THE CHILDREN’S BREAD
– WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL –
8th. May 2023
SCRIPTURE:
“’Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So, He spoke this parable to them, saying:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”’
Luke 15: 1-7, NKJV.
Child of God, from where do we draw our strength and hope while living in a world, that is in darkness and does not even know it? Of course, not from such a dark world, but rather, from our only source of light, strength and hope; God Almighty, through Christ! As followers of Christ, one of the things, which should make us truly happy is whenever we see or hear, that a child of God who was lost, has now come back home. Having said that, I do not have any particular person in mind, but rather, this is a general truth!
You see child of God, we strive for just that one sinner, especially that very one, who we truly know is a child of God, but for whatever reason which is always the working of the enemy, has lost his way home. When I use the word: SINNER, in a nutshell, I want us to understand that we are all sinners, but when you become a follower of Christ, and have accepted Him in spirit and truth, then, you have been cleansed of the original sin, which once held us all as slaves to Satan, in order words, which made us all, his “rightful possession.” As genuine followers of Christ, we are always revived, or at least we should be, the moment our spiritual efforts yield fruits, which is when that one sinner, whom we have been laboring for, turns their back to darkness and walks into the light of life in Christ – Oh, what a glorious day it always is! It is indeed so precious, so much so, that even the holy Angels of God in Heaven, burst into celebration, while we, who are here on earth can’t stop dancing, and rejoicing for the once run-away child of God, who has made it back home at last! The Bible records it this way,
“In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:7, Berean Standard Bible.
As a result, we are to labor for every child of God. We are even to go over and beyond to help them out of darkness. Nonetheless, as we do what we must, in order to be used by God Almighty to save every soul savable, we are simultaneously to make sure that we jealously watch over our own souls as to ensure, that while we do what we must, to help others out of darkness, we ourselves are not lost in the process! Sister Susan, is it possible, to be lost while trying to help save another? Absolutely possible, child of God, it is, and even the Apostle of Grace, Paul, warned us about this truth, and this is the way he put it,
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
1 Corinthians 9:27, ESV.
Someone might say, but Sister Susan, he was only referring to a particular weakness or sin! Child of God, may be. That notwithstanding, the same concept, and exhortation should be applied to all other areas as well, e. g., if you go to evangelize to a porn-star, be careful that in the course of your evangelism, you don’t end up in their movie – As one of the stars – But, “In action!” Likewise, if you are evangelizing to an alcoholic business mogul, you must watch over yourself as not to end up during one of those business dinners, accepting a very lucrative business offer, as “the ambassador-at-large in wine-tasting”, and the list is endless- Selah.
What I am saying here is not to condemn any child of God, who is currently in the adult-film industry or any other profession, that we are calling people out of, but rather, we are condemning the sin that comes from such acts as such activities are not who you are. In as much as I do not negate the fact, that there are many cases where a child of God, may be forced, due to circumstances beyond their human control to engage in such activities or take employment in such industries, nonetheless, such occupation or acts, only steal from you, kill and destroy the very precious you; that which, even in a trillion years, they are not even able to pay you compensation for: Your precious, and priceless Soul!
Whenever I see, or hear about any child of God who has newly and genuinely embraced Christ, I am also aware that the target of the enemy is on them as they have now become enemies to the dark kingdom, which once believed to have eternally acquired them as their possession. Therefore, as genuine followers of Christ, we are to do all that is within our human capabilities to help them stand firm in Christ, and this includes standing in gap for them in our prayers, even without their knowledge. They are going to be heavily attacked by the enemy, in order to get them back, thus, it should not be a thing of shock to us, when we see or hear, that they may be having some relapse every now and again. Consequently, when we notice that, just like we all have been helped by others who went through the same struggles before us, we are also to help them, encourage them, rebuke them where necessary, in order to strengthen them. We are to remind them that it is a part of the process, and that we all have had to stand our grounds against the enemy and all his devices, and we are equally to make them understand, that in some cases or areas in our lives, each and everyone of us is still battling the enemy. They have to be constantly reminded that an error, missing the mark or a mistake should never be turned into a lifestyle. A lifestyle is who you are; who you become, while a mistake is who you are not. Therefore, an ungodly lifestyle, if not changed, becomes who the person is, while the reverse is also the case. If we notice any child of God, who has embraced an ungodly lifestyle, we are to bring it to their attention, admonish them, and encourage them to change for the better, to a godly one; one, that reflects their true identity in Christ. On the other hand, we are also to help those who have made a mistake, to correct it, or at least bring it to their attention, for them to correct it themselves.
