DIG for Friday the 29th of August…..listen, He is knocking, and wants to come in and sup with you…..Revelation 3 v 20

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an inclusive Gospel, and no one is excluded.

Jesus wants a relationship with every single person, and God wants every single person to be saved (2 Peter 3 v 9).

Jesus says He is standing at the door knocking, waiting for us to open the door and let Him in (Revelation 3 v 20).

If we open the door He never refuses to come in and sup with us; He never refuses the opportunity for relationship.

However He never imposes Himself upon anyone.

Jesus lets us use our free will to decide if we wish to come into relationship with Him in the first place.

He also lets us use our free will as to the extent of that relationship.

In fact if we take it to the full extent Jesus lets us as born again believers use our free will to decide how much healing, joy, peace and prosperity we receive in our lives.

Jesus does not impose Himself, His initial salvation and His on going salvation on any man; we choose and we decide.

He is always there, knocking on our door with healing and prosperity for example.

It is up to us to hear the truth of His voice and open the door to Him; he will then come in every single time!

He wants a bigger and better relationship with us, I do believe that is His desire.

We choose the level and intimacy of that relationship every day of our lives.

Open the door in some area of your life today and let Jesus come in and sup with you.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that Jesus continues to knock on my door, wanting to come in to a better relationship with me”.

Revelation 3 v 20…..Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me

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DIG for Thursday the 28th of August…….the Lord’s attitude towards you will never change…..Hebrews 13 v 8

We all know that people change; the way they think about us, they things they say about us and the way they behave towards us.

Sometimes that depends upon what we do and how we perform and sometimes it is just people being fickle.

I’ve had people change their opinion of me because of my decision to vote a certain way in an upcoming referendum.

I’ve had people express support of my ministry and then speak negatively about me.

I’ve had people support me financially in my ministry and then for no apparent reason stop that support.

People change and sometimes in ways we would not expect.

But the Lord is not like that!

The Lord is consistent in what He thinks and says about me and about you.

He loves us unconditionally, no matter how good or bad we are (John 3 v 16 and John 4 v 9 and 10).

He is always thinking about us and is interested in us (Psalm 139 v 17 and 18).

If you are born again He will always see you as righteous before Him, no matter what you do (2 Corinthians 5 v 21).

If you are born again He will always accept you (Ephesians 1 v 6).

I know that can be hard sometimes (believe me as I am living through this at the moment) but it is not really important what men think about you or say about you.

What God thinks about you is what is important, and He loves you, has forgiven you, accepts you and sees you as righteous, if you have trusted in Jesus and His finished work.

Don’t listen to men and don’t be influence by men, listen to the Lord and be influenced by Him.

He always has you best interest at heart and He will always love you.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love me and I can be assured of that love forever more”.

Hebrews 13 v 8…..Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever

DIG for Wednesday the 27th of August…..focussing on your sin does not help you…..Hebrews 10 v 2

Hebrews 9 and 10 is a wonderful passage of Scripture talking about the finished work of Jesus and the new covenant.

It talks about how Jesus was the sacrifice for sins once and for all (Hebrews 10 v 12).

He has dealt with sin and as a result we have been purged; as a believer we have been cleansed and made righteous as a gift of grace through faith.

As a result of this the Word says that we should have no more conscience of sin (Hebrews 10 v 2).

The writer is saying to the Hebrews that if the law did purge them they should not think any more about sin.

The law did not fully remove the stain of sin, so they had to stay conscious of this and keep dealing with their sin.

But we are not under the law; we are under grace.

Under grace, through the finished work of Jesus Christ, sin has been dealt with.

Sin is not an issue for God any more as the price has been paid (1 John 2 v 2).

God says He does not remember our sin and iniquity any more (Hebrews 10 v 17) so why should we.

I am not saying that you should go out and sin and not care about it; what I am saying is that you should not focus on sin, bringing up sin and concentrating on sin.

What you think about enlarges in your mind and what you focus on is what you will do (Proverbs 23 v 7).

God does not focus on your sin and He is telling you not to as well.

Focus on Jesus and His finished work instead and I can guarantee you that according to the Word you will live a more Godly life with less sin (2 Peter 1 v 3).

The way to a more Godly life with less sin is to focus on Jesus instead of your own sin.

The law (do this and don’t do that) actually strengthens sin (1 Corinthians 15 v 56) and lead to death; grace leads to life and abundance.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that Jesus has dealt with my sin once and for all”.

Hebrews 10 v 2…..For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have no more conscience of sins

DIG for Tuesday the 26th of August…..a Psalm of love, concern and compassion…..Psalm 139 v 17

I have to be honest and say that I was not at my best this morning as I prepared to write my DIG; I was feeling a little bit low actually.

I turned in my Bible to where I was up to in my progressive reading and I was there at Psalm 139.

This made me smile, as Psalm 139 is always where I send people if they are a bit low or feeling depressed.

I saw that the Lord was interested and knew everything about me (verse 1 and 2).

I saw that the Lord is always with me wherever I go (verse 7 to 9).

