayer in our days that the enemy must die?