Therefore child of God, let us rejoice for that one sinner, yes, for that very one:
- Who was once an alcoholic, or a drug addict, but is now clean, or at least, who has finally realized that they need help, thus, making every effort to become dry or clean.
- For that one child who was an adulterer, but now, no more.
- For that one who never wanted to get married, but has now finally decided to give it a shot.
- For that one child, who never wanted to accept Jesus Christ, but has finally decided to submit to HIM.
- For that one liar, who has decided to stop lying, and for that one thief, who is now tired of stealing, and is asking for God’s forgiveness.
- For that once murderer, who has confessed and repented, and asking for forgiveness from God, even if it entails, that they may have to serve some time in a physical prison, or are doing so presently.
- For that one deceiver, fornicator, homosexual, prophe-liar, etc. who has come to the limit of their human efforts, by doing things their own ways, instead of God’s way.
As it is written,
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2, NIV.
Consequently, there is no one of us, who would boldly stand to say, that we have never been found, at least, amongst one or two of these groups of sinners, either past, presently, or might, someday, though we do pray that the contrary would be the case. As a result, we do not condemn any child of God who is still struggling in most of these areas, but rather, plead with you to change your ways, submit to GOD Almighty through Christ, that you may be saved from Satan’s bondage, and remain saved of course.
WORDS OF APPRECIATION TO MY VERY SWEET ONES!
Now, I would like to say something to you all, which is, that I truly appreciate and love you all- My sweet ones! I really feel your love, support, and encouragement, and believe me, it truly strengthens, and revives me. I love listening to you all as it makes me think, self-reflect, smile, laugh, dance, and sometimes cry tears of joy. I will not stop praying for as many of you, as are in need of my prayers, just like I also ask you all, to keep lifting me up before the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, for Him to keep on being as good to me as HE has always been! Regardless of how I may come across, do not be afraid of me; I hate no one, and I forgive everyone who is a child of God. There are many of you, to whom I have not had the opportunity to say, “thank you”, some of you, it is due to the fact that we got into a fight too soon, others because we went our separate ways too early, and while many others, it is because I am reserving it for the future, to personally tell you how so grateful I truly am to you. The truth be told, there is no one person whom I have come across, that has not been positively instrumental to my spiritual growth, even those of them, who do not like me very much, have nonetheless, still helped me to become a better person. To the credit of my haters, they always help me to escape the very traps which they have secretly set for me, and also through them, I have learned to become more proficient in beneficial strife and fight (?), although they never intended for it to be so, yet, they always, be it unwillingly, submit themselves to the will of God Almighty to use them for my good! Therefore, to all, I must say: THANK YOU!
NOTE: CHILD OF GOD, due to things which I am more focused on lately, and would remain so for quite a while, I will be posting “MONTHLY DEVOTIONALS”, and that would be on the first of every month, though in-between, I may be posting, “THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD” which is Bible quotes that the Holy Spirit gives to me based on whatever it is, that He is making me privy to as it relates to some children of God, who should read such Bible quotes, meditate on them, and pray with them. Besides, whenever the Holy Spirit gives me a very important word, be it for a child of God or a group of People, which is urgent, then, I will also not hesitate to write and post it ASAP! I have been contemplating on this very change for a couple of months now as one I must make. So, till the 1st. of June 2023 as it relates to “MONTHLY DEVOTIONALS”, always pop-in to check and see if there is a new post.
Child of God, be happy and stay blessed
Jesus loves you!
Sister Susan!