Daily Fountain January 15, 2022
TOPIC: SERVANTS OF CHRIST
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 4:1-21
Apostles are servants
of the Lord and both Paul and Apollos have been assigned positions as servants by the Lord. In a series
of well-constructed metaphors, Paul portrays himself and Apollos as farmworkers, construction
laborers, and household stewards, in order to emphasize collegiality against partnership and to diminish
the importance attributed to (hem.
Paul urged the Corinthians to think of him, Peter, and Apollos, as more servants of Christ entrusted with the secret
things of God (1 Cor. 2:7). A
servant does what his master tells him to do. We must do what God tells to us to do in his Word and through his
Holy Spirit. Each day God presents us
with needs and opportunities that challenge us to do what we know is right. How easy it is for us to become
attached to a spiritual leader. When
someone has helped us, it is natural to feel loyalty; but Paul warns us that having such pride in our favorite
leaders cause divisions in
the church. Any true spiritual leader is a representative of Christ and has (nothing to offer that God hasn't given him or
her. Do not let your loyalty cause strife, slander, or broken relationships.
Make sure that your deepest loyal
lies arc to Christ and not to his human agents. Those who spend more time in debating church leadership than in
declaring Christ's message don't t
have the mind of Christ.
Prayer: Dec
Lord, grant me grace to show Christ to the world by being \in
example of a true believer. Amen.
Daily Fountain Sunday, January 16, 2022
(Second
Sunday after Epiphany)
TOPIC:
FOLLOW ME
TEXT:
John 1:43-51
Here, we find Jesus engaging Philip. The simple but
effective message to Philip
was "follow me!" It was in following Jesus without doubts that Philip "found Him of whom Moses in the
law, and also the prophets wrote -
Jesus of Nazareth." Today, that invitation still rings out to us as Christ
invites us to "follow" Him. To follow Him is to believe in Him, to
love Him, to accept
His Lordship, to keep His commandments (John 14:15-21). To follow Him is to
know Him as the Christ, the Messiah and know Him (God) who sent Him (John 17:3). It is the most
important invitation in life which will enable us at the end to get to heaven
where He is as He promised
(John 12:26). Please, follow the Lord.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant me the grace to follow Christ
daily.
Daily Fountain Monday, January 17, 2022
TOPIC: LEARN TO PUT THE NEEDS OF OTHERS BEFORE
YOURS
TEXT: Amos 6
Great cities to the east, north, and west have been
destroyed because of pride and selfishness. What happened to them would happen
to Israel because Israel's sin was just as great as theirs. Prophet Amos
targets the elite of the capitals of both Judah (Zion, Jerusalem) and Israel
(Mount Samaria). Thus, Calneh and Hamath were prosperous cities of Syria,
captured by the Assyrians in 738 BC. Amos directed his attack at those living in complacency and luxury in both
Israel and Judah.
Great wealth and comfortable lifestyles may
make people think they are
secure, but God is not pleased if we isolate ourselves from others' needs. God
wants us to care for others as he cares for us. His Kingdom has no place for selfishness or indifference. We
must learn to put the needs of others
before our wants. Using our wealth to help others is one way to guard against pride and complacency. The
people had built luxurious homes
to flaunt their achievements but while it is not wrong to live in comfortable houses, we must not let them
become sources of inflated pride and
self-glorification. God gave our homes to us, and they are to be used for service, not just for show.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please, gives me grace to learn to put the
needs of others before mine. Amen.
Daily Fountain Tuesday, January 18, 2022
TOPIC: SERVING
THE LORD WITH UNWAVERING CONVICTION
TEXT: Amos 7
The Israelites were still stubborn even after the Lord withdrew the judgments of the
locust and the fire as a result of Amos's prayers (w. 1-6). They
manifested different forms of political and religious activities that failed God's
standards (v.9). In the face of all this wickedness, Amos spoke for God - an
attitude that is rare even today considering the normalization of evil in our
societies! The evident ill-effects of globalization and secularism in the
present world yearn for someone who will speak for God. However, if and
when we dare speak, just as it was with Amos, the opposition will certainly come.
Notice that Amos was opposed by the
priest of Bethel (v.10). This is not very surprising, since Amaziah was a priest of
Bethel and
not the priest of God in
Bethel.
A priest is supposed to speak for God, and never to stand against Him. This shift in one's sense of responsibility in
serving God as a priest is dangerous. It makes one a possessor instead of a
steward. We are all called to be priests of God (Rev. 1:6; 5:10) and not
priests to churches, cathedrals,s, and constituencies. It is important
therefore to review our stance in God's service else we may be the ones opposing
His voice. Notice the strong attitude and conviction of Amos in verses 14
and 15. He understood the call of God in his life and thus he was not
intimidated by even a priest. In conclusion, it
is crucial that we learn from the example of Amos here; pray for
the people, speak for God.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father,
please, help me to hear your word, obey your
word and speak your word in season and out of season. Amen.
Daily Fountain Wednesday, January 19, 2022
TOPIC: EMPTY
RELIGION
TEXT: Amos 8
Amos had a series of visions concerning God's judgment on Israel. Our
text today contains part of God's judgment speeches against Israel. Rapacious
and fraudulent business practices victimize the poor. The merchants are
impatient for the holy days to pass so they can resume their fraudulent
business (Lev. 19:35-36; Deut. 25:13-16). These merchants were keeping the
religious festivals, but not in spirit. They just could not wait for the holy
days and Sabbaths to be over so they could go back to making money! Their real
interest was in enriching themselves, even that meant cheating - that is, changing the
quantity while boosting the price, or even selling chaff
as wheat!
Do you take a day
to rest and worship God at least once a week, or is making money more important
to you than anything else? Again, when you give time to God, is your
heart in your worship?
Prayer: Lord give me the grace to love You more than
anything in this world; and to give my time and life to Your
-worship in spirit and in truth.
Daily Fountain Thursday, January 20, 2022
TOPIC: DESTRUCTION OF SINFUL PEOPLE
TEXT: Amos 9
The Lord had declared that if
hands join together, sinners will never go unpunished. He made it clear
that when the punishment comes, every sinner must receive it wherever he or she
may hide. God's judgment on evildoers will be dreadful because God's eyes are
set upon them for judgment and not for good. It is regrettable that many people have forgotten the
Almighty God who has given them life, cities, food, and divine protection. They mock
the Lord God by taking His name and His word in vain. God declared that all the
sinners shall perish, but promised to restore and establish those who fear Him.
Our God has no pleasure in the
death of a sinner, but that he shall repent, forsake his evil ways
and come back to Him. This is the reason for sending His Son
Jesus Christ to come and die in our stead. If you repent of
all
your sins and receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Saviour,
you
will neither die nor perish, but shall have everlasting life.
Prayer: Lord God Almighty, who has given us Your only Son Jesus
Christ to save us from the
wrath to come, give us the grace to serve you in this generation through the same Jesus Christ our
Saviour. Amen.
