Be A Diligent Seeker

Apostle Grace Lubega

Proverbs 24:30-34(MSG); One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: “A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy–do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!”

God loves and responds to diligent seekers. In Hebrews 11:6, the Bible reveals that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

Our theme scripture gives an example of a seeker who is NOT diligent because sluggardness is not just physical, it is spiritual too.

There are Christians who are very liberal with the ‘breaks from God’ that they give themselves. They will show up for a service today and only show up the next time they need a boost to their diminishing morale. They are very diligent in taking days off from God.

How about those whose prayer lives are largely hindered by the power of sleep? For them, it is a nap here and a nap there in critical moments when they should be in prayer. They are very much like the disciples to whom the Lord said, “Could you not watch with me one hour?”(Matthew 26:40).

The effects of spiritual sluggardness cannot be overstated child of God. Your fences and walls will develop cracks and eventually come tumbling down because they are not fortified by diligence. When attacks come, they will not find you with much of a defence.

Seeking God is not a hobby to be pursued on one’s time and at your self-indulgent pace; it is a lifestyle. Don’t expect to move God with one foot in the closet and another in your next agenda.

Be serious about God and He too will be serious about you.

In Proverbs 22:29, the Bible says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” The writer uses the word business on purpose. So pray like you mean business. Read the Word like you mean business. Worship like you mean business. Minister like you mean business.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 26:40

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Seeking God is not a hobby to be pursued on one’s time and at your self-indulgent pace; it is a lifestyle. Don’t expect to move God with one foot in the closet and another in your next agenda. Be serious about God and He too will be serious about you.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for Your word. I know that I have free access to Your presence. I respond to Your constant invitation with all my heart, body and soul. Lord, You have my attention for the rest of my days. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Assurance To The Faithful

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 16:10(KJV); He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Replacements in the realm of the spirit happen because sometimes, people abuse spiritual timelines.

If you are serving under a ministry in any capacity, God wants to grow you even in that responsibility. He wants to trust you with more for the sake of His Kingdom.

When He says in His Word that he that is faithful in what is least is faithful in much, do not ignore the time component between the moment when a person is trusted with little and the moment when they are trusted with much. The demand for faithfulness in that role has a timeline.

Some Christians assume they can eternally meander in the maze of mediocrity pertaining to the things of God and get away with it, much like a bored public servant who won’t care less because of permanent tenure in his job. The kingdom of God is much more serious than that.

If within the timeline you are appointed to serve in a certain capacity, you are lax with your duties or turn your office into a lofty throne room from which you run your little kingdom and terrorise everyone else, God will replace you.

When the winds of purpose blow, they do not merely blow to position men, they also blow to displace the indifferent.

Be diligent with what you have been trusted with. Give yourself wholly to it in the knowledge that you are serving the Almighty God.

If service demands proactivity, be proactive. If service demands stretching your limits, stretch yourself in the knowledge that the grace is available. Serve God with all your heart because He rewards faithfulness.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 6:10, 1 Corinthians 4:2

GOLDEN NUGGET: Be diligent with what you have been trusted with. Give yourself wholly to it in the knowledge that you are serving the Almighty God. If service demands proactivity, be proactive. If service demands stretching your limits, stretch yourself in the knowledge that the grace is available. Serve God with all your heart because He rewards faithfulness.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve You. What an honour! What a privilege. Like the apostle Paul says, I choose to serve with my very spirit and to spend and be spent for the sake of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It Is Not About Genetics

Apostle Grace Lubega

Matthew 12:47-50(KJV); Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

When Jude introduces himself in his letter, he says, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James…”(Jude 1:1).

Similarly, James introduces himself as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (James 1:1).

James and Jude were brothers of Jesus Christ in the flesh. They all came from the same womb, being their mother, Mary’s. We notice, however, that none of them starts their epistles by introducing themselves as brothers of Jesus Christ. Each of them calls himself “a servant of Jesus Christ.”

They did not relate with Christ based on the fact that they all had the same mother. They related with Him based on the fact that He was anointed by God.

This teaches us that a relationship with God is not hereditary. It is not something to be passed on through bloodlines.

Are you related to a man or woman of God? Are you close friends with them?

That is not a qualification for favour with God. Never lay a claim to the anointing solely because of your relationship to an anointed man or woman of God.

