Fruitful Living
THE PRESENCE OF THE SON OF GOD IN THE WORD OF GOD
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognise Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, not of human decision or husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” – John 1:1-5, 9-14 NIV
INTRODUCTION
This month we would like to take a journey through the Holy Scriptures and find out who is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name we bear as Christians and what is said about Him throughout the Bible.
The story of Jesus is not confined to the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus is as visible on the first page as the last. He is as present in the Garden of Eden as He is in the garden tomb. The entire story points to Him. Jesus Himself affirms this when He said, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” – John 5:39. Enjoy and share with others.
- In Genesis 3:15; 49:10 He is the Seed of the woman of Shiloh
- In Exodus 12:3 He is the Passover Lamb
- In Leviticus 8:7-9 He is the Anointed High Priest
- In Numbers 21:8; 24:17 He is the Star of Jacob and brazen serpent
- In Deuteronomy 18:15; 32:4 He is the Prophet like Moses and great Rock
- In Joshua 5:14 He is the Captain of the Lord’s host.
- In Judges 2:1 He is the messenger of Jehovah
- In Ruth 2:1 He is the Kinsman-Redeemer
- In 1 Samuel 2:10 He is the Great Judge
- In 2 Samuel 7:13 He is the Seed of David
- In 1 Kings 8:15, 26 He is Lord God of Israel
- In 2 Kings 19:15 He is the God of the cherubim
- In 1 Chronicles 16:35 He is the God of our salvation
- In 2 Chronicles 20:6 He is the God of our fathers
- In Ezra 1:2 He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth
- In Nehemiah 1:5 He is the Covenant-keeping God
- In Esther He is the God of providence
- In Job 19:25 He is the risen and returning Redeemer
- In Psalms 2:1, 7, 12; 16:10; 23:1; 24:7-10 He is the Anointed Son, the Holy One, the Good Shepherd and the King of Glory
- In Proverbs 8 He is the Wisdom of God
- In Ecclesiastes He is the One above the Sun
- In Songs of Solomon 5:10; 16 He is the Chiefest among 10,000 and altogether lovely
- In Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 52:13; 53:3 He is the Virgin-born Emmanuel; Child and Son; Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; Righteous Servant, and Man of Sorrows
- In Lamentations 3:22, 23, 31-33 He is the faithful and compassionate God
- In Ezekiel He is the ever present Lord
- In Daniel 2:34; 3:25; 7:13 He is the Smiting Stone, Son of God and Son of man
- In Hosea 13:9, 14 He is the King of the resurrection
- In Joel 2:28-32; 2:11: 3:2, 9-17 He is the God of the battle and giver of the Spirit
- In Amos 4:13; 7-9 He is the God of hosts and the Plumbline
- In Obadiah 1:8, 15 He is the Destroyer of the proud
- In Jonah 2:10; 3:1; 4:9-11 He is the risen Prophet, God of second choice, The long-suffering one
- In Micah 4:1-5; 5:2; 7:18, 19 He is the God of Jacob, the Bethlehemite and the pardoning God
- In Nahum 2:2, 15 He is the avenging God and the bringer of good tidings
- In Habakkuk 1:12, 13; 2:14; 3:13 He is the everlasting pure, glorious and anointed one
- In Zephaniah 3:15 He is the King of Israel
- In Haggai 2:7 He is the Desire of all nations
- In Zechariah 3:8; 6:12,13; 9:9; 12:10; 14:9 He is the Branch, builder of Temple, King of Triumphal entry, pierced one, King of the earth
- Malachi 3:16 He is the Lord of remembrance
- In Matthew 2:2; 27:37 He is the King of the Jews
- In Mark 9:35; 10:43, 44 He is the Servant
- In Luke 2:40, 52; 9:22, 56, 58; 22:48 He is the Perfect man
- In John 1:1-5, 20:28, 31 He is the Eternal God
- In Acts 1:9 He is the Ascended Lord
- In Romans 10:4 He is the Lord our Righteousness
- In 1 Corinthians 15 He is our Resurrection
- In 2 Corinthians 1:3 He is God of all comfort
- In Galatians 4:4, 5 He is the Redeemer from the Law
- In Ephesians 1:22; 2:20; 5:23; 4:7, 8 He is the Head of the Church and giver of gifts
- In Philippians 1:19; 4:19; 2:5-8 He is the Supplier of every need and obedient servant
- In Colossians 1:19; 2:9 He is the Fullness of the Godhead
- In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:2, 23 He is the coming Christ
- In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 He is the consuming Christ
- In 1 Timothy 2:15; 3:16; 1:15 He is the Mediator and Saviour of sinners
- In 2 Timothy 4:8; 3:16, 17 He is the Righteous and rewarding judge and author of scripture
- In Titus 1:3; 2:10, 13: 3:4 He is Our Great God and Saviour
- In Philemon is the Payer of our debt
- In Hebrews
- 1:2 He is the appointed Heir of all things
- 1:4; 3:3 He is the One better than the Prophets and angels
- 2:10; 5:9; 12:2 He is the Captain of our salvation
- 2:17; 3:1; 4:14 He is the merciful and faithful High Priest
- 7:25-27; 9:24 He is the Great Intercessor
- 12:24 He is the Mediator of the new Covenant
- 13:20 He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep
- In 1 Peter 1:19; 2:21-24; 5:4; 3:22 He is the Unblemished Lamb, great example, chief shepherd and Lord of Glory
- In 2 Peter 1:17 He is the Beloved Son
- In 1 John 1:1; 2:1-2; 3:8; 4:15; 5:5 He is the Word of Life, advocate , propitiation and Son of God
- In 2 John 1:3 He is the Son of the Father
- In 3 John 1:4, 8 He is the Truth
- In Jude 1:1, 25 He is the Preserver and the only wise God
- In Revelation
- 1:8; 5 :5 He is the Alpha and Omega & the Lion of Judah
- 5:7; 6:17 He is the slain and angry Lamb
- 19:16 He is the King of Kings
- 22:16 He is the bright and morning Star
May you be led by the Holy Spirit to receive Christ as your Lord and personal saviour according to John 1:12-13
Prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus,
I admit that I am not right with you and I ask for forgiveness of my sins.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that You are the Lord and Saviour of my Life. Thank you for saving me. AMEN
Stay Blessed!
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Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com
Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org
By Dr Joyce Aryee, the author
Satan tempts Jesus with the offer of rulership over all the kingdoms of the world, a proposal that Jesus rejects. This could be viewed as an appeal for material wealth, possessions and power.
Jesus’ kingdom in this age is not a worldly kingdom. Throughout His ministry, Jesus would refuse to seek a kingdom for Himself by the worldly methods of compromise, earthly power, political maneuvering, external violence or personal popularity.
Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual one, established in the hearts of His people, who have also refused to follow the ungodly ways of the world. As a heavenly kingdom,
- It is gained through suffering, self – denial, humility and meekness – the opposite of how worldly people pursue power;
- It requires surrendering ourselves as living and holy sacrifices completely devoted and obedient to God and His purposes; Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
- It involves a battle against Satan, sin, temptation and evil using spiritual weapons. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. – Ephesians 6:10-20.
- It means resisting conformity to the beliefs, behaviours and lifestyles that are common in the world. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. – 1 John 2:15-17
Satan’s appeal to worship Him was an attempt to get Jesus to take a quick route to a world domination – to avoid the humility and sufferings that would lead to Jesus’ death on the cross. This is to say, the devil was trying to get Jesus to lay aside His entire purpose for coming to earth. Christ’s willingness to face all the difficulties that lay ahead is an example to all believers. He taught us that there are no shortcuts to fulfilling God’s perfect purposes for our lives, no matter how tempting the options may seem.
Stay Blessed!
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
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Preparing for Ramadan through the month of Sha‘ban
THE month of Sha‘ban, which precedes Ramadan, serves as a spiritual training ground. The Prophet (s.a.w.) devoted significant attention to this month, fasting frequently and encouraging heightened acts of worship. ‘Aishah (r.a.) narrated:
“I did not see the Messenger of Allah complete fasting in any month except Ramadan, and I did not see him fast more in any month than in Sha‘ban.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
During Sha‘ban, Muslims are encouraged to:
• Observe optional fasts,
• Increase Qur’anic recitation,
• Engage in charitable deeds (ṣadaqah),
• Strengthen community bonds and service.
These acts gradually condition both the body and soul for the rigours and blessings of Ramadan.
Scholarly guidance and community sensitisation
Across Muslim communities, scholars and religious leaders organise lectures, workshops, sermons, and media engagements to educate the Ummah about Ramadan. These initiatives address:
• The jurisprudence (fiqh) of fasting,
• The obligation to make up missed fasts from previous years,
• The ethical conduct expected during Ramadan,
• The spiritual, social, and health benefits of fasting.
Modern studies have also affirmed that fasting, when properly observed, contributes to improved self-discipline, metabolic balance, and emotional regulation—findings that align with Islamic teachings on moderation and self-control.
The role of parents and families in Ramadan preparation
Preparation begins at home. Parents play a vital role in nurturing a Ramadan-conscious environment by:
• Encouraging children and young adults to try voluntary fasts,
• Training family members to wake up for Tahajjud (night prayers),
• Establishing regular family supplications and Qur’an reading sessions.
Such practices help instill lifelong spiritual habits and strengthen family unity through shared worship.
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai
