“”For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
II Samuel 22 : 29-31 (New King James Version)
We read in Psalm 34: 8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”.
My mom makes this absolutely yummy Burmese dish called Panthe Kaushwe (not sure how its spelt) . Its just fabulous . So utterly yummy. I could describe it to you but you really would not understand it until you have tasted it for yourself. Only when you taste it for yourself will you truly savor all that the dish is prepared to be. Personal Experience !! It does not matter how many times I eat it :-) but you gotta eat it to truly know how tasty a dish it is.
We read in II Samuel chapter 22 , David is praising God for how wonderfully He has delivered him from all his enemies. David knows what it is to put his trust completely in the Lord. Enemies might surround him from every side… there might be circumstances that seem like a momentary loss… But God reigns ! He is exalted. As we read verse by verse of this chapter, the joy of the Lord that resides in David is just sooo evident.
Have you tasted the Lord personally ? Enemies will come… snares will be laid out for you … BUT if we would call upon the LORD and walk in His ways He will deliver us. David kept the ways of the Lord . And when he called, the Lord answered. Probably not always in the way David imagined it to work out.. not always in the time or moment that he would have pictured in his head… But the Lord answered in ways beyond what he could have ever thought or imagined ! Praise the Lord.
I pray that we will walk in His ways and put our trust completely in Him and we will see His glory and we will taste His victory and we will overflow with His joy . This afternoon let us all declare …
YOU ARE MY LAMP O LORD !
THE LORD SHALL ENLIGHTEN MY DARKNESS !
FOR BY YOU I CAN RUN AGAINST A TROOP !
BY MY GOD I CAN LEAP OVER A WALL !
AS FOR MY GOD HIS WAY IS PERFECT !
THE WORD OF THE LORD IS PROVEN !
HE IS A SHIELD TO ALL WHO TRUST IN HIM !
God Bless
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
What will we be found doing ?
“And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”
Luke 12: 47 (New King James Version)
I would like to encourage everyone to read from their Bible the passage Luke 12: 1 – 48 . We see that there is a huge multitude that is gathered together. In verse 13 we read, “Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.””. Here we have Christ himself sitting and teaching … That man from the crowd could have asked him any question… But he chose to focus on things of this world and said ‘Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” . Interesting isn’t it .
As we keep reading the verses that follow we see Christ teaching on how worrying about things of this world are all unnecessary. There is no need for us to have an anxious mind. We read in verses 30,31 , “”For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. “But seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.”
As we continue to read on we see Christ talking about the faithful servant. He talks about the Second Coming. Lets read verses 42-46 , “And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming’ , and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Now, we read that the master gives the servant authority over the household and leaves. But when the master returns if the servant is found faithful ! ; that is the servant was given authority over the household to give them their portion of food in due season. Now when the master returns and if the servant is found doing so then he will be rewarded… even to the point of being made ruler of all that the master owns. However if the servant gets so self involved just because the master has not come as he had expected and if he is found not doing the master’s will then he will be severely punished.
We read in verse 47 , the servant who KNEW His master’s will and yet did not PREPARE or DO His will.
What do we find ourselves doing today ? Our own will or His will ? When we come into His presence are all our talks only about things of this world – ‘tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me’ , ‘tell my boss to promote me’, …. Or have we become truly doers of His will and His Kingdom seekers ?
God Bless
Luke 12: 47 (New King James Version)
I would like to encourage everyone to read from their Bible the passage Luke 12: 1 – 48 . We see that there is a huge multitude that is gathered together. In verse 13 we read, “Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.””. Here we have Christ himself sitting and teaching … That man from the crowd could have asked him any question… But he chose to focus on things of this world and said ‘Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” . Interesting isn’t it .
As we keep reading the verses that follow we see Christ teaching on how worrying about things of this world are all unnecessary. There is no need for us to have an anxious mind. We read in verses 30,31 , “”For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. “But seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.”
As we continue to read on we see Christ talking about the faithful servant. He talks about the Second Coming. Lets read verses 42-46 , “And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming’ , and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Now, we read that the master gives the servant authority over the household and leaves. But when the master returns if the servant is found faithful ! ; that is the servant was given authority over the household to give them their portion of food in due season. Now when the master returns and if the servant is found doing so then he will be rewarded… even to the point of being made ruler of all that the master owns. However if the servant gets so self involved just because the master has not come as he had expected and if he is found not doing the master’s will then he will be severely punished.
We read in verse 47 , the servant who KNEW His master’s will and yet did not PREPARE or DO His will.
What do we find ourselves doing today ? Our own will or His will ? When we come into His presence are all our talks only about things of this world – ‘tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me’ , ‘tell my boss to promote me’, …. Or have we become truly doers of His will and His Kingdom seekers ?
God Bless
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Get Ready to Smell Good !!
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
II Corinthians 2: 14-15 (New King James Version)
As a kid, my mom had to literally drag me to go for a bath ! It was one of the toughest things to do. But once in, she had to again have a hard time dragging me out because I would be playing in the water for hours :-) Ever been in a hurry where you didn’t have time for a shower and you just doused yourself with some deodorant and ran ? Sure that’s ok for a day or two, But if someone were to continue in that state the true fragrance of ‘filth’ would eventually be totally prominent beyond disguise :-)
We read in verse 15, we are to God the fragrance of Christ !! Wow ! just imagine that ! All scrubbed up, totally clean and spotless. And what do people around us smell ? The fragrance of Christ, And that’s what we are to God – The fragrance of Christ.
There was this ad years ago wherein this girl covers the eyes of her nephew and says ‘guess who ?’ and he just sniffs and says ‘XYZ Aunty’--- stinky smell gave away ! As we walk in this world do people smell the fragrance of Christ in us ? Verse 14 says ‘through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place’… the literal meaning of the word diffuses in this context is Manifests ! Wow ! In other words we are walking living testimonies of Christ wherever we are. Even as we just pass by a place His presence in our lives just needs to spread out to those around us for we are the fragrance of Christ.
Its time to examine ourselves if there is anything stinking in our lives that needs cleaning up. Because if it is not cleaned up , it only gets worse with time. Picture this with me…something precious of yours covered with dust. Now if you don’t wipe it off immediately, dirt just accumulates more and more… it hardens…mixes with other elements around it and eventually requires it to be chipped off !! Lets not wait that long.
We are a fragrance among whom ? in verse 15 we see
· Among those who are being saved
· Among those who are perishing
There are just two categories ! And one can land up in only one of these destinations for eternity : Life/Death !
We read in verse 16 ,” To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. “
God Bless
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Send Out
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9: 36 (New King James Version)
For those of us who work, this month was a time of getting all our investment proofs and all in order and submitting the same at the office. There is a photocopy machine right next to my seat.. and there were people coming in and out … You should have seen the rush… Tax consultants filled the lobby of our office and everyone was taking new policies and all. Why ? Good investment plans mean less money that gets paid in tax and in the years to come you see the fruit of your investment.
Why is it that we have this ‘must do’ attitude when it comes to financial investments but we have this ‘slack & complacent’ attitude when it comes to the kingdom of God ? We consult financial experts to get our financial investments right , but when there is a meeting or a camp on Evangelism and on how to reach this nation for Christ we say ‘Naaaaaaa….. not for me…. I cant go…I need rest’
Don’t get me wrong. Its good and Biblical to be wise with what the Lord has blessed us with. But why is it that we don’t have that attitude when it comes to the things of God ? Has our entire motivation become self gain ? Have we forgotten that all of us will eventually taste only one of these : Eternal Life / Eternal Death ! All those around us need to know that Jesus Christ is the only way !! If we invest our time and effort in prayers and in sharing His word , in living testimonial lives for His glory , we will reap souls who will rejoice in eternal life worshipping our God. If we don’t , then we are accountable for that soul. If someone told us “Wake up everyday by 4:30AM and drive to the XYZ store which is an hour drive and if you reach there by 5:30AM, you will be given an apple touch screen iphone ” , I’m sure most of us would get up and go no matter how tired we are. However if there is a prayer in church to pray for our nation at 5AM how many of us go ? Do we think us praying will not make a difference ? Do we write off the power of prayer ? Have we forgotten what the word says about agreeing in spirit and believing that we have received it ? Or do we use all those verses only for self gain and forget them otherwise?
We read in verses 35-36 , “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
When we look around what do we see ?
Verse 37, “Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” The harvest is plentiful ! The harvest is in abundance ! But the laborers are few.
Verse 38 , “”Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest”. Whose harvest is it ? The Lord’s
‘send out laborers into the harvest’ – send out ! Its time for us to get out of this comfort zone that we have built… It can be the space between your cubicle and person next to you ! It can be the space between you and the person sitting beside you in your classroom , in the bus,…
Its time to sow to the Spirit.
For all those of us who are into some form ministry and serving the Lord , please remember we read that Christ taught in the synagogues, He preached the gospel of the kingdom, He healed every sickness and every disease among the people. But…
Jesus Christ was not satisfied with just what was being done…. No… His heart went out for what was yet to be done.
I pray that we will not be satisfied with what we are doing… but we will pray and go out a step further for His glory
God Bless
Say NO to the works of the flesh
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5: 19-21 (New King James Version)
Ever find yourself in a situation where when you are driving on the road and someone just rashly cuts across you ? What do you say then ? I know my blood pressure does tend to rise :-D . Some days when someone from my family asks me a regular question my responses would be sharp. The other day on of my friend’s messaged me saying ‘Chill’ . On the contrary it made me just more mad !
Outbursts of wrath are not of God. They are a work of the flesh which needs to be trampled under our feet.
I told the Lord once , “Lord but its not my fault… the other people are the ones who bug me for no reason … you saw me drive properly …. You saw me do all the things right … then why do I have to feel guilty for someone else’s fault ?” and this is what the Lord reminded me of… Matthew 5: 43-48,” “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so ? “ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven !! Wow ! Its no wonder that the Bible says that if we practice the works of the flesh we will not inherit the kingdom of God , because we will no longer be His children and will lose our inheritance in Him.
Even the tax collectors are good to those who are good to them. Are we like the tax collectors ? or are we the sons and daughters of our Father in heaven ?
Are we practicing the works of the flesh ? Its time to repent and set ourselves right in the sight of God by His grace.
We read in Galatians 5: 22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering , kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. “
It doesn’t matter what work of the flesh is being practiced in your life right now… be it sexual immorality , defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit which is your body , outbursts or wrath,…. It is time that we repent and start walking in the Spirit. We who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Christ has set us free. Let us not get back under the yoke of slavery to sin.
Its time to sow to the Spirit.
Lord I pray that all of us Father will walk in the Spirit and be testimonies to You in word, thought and actions. Father I pray Lord that our every desire of the flesh be put to death . Father I pray that everyone reading this who is struggling with an addiction be set free completely. May Your joy which is our strength and Your grace which is our sufficiency fill our lives. We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to You Father. May we be found acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus name , Amen.
God Bless
Galatians 5: 19-21 (New King James Version)
Ever find yourself in a situation where when you are driving on the road and someone just rashly cuts across you ? What do you say then ? I know my blood pressure does tend to rise :-D . Some days when someone from my family asks me a regular question my responses would be sharp. The other day on of my friend’s messaged me saying ‘Chill’ . On the contrary it made me just more mad !
Outbursts of wrath are not of God. They are a work of the flesh which needs to be trampled under our feet.
I told the Lord once , “Lord but its not my fault… the other people are the ones who bug me for no reason … you saw me drive properly …. You saw me do all the things right … then why do I have to feel guilty for someone else’s fault ?” and this is what the Lord reminded me of… Matthew 5: 43-48,” “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so ? “ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven !! Wow ! Its no wonder that the Bible says that if we practice the works of the flesh we will not inherit the kingdom of God , because we will no longer be His children and will lose our inheritance in Him.
Even the tax collectors are good to those who are good to them. Are we like the tax collectors ? or are we the sons and daughters of our Father in heaven ?
Are we practicing the works of the flesh ? Its time to repent and set ourselves right in the sight of God by His grace.
We read in Galatians 5: 22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering , kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. “
It doesn’t matter what work of the flesh is being practiced in your life right now… be it sexual immorality , defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit which is your body , outbursts or wrath,…. It is time that we repent and start walking in the Spirit. We who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Christ has set us free. Let us not get back under the yoke of slavery to sin.
Its time to sow to the Spirit.
Lord I pray that all of us Father will walk in the Spirit and be testimonies to You in word, thought and actions. Father I pray Lord that our every desire of the flesh be put to death . Father I pray that everyone reading this who is struggling with an addiction be set free completely. May Your joy which is our strength and Your grace which is our sufficiency fill our lives. We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to You Father. May we be found acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus name , Amen.
God Bless
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
No turning back !
“But Ruth said : “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
Ruth 1 : 16-17 (New King James Version)
Naomi’s husband’s name was Elimelech and she had two sons Mahlon and Chilion. They went to the country of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech died. Now both the sons took wives of the women of Moab. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. They continued to remain in Moab for about ten years. Then both her sons died and only Naomi and her two daughters-in-law remained. Now Naomi wanted to return back to Judah and she asked Orpah and Ruth to return to their people so that they can remarry and find rest. We read in verse 14 ,” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.”
Ruth’s faithfulness ! It did not matter what happened all around her, it did not matter if she did not know what the future held for her. She made a covenant in marriage. And she was faithful. She told Naomi that ‘wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God ’. She never looked back !!
And as we read the word of God we see how God honored her faithfulness. She was the great-grandmother of David. And Christ was born of the same lineage. Wow ! Thousands of years later the entire world still reads of her faithfulness.
Are we faithful to God ? Or when circumstances become difficult do we turn back ? Do we say ‘Lord wherever You lead I will follow’ ?
Ruth clung to Naomi. Do we cling to God ?
Death was the only thing that could separate Naomi and Ruth . Do you know the best thing about our God ? We read in Romans 8: 38-39 , “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God Bless
Ruth 1 : 16-17 (New King James Version)
Naomi’s husband’s name was Elimelech and she had two sons Mahlon and Chilion. They went to the country of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech died. Now both the sons took wives of the women of Moab. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. They continued to remain in Moab for about ten years. Then both her sons died and only Naomi and her two daughters-in-law remained. Now Naomi wanted to return back to Judah and she asked Orpah and Ruth to return to their people so that they can remarry and find rest. We read in verse 14 ,” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.”
Ruth’s faithfulness ! It did not matter what happened all around her, it did not matter if she did not know what the future held for her. She made a covenant in marriage. And she was faithful. She told Naomi that ‘wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God ’. She never looked back !!
And as we read the word of God we see how God honored her faithfulness. She was the great-grandmother of David. And Christ was born of the same lineage. Wow ! Thousands of years later the entire world still reads of her faithfulness.
Are we faithful to God ? Or when circumstances become difficult do we turn back ? Do we say ‘Lord wherever You lead I will follow’ ?
Ruth clung to Naomi. Do we cling to God ?
Death was the only thing that could separate Naomi and Ruth . Do you know the best thing about our God ? We read in Romans 8: 38-39 , “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God Bless
Sunday, January 10, 2010
What is our mind set on ?
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death , but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Romans 8 : 5-6 (New King James Version)
This is what the Lord showed me last night. Try and picture this with me. Its your wedding day. And none of the guests have arrived yet. Christ walks in and you give Him the first row seat. Then after a while, all your managers walk in … All important people from your work and business . So you make them sit in the front row seat and make Christ sit in the next row because you think Christ would understand. Then some other important people walk in … people who are of strong emotional bonding to you. And they sit in the next row and Christ gets pushed a seat back further. This continues for a while and by the end of it all Christ is sitting in the last row in the corner. Then the music starts. And you are so excited because its your day and you have made all the arrangements well. Everyone is fitted in so well and Christ is there too. And as the music plays and you are there at the altar , Christ walks up straight towards the altar . For a moment you are perplexed. But then your eyes are opened to see that Christ is the groom ! It was all about Him in the first place. You just didn’t realize that.
This life that we live is all about Him. We live by His grace for His glory. A lot of us seem to have forgotten that. We try to fit Christ into some portion of our lives and become contended . We forget… ITS ALL ABOUT HIM !
Has our focus , our priorities , our efforts shifted to our work , our studies , our relationships ?
We read that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. What is our mind set on ?
Its time to sow to the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death , but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
God Bless
Romans 8 : 5-6 (New King James Version)
This is what the Lord showed me last night. Try and picture this with me. Its your wedding day. And none of the guests have arrived yet. Christ walks in and you give Him the first row seat. Then after a while, all your managers walk in … All important people from your work and business . So you make them sit in the front row seat and make Christ sit in the next row because you think Christ would understand. Then some other important people walk in … people who are of strong emotional bonding to you. And they sit in the next row and Christ gets pushed a seat back further. This continues for a while and by the end of it all Christ is sitting in the last row in the corner. Then the music starts. And you are so excited because its your day and you have made all the arrangements well. Everyone is fitted in so well and Christ is there too. And as the music plays and you are there at the altar , Christ walks up straight towards the altar . For a moment you are perplexed. But then your eyes are opened to see that Christ is the groom ! It was all about Him in the first place. You just didn’t realize that.
This life that we live is all about Him. We live by His grace for His glory. A lot of us seem to have forgotten that. We try to fit Christ into some portion of our lives and become contended . We forget… ITS ALL ABOUT HIM !
Has our focus , our priorities , our efforts shifted to our work , our studies , our relationships ?
We read that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. What is our mind set on ?
Its time to sow to the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death , but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
God Bless
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Dig Deep !
“”He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”
Luke 6: 48 (New King James Version)
Ever driven by a construction site ? When the foundation is being laid for a house you can see the depth that is dug and the rocks and concrete and all that is a part of it. If the foundation is not strong then the house cannot have another floor constructed over it. Well, you could still build , but for sure the cracks will set in and the end results would be disastrous. Ever looked at how deep the digging is done for the foundation to be laid for apartments , sky scrapers ?? The more deeper the dig , the more solid the foundation , the more higher the building !!
We read in verse 47, “”Whoever comes to Me, and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:” . Jesus Christ is talking about how a follower of Him is to be. He comes to Christ , hears His sayings and doesn’t stop there. He goes on to do them!
And Christ illustrates how someone like that will be like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep !! He dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock !!
If our foundation is not strong then we are limited to the number of floors that can be built on us :-D If our foundation is not strong then our growth gets stunted.
Jesus Christ is rock of our salvation. He is the word and the word is life ! A lot of us rush through our reading the word of God and somehow have ample time for everything else.
Our foundation needs to be solid. I love this verse form Hebrews 4: 12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
We are to sit in His presence , hear His word, and go on to doing them . Our lives ought to be testimonial for His glory by His grace.
I had mentioned this in an earlier mail, its interesting to note that the man who does the sayings of the Lord is ‘building his house’ (continuous tense… it’s a continual process…). While the person who does not do as he hears is like a man who ‘built’ his house. While everyone would have thought ‘Oh his house is built.. so cool’… we all know what happened when the flood arose and the stream came.
When we are building our house on the rock it’s a constant process of leaning on Him completely … it’s a constant process of growing in Him .
Are we ready to dig deep ?
Lets sow to the Spirit .
God Bless
Luke 6: 48 (New King James Version)
Ever driven by a construction site ? When the foundation is being laid for a house you can see the depth that is dug and the rocks and concrete and all that is a part of it. If the foundation is not strong then the house cannot have another floor constructed over it. Well, you could still build , but for sure the cracks will set in and the end results would be disastrous. Ever looked at how deep the digging is done for the foundation to be laid for apartments , sky scrapers ?? The more deeper the dig , the more solid the foundation , the more higher the building !!
We read in verse 47, “”Whoever comes to Me, and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:” . Jesus Christ is talking about how a follower of Him is to be. He comes to Christ , hears His sayings and doesn’t stop there. He goes on to do them!
And Christ illustrates how someone like that will be like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep !! He dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock !!
If our foundation is not strong then we are limited to the number of floors that can be built on us :-D If our foundation is not strong then our growth gets stunted.
Jesus Christ is rock of our salvation. He is the word and the word is life ! A lot of us rush through our reading the word of God and somehow have ample time for everything else.
Our foundation needs to be solid. I love this verse form Hebrews 4: 12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
We are to sit in His presence , hear His word, and go on to doing them . Our lives ought to be testimonial for His glory by His grace.
I had mentioned this in an earlier mail, its interesting to note that the man who does the sayings of the Lord is ‘building his house’ (continuous tense… it’s a continual process…). While the person who does not do as he hears is like a man who ‘built’ his house. While everyone would have thought ‘Oh his house is built.. so cool’… we all know what happened when the flood arose and the stream came.
When we are building our house on the rock it’s a constant process of leaning on Him completely … it’s a constant process of growing in Him .
