Mended Institute

Morning Bliss: Give Cheerfully, Not Out Of Fear _ Focal Scripture : Matthew 23:23 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.'                                      Read: Matthew 23:23 Some have taught that Jesus did away with the tithe since it is not a specific part of the New Testament teaching.  But in this instance, Jesus made reference to the scribes and Pharisees tithing and implied that they were right in doing so.  The New Covenant did not do away with the tithe but it clarified what the motives for tithing should be. Abram tithed over 430 years before the law was given. Jacob also tithed approximately 300 years before the time of the law.  Therefore, tithing was a B...

Morning Bliss: Jesus The Servant_ Focal Scripture : Mark 12:29 'And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord':                                       Read: Mark 12:28-30 Jesus repeatedly made reference to His deity for which the Jews had sought to kill Him, and yet He quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4 , that 'The Lord our God is one Lord.'  There are not two or three Gods and yet Jesus claimed to be God just like God the Father.  This union is a great mystery that defies human understanding but can be accepted and believed. Jesus in His pre-existent state was in the form of God. 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'  Jesus is God manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). However, Jesus did not demand or cling to His rights as God.  He laid aside His Divine rights ...

Morning Bliss: The Heaven _ Focal Scripture : Mark 12:25 'For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.'                                       Read: Mark 12:25 The word heaven comes from the Greek word meaning 'the sky; heaven as the abode of God'; by implication, 'happiness; power; an eternity.' Paul mentioned being caught up into 'the third heaven' in 2 Corinthians 12:2.  Since 'the third heaven' exists, there must also be a first and second heaven. The first is probably the atmospheric heaven, the second, the abode of supernatural angelic beings, and the third, the place where God dwells. God now dwells in the hearts of His people, but He also sits on His throne in heaven.  The Lord's commitment to dwell in us and never leave us or forsake us, must be taken as an indication of His gre...

Morning Bliss: Faith Is A Muscle _ Focal Scripture : Matthew 21:26 'But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.'                                       Read: Matthew 21:23-27 Proverbs 29:25 says, 'The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso Putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.'  These men were seeking to snare Jesus in His words, but they couldn't because He was safely trusting in the Lord.  It was easy for Jesus to 'turn the tables on them' and catch them because they feared man (Jn. 5:44). Jesus had already shown that all of their works were done so that they could be seen of men (Mt. 6:5) . . They were not really seeking to please God, but were doing all their religious works for the praise of men. . It is totally vain for a man who is bound by the fear of man to try to intimidate a man whose trust is totally in the Lord. Whe...

Morning Bliss: Forgiving Others Is To Your Advantage _ Focal Scripture : Mark 11:25 'And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.'                                       Read: Matthew 21:20-22; mark 11:20-26 There are qualifications for believing and receiving as well as restrictions for receiving answers to prayer.  Unforgiveness in our hearts will keep our prayers from being answered. We should forgive others as quickly as it takes to make the decision to pray.  The Greek word for 'when' means 'whenever, as soon as, or while.' When we stand praying, we must forgive if we have ought ('anything at all, the least little part; whatsoever') against anyone. When we are offended or hurt, we often feel justified in holding a grudge. The Old Testament law expressed this when it stated, ...

Morning Bliss: The Battle Is In The Mind_ Focal Scripture : Matthew 21:21 'Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.'                                       Read: Matthew 21:21 Jesus makes it very clear that we must have faith and doubt not.  Every believer has faith, but most believers also have an abundance of doubt that negates their faith.  It is when we purify our faith and only believe, that victory comes. Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan and his kingdom where there are no 'leaves' or 'discharges.'  Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Those who resist the devil will...

Morning Bliss: Works Don't Save_ Focal Scripture : Mark 11:16 'And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.'                                      Read: Mark 11:16 Only Mark points out that Jesus would not suffer anyone to carry any vessel through the temple.  No explanation is offered by Mark as to why Jesus would not allow this.  It is probable that Jesus wanted His Father's house to be dedicated completely to prayer and the ministry of God.  Also, as with the Sabbath, work symbolizes our own effort, and our own effort will always fall short of what God demands for salvation.  Therefore, anything that resembled work was inappropriate in the house of God. What are 'works of the law?' Any rule, command or law that a person observes in an attempt to be accepted in right standing with God is a 'work of the law.'  In other words...

Morning Bliss: The Word Produces Fruit_ Focal Scripture : Matthew 21:14 'And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.'                                       Read: Matthew 21:12-14 When we, who are the temple of the Lord, are occupied with the cares of this life, the needs of others are not met.  However, when we are cleansed (Jn. 15:3) , then the Lord can accomplish His ministry through us. Jesus tells us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs being met.  It would be impossible to never think about our physical needs, even Jesus thought about His need for money to pay taxes.  We are simply not to be occupied with thinking about riches or spend time worrying about our necessities.  They will be added unto us as we seek first the kingdom of God. Prosperity can be damaging to the Body of Christ. God wants to bless His child...

Morning Bliss: Our Words Are Alive_ Focal Scripture : Mark 11:14 'And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.'                                       Read: Mark 11:14 Notice that this verse says that Jesus 'answered' this fig tree.  The tree had not spoken to Him verbally but it communicated that it had figs by the leaves on it.  It is a fact that a fig tree should have figs by the time the leaves are evident. A fig tree actually produces green figs before the leaves appear and if no figs are produced by that time, then the tree will not have any figs that year.  This fig tree was professing something that it didn't have even though it was still too early for figs. Not only plants, but other things can communicate with us too. Circumstances can tell you that you have failed.  Your body can tell you...

Morning Bliss: Believe That You Have Received_ Focal Scripture : Matthew 21:19 'And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.'                                       Read: Matthew 21:18-19 The Greek word for presently means 'instantly; immediately; soon.' However, the disciples didn't realize that the fig tree had died until the next day.  If the tree died instantly, why didn't they notice it until the next morning? The answer to this question is found in Mark 11:20 .  The tree was dead from the roots up.  The tree did die instantly just as the Word declared, but what had happened to the roots wasn't visible until the next morning. There is a spiritual lesson here that applies to us receiving things from God....

  Morning B liss : Choose To Believe_ Focal Scripture : John 12:39-40 'Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.'                                       Read: John 12:37-40 This could be interpreted as the ultimate teaching in predestination.  That interpretation would be that these people were never given the opportunity to believe because of Isaiah's prophecies.  However, the Word of God makes it clear that 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Rom. 10:13); 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me' (Rev. 3:20) ; and 'whosoever will, let him t...

Morning Bliss: The Power To Live A Holy Life_ Focal Scripture : John 12:31 'Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.'                                       Read: John 12:31 The only reason Satan ever had any right to become a prince or rule over us was because we yielded ourselves to him through sin (Rom. 6:16).  Since Jesus 'bore our sins in His own body on the tree' (1 Pet. 2:24) , Satan no longer has power or authority over those who accept Jesus' gift of salvation. Satan has been 'cast out' -- stripped of any power he had.  Now he can only deceive, and if we fall for his lies, we stop God's blessings from flowing in our lives. The reason why a believer must live a holy life, is to avoid Satan's bondage.  When we obey sin, we yield ourselves to Satan, the author of that sin.Yielding to sin is yielding to a person, Satan....