“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?”
Luke 18: 7 (New King James Version)
My cousin had her project review yesterday in her college for her final semester (she is interning at corporate firm currently) . Her internal guide had signed off on her project and her project report. And yesterday she was to present her report to a set of committee members with her internal guide present with her. However, at the committee meeting in front of everyone her guide who had signed off everything , decided to insult and humiliate her project in front of everyone. No reason for it. He started ridiculing her work and encouraged the committee members to do the same. She was obviously very hurt . But what surprised me the most is what she said to me over the phone , ‘ I pray that God will not show His anger upon the guide for his behavior…. God will give me victory no matter what… I know this project is God’s will and I know He will give me victory’
I was at a lost for words. Because honestly I was sooooooo soooooo angry at the guide for his behavior. In my head I was thinking , “How could he do something like this ??? How could he sign off and say ok its good and then just behave the opposite in front of a committee ?”. However by God’s grace my sis looked at God and not at man. And she held her peace and looked to God to heal her hurt.
In Luke 18 : 1-8 , we read about the parable of the persistent widow. Christ was teaching that we ought to always pray and never lose heart. In the parable, Christ talks about how a widow kept on bringing her case to the judge requesting for justice. And the judge would not hear her. Can you imagine what it would have felt like ? Seeking for justice and people turning you down all around. We read in verse 5 that the judge says , “yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
If a judge who does not fear God himself, will listen to someone who is persistent , how much more will God answer the prayers of His own ?
We read in verse 8 , “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on earth ?”
God will always do His part ! Will we however do ours ?
When you have been crying and praying for a miracle day and night and don’t see anything happening will you still hold on to the faithfulness of our God ?
If we are walking in God’s will , we can be sure though we just see a desert all around us , He will cause rivers to flow ! That’s our God !!
I pray that we will always look to God and not to man. That our hearts be always lifted up in prayers and we don’t lose hope.
God Bless
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord !
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 150 : 6 (New King James Version)
We read in Genesis 2: 7 , “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Wow ! God’s very breath is life !!
Just close your eyes and breath in and out and you cannot stop from wondering how merciful our God is that He would bless us with life today , with health today to see this day for a purpose which He has ordained before time began !
We read in Psalm 113 : 4-6 , “The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” Who is like the Lord ? There is no one !! He is the great I AM !!
We read in Daniel 5: 23 , “And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” Here is a little background to this verse. Belshazzar the king made a great feast and he gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem. And he used those consecrated vessels for his lords, his wives, his concubines to drink from them. As they were drinking from them and praising the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone, In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him. Then the king summoned all the astrologers and Chaldeans and soothsayers asking for an interpretation of the writing on the wall. But none of them could read it. Then Daniel was called and He gave the interpretation and the explanation for the same. Belshazzar did not give God the glory. And He defiled the things that were consecrated to His house.
You and I have been consecrated for His glory. The blood of the Jesus Christ was shed on the cross for us. By His blood we were ransomed. We are consecrated vessels to be used for His glory. However what have we turned our lives , our bodies , our minds , out tongues into ???
We read in Mark 9: 47-48, “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire – where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’"
God holds our very breath. Have we glorified Him ??
We were supposed to be dead to sin, condemned to eternal death. But Christ redeemed us !! Praise the Lord !! We now call Him Abba Father ! We now live as heirs in Christ. Oh can you think of anything better than this ??? We are today alive in Christ !! Oh lets shout out praises to His name !! Praise the Lord !
The Bible says in Psalm 103 : 12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” If we would humble ourselves before Him and repent, He will blot out our transgressions. We who were once dead to sin are now made alive in Christ. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life !
Are we ready to be alive today ? And being alive in Him let us glorify Him .
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord!”
God Bless
Psalm 150 : 6 (New King James Version)
We read in Genesis 2: 7 , “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Wow ! God’s very breath is life !!
Just close your eyes and breath in and out and you cannot stop from wondering how merciful our God is that He would bless us with life today , with health today to see this day for a purpose which He has ordained before time began !
We read in Psalm 113 : 4-6 , “The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” Who is like the Lord ? There is no one !! He is the great I AM !!
We read in Daniel 5: 23 , “And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” Here is a little background to this verse. Belshazzar the king made a great feast and he gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem. And he used those consecrated vessels for his lords, his wives, his concubines to drink from them. As they were drinking from them and praising the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone, In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him. Then the king summoned all the astrologers and Chaldeans and soothsayers asking for an interpretation of the writing on the wall. But none of them could read it. Then Daniel was called and He gave the interpretation and the explanation for the same. Belshazzar did not give God the glory. And He defiled the things that were consecrated to His house.
You and I have been consecrated for His glory. The blood of the Jesus Christ was shed on the cross for us. By His blood we were ransomed. We are consecrated vessels to be used for His glory. However what have we turned our lives , our bodies , our minds , out tongues into ???
We read in Mark 9: 47-48, “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire – where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’"
God holds our very breath. Have we glorified Him ??
We were supposed to be dead to sin, condemned to eternal death. But Christ redeemed us !! Praise the Lord !! We now call Him Abba Father ! We now live as heirs in Christ. Oh can you think of anything better than this ??? We are today alive in Christ !! Oh lets shout out praises to His name !! Praise the Lord !
The Bible says in Psalm 103 : 12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” If we would humble ourselves before Him and repent, He will blot out our transgressions. We who were once dead to sin are now made alive in Christ. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life !
Are we ready to be alive today ? And being alive in Him let us glorify Him .
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord!”
God Bless
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Is your banner flying high ? Its time !
“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
Psalm 100 : 5 (New King James Version)
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art. " --- Then sings my soul !! Wow !! This is praise !!
At work me and my team are working on a marketing strategy at the moment for an event. So everyone is thinking of catch phrases , banner designs and all….
It got me thinking on how wonderful is the love of Christ and how amazing is the word of God. Its just so easy for us. Just imagine a banner flying “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Wow !! What an awesome, faithful and forever dependable God we serve !!
I remember reading on the communicator against a fellow believer’s name the following note “My strength is renewed every morning - contact me to find out how” .
We don’t have to rack our brains and struggle to tell about how amazing our God is to people. Our very lives are to sing forth of His glory and His word is life !
We read in Isaiah 55 : 11-12 , “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Our God is so awesome !!He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega , the First and the Last …..
How can we not shout out His praise…How can we not go forth telling those around us about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus ?
The difference between a good marketing strategy and a bad one – a few million dollars
The difference between you and I telling people and not telling people about Christ – eternal life and eternal death !!
“And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”
God Bless
Psalm 100 : 5 (New King James Version)
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art. " --- Then sings my soul !! Wow !! This is praise !!
At work me and my team are working on a marketing strategy at the moment for an event. So everyone is thinking of catch phrases , banner designs and all….
It got me thinking on how wonderful is the love of Christ and how amazing is the word of God. Its just so easy for us. Just imagine a banner flying “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Wow !! What an awesome, faithful and forever dependable God we serve !!
I remember reading on the communicator against a fellow believer’s name the following note “My strength is renewed every morning - contact me to find out how” .
We don’t have to rack our brains and struggle to tell about how amazing our God is to people. Our very lives are to sing forth of His glory and His word is life !
We read in Isaiah 55 : 11-12 , “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Our God is so awesome !!He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega , the First and the Last …..
How can we not shout out His praise…How can we not go forth telling those around us about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus ?
The difference between a good marketing strategy and a bad one – a few million dollars
The difference between you and I telling people and not telling people about Christ – eternal life and eternal death !!
“And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”
God Bless
Monday, February 22, 2010
Its time to start building the temple
“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence”
I Kings 5 : 4 (New King James Version)
We read in the book of II Samuel and also in I Chronicles that the temple was not to be built by David but by his seed . And we read in I Kings 5 : 4 that now that there was rest on every side ; there was neither adversary nor evil occurrence , then the temple was ready to be built.
As we grow in the Lord , we need to understand something very basic but critical. The temple of God cannot be built if there is adversary or evil occurrence. We who are His, need to be built up by not only hearing His word , but doing it as well. And one of the most important things in a Christian life is forgiveness ! Rest of every side.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there wont be problems and all. But the difference between a Christian and a non Christian is this… We have the peace that passeth all understanding within us ! That’s His grace . When we say we have Christ in us then we acknowledge with total entirety that He that is in us is greater than he who is of this world. When the world sees the valley of shadow of death we see His rod and His staff. When the world sees a table of enemies we see His anointing upon our lives !!