I saw that the Lord was leading me and holding me (verse 10).

I saw that the Lord created me and was thinking about me before Creation (verse 14 and 15).

I saw that the Lord thinks about me, and thinks about me a lot (verse 17 and 18).

These truths encouraged me and they can encourage you too.

These truths are the same for you as they are for me.

Psalm 139 is a psalm of love, concern and compassion, showing us the heart that the Lord has towards us.

He loves us, He has concerns for us and He is compassionate towards us.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love me, have concerns over me and have compassion for me”.

Psalm 139 v 17…..How precious also are thy thoughts unto he, O God! How great is the sum of them

DIG for Monday the 25th of August…..salvation is an on going process…..Romans 1 v 16

The DIG yesterday about salvation was probably aimed at non-believers, or about what we should be telling non-believers.

The DIG today is also about salvation, but this time it is for the born again believer.

Romans 1 v 16 is also for every single one of us that proclaims Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

You see salvation is an on going process.

Salvation comes from the Greek word “sozo” and means so much more than your “one off” ticket into Heaven.

Sozo talks of healing and wholeness and is an on-going process for all of us once we are believers.

We can receive healing and we can receive wholeness right through our Christian walk.

In order to receive this we only have to believe; believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Health ands wholeness is included in what is called “life and godliness” and described in 2 Peter 1 v 3; this verse also says that we manifest this life and godliness through the knowledge of Him.

We already have what we need through the finished work of Jesus and we see if manifest through knowledge, through renewing our mind (Romans 12 v 2).

Salvation is not only a one off event in our life, it is an on going process and will continue until we go to be with the Lord.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for my on going salvation through the knowledge of the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Romans 1 v 16…..For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of Go unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek

DIG for Sunday the 24th of August…..salvation is available for all…..Romans 1 v 16

The gospel of Jesus Christ is an inclusive gospel, in other words it is for everyone.

This does not mean that everyone will be saved and spend their eternity with Father God but this is His intention.

God wants everyone to change his or her views on Him (come to repentance) and be saved (2 Peter 3 v 9).

God sent his Son because He loved the whole earth (or “kosmos”) and everyone in it (John 3 v 16).

Jesus paid for bot just our sin (or the sin of the believer) but He paid for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2 v 2), and God wants every person to benefit from this payment.

It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news about Jesus Christ and His finished work, which makes salvation available (Romans 1 v 16).

At the time when Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome, there were only two types of people in the known world; there were Jews and there were non-Jews.

At times the non-Jews were called Gentiles, but they were also called Greeks.

By saying that salvation was available to Jews and Greeks means that salvation was available for every single person alive.

All they had to do to receive salvation was to believe; to believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work.

This is the inclusivity of the gospel; everyone is included and can benefit from the work of Jesus.

All that is required is belief in Him.

The same is true today.

There are no works or religious deeds required to benefit from the work of Jesus, only faith in Him.

We are saved by grace through faith is what Paul wrote (Ephesians 2 v 8).

This is the good news of Jesus and this is what we need to tell the world.

Salvation is available to every single person alive today.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the good news of Jesus Christ; that He is the way to salvation”

Romans 1 v 16…..For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek

 

DIG for Saturday the 23rd of August…..even at the point of betrayal He called him friend…..Matthew 26 v 50

Jesus was known for His compassion and He was known as a friend to sinners.

Both these qualities shine through in the way that He speaks to Judas as He is betrayed.

Jesus knows fine what Judas was doing and He knew this in advance (Matthew 26 v 22 to 25).

Yet, when Judas came with his final act of betrayal against Jesus, He called him friend.

He did not accuse of anything or speak out against him; He showed care and compassion.

The word friend can be translated as clansman, comrade or friend; whatever way you translate this word Jesus still say Judas in a positive manner, as family or friend.

This is amazing; Judas betrayed Him yet the Lord still loved him.

My friend let me tell you that this is a picture of how the Lord feels about you.

This shows us that there is nothing we can do that will result in Jesus taking His love or friendship away from us.

No matter what you have done or are doing Jesus is calling you friend today!

There is no sin big enough for Jesus to be shocked about and no sin big enough for Him to change His opinion about you; you are and always will be His friend.

I’m sure thee have been times when we could have spoken up for Jesus and we have not; this is a form of betrayal.

There may have been times when we did not witness about Jesus when we could have; this is a form of betrayal.

Whatever form of betrayal we have been involved in Jesus still says, “friend”.

Peter betrayed Jesus by denying Him three times, yet Jesus still loved Him and used Him in a mighty way in the early church.

Jesus loved Him and used Him even with that betrayal.

Jesus loves us no matter what, so enjoy that truth today.

Speak this out…..”Thank you for the truth that Jesus loves me no matter what my performance is like”.

Matthew 26 v 50…..And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore are thou come? Then came they, and laid hands upon Jesus, and took him

DIG for Friday the 22nd of August…..Jesus asked the Father to forgive; that is enough…..Luke 23 v 34

When Jesus said “Father, forgive them”, he was not just talking about the people involved in his actually crucifixion, I believe that He was talking about the whole of mankind.

