By:            Joel Uto

INTRODUCTION

Download Lesson

I thank God Almighty for ushering us into the month of December and hopefully He will direct us into the year 2020 in Jesus Name – Amen!

I considered taking today’s admonition title from the national life styles of the Americans. Just on the 28^th of November, 2019, the Americans tagged it Thanksgiving Day – Annual National Holiday in the USA and Canada celebrating harvest and other blessings of the past year. It’s one of the only times that extended families are able to come together to spend a day engaging with one another. From the root in 1863, it was a national day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father to appreciate God; on this stores and business are closed! 

Do you have a day committed to God apart from Sunday?

And yet, in the political history and life of America, the Republican leadership in the house would meet at a periodical day. That day is called A Day of Correction.

It is a day, the Republicans would consider and make legislation to correct or put right on the floor any bureaucratic nonsense, which unnecessarily burdens the people of America or impedes business. The laws are then passed on the floor to correct the mistakes or the problem. Politically, this is very important and that action is being taken.

It is against this backdrop that I view our entering into December. I am sure and as Christians that there is a far more important realm where we all need A Day of Correction or A Month of Correction. The realm we should talk about is the spiritual realm we find ourselves. No complacency in Christianity. This is because only Christ is perfect in all His ways – Acts 1:1-2, Matthew 5:48 ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The need for the eldership to set A Day of Correction for themselves of decisions and policy taken, challenges and lacuna in the church cannot be overemphasized.

The ministerial desk has great need to have a day of correction with the eldership, when the church frequently meets with the eldership to avoid frequently grumbling and murmuring would certainly be A Day of Correction.

A Day of Correction is a necessity in our individual Christian lives. Many of us are too satisfied in our spiritual weaknesses, self-satisfaction and inactivity for the Lord. There are too many What Is the Church Standard instead of the Bible Standard or Command. All of us need A Day of Correction. I suppose God requires correction of ourselves. 

GOD REQUIRES CORRECTION OF OURSELVES 

• We must correct, wash, cleanse ourselves – Isaiah 1:10-20 ¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah: ¹¹ “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats ¹² “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? ¹³ Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. ¹⁴ Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary of bearing ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. cease to do evil, ¹⁷ Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; ²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord has spoke. 2 Corinthians 7:1 ¹Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. James 4:7-8 ⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
• Surely anyone who has respect for the Word, acknowledges that God requires us to gets our acts together. 

WHAT MUST BE CORRECTED? 

• The Scriptures enjoined all to correct the problem of sin and all wrongdoings in the church and of ourselves – Psalm 19:12 ¹² Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret Psalm 51:2 ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Jeremiah 4:14 ¹⁴ O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? Ephesians 5:26 – Christ wants a glorious church at the end of time.
• Paul said we need to be cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit – II Cor. 7:1. Let us not think I am without corruption – Romans 3:10 ¹⁰ As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one. 1 John 1:10 ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
• God is ever willing to forgive us and to correct our ways. All sin is a transgression against God no matter what it is. The sin committed separates us and makes us enemies to God – Isaiah 59:1-2 ¹Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. ² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. James 4:4 ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
• However, God is the One who must forgive us. He is willing to do so and yet give us opportunity to quit sinful life. Christian must mind their ways.
• The nation of Israel sinned against God and yet He sent His prophets to tell them of His willingness to forgive them – Jeremiah 33:8 ⁸ I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.
• Similarly when we cleanse ourselves today or have A Day of Correction of ourselves, He will forgive us – Titus 3:5 ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
• And as the year is about to end, it should be the month of correction. 

HOW SHOULD YOU ACCOMPLISH CORRECTION? 

• You must heed the word and act on it – Psalm 119:9 ⁹ How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 1 Peter 1:22-23 ²² Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
• We must believe on the word of God and repent now.

CONCLUSION

God requires that we be cleaned, washed, cleansed from our sin. He is willing to forgive us. Cleansing is according to His Word. It is now you do it whether you are alien sinner or fallen saints.

Finally, will you make today A Day of Correction?

Thank you and God bless!

Download Lesson