However we need to understand that if we harbor enmity, hostility, evil , unforgiveness in our hearts… if there is not rest on every side within our hearts then the temple cannot be built !!
We read in Mark 11:25 , “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
When we pray , our hearts need to be free from bitterness, unforgiveness…..
I pray that this morning we will go before the presence of the Lord and have our hearts cleansed from all anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that we have been holding on to. Your work environment might be tough… but don’t harbor thoughts which are not of God within your hearts. There might be people or even close family members that have hurt you… Its time to forgive and let go. If there be any divisive thinking within us we need to clean it up by His grace.
We are to be vessels of glory for the Lord ! Its time to sow to the Spirit !
God Bless
I Kings 5 : 4 (New King James Version)
We read in the book of II Samuel and also in I Chronicles that the temple was not to be built by David but by his seed . And we read in I Kings 5 : 4 that now that there was rest on every side ; there was neither adversary nor evil occurrence , then the temple was ready to be built.
As we grow in the Lord , we need to understand something very basic but critical. The temple of God cannot be built if there is adversary or evil occurrence. We who are His, need to be built up by not only hearing His word , but doing it as well. And one of the most important things in a Christian life is forgiveness ! Rest of every side.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there wont be problems and all. But the difference between a Christian and a non Christian is this… We have the peace that passeth all understanding within us ! That’s His grace . When we say we have Christ in us then we acknowledge with total entirety that He that is in us is greater than he who is of this world. When the world sees the valley of shadow of death we see His rod and His staff. When the world sees a table of enemies we see His anointing upon our lives !!
However we need to understand that if we harbor enmity, hostility, evil , unforgiveness in our hearts… if there is not rest on every side within our hearts then the temple cannot be built !!
We read in Mark 11:25 , “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
When we pray , our hearts need to be free from bitterness, unforgiveness…..
I pray that this morning we will go before the presence of the Lord and have our hearts cleansed from all anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that we have been holding on to. Your work environment might be tough… but don’t harbor thoughts which are not of God within your hearts. There might be people or even close family members that have hurt you… Its time to forgive and let go. If there be any divisive thinking within us we need to clean it up by His grace.
We are to be vessels of glory for the Lord ! Its time to sow to the Spirit !
God Bless
All heaven declares... What do we do ?
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8 : 3-5 (New King James Version)
Ever looked at the sky and gone ‘Wow Lord ! You are the best !” . Here is a pic that I had taken a year ago. Things of this world are so non-substantial . I mean we cant even begin to grasp a fraction of His majesty let alone compare it with things of this world
We read in Psalm 19 :1-2 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.”
How much more should we who are created in His image , we who have been ransomed by His blood , declare the glory of God !
I pray that our very lives will be lives that testify of the love and glory of our Father.
God Bless
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
What if I give all I have ?
“for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Luke 21: 4 (New King James Version)
We read in verses 1-2 , “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.” This woman was poor and she was also a widow… yet she came all the way and she gave all that she had !
We read that she put in all the livelihood she had. In other words what money that could have been used for her sustenance in this world … she gave it all to the Lord. Various rich men also came and were seen putting in their offering into the treasury.
But you know what ?? God does not look at what you give .. He looks within and sees how it is given. The rich men put in their offerings out of their abundance…. However, would they give all what they had to the Lord ?
I am reminded of a story that I heard as a kid. There was this small boy and his mother gave him two coins. One to put in the offering box in church and the other to buy himself some sweets. As the boy strolled on his way playing with coins in his hand , one coin slipped out of his hand and rolled away into a drain and was swept away. The boy promptly looked up to the sky and said “God , that was your coin !!’ :-)
Funny right ? Well we do the same thing. When some work of this world (say an exam , or some important work ) comes up, what do we say ? “I got to study for this exam… Oh I got to finish this work … Oh I have to do this… So Lord its my time with you that is lost. I will still hold onto all the time that is associated with work in this world” Still funny ??
Why is it the first thing that we say is ‘no time for prayer today… no time to sit with the Bible today…’ ? The very first thing that gets compromised is our time that is to be given to our God. Why ? Because we choose things of this world to be more important .
When we give unto the Lord do we give all that we have ? Do we give the best that we can ? Its not just about money. What about our time ? Do we give everything to the Lord ?
What about our bodies which are His … which are to be offered as a Holy sacrifice to Him ? Is it given 100% all to Him ?
I had a demo with a client couple of weeks back which went on very successfully by God’s grace. It was a big win for us and I was ecstatic. The next day as I was driving back to my home town my car broke down. But there was a higher reason for that . God opened the door for me to share the gospel with the mechanic who came to tow the car. As I reached back home that night I just broke down in tears… How much greater is the joy in sharing the good news of salvation than any other thing that the world could possible offer.
I know when I have deadlines in work , then I can do well with just 4-5 hours of sleep and work really hard for a successful deliverable by His grace. Why is it though we don’t carry the same attitude when it comes to sharing His word with those around us and getting down on our knees in His presence ?
It does not matter how tired you are at the end of the day.. It doesn’t matter how much work is pending at the beginning of the day. Give all that you are to Him and you will be amazed at what the Lord can do.
Missing a deadline in work may cost a few escalations. Missing time in prayer, in His presence, can make the difference between life and death.
Verses 3-4 , “So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Its time to sow to the Spirit
God Bless
Luke 21: 4 (New King James Version)
We read in verses 1-2 , “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.” This woman was poor and she was also a widow… yet she came all the way and she gave all that she had !
We read that she put in all the livelihood she had. In other words what money that could have been used for her sustenance in this world … she gave it all to the Lord. Various rich men also came and were seen putting in their offering into the treasury.
But you know what ?? God does not look at what you give .. He looks within and sees how it is given. The rich men put in their offerings out of their abundance…. However, would they give all what they had to the Lord ?
I am reminded of a story that I heard as a kid. There was this small boy and his mother gave him two coins. One to put in the offering box in church and the other to buy himself some sweets. As the boy strolled on his way playing with coins in his hand , one coin slipped out of his hand and rolled away into a drain and was swept away. The boy promptly looked up to the sky and said “God , that was your coin !!’ :-)
Funny right ? Well we do the same thing. When some work of this world (say an exam , or some important work ) comes up, what do we say ? “I got to study for this exam… Oh I got to finish this work … Oh I have to do this… So Lord its my time with you that is lost. I will still hold onto all the time that is associated with work in this world” Still funny ??
Why is it the first thing that we say is ‘no time for prayer today… no time to sit with the Bible today…’ ? The very first thing that gets compromised is our time that is to be given to our God. Why ? Because we choose things of this world to be more important .
When we give unto the Lord do we give all that we have ? Do we give the best that we can ? Its not just about money. What about our time ? Do we give everything to the Lord ?
What about our bodies which are His … which are to be offered as a Holy sacrifice to Him ? Is it given 100% all to Him ?
I had a demo with a client couple of weeks back which went on very successfully by God’s grace. It was a big win for us and I was ecstatic. The next day as I was driving back to my home town my car broke down. But there was a higher reason for that . God opened the door for me to share the gospel with the mechanic who came to tow the car. As I reached back home that night I just broke down in tears… How much greater is the joy in sharing the good news of salvation than any other thing that the world could possible offer.
I know when I have deadlines in work , then I can do well with just 4-5 hours of sleep and work really hard for a successful deliverable by His grace. Why is it though we don’t carry the same attitude when it comes to sharing His word with those around us and getting down on our knees in His presence ?
It does not matter how tired you are at the end of the day.. It doesn’t matter how much work is pending at the beginning of the day. Give all that you are to Him and you will be amazed at what the Lord can do.
Missing a deadline in work may cost a few escalations. Missing time in prayer, in His presence, can make the difference between life and death.
Verses 3-4 , “So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Its time to sow to the Spirit
God Bless
Monday, February 8, 2010
Once Dead - Now Alive ! Once Lost -- Now Found !
