The Treasure Bites: A 30-Day Devotional Vol 1

By Paa Durham Tetteh

Can you be still before God for 15 to 20 minutes a day? We get so busy that we cannot quieten our souls for even five minutes. Yes, there are many things we need to sort out each day, like the kids, work, assignments and the everyday chores. It can be so hard to spend time with the Lord, but to be victorious and overcome the challenges we face each day, we need to meditate on the Word. Mediation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts (such as a Bible passage) and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God. We are wired to keep our minds busy always, but we can drive them to the things of God, or the worries of this life and the choice is ours. It is not too late to start training your mind.
You can read the Bible for 10 minutes and spend the next five minutes reflecting on what you read. That is 15 minutes of keeping the devil away from you! A minute here and there adds to your spiritual growth, so don’t waste it.
In The Treasure Bites Devotional Vol 1, Paa shares the silent whispers of the Lord. May you be blessed as you read them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paa Durham Tetteh
• Release date: Dec 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005299170

Paa Durham Tetteh

Paa is a preacher and an author anointed by God to win souls to the Kingdom. God called him in his teens, but he had to pray through to breakthrough and establish God’s divine purpose for his life. Any call of God attracts a legion of demons seeking to abort it, but God is faithful and will not allow the enemy to downtrodden His children.His passion is to make the Bible simple to understand and make salvation easy as intended by the Lord. He believes God’s Word contains eternal truths that man must read daily for spiritual maturity, and missing it is a significant loss. He considers the Bible the inerrant Word of God, having the final say in every façade of life.The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

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Day 1

Flashlight On John 1

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (Jn 1:1-2). The virgin birth is not the beginning of Christ; this was His incarnation. In this passage, John teaches us that Christ existed long before He came to this Earth. He was alive before the world was created; His life did not commence in Mary’s womb.

I. In the beginning.

How many times have we read that phrase? How many times have you heard it on the pulpit? But what does it mean? The beginning refers to what existed before the world’s creation in Genesis.

II. The Word.

The Word here refers to a living thought that is spoken. John presents Christ as God’s Word. Just as our words reveal our minds and hearts, Christ reveals God’s minds and hearts to men. The Word preexisted the creation of the world and was present with God from the beginning. The Word existed before the universe and all it contains. Before Adam, Abraham, Moses, David and any other patriarch of the Bible, the Word already existed.

III. The Word was with God.

Nothing can separate the heavenly Father from His Word (Christ). Jesus did not at some point in time come into existence or begin a relationship with the Father. He has always been with Him. In eternity, the Father (God) and the Son (Word) have always been in loving communion.

IV. The Word was God.

The Word shares the same character, quality, and essence as God. He is just as much God as the Father is. Yet, He and the Father are distinct Persons, united, and are also One.

V. He was in the beginning with God.

As God was at the beginning before the world’s creation, so was Jesus. John wanted to state without a shadow of doubt or equivocation that Jesus does not only have divine characteristics, but He is actually God. Everything that exists owes its existence to the Word—Christ Jesus.

All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. (Jn 1:3). Jesus our Saviour, the One Who died to redeem humanity and reunite us back to God, is also the Almighty Creator of all things that exist. Everything in Heaven and on Earth, both visible and invisible and were created by Him. Apart from Jesus, nothing was created.

VI. All things were made through Him.

Jesus was not made; instead, everything we see was created by Him. Everything we see in the created universe—the skies, seas, land, trees and every aspect of creation—was made by Jesus. Jesus’ work of revealing God began with creation because all creation reveals God. When we see Jesus as the Lord of all creation, we can approach Him with the knowledge that there is nothing He cannot do for us. His creative abilities transcend what He did in creation to what He continues to do in our lives. Just as He created the universe out of nothing, God can create something beautiful out of your life. You may feel broken, abused, rejected, and undervalued, and your life may be meaningless to others but not to Jesus; He sees value in you. He sees your potential. He knows your name, and He knows your future.

VII. Without Him, nothing was made.

There is not one single thing that the Word did not create. He is the God Who spans and exceeds time and space and never overlooks any detail in creation. A Person—not random chance—brought the universe into being. He brought all matter into existence. Every single thing in the universe owes its existence to the Word. There is no possible exception to Him as the Creator. Jesus is the Creator and not the created. As Creator, He brings light out of darkness, orders out of chaos, glory out of affliction, and hope out of despair, and when you entrust your life into His hands, He will make your story beautiful.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (Jn 1:4-5). Amid all the darkness confronting our world, we have hope because Jesus, our Light, continues to shine. He dispels the darkness of sin and ignorance by providing salvation.

VIII. In Him was life.

Jesus was the source of life, both physical (through the creation of all things) and spiritual (through the redemption of humanity from sin). The freedom from sin, guilt and shame that the believer came through was accomplished for us by Christ on the Cross. Without Jesus, we would have been lost in sin and left to face God’s wrath.

IX. The life was the light of men.

As Christians, we all once walked in darkness—living is sin and engaging in all manner of vices. However, when we received Christ, He removed our darkness and gave us His life. Today we can stand before everybody not as an example of sin but as an example of righteousness. Have you met friends, family members, old schoolmates, and former colleagues who were the epitome of everything sinful, only for you to encounter them a few years later as pastors, preachers, and change agents in their communities? They now stand for everything right and noble. This exemplifies how Jesus changes our story and makes us examples of His righteousness.

X. The light shines in the darkness.

As light shines in the darkness, so Jesus brought the revelation and salvation of God to humanity in its fallen and lost condition. Our world lives in darkness because actions and attitudes described as wrong are now seen as suitable; what was noble is now despised. Jesus brought light to fallen humankind when He became a Man.

XI. The darkness did not comprehend it.

Nothing can stop the advancement of God’s agenda on Earth. We may be surrounded by darkness—attitudes, lifestyles, and ideas that do not glorify God, but none can stop the light of the Gospel from spreading to our world. Jesus was superior to the forces of darkness that sought to overcome Him but could not, and this gives us hope that light will always triumph in the end. Jesus can grant eternal life to those in darkness. Today, if you are living in sin, why don’t you allow the light of the Gospel to shine in your life?

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through Him might believe. (Jn 1:6, 7). The passage introduces John the Baptist as a model evangelist, pointing those in darkness to the light and a model witness of the Gospel, providing an excellent example for believers who would follow him.

XII. There was a man sent from God.

John the Baptist was the messenger sent by God to announce the coming of salvation into the world through Jesus. He was the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. The work of John the Baptist was deliberately focused on bringing people to faith in Jesus the Messiah. For most of us to have heard the message of Christ, there had to be a John for us. Who was your John? Who prepared the soul of your heart to receive the Good News? Who taught you repentance and the excited expectation about what God would do in you through Jesus? Why not take some time today to write that person a ‘thank you note’? Why not make a renewed commitment today to be John for someone else who needs to know the Saviour?

XIII. The man came to bear witness.

Although John the Baptist’s work was remarkable and widely known, it is essential to know that he was not the light but only came to point others to the Light (Jesus). Christians share the Gospel to point the world to Jesus, not themselves. The Gospel we preach is about Christ, and He must be the centre of our witness. There were many instances where the people tried to make John the Messiah, but he resisted all attempts and pointed them to Christ. Today, you should decide to be a witness of the Gospel. Share your faith with your friends, colleagues in the office, those in your class and even your family members. Refuse to be silent and let the world know that Jesus still saves!

He was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives Light to every man coming into the world. (Jn 1:8-9; emp added). The ministry of John the Baptist preceded that of Jesus Christ. His role leading to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry was significant and clear