It is important to pick good lessons from the anointed men and women in your life but you should never forget that the journey of faith has maturity to it. Lift your head above your physical associations and friendships with God’s ministers, and seek spiritual impartation.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Jude 1:1, James 1:1

GOLDEN NUGGET: It is important to pick good lessons from the anointed men and women in your life but you should never forget that the journey of faith has maturity to it. Lift your head above your physical associations and friendships with God’s ministers, and seek spiritual impartation.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for the spiritual authorities in my life. I thank You for the patterns they are to me. I refuse to allow any familiarity to breed contempt. I honour the anointing for what it is and by this wisdom, I grow in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Are A Miracle

Apostle Grace Lubega

John 1:12-13(KJV); But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Bible and the accounts of its great personalities reveal to us that God is in the driver’s seat of our achievements. 

Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s miracle child. He was the result of very old parents and his birth cannot be accurately explained by science (Genesis 18:11). He came by the promise of God.

Rebekah was barren. For all intents and purposes, she was incapable of having children. In Genesis 25:21, prayer opened her womb. 

When we fast forward to the New Testament, we see the culmination of all miracle births. Christ was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23).

God did not leave you out of this great mystery of births. 

In our theme scripture, the Bible reveals that as a new creature that has believed in Christ, you are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of man. You are born of God. Born Again!

Nicodemus, like many men of this world, was perplexed by this phenomenon. He asks, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born?”(John 3:4).

Well, human reason or science cannot explain the new creature in Christ.

Men may try to figure out how you succeed like you do; how you remain healthy like you do; how you bounce back from adversity like you do but they will never understand you because you are God’s masterpiece in peculiarity. 

Do not walk through life with your shoulders slouched as if you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

Never allow yourself to look like misery’s best friend. Lighten up! Put a smile on your face no matter your troubles. Lift up your head, square your shoulders and remind yourself, “I am a miracle!”

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Peter 2:9, John 3:8

GOLDEN NUGGET: Men may try to figure out how you succeed like you do; how you remain healthy like you do; how you bounce back from adversity like you do but they will never understand you because you are God’s masterpiece in peculiarity. 

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for Your Word. Today, I rejoice in who I am in You. I am a wonder! I am a marvel! I am the perfection of beauty in Zion! I live my life in the confidence that I am special in the eyes of God and of man. To the glory of Your name, Amen.

His Promise, Your Breakthrough

Apostle Grace Lubega

Hebrews 11:11(KJV); Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

The fulfilment of the promises of God in your life has nothing to do with your physical efforts. God in His divine wisdom, eliminated the opportunity for any man to boast in what that man can do to move God.

For example, Abraham and Sarah could not claim Isaac as their son by biological means or through their human will. Sarah was way past childbearing age. In the books of science, a ninety-year-old woman can hardly conceive and carry a child to full term. 

Isaac came to his parents by the revelation of the Word of God. 

As our theme scripture reveals, Sarah received strength, conceived a seed, which is the Word of God(Luke 8:11) and delivered a child, who was Isaac.

Christ, the ultimate promise of God to mankind did not come by human effort either. Joseph and Mary could not claim Him as their child as a result of their own will.

What all this means is that your miracle will not come by your best-laid plans to achieve your goals. Even the best-laid plans can fail. It will not come by your admirably sharp strategy for success. Your opponent may have a better strategy. It will not come by what you strive to do to get God to approve of you. It will not come by the tireless actions on your part to please Him. 

It will come when you, like Sarah in her old age, understand that He who promised is faithful. 

It is not a bad thing to plan for the future. Strategies are good to have. However, you must remember that they count for nothing outside the boundaries of faith in God who has given us such precious promises. 

Today I urge you, in all your planning, your strategizing and your projections, to lean on His Word because it is the true and only guarantee of success. Plan with the Word, strategise with the Word and make projections with the Word.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:3

GOLDEN NUGGET: Your miracle will not come by your best-laid plans to achieve your goals. Even the best-laid plans can fail. It will not come by your admirably sharp strategy for success. Your opponent may have a better strategy. It will not come by what you strive to do to get God to approve of you. It will not come by the tireless actions on your part to please Him. It will come when you, like Sarah in her old age, understand that He who promised is faithful. 

PRAYER: Father, I know that Your faithfulness knows no bounds. You are still the God who parts seas, the God who causes axes to float, the God who answers by fire, the God who opens closed wombs, the God who heals, the God who delivers and the God who raises the dead back to life. You are that God and I believe You. Your Word is the standard for my success and I live my life immersed in it. To the glory of Your name, Amen.

In God I Trust

Apostle Grace Lubega

Philippians 4:6-7(KJV); Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Carrying anxiety and worry over circumstances is the one sure sign that you don’t know God. 

The degree of your worry is the degree of your disconnection from the knowledge of God.