“And he arose and came to his father, But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”
Luke 15 : 20 (New King James Version)
This is a passage that a lot of us are familiar with. The younger son grew in his father’s house. Was accustomed to the ways and upbringing of his father. But yet at some point of time became rebellious and asked that his father divide his livelihood. Few days later the son went away , squandered the money and found himself brought down to nothing. A lot of times we use this parable as an example for someone who hasn’t tasted the Lord. But remember the son grew up in his father’s house.
Today there are some of us who have tasted the Lord and yet have chosen wrong paths and made incorrect decisions. Sometimes the guilt of falling short , the guilt of giving into temptation pushes us further away from God that the very act itself. The reason for that ? We don’t understand the love and mercy of our Father. The Father split up all that he had for his son and gave it to him. And the son squandered everything. Couple of important things here … the first being heartfelt true repentance. The next being take the first step—go to God !! While we think that our first step makes all the difference we tend to forget the hundreds of steps that God took before us when He was crucified for our sins on the cross !! His blood was shed for our redemption. And yet all He wants is one action from our side – take the one step – go to God.
The son did not even have to really keep walking till he reached his father. Nope ! All he had to do is let his father see him… and his father took the rest of the steps towards him.
God’s love is incomprehensible. While some of us are shedding tears for the mistakes made, while some of us spiraling downwards in sin because we think God would never forgive us… THINK AGAIN !
He already took all the steps to ensure our redemption. Take that one step towards God and you know what ? He will run to you ! Not just that … He will restore !! We read in verses 21- 24 , “”And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”
My son ! He was always his son !! You and I as born again believers in Him are His children. For those who have backslidden all it takes is a heart that’s repentant and you just got to look towards our Father !
The wages of sin is death. And Christ is Life ! We can either be dead in sin or alive in Him ! Without him we wander in darkness lost… But in Him we are found !!
Are we dead and lost today ? Its time to get back to the Father ! Don’t let the devil fill you with lies that you cannot be forgiven. Don’t let the devil push you further away. Get back to Him !! Its time !
Music pick : ‘Still calls me son’ by John Waller
I drug His name through godless places
And I’ve known shame that no child of His should know
I’ve seen pain on broken faces
Beyond all thought of hope
I was just too far from home
Still I always wondered when I closed my eyes
After all I’ve done
Could He run to me?
Would He kiss my face?
Could He even look at me?
After where I’ve been
Should He take me back?
For I would understand
I’ve disgraced Him
But it would be amazing
If He still calls me son
With nothing left for me to bring Him
I left my pride and turned my heart toward home
I saw my home on the horizon
And from a distanceI saw my Father
Watching for His own with forgiving eyes
After all I’d done
He just ran to me
Then he kissed my face
He would not let go of me
After where I’d been
He just welcomed me
I don’t understand
How he put his robe on me
It was so amazing
That he still calls me son
One day as I breathe my last
And I know my days on Earth have ended
When every hour is spent
I will close my eyes in amazement
And I’ll hear angels
They’ll be singing
Amazing grace
God Bless
Luke 15 : 20 (New King James Version)
This is a passage that a lot of us are familiar with. The younger son grew in his father’s house. Was accustomed to the ways and upbringing of his father. But yet at some point of time became rebellious and asked that his father divide his livelihood. Few days later the son went away , squandered the money and found himself brought down to nothing. A lot of times we use this parable as an example for someone who hasn’t tasted the Lord. But remember the son grew up in his father’s house.
Today there are some of us who have tasted the Lord and yet have chosen wrong paths and made incorrect decisions. Sometimes the guilt of falling short , the guilt of giving into temptation pushes us further away from God that the very act itself. The reason for that ? We don’t understand the love and mercy of our Father. The Father split up all that he had for his son and gave it to him. And the son squandered everything. Couple of important things here … the first being heartfelt true repentance. The next being take the first step—go to God !! While we think that our first step makes all the difference we tend to forget the hundreds of steps that God took before us when He was crucified for our sins on the cross !! His blood was shed for our redemption. And yet all He wants is one action from our side – take the one step – go to God.
The son did not even have to really keep walking till he reached his father. Nope ! All he had to do is let his father see him… and his father took the rest of the steps towards him.
