Quote for the day

God can never entrust His Kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself.

( by Francis Frangipane )

He must increase

“Seekest thou great things for thyself; seek them not.”(Jer. 45:5)

There is a subtle temptation, even in Christian service, to become great, to see one’s name in the magazines or hear it over the radio. But it is a great snare. It robs Christ of glory. It robs ourselves of peace and joy. And it makes us prime targets for the Devil’s bullets.

It robs Christ of Glory. As C. H. Mackintosh said, “There is always the utmost danger when a man or his work becomes remarkable. He may be sure Satan is gaining his objective when attention is drawn to aught or anyone but the Lord Jesus Himself. A work may be commenced in the greatest possible simplicity, but through lack of holy watchfulness and spirituality on the part of the workman, he himself or the results of his work may attract general attention, and he may fall into the snare of the devil. Satan’s grand and ceaseless object is to dishonor the Lord Jesus. And if he can do this by what seems to be Christian service