God is in the active business of preserving His own. Your welfare and protection are uttermost in His mind. 

Think of the mighty promises He has made to you. 

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”(Hebrews 13:5). “I will give up nations for you” (Isaiah 43:4). “A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you.” (Psalms 91:7).

The scriptures overflow with promise after promise. More so, God did not merely make these promises. He put His name on the line to assure you of His seriousness about fulfilling them(Psalm 138:2).

What does anxiety do? 

It looks at these great and precious promises and throws them in the waste bucket of fear. 

Fear is believing the wrong thing about God when the devil whispers danger, loss or failure in your ears.

Do you truly know God? Why then are you afraid? Do you think He is so fickle as to abandon you when you need Him? Do you imagine that He can turn away when you cry to Him? 

Always remember that He is a faithful God. He does not promise and not fulfil. 

Refuse to worry because you know the God you believed. Kick anxiety out the window of your heart because you know Him.

His name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 138:2, Hebrews 10:23

GOLDEN NUGGET: The degree of your worry is the degree of your disconnection from the knowledge of God. Refuse to worry because you know the God you believed.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for this Word. What a blessed assurance to know that I am watched over, protected, and preserved. The evil one cannot touch me because I am securely held in Your arms. I refuse to worry about anything. Today, I embrace Your peace and bask in Your eternal care.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Friend Of God

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 1:3(AMP); It seemed good and desirable to me, [and so I have determined] also after having searched out diligently and followed all things closely and traced accurately the course from the highest to the minutest detail from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.

Luke, the author in our theme scripture reveals a great truth about relating to God. He addresses his letter to Theophilus. The name Theophilus is translated to mean “Friend of God.” 

In writing to the “Friend of God”, he seeks to do so while following a perfect order, tracing accurately the course of events from the highest to the minutest detail. 

Luke’s account of the gospel teaches us that there is an order to everything in the realm of God. 

For example, there is an order in service to God, an order in submission to spiritual authority, an order in prophecy, an order in healing and an order in impartation. 

This order dictates why somethings have pre-eminence over others. 

When the Bible says that wisdom is the principal thing(Proverbs 4:7), this shows the pre-eminence of wisdom. When the scriptures say, “In the beginning was the Word”(John 1:1), this reveals the pre-eminence of the Word of God.

Friends of God are intimately acquainted with the divine order of things. 

Often, some people wonder why the power and presence of God manifest more strongly in other people’s lives than in theirs. It is not because God plays favourites. These men and women who see results understand the order of things. 

Think about it. 

A man who understands the pre-eminence of the Word and therefore gives it attention and priority in everything he does will most definitely have different results from one who is indifferent to this order spending more time on personal entertainment than in the Word of God. 

A woman who consistently applies her heart to the wisdom of God because she knows it is the principal thing cannot be compared to one who is not bothered to seek wisdom. 

The wonderful news is that Christ calls you His friend (John 15:15). The divine order of things is not alien to you!

He says in 1John 2:20 that you know all things. Believe it! 

He said it and it is the truth! You know the order of building ministry; you know the order of spiritual growth; you know the order of communion and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. 

You know the divine order because you are a friend of God.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: John 15:15, 1 John 2:20

GOLDEN NUGGET: Friends of God are intimately acquainted with the divine order of things. You know the divine order because you are a friend of God.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for this great word. What a privilege to be called a friend of God. My spirit understands how You work and is intimately acquainted with Your ways. Because I know the divine order of things, I continually see the manifestation of the God-life in me. To the glory of Your name, Amen.

My Service Is An Altar

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 5:3(TPT); At each and every sunrise you will hear my voice as I prepare my sacrifice of prayer to you. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart.

Your responsibility in the ministry is an altar. 

Are you a pianist serving your local church? That is your altar. Are you a backup singer in the choir? That is your altar. Are you an usher? That is your altar. Are you an administrator, a pastor, part of the church’s sports team or serving in the married’s ministry? That is your altar.

Do you know why some Christians take their ministry responsibilities for granted? Do you know why some behave like they are doing their pastors a favour by volunteering? Do you know why they will habitually come late for choir practice or do the bare minimum when it comes to their duties?

Many of them do not know that these opportunities for service are altars, they think of them simply as things to be done to keep a church running.

What a shame! 

That is your altar, dear Christian. 

Because it is an altar, it is worthy of great respect. From it, you will receive favour, glory, and grace. You cannot afford to defile it with indifference, mediocrity, and sloppiness. 

Do you know that the reason you may be struggling for a breakthrough in certain areas of your life is that you degrade and disregard the altar of service? How do you seek the hand of God expecting answers, yet abuse this altar? 