God’s love is incomprehensible. While some of us are shedding tears for the mistakes made, while some of us spiraling downwards in sin because we think God would never forgive us… THINK AGAIN !
He already took all the steps to ensure our redemption. Take that one step towards God and you know what ? He will run to you ! Not just that … He will restore !! We read in verses 21- 24 , “”And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”
My son ! He was always his son !! You and I as born again believers in Him are His children. For those who have backslidden all it takes is a heart that’s repentant and you just got to look towards our Father !
The wages of sin is death. And Christ is Life ! We can either be dead in sin or alive in Him ! Without him we wander in darkness lost… But in Him we are found !!
Are we dead and lost today ? Its time to get back to the Father ! Don’t let the devil fill you with lies that you cannot be forgiven. Don’t let the devil push you further away. Get back to Him !! Its time !
Music pick : ‘Still calls me son’ by John Waller
I drug His name through godless places
And I’ve known shame that no child of His should know
I’ve seen pain on broken faces
Beyond all thought of hope
I was just too far from home
Still I always wondered when I closed my eyes
After all I’ve done
Could He run to me?
Would He kiss my face?
Could He even look at me?
After where I’ve been
Should He take me back?
For I would understand
I’ve disgraced Him
But it would be amazing
If He still calls me son
With nothing left for me to bring Him
I left my pride and turned my heart toward home
I saw my home on the horizon
And from a distanceI saw my Father
Watching for His own with forgiving eyes
After all I’d done
He just ran to me
Then he kissed my face
He would not let go of me
After where I’d been
He just welcomed me
I don’t understand
How he put his robe on me
It was so amazing
That he still calls me son
One day as I breathe my last
And I know my days on Earth have ended
When every hour is spent
I will close my eyes in amazement
And I’ll hear angels
They’ll be singing
Amazing grace
God Bless
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Here I am
“that the LORD called Samuel, And he answered, “Here I am!”
I Samuel 3: 4 (New King James Version)
I was driving down the highway yesterday early morning .. It was a nice quiet 2hour drive till my destination… And I remembered that about two years ago , on the same highway I had a car accident. Two years ago I found myself backslidden in faith and decided that God’s calling on my life was not for me. I knew God had called me to preach His word but then looking at myself I just thought to myself “it cant be me. I will just lead a good normal God fearing life… but me preaching His word ?? No way… I cant practice it right let alone preach.”. So there I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden I see a dog lying on the middle of the road and I swerve the car at 100kmph to the left and in order to keep from going off the road I swerved to right . The car hit the median , toppled couple of times in every direction , rolling onto the other side of the road where traffic was to proceed in the other direction. Guess what ? I wasn’t wearing my seat belt. But I walked out of that car without a single scratch on my body ! That’s God. Of course the car was totally smashed and people who saw the crash expected to carry out a dead body. But God held me close !! And He kept me safe. I am HIS. It wasn’t to live a regular life that He died for me. No ! To live a Christ centric life is why He shed His blood for me. He ransomed me not to walk a natural life but to walk a supernatural life for His glory.
God changed me to the point where I got down on my knees and said ‘Lord, Here I am’. Willingness to surrender ! Sometimes a lot of us like to hold on to what we have and in addition to things that tie us to the world we like to say ‘Ok Lord tell me …. What can I do for you?’. . God wants to break that attitude this morning . When we say ‘Here I am’ its complete surrender. That’s step 1 !
We read in I Samuel 3 that when the Lord called Samuel , he thought it was Eli calling. His first reaction was ‘Here I am’ and then he ran to Eli. We read in verse 5 , “So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”” And this happen three times.
Want to know what step 2 is ? I Samuel 3 : 10, “Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel! “ And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”” Step 2 is when we humble ourselves in His presence and let Him speak and we listen !
After having spoken to Eli we read in verse 9 that Samuel went and lay down in his place. He waited for the Lord. And as he waited the Lord spoke. The moment he heard His voice he just answered ,’Speak, for Your servant hears’.
We read in verses 19- 20 , “So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD.”
I pray that we surrender our lives totally to Him with complete subjection to His authority over our lives.
God Bless
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