Are we ready to dig deep ?
Lets sow to the Spirit .
God Bless
What pleases God ?
“He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.”
Psalm 147 : 10-11 (New King James Version)
We read in verses 3-5, “”He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” We serve such an awesome living God !
The more I grow older the more I realize I make things a lot more complicated than it needs to be. I start thinking with a lot of ‘What-if’s ’ in my mind. Its like ‘What if this happens…’ , or if I start making too many of my own plans like “what if I do this…”. However by God’s grace I am growing in Him, so now I tell myself ‘What if I just trust my God 100% and stop relying on my own wisdom ! ” And you know what ? Its great. There is a verse in the Bible that says the Lord orders our steps. Every step that we take in His way is not some random hop skip and jump. No no no . Every step is so purposeful and beyond our understanding. All we need to do is just trust and follow Him.
How do we follow someone ? We had a youth camp in December and I had no idea where the place was. So we had to follow another car and I was driving my car. I had my eyes fixed on the car ahead of me. If the car took left I took left … if the car stayed in the second lane I stayed in the second lane…
When we say we follow Christ are we following Him or are we making our own detours on the way ?
The Bible says the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him , in those who hope in His mercy. How many of us want to please God this morning ?
All it takes is a heart that is lifted up to Him and trusts completely in Him.
Lets start weeding out all the seeds of the flesh that have been sown in our lives. Its time to grow in the Spirit. Lets all rise to please our God ! Let us delight to do His will .
God Bless
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.”
Psalm 147 : 10-11 (New King James Version)
We read in verses 3-5, “”He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” We serve such an awesome living God !
The more I grow older the more I realize I make things a lot more complicated than it needs to be. I start thinking with a lot of ‘What-if’s ’ in my mind. Its like ‘What if this happens…’ , or if I start making too many of my own plans like “what if I do this…”. However by God’s grace I am growing in Him, so now I tell myself ‘What if I just trust my God 100% and stop relying on my own wisdom ! ” And you know what ? Its great. There is a verse in the Bible that says the Lord orders our steps. Every step that we take in His way is not some random hop skip and jump. No no no . Every step is so purposeful and beyond our understanding. All we need to do is just trust and follow Him.
How do we follow someone ? We had a youth camp in December and I had no idea where the place was. So we had to follow another car and I was driving my car. I had my eyes fixed on the car ahead of me. If the car took left I took left … if the car stayed in the second lane I stayed in the second lane…
When we say we follow Christ are we following Him or are we making our own detours on the way ?
The Bible says the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him , in those who hope in His mercy. How many of us want to please God this morning ?
All it takes is a heart that is lifted up to Him and trusts completely in Him.
Lets start weeding out all the seeds of the flesh that have been sown in our lives. Its time to grow in the Spirit. Lets all rise to please our God ! Let us delight to do His will .
God Bless
Born of God
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”
1 John 5 : 4 (New King James Version)
Did you know that we all are to be born twice ?
->Born into the world
->Born of God
None of us are born of the world. We are born in the world but not of the world. How are we born of God ? We read in 1 John 5 : 1 , “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him” . Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father, loves whoever has been born of Him.
We read in verse 3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”.
God watches our every move. He knows our every thought. When our hearts are filled with the love of God then we will keep His commandments because it is pleasing in His sight. When we call upon His name with love …. Wow. His commandments are not burdensome.
When we say we are born of God do we find ourselves still stuck in the ways of the world ? The Bible says whatever is born of God overcomes the world !!
It time we start sowing to the Spirit. We are overcomers of this world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.
God Bless
1 John 5 : 4 (New King James Version)
Did you know that we all are to be born twice ?
->Born into the world
->Born of God
None of us are born of the world. We are born in the world but not of the world. How are we born of God ? We read in 1 John 5 : 1 , “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him” . Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father, loves whoever has been born of Him.
We read in verse 3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”.
God watches our every move. He knows our every thought. When our hearts are filled with the love of God then we will keep His commandments because it is pleasing in His sight. When we call upon His name with love …. Wow. His commandments are not burdensome.
When we say we are born of God do we find ourselves still stuck in the ways of the world ? The Bible says whatever is born of God overcomes the world !!
It time we start sowing to the Spirit. We are overcomers of this world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.
God Bless
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