Rethink how you serve God. 

Consider how you handle ministry responsibilities. Are you zealous? Are you excellent? Are you diligent? Are you proactive? 

Serve God with your whole heart in the knowledge that your service is an altar.

FURTHER STUDY: Galatians 6:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:13

GOLDEN NUGGET: Your responsibility in the ministry is an altar. Serve God with your whole heart in the knowledge that your service is an altar.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for Your Word. It is a great and immense privilege and honour to serve You. I do so with diligence and zeal. Your work is my priority and Your agenda is my agenda. To the glory of Your name, Amen.

My God, My Pattern – 2

Apostle Grace Lubega 

1 Corinthians 11:1(NKJV); Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

The human heart perpetually seeks to worship something or someone. 

Have no illusions about this; if a man is not worshipping the true God, he has an object of worship somewhere in his life. This could be money, a job, a car, a mobile phone and even one’s spouse. 

If we take this understanding into the Church of Christ, you will see why we have personality cults in the Christendom.

How do men and women of God become objects of worship? 

If a man or woman of God desires to be imitated but doesn’t imitate Christ, he becomes the object of worship. If he or she is a pattern unto himself instead of God being his pattern, he will attract hero-worship.

I put this question to you minister of God. Is your life truly patterned after Christ? 

Is His humility reflected in your lifestyle? Is His compassion your heartbeat? Is His kindness your brand of kindness? Are you pointing men to Christ or to yourself?

If not, it is possible that your ego is ‘wedged into the door to the throne room.’ It is possible that people cannot see past you to the God you claim to represent. 

I put this to you follower of Christ. Is your pastor on a pedestal or do you see past him to Christ the Lord? 

Are you more obsessed with having the favour of your spiritual authority or the favour of God? 

Do you seek God with the same zeal in the absence of your man or woman of God? Do you serve with passion when there is no spiritual authority to notice your endeavours?

Examine yourself, ask critical questions about your devotion and why you do the things that you do. 

Let true humility lead your way to deep soul-searching and let wisdom supply the answer to whether you worship God or worship men.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 4:16, Ephesians 5:1

GOLDEN NUGGET: Examine yourself, ask critical questions about your devotion and why you do the things that you do. Let true humility lead your way to deep soul-searching and let wisdom supply the answer to whether you worship God or worship men.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank You for this Word. I receive it with humility and examine myself against the scriptures. In all things, You are the standard. Even in my honour of spiritual authority, I look to You. My submission starts with You. My allegiance to the gospel starts with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

My God, My Pattern

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 11:1(NKJV); Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

God is a pattern.

If God is a pattern, why then is it that when people look at the lives of some Christians, they do not see the life of God manifested through them?

The answer is that some Christians have not regarded God as a pattern. He is their emergency appeal in times of need; He is their absentee landlord showing up only when situations turn distressing; He comes to their minds only when it is convenient for them. They have not patterned their lives after Him.

Think about it deeply, why would Christ confidently say, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father?” (John 14:9).

God was a pattern to Him in every way.

He said, “Whatever the Father does, the son also does.”(John 5:19). Every miracle, every act of compassion and every word He spoke was an imitation of the Father.

Paul understood the power of understanding God as a pattern. Because He did, Christ too became His pattern. If this was not the case, Paul would have no authority to ask the Church at Corinth to imitate him.

If there is nothing worth admiring about your life, you may want to question who your pattern is. Is it a mere man? Is it a TV show? Is it a book? or is it God?

Do you ask yourself while going about your day to day tasks whether they are the God-way of doing it? Is your relationship with your parents the God-way of relating? Is your attitude towards your boss a God-attitude? Is the way you run your ministry a God-way to build ministry? What about your financial disciplines, are they the God-way of handling finances?

Surely, if people examine your life and question the God you seek, ask yourself if God is indeed your pattern. You might think He is because you assume so. Set aside your assumptions and do some serious soul searching.

The truth of the matter is that the God-way of doing things rings with admirable beauty and it always has great results. If God is indeed your pattern, the world around you will know it.

FURTHER STUDY: John 5:19, John 14:9

GOLDEN NUGGET: God is a pattern. The God-way of doing things rings with admirable beauty and it always has great results. If God is indeed your pattern, the world around you will know it.

PRAYER: Father, You are great. Your ways are excellent and in them is the path of life. I dedicate my life to understanding the God-way of doing things: of ministry, building a career, financial growth, marriage, parenting and all the other things pertaining to my life. When men see me, they see You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.