Jesus knew why He was being crucified and knew how important it would be for every man.

He would be man’s sacrificial lamb (1 Peter 1 v 19), He would be the propitiation (or payment) for all of our sin (1 John 2 v 2), and He would be the route through which we would be reconciled to God and forgiven.

Jesus knew this was the only way for the “sin issue” to be dealt with and for man to be forgiven (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

By asking God to forgive us He was showing us there was nothing we could do to achieve our own forgiveness.

Forgiveness was a choice of God based upon the work of Jesus.

Forgiveness is not a product of our works or religious performance.

Forgiveness is also a past event; Jesus asked the Father to forgive us, and the Father forgave.

You may be thinking “Vic goes on and on about forgiveness”, and you would be correct.

I go on and on about forgiveness as this truth is one of the fundamental axioms that a believer must build their life and walk upon.

A relationship with God without a full understanding about your forgiveness from Him is not a full relationship.

How can you have a full relationship with someone if you thinking they are always holding something against you and think you have to perform and do good works in order to be fully accepted?

The simple truth is Jesus asked the Father to forgive you and then performed the work required for that forgiveness to be freely given.

There is nothing for you to do other than receive and live in His forgiveness.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ I have been forgiven for all my sin, past, present and future”.

Luke 23 v 34…..Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots

DIG for Thursday the 21st of August…..the Word is simple yet profound…..Psalm 119 v 98 to 100

I am not boasting, but I am quite a well-educated man; I have a degree in mathematics, a qualification in applied chemistry, a diploma in distilling and various other professional qualifications.

These however pale into insignificance compared to my knowledge of God’s Word.

This is what Psalm 119 tells me anyway.

The Psalmist tells us that he has better understanding and more knowledge than his enemies, his teachers and his elders as he knows God’s Word and meditates upon it.

He says this knowledge is more valuable to him than anything else (Psalm 119 v 98 to 100).

I would agree; knowing that I have been made righteous because of my faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ is far more important than knowing how to solve a complicated differential equation!

Paul talks in a similar way and says the knowledge of Jesus Christ is the most important thing you can know and anything else is really just dung (Philippians 3 v 8).

I have to tell you that I had to put a lot of effort, time (6 years) and intelligence into getting my degree in mathematics, and not everyone is capable of achieving this qualification.

However anyone can study, meditate and learn from God’s Word; the Psalmist tells us that it gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119 v 130).

God’s Word, the Gospel, is not “rocket science”; it is really simple.

The good news about Jesus Christ and His finished work is simple and does not require big theological words.

If someone needs to complicate the Word and make it difficult to understand then, in my opinion, they are not preaching the Gospel.

A child should be able to understand the Gospel.

You can, and should, study God’s Word.

You can, and should, be able to understand it.

Along with the help of the Holy Spirit you will be able to understand what God is saying to you through His Word, and this information will be invaluable to you.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Holy Scriptures and thank you that I can understand them”.

Psalm 119 v 98 to 100…..Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts

DIG for Wednesday the 20th of August…..when you speak it out do you believe…..Matthew 21 v 22

Lack of faith is not our problem; unbelief is our problem.

The Word of God says that we all have the measure of faith (Romans 12 v 3) and that measure is the faith of Christ (Romans 3 v 22 and Galatians 2 v 16).

I don’t think Christ had an issue with lack of faith, so we do not either.

In this verse Jesus tells us that we can have whatsoever we pray for, but on one condition.

That condition is not to be good, do good works and increase our religious performance.

That condition is to believe (Matthew 21 v 22).

In other words that condition is not to have unbelief.

Unbelief is rife in our world today; you just need to read a newspaper, watch the television news or go on the Internet to be blasted with doubt and unbelief.

Doubt and unbelief is all around us, invading our senses if we give it a chance.

The physical facts are screaming doubt and unbelief at us all day long; to counter this we need to immerse ourselves in spiritual truths.

And the Word of God is where you can be guaranteed to find lots and lots of spiritual truths, more than enough to counter doubt and unbelief.

Unbelief says you are sore and ill, while the Word of God says you have already been healed (1 Peter 2 v 24).

Unbelief says God is not happy with you, while the Word of God says He has made you righteous and fully accepted you (2 Corinthians 5 v 21 and Ephesians 1 v 6).

Unbelief says you should not expect healing and prosperity, while the Word of God says that God wants above all things that you live a healthy and prosperous life (3 John 2).

We can have what we speak out and pray for (as long as it lines up with the Word of God) and Jesus says we will have these things if we believe.

Immersing yourself in the spiritual truths through His Word will help to counter unbelief in your life and help you to believe.

Hiding these spiritual truths in your heart (to steal for the DIG yesterday) will help you to believe and see positive change in your life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that your spiritual truths are far more powerful than the physical facts coming against me today”.

Matthew 21 v 22…..And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive