Borivali Assembly

Br. Koshy Mathew – PSALM 23- THY ROD AND THY STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME- Class 8

Christian__Believers _Assembly — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:41:37 +0000

Posted here is the sermon delivered by Br.Koshy Mathew as a part of the series of sermons on Psalm 23.

This is the 8th sermon in the series. For complete sermon series, CLICK HERE or visit ‘http://borivaliassembly.net/index.php/tag/psalm-23/‘

The Message is delivered in English and translated into Malayalam

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Psalm 23- Class 8 by Christian Believers' Assembly Borivali

Previous Sermon: PSALM 23- YEA THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF SHADOW OF DEATH- Class 7

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TESTIMONY – Br. Deepak Jariwala: SAVED!!!

Christian__Believers _Assembly — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:58:51 +0000

Posted here is the encouraging testimony of Br. Deepak Jariwala on how the Lord ‘SAVED’ him. This Testimony was recorded at the ABC For Teens 2013.

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HAVING PEACE WITH GOD???

Br. Koshy Mathew – PSALM 23- YEA THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF SHADOW OF DEATH- Class 7

Christian__Believers _Assembly — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:28:56 +0000

Posted here is the sermon delivered by Br.Koshy Mathew as a part of the series of sermons on Psalm 23.

This is the 7th sermon in the series. For complete sermon series, CLICK HERE or visit ‘http://borivaliassembly.net/index.php/tag/psalm-23/‘

The Message is delivered in English and translated into Malayalam

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Psalm 23 Class 7 by Christian Believers' Assembly Borivali

Previous Sermon: PSALM 23- HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS- Class 6

Previous Sermon: PSALM 23- THY ROD AND THY STAFF , THEY COMFORT ME- Class 8

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Br. Nelson Thomas- Spiritual Warfare: INTRODUCTION

Br.Phil Coulson: BIBLE STUDY- EPHESIANS 2:18

Br.Tony Ristoski, Sydney:- WALK WORTHY OF THE CALLING

Br. John Kurian- Bible Study: Romans 8:28-32

Br.Phil Coulson, Scotland- RECIPE OF FRUITFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE: EPHESIANS 4:1-6

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Br. Nitish Patel-: LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE – NAMAAN’S MAID – Sermon

Christian__Believers _Assembly — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:28:49 +0000

Posted here is the sermon delivered by Br. Nitish Patel at Borivali Assembly on 23 March, 2013.

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LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE

NAMAAN’S MAID

Passage of Reference:2 Kings 5:1-5

There are a number of little people in the Bible, unimportant people in the eyes of men. The little boy and his lunch box, the widow and her mites etc … They did not do great things or many things. They are noted for having done or said one thing that God used for blessing.

It was so with my salvation. It was one sister from Clifton Hall who said to my father that he should send us to Sunday school. That one word was used of God to bring me under the sound of the gospel and His wondrous salvation.

1. HER CAPTIVITY

“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid” (2 Kings 5:2)

The Hebrew word for “little” is Njq qatan kaw-tawn’ or Njq qaton kaw-tone‘

(Strongs 06996) meaning –

1) young, small, insignificant, unimportant
1a) small
1b) insignificant
1c) young
1d) unimportant

The word is also used of David when he was considered too young to be important compared to his older brothers …

“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.” (1 Samuel 16:11)

She suffered a great tragedy as she was ripped away from her parents at such a young age and taken as a slave to a foreign land.She had to learn a new language and get used to new country, new customs, new food, new masters.She had to put up with all the false religion and idolatry around her.She must have been broken hearted and homesick missing her parents. We cannot understand the distress she must have gone through.

Her story is much like that of Joseph, who is more well known as the young boy was taken as a slave to Egypt at the age of 17 and eventually became the second ruler of Egypt. We do not read of any great exaltation for this girl.It seems that she learnt like Joseph to accept her circumstances as the will of God. God put her there for a reason so she could be a witness to the greatest military commander in Syria and bring him to the knowledge of the true and living God.

Paul was imprisoned but called himself a “prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Philemon v. 1). Paul spoke of the blessing that came from this imprisonment …

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:12)

Truly, the same words could be said of this little girl … “The things that happened to her have fallen out to the furtherance of the gospel”

Practical application for ourselves … In life we sometimes suffer many reversals and great disappointments. For some believers ill health comes and their life is changed. They cannot do the things they once did. For others they are house bound and life becomes a misery.

Illustration: John Bunyan’s captivity

Illustration: The bedridden sister Austin of Lewisham

2. HER SERVICE

“and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” (v. 2)

The Hebrew word “waited” is paniym paw-neem’ pl. (but always as sing.) of an unused noun paneh paw-neh’

(Strongs 06440)
KJV – before 1137, face 390, presence 76, because 67, sight 40, countenance 30, from 27, person 21, upon 20, of 20, …me 18, against 17, …him 16, open 13, for 13, toward 9, misc 195; 2109

1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

She was in the presence of her mistress waiting on her instructions and obedient to her. Both this maid and Joseph are examples of what Paul and Peter wrote to the Christians who were slaves …

“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-24)

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.” (1 Peter 2:18)

Froward means crooked, perverse or unfair. See also Ephesians 6:5; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9. The application for the believer today is clear. We are to be a good testimony in our work place if we work for others. Are we also serving the Lord in our assembly?

Illustration: Water instead wine
There is a story from the Middle East of four brothers who decided to have a feast. As wine was rather expensive, they concluded that each should bring an equal quantity and add it to the common supply. However, one of the brothers, thinking to escape the expense of such a contribution decided to bring water instead of wine. “It won’t be noticed,” he reasoned.
But at the feast when the wine was poured out it wasn’t wine at all. It was only water. Each of the four brothers had thought alike, “Let the others do it. Water is less expensive.”

We can ask the question, “If everyone in the assembly did what I am doing would there be any assembly left?”

3. HER WITNESS

“And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:3)

We see her sympathy for her master’s plight. She bore no ill will against the man who had bought her as a slave. We see a forgiving heart in her that bore no grudge against the people who caused her so much distress.

Let us learn from this girl that we are to be a witness to the unbelievers we work for, who live next door to us, and who live around us of the sure and certain salvation that we have.

“Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” (Acts 11:19-21)

There are two words translated “preaching” in vv. 19 & 20. In v. 19, it is the Greek word laleo (Strongs 2980) meaning “to talk”. Here it was personal one to one witness of believers to their fellow Jews. In v. 20, it is the Greek word euggelizo (Strongs 2097) meaning to preach “as a herald”.

There was a PERSONAL witness and a PUBLIC witness. They witnessed in every place and to everyone.

“Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.” (Acts 17:17)

4. HER FAITH

“for he would recover him of his leprosy.” (v. 3)

She had never seen a leper cured but she believe Elisha was a prophet sent from God and that he would without any doubt in her mind would cure her master. Such great faith in such a little girl. Despite living in another country in an idolatrous land with few believers around, she maintained her faith in Jehovah her God. She is an example of what the Lord taught in Matthew 18:1-4 …

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-5

To enter the kingdom of heaven we need the simple faith of a little child and to become great in the kingdom of heaven we need the humility of a little child. Young people today go to university but sadly some do not take their faith with them. They seem to have a testimony until they are amongst a new company and they start forgetting the Word of God. Those who have gone to university and either backslidden or shown that they were not saved are in the legion.

Illustration: What I was asked by the parents of a girl of theirs who was going to university.

Some look for an assembly after they choose where they want to move to. Too late when there is no assembly near by!

5. HER TESTIMONY

“And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.” (2 Kings5:4)

She was believed. Her word was not dismissed as from someone who was just a child who believed in nonsense. It shows that she had a testimony. She was not known for telling lies or fabrications.

Paul could say …

“When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

He had a testimony that was believed because his life backed up the message he preached.

Illustration: Sinful life closed his lips

A young man was working at an Alabama factory when he was thrown accidentally onto a red-hot armor plate. When he was rolled off by fellow workers, it was clear that he would probably not live. His workers cried, “Send for a doctor!” The young man, though, cried, “Never mind the doctor. Is there anyone here who can tell me how to be saved? I’m about to die without God—who can help me!?”

Although there were 300 men present, no one could tell him what he wanted to know. After twenty minutes of agony, he died.

Later, another young man told his tragic side of that story. He had been there, and he’d heard the desperate cries of the dying young man. Yet, he was paralyzed by his awareness of the unholy life he’d been living. He would say, “I have heard those cries ever since, and I wished I could have stooped down and pointed him to Jesus … but my life closed my lips.”

Has a sinful lifestyle “closed your lips,” making it impossible for you to share the Gospel with integrity, authority, or genuineness?

Source: “Proclaim,” 1980 #2, p. 37

6. HER REWARD

We would like to quote a scripture to say that Namaan set her free to go home to her parents or that he adopted her as his daughter and heir but the Bible is silent. We would think that Namaan now a saved man and cleansed of his leprosy must have greatly rewarded the girl whose witness saved his life. However, there is not doubt that the Lord will reward the girl who left such a sweet savour of Christ behind her.

Later in the story we read of wicked Gehazi who did not want to serve God to glorify Him. He wanted a reward and lied to get it from Naaman. He was punished by God …

“And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.” (2 Kings 5:26-27)

We feel that her reward is not mentioned to contrast her with Gehazi. What she did was out of love for her master and for the glory of God. What Gehazi did was for self and dishonoured God.

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VICTORY BY FAITH!!

Today in the WORD — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:06:00 +0000

Victory by faith!

Verse for Today: Thursday, April 25, 2013

Exodus 14:14 - The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Life seems to be a platform for perennial warfare among various forces. The world is full of fights and intimidation in the quest for winning at any cost. Satan with his agents of flesh and the world fights God’s children as part of his warfare against God. God’s children have warfare against their own flesh as well as against Satan and the world. Christian life is a series of battles where our enemy tries to ruin our life of faith. We are often terrified by the fierce battle in which the enemy uses subtle and cunning tactics and weapons against us. But we are comforted today because our Lord fights our battles for us. He sends His message of reassurance to His children time and again that He will lead us from victory to victory. Whenever God delivers His children out of bondage and hindrances, the enemy gets more and more agitated. So he increases the intensity of his attacks on us and uses newer tactics against us. He uses emotional weapons like fear, hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, confusion and distress on the one side and confuses our situations on the other. He will bring in situations like red seas, thirst, hunger, Jordan and armies of the underworld to hinder our pathways. Simultaneously he will try to close in from behind with his a very powerful army of demons. Thus he creates a situation of hopelessness and fear in our minds and tempts us to plunge into grumbling. But God’s message of confidence comes to reassure us that we can face our enemies boldly because He fights our battles. He enables us to trust in His mighty power and rest in His promises. He gives us His armor to wear which will keep us secure during our battles. He uses us as weapons in His hands to fight the enemy. He leads us from victory to victory day by day as we submit our situations to Him.

Dear friend, are you being terrorized by the enemy through bewildering circumstances? Are you losing courage and confidence to go forward for fear of the enemy’s subtleties? Remember, your Lord has gone before you to ward off the hindrances of fear and anxiety from your pathway. The enemy will not overpower you because the Lord fights for you. He invites you to confide in Him and rest in His promises. Your enemy will never directly fight with God, but will use you as a proxy and try to defeat you so that he can cause embarrassment to God’s plans for you. But God wants to strengthen your faith today and gives you the assurance that you can find rest and peace in the midst of the battles in life. He is in control of your circumstances and will remove all barriers and hindrances for you to go forward. He has promised to take you to your destination through victory day by day. None of His promises will go void and it will all be accomplished at the right time. When the enemy uses hindrance to cause discouragement and phobia, God wants you to consider it as a time of testing of your faith. The entire heavenly hosts fight for you. God will not permit one of His precious children to be destroyed by the enemy. Today you are invited to go to His presence and appropriate victory, peace and rest even when you face the enemy with all his subtleties. You need to be still and silent, rather than cry out of fear, and march on with faith and trust in the Lord and in His mighty power. Your battle belongs to your Lord who will lead you to victory which you can claim by faith today and live in peace and rest.

Psalms 18:32 – It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

Thought for Today

God’s children dwell in peace and rest amidst the battle cry of the enemy because their God fights their battles.

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LOOK OF FAITH!!

Today in the WORD — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:04:00 +0000

Look of faith!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Exodus 13:21 - By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

God could have just commanded a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire to guide the Israelites. Instead God himself traveled in the pillar of cloud and fire to show them the way. He gave them personal direction and led them like a parent guides children. Our God guides us as individuals, families and churches. He has guideposts for us to look up and see. He energizes us through His Spirit so that our feet would have the strength to keep walking on His pathways. But it is important that we look up to see the guideposts on which our Lord travels ahead of us. Our focus should always be heaven so that we would not lose track. Our up-look is the sure way not to sidetrack or take detours from God’s will. But there are temptations and attractions of various kinds to deceive us to look around rather than look up to God for direction. The materialism and the technology of the world would challenge us to walk by sight and terrify us if we do not fall for it. But our walk is one of faith and trust in our Lord and His Word. Many who have gone before us fell into the deception of the enemy and have taken detours to their ruin. Let us follow the example of Enoch who walked with God for three hundred years and enjoyed continuous fellowship. The Lord has given us His Word and Spirit as our great guides to show us the way and to equip us to walk in it. We need to be sensitive to His Word and Spirit all through our journey lest we fall apart or go astray.

Dear friend, are you facing temptation to follow your instincts and feelings to go in ways which seem right to you and would satisfy your earthly cravings? But unless it is authenticated by God’s Spirit and His Word, it just cannot be the right way. Your God knows that the enemy will try to plant doubt and confusion in your heart about which way to turn to. So He has planted His Word in your heart and has appointed His Spirit to dwell with you permanently. Jesus Christ is the only way for us to enter into divine pathway where He walks with us daily to help us every step of the way. So we need to be sensitive to His Word and Spirit and obey His instructions to be on the right track. If we disregard the Word, the world’s wisdom would slowly influence us. If we do not allow the Spirit to control us, there will be other spirits which will slowly exert influence on us to go on the wrong pathways. God shows us His ways in the dark and lonely hours of our lives. The Word of God has instructions for each and every aspect of our earthly life. Our God will not leave us alone without direction and guidance. He is concerned about us and our walk. He offers to walk with us if we let Him. He always goes before us in preparing the way so that we can go forward by faith to reach our destination. There is no need for us to fret over our future because the Lord has already gone before us. He holds our hands as we walk with Him and takes us forward and leads us to our destination. He guarantees us that our walk with Him will be joyful and fulfilling. If we look up to His traffic posts by faith, we will be able to walk without fear and anxiety and enjoy our journey.

Psalms 107:7 - He led them also by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

Thought for Today

When we look up by faith and walk, we will see Jesus walking in front of us.

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OBEDIENT FAITH!!

Today in the WORD — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Obedient faith!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Luke 5:5 - Simon answered and said: "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing; but I will do as You say and let down the net".

If Jesus is our Master, we are bound to heed to His commands in all that we do. No matter how many attempts we make, unless we our efforts are based on the Master’s commands, we will not get blessings according to His measure. Unless we cast our nets at the spot the Master shows us, we would end up getting frustrated and exhausted without results. Our expertise, experience and impulses will fail us if we fail the Lord. Peter and his co-disciples found that they could not get results in spite of commendable expertise in fishing, best efforts, good intentions and high motivation. When their efforts were futile, the Lord used their failure to show them that without Him they can do nothing. So if we get some results, we must discern whether it comes from the Lord or not. It is a fact that some times the world system and satanic forces give people results to prove to us that we can get what we want through our own efforts. This is a blatant deception of our enemy. When we face failure, we are often unwilling to admit it to the Lord and seek His wise counsel. We try to find situational justifications about our failures rather than admitting our spiritual shortsightedness. But genuine trust in the Lord will lead us to go to Him and admit our failures and wait for Him to speak. When the Lord asks us to try again according to His plan, we should go forward humbly and fearfully and in full obedience. Then we will find the kind of results that the Lord wants us to have. What comes out of the Lord’s instructions will bring glory to Him whereas what comes from our own efforts will lead to worldly recognition and pride. Nebuchadnezzar felt that all that he achieved were from his own efforts and took great pride in his smartness rather than humbling himself before God. Such pride ends up in destruction.

Dear friend, have you been facing failures in your efforts? Have your repeated efforts and failures made you frustrated and exhausted? Do you wonder why your attempts have not brought forth expected results? Are you searching for reasons why your expertise and experience are in futile? It is time to understand that worldly wisdom, expertise and experience are no match for God’s wisdom and instructions. Peter was willing to confess his failures to the Lord and waited for His instructions to get out of it. When Abraham and Isaac crossed the boundaries of Canaan out of their own wisdom and got into lots of trouble and heartache, Jacob waited on the Lord for instructions to move from place to place. Let us be warned that the enemy of our souls will try to make us believe that whatever that has come out of our wisdom and expertise is a ‘blessing’ from God. If we break God’s principles in doing business or any other partnership in this world, the ‘good’ results we pick up should not be considered as God’s blessings. Let us wait quietly in God’s presence and listen. Let us follow His commands meticulously. This will enable us to give all glory for all that we are and have to the Lord. We will thus sail through the sea of life according to the good, perfect and acceptable will of God. Only with such attitudes and efforts will our Lord be well pleased. Let us today commit ourselves to do what the Lord asks us to do in His strength, and attribute all the results to Him. Then we will be content, Like Paul, in our poverty and plenty alike, living daily by praising God in all our circumstances.

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

Thought for Today

When our hearts and hands follow God’s commands, our eyes will see His blessings.

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SILENT FAITH!!

Today in the WORD — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:33:00 +0000

Silent faith!

Verse for Today: Monday, April 22, 2013

Psalms 62:5 - My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.

We sometimes find our circumstances blocking us from all sides which make us shocked in fearful silence. It makes us emotionally paralyzed and freezes our ability to respond. When we are pushed from all corners, we are overwhelmed with tension and end up motionless and speechless before God and man. But in such circumstances, even our silence and sighs with a burdened heart convey our feelings of desperation to God as unspoken prayers. There are times when our situations create utter darkness on our pathways and it is seemingly impossible for us to go forward. We may find that we are forsaken by all around us. Sometimes our flesh might be tempted to express negative emotions out of disbelief, unbelief and exasperation. Our fleshly mind might burst out words of curses in desperation which would in no way please God. Our hearts might tremble with fear and anxiety about the consequences of our situations. David, Daniel and Paul went through such experiences when the enemies attacked them from all sides. But they learned to be quiet before God rather than grumble and plunge into unbelief. Their experiences teach us that in the quiet moments when our hearts are burdened, and when we sit in silent meditation in God’s presence, our souls will find comfort and strength. Our hearts will be ignited with the fire of hope from God to strengthen us to believe that our God will send us deliverance. He is able to do exceedingly well for us so that we will get out of the shackles of circumstances created by the enemy. Our hope is not in our friends, physical strength, wealth, linkages or past experience, for none of these will come to our rescue. Today we are encouraged by God to go and sit in silence in His presence and wait for Him to act on our behalf to deliver us from the rough patches of our lives.

Dear friend, are you a weary soul, pushed around by your circumstances? Is the enemy using your situations and the people around you to intimidate you and challenge your faith? Are you being unfairly treated by the world around you? Are you under attack through false evidences and distortions? It is possible that we lose hope in times like these. But the Psalmist gives us great encouragement that there is hope and help for us. Our deliverance and help come from God alone. Let us not take our burdens to the unsympathetic world around us. Our Lord is with us to give us unflinching support and strength to keep going in all our circumstances. He will send deliverance at the right time on the wings of a dove. Until His release comes to us, He will give us the patience and strength to hold on. We are admonished to keep silent and wait for the Lord's time to come. When we wait for the Lord in silence, He will renew our strength with His power. When we suffer deeply and drain all our spiritual energies in the bitter experiences of life, it is not easy to keep quiet. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the prime example for us in that He kept silent when treated unfairly. When abused and slandered, He silently suffered it all. Our silence might be misunderstood as weakness, but it is strength under control. One of these days a new morning of renewal will come our way full of rays of hope. Our Good Samaritan will come our way to lift us up, dress our wounds with oil, give us a drink to soothe our patched throats and take us to His presence for rest. It is then that the suffering and battered children of God will sing praises for His deliverance.

Psalms 37:7 – Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

Thought for Today

The wind of hope comes to us on the wings of faith as we wait in silence in God’s presence.

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Write for further spiritual help, counseling and prayer support.

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NO COST OR OBLIGATIONS

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SURRENDERED FOR GLORY!!

Today in the WORD — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:24:00 +0000

Surrendered for glory!

Verse for Today: Saturday, April 20, 2013

John 2:11 – This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

God is pleased to glorify Himself through the events in the lives of His children if we let Him. He lives on the praises of angels all the time, but is still interested in using our life events to bring glory to Himself if we submit ourselves to Him. At Cana, there was a serious problem of shortage that was submitted to Jesus by faith by Mary. There were also a few servants, six mud pots and plenty of plain water made available to Him. Jesus turned the problem into great prospect of jubilation in the banquet hall. He used the servants to fill the pots and they filled it to the brink. He used the mud pots to contain the finest vine. He used plain water to make vine in split second. He used ordinary materials and people as instruments to take glory to Him. He brought great joy for the family and removed the possibility of shame and embarrassment. He used the series of simple events to touch the hearts and lives of His disciples to believe on Him. Today Jesus uses ordinary lives, events, materials and situations to reveal His greatness and glory. He also uses us in different ways to be partners in declaring His glory. But we must tell Jesus our problems and surrender all the resources that are at our disposal to Him so that He can use it to show forth His greatness. Mary, the servants, mud pots, water and the vine have a story to tell about how Jesus used all these to resolve a crisis and filled hearts with joy and relief. Today Jesus is looking for surrendered lives so that He can use it to turn the impossible into great realities. He wants to transform us, our situations and all that we have into avenues of great glory to Him if only we give Him the freedom to use it all the way He wants. Otherwise it will all remain useless for Him.

Dear friend, are you unconditionally available for God to use you the way He wants so that your life can become a platform for His glory? If you do not commit yourself with all that you have, your opportunity to glorify God will be lost. Jesus wants to come to your situation to address your problems and concerns. He desires that you present your problems, shortages and failures to Him and ask Him to take charge of your hopeless situation to make it right. There is no situation in your life that He cannot handle. When He takes charge of your situation, He will turn it into a magnificent experience which will make others marvel and astonished. He will use the mundane resources at your disposal for greater vistas of blessing. He will turn your tastelessness into wonders in hospitality. He will use your earthen vessels to contain His blessings. All your resources will have eternal value when submitted to Him. But if you disregard the opportunities imparted to you by grace, you will ultimately be disappointed and will regret it at the end. The transformation that Jesus promises in your life is total and the result will have eternal implications in your life and that of others. But it demands obedience, faith, commitment and surrender to Jesus with full trust that He will turn your situation into unfathomable splendor. Today Jesus is waiting for you to invite Him into your difficult situations so that He could come into take control and transform it for your joy and His glory.

John 11:4 - …it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

Thought for Today

When we submit the rags of our lives to Jesus, He will transform it into splendid outcomes for His glory.

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UNWORTHY HERALDS!!

Today in the WORD — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:20:00 +0000

Unworthy heralds!

Verse for Today: Friday, April 19, 2013

John 1:27 – He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

Man is characteristically boastful about his self-worth. He thinks highly about his abilities, qualifications and accomplishments in comparison with others and tries to establish his superiority. But a person who has truly known God in His greatness will only be able to see own unworthiness. In order to see God in His power and strength, one has to have his eyes opened by God. When our spiritual eyes are blind, we will not be able to see the greatness of God and others. John the baptizer was a great man who was filled with the Spirit even before his birth. He had the privilege to be God’s messenger and the forerunner of Jesus to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God. He was appointed to introduce Jesus to the world. When he saw Jesus, he realized his unworthiness. He had no hesitation to confess his lowliness publicly. In the light of the glory of Jesus, John acknowledged his nothingness. He was like a moon in the presence of the Sun (Son) of Righteousness. John had the grace to acknowledge his lowliness before the greatness of Jesus. He wanted Jesus to be exalted and him abased. It was all possible because John knew who he was and what he was worth. It is only when we are unable to see ourselves that we boast and express pride in our dealings with others. Today we have the privilege to see Jesus in His glory and live as His unworthy servants. When we see Jesus, we become so insignificant and unimportant in our perspective and fall prostrate and worship Him. Such an attitude will help us to serve Him without any earthly expectations or desires other than His glory. Thus when we serve Him, He will care for us and lead us victoriously in our service for Him.

Dear friend, do you ever get overwhelmed about your qualifications and expertise as you serve God? Is your heart becoming boastful about your accomplishments? Do you expect recognition, appreciation, position, prestige and prominence as you serve God? Today God wants to challenge you through John the baptizer who was willing to expose his nothingness and proclaim the greatness of Jesus. John was willing to lead an obscure life, rejecting all the comforts the world offered. He felt that he was called only to be the herald of Jesus. He was fully satisfied with being an announcer of the Kingdom and was always mindful of his unworthiness. He served God without favor and boldly preached the truth. His commitment was seen in his approach to sin in the life of people of his generation. He didn’t expect anything in return for his services for God and remained in the background to proclaim the glory of Jesus. His preaching was so powerful as to bring people of all walks of life to repentance. The messages he preached were full of godliness. He was willing to acknowledge the power of Jesus publicly. He declared his unworthiness boldly in front of people. He emulated Joseph and Daniel who gave full credit for the interpretation of dreams to God and expressed their unworthiness and disqualifications before the higher-ups. Paul kept telling people that his messages were from above. David sang about his encounters with God. His demeanor was that of a man after God’s own heart. God used these servants mightily because of their utter humility and brokenness. As they made their unworthy lives available to God unconditionally, they were granted the privilege to be servants of the Almighty. Today He is willing to make us His servants if we are willing to be broken and declare our unworthiness to Him.

Luke 17:10 – So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

Thought for Today

When we look at ourselves through God’s eyes, we will see how small we are and how great He really is.

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