VIRTUES OF THE CROSS 1D

1. Virtues of worship and giving CONT’D.

Take note that the beginning of prayer is to clean up the heart. The iniquity you carry in your heart does not affect your enemy, it affects you. The devil knows this. It is a heart issue. You miss it in the garden of the heart, forget it, you miss all! Every right giving should proceed from a ‘worshipful’ heart. No one can ever outgive God. That is why you have to carry the cross if you want to be a true disciple of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is at the cross of Christ that you crucify self. Until you crucify self, you cannot be a good giver; your giving will be tainted with flesh. Some people believe that they are the financiers of the Church and without them the Church cannot flourish; they want to be recognized as such. What can you give God that you were not given? What can you give to the owner of the whole universe who doesn’t even need your money in the first place?

God is the ultimate giver and he has shown us how to give. Real giving must proceed out of your love for God. “For God soooooo (emphasis mine) loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son”, the very best, the ultimate (John 3:16). That scripture was fulfilled on the cross. The cross is the meeting point between giving and worship. If you remove the cross, you will produce partial Christians and partial idolaters. That is what many denominations are producing today. Unfortunately, many people climb the ecclesiastical ladder based on the terrible doctrines that cannot produce true disciples.

Luke 9:23, “And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”. Any giving not born out of worship (fanatical love for God) amounts to hay, wood and stubble. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:11-13).

John 3:14-16 shows us the connection between the cross and giving. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. The cross in the wilderness saved the Israelites from the poison of snake bite. The only prescription for serpentine poison today, (remember that every malady in the world today is traceable to serpentine poison) is still the cross. Look upon the cross and you will be healed. No matter the damage the devil has done, there is healing in the cross. It is the symbol of comprehensive restoration. A crossless Christianity is a worthless Christianity. It is erroneous to make workers out of believers before making them true worshippers. Once you become a worker first, you may never become a true worshipper any more because of the arrogance of ignorance and religiosity.

Pray –

• Everlasting and most merciful father, mighty God, Holy one of Israel I worship and adore you. I thank you for your absolute love and wisdom that procured salvation for mankind. I proclaim today that the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross is my victory. I celebrate your loving kindness in Jesus’ name. Amen.

TO BE CONTINUED…….