Daily bread

Daily Bread - February 20, 2024
1 John 5. 1-3
THE TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
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Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ is "born of God." the marks of true believers including love and proper belief about Jesus. Put our trust in Jesus and believing and accepting Jesus’ saving work, that has consequences in the Christian life:
1. It is a sign of being a Son of God
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God”- v.2
Being born of God represents being a God’s child. Having the image of God is the proof of being the child of God. But because of sin, we do not have this image either. God then was looking for a way to make us His child once again. Through faith in Jesus as Messiah, we are restored to being born again as God’s child. We are born again since we have entered into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, such as being taught by Jesus to Nicodemus.
Trusting Jesus as the Messiah brings back to us the true image of God that was lost in Eden. Whoever does not fill-out this confession of faith in Jesus, and whoever does not obey the Son shall never be a child of God. This faith in Jesus Christ gives us the legitimacy of being child of God. After all, by this how God will recognize us in the future when He will separate the wheat from the weeds. We are blessed because we believe in Jesus which restores us as His child.
2. The love dwells in us:
“and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him”
When we put our trust in Jesus, His saving works in our lives. By placing our total trust in God, we can rely on Him to direct our path. True believers were described as “abiding in God”. When we earnestly seek to be obedient to Jesus, we will abide in His love. So our love and obedience to God is a demonstration of love to the body of Christ.
Indeed, when we are conquered by temptations of this world, and if we go on sinning deliberately, we are separated from God’s love and we become God’s enemies. Even the Jews became Jesus’ enemies and managed to kill the Son of God. The Jews is the human beings ‘portray which are dominated by sins to act dangerously.
Trust in God is important because it leads naturally to love, just as much as our love for the people of God reflects our love for God. By this we are known as God’s child.
3. It leads us to obedience:
“When we love God, we keep His commandments. His commandments are not burdensome when we see how wise and good the commandments of God are.” v.3
Our love and obedience to God is a demonstration of love to the body of Christ. When we love God, then we will keep His commandments. No one is good except Jesus Christ and He dwells in us through His Holy Spirit that teaches us this obedience to God. Whoever has God’s commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves God. And whoever loves God has been born of God and knows God. When we love God, we shall not love other gods before Him. Those who truly love God assumed that we will love others who are begotten of Him – our brothers and sisters in Christ. We show this love for others through obeying God's commands.
These are not isolated items on a checklist but the collective contour of Christian living. Thus, faith, love, and obedience are all inseparably bound together. His grace that sustains us and He is the one who causes our spiritual growth as we come to Him in trust and in obedience.
Barinarivo Rajosoa Mpitandrina

Daily Bread - Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
1 King 2. 1-4
DAVID’S INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS SON SOLOMON
[1] When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, [2] “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, [3] and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, [4] that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ (ESV)
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One of the things that David prepared Solomon for to succeed him was to nurture undivided relationship with God. David tried to raise and educate his son Solomon with the words of God. After all, David's family is a chosen generation, and as such, they are bound to God through His words. When David instructed Solomon, he made him aware of the importance of the value of God’s words in the administration of the kingdom. This is what the observance of God's commandment does:
1. You prosper in whatever you do and wherever you turn (verse 3)
“… and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn”
The word “MBA” in Malagasy usually implies and suggests a goal. Observance of the commandments, rules and testimonies here aims to prosper you in what you do and where you go. Everything that is done in governing the kingdom according to David's words is perfect when the ruler carefully observes the commandments of God. There is no success at any given time if the word of God is not the standard to carry it out. The word of God, according to the Psalmist, gives wisdom in all that we do and where we go. It is a guarantee of success. Even if we do not lead a kingdom, this principle also applies to us: when our life aligns with God's commandments, we are also successful, filled with wisdom while walking in this world. This will make us stand out from the world. If you feel like you have failed in the past and want to succeed in the future, you can start it by reading and obeying the word of God.
2. Your authority will last and prevail (v. 4)
“If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.”
The kingdom will not leave the descendants of David if they carefully obey God's commandments. Keeping the commandments of God is a long process. You will have a long-lasting reign because the Lord will advise you on how to manage and rule the kingdom. You will have a long reign also because the Lord will be with those who observe His words. The observance of God's commandments helps sustain your ministry.
We should not forget that we live in a society where everything seems to pass and not last; the observance of God’s commandments will help us sustain and prosper us. The Lord is truly an eternal God, so those who have His word and obey it will endure like Him and succeed in everything. The success grounded on the word of God is what will sustain us.

Barinarivo Rajosoa Mpitandrina

Daily Bread - Monday, February 5, 2024
Galatians 5: 13-15
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19. 18) 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
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Many scholars agree that Paul wrote this epistle to the Galatians after the first great synod held in Jerusalem, around the year 50 after Jesus Christ. He wrote it in response to the false teachings that made it into the church, which forced Christians to follow Jewish traditions to be saved. Among other things, Paul taught that circumcision was not a requirement for salvation. Believing in Jesus Christ was enough. Faith alone can ensure our salvation. In Gal 5. 13-25, Paul teaches about the work of the Holy Spirit. He also encourages Christians to walk according to the Spirit, as a way for them to overcome the works of the flesh leading them to sin. So, as to the issue of loving one’s neighbor as oneself, let us remember the following two points.
1. That is the works of the Holy Spirit among believers
As Paul addresses the work of the Holy Spirit within people, he first mentioned love. Some scholars insist that love is actually the only work of the Spirit in people. Those who have the Holy Spirit have the ability to love, first to love God, then love one’s neighbors. Therefore, people who have the Holy Spirit stand out easily: they love God and love their neighbors. Here, we are told to love our neighbors just like we love our own selves. As such, whatever good we want to do to ourselves, we want to do for our neighbors; and whatever harm we avoid to ourselves, we keep our neighbors safe from that as well. O, Holy Spirit, always show me how I can love my neighbors as myself!
2. This is how we imitate Jesus
As per the gospel, when Jesus was on earth, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Unsurprisingly then, he was able to love his neighbors as his own self. Besides, Jesus is the only one who truly knows how to love God, hence his ability to truly lover his neighbors as himself. Truth be told, with a closer look at Jesus’ life on this world and the way he interacted with his fellow humans, Jesus actually loved others more than he loved his own self. That is the reason he sacrificed himself to save them. Jesus loves you and me more than his own self and gave his own life to save you. Jesus further stated: « Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends for salvation » John 15. 13. We thank you Jesus, for you truly love us, we will also do our best to love our friends the same way you proved us your love. That is true love!

Barinarivo Rajosoa Mpitandrina

Daily bread - Friday, April 21, 2023
Acts 10: v34-43
THE LORD PREACHED BY THE CHURCH.

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,
40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

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When Peter was convinced that the Gentiles can take part of the salvation, he agreed to go to Cornelius who was a Gentile soldier. When he came to him, he preached the gospel to him. Following are the content of the gospel that he preached:

1- God is the Lord of reconciliation (verse 34)
"Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism"
As stated here, God reconciled both, Cornelius who is a Gentile and Peter who is a Jew. It was not an easy for the Jews to come in the Gentiles’ home, since Cornelius was a Gentile soldier, who came to Palestine to colonize the Jews. God knew how to convince Peter to agree and come to see Cornelius enabling him to preach the gospel. God is able to reconcile two different civilizations that were enemies. The Lord is truly a God of peace. After all, this reconciliation is why Jesus came to this world

2- God is the a victorious Lord(verses 39-41)
“They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day”.
Because of sin, Jesus was killed on the cross, but God raised him from death on Easter day. Through Jesus, God defeated the grave and death, God defeated the sin that separated the world from Him. There is nothing in this world that God has not defeated including death which is the last enemy of human kind. In Jesus, we detain the power to overcome death, through Him we have strength to rise from the dead, we also overcome the world.

3- God is a Lord of forgiveness (verses 42-43)
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Our relationship with God was broken because of sin, but it has been restored because the Lord agreed to forgive us. This forgiveness was accomplished by God through Jesus Christ. No one can enjoy forgiveness except in Jesus Christ. Those who are in Jesus have been forgiven, and have made peace with God. If Cornelius, who is a Gentile, wants to be forgiven, he will be brought to Jesus Christ. So do I and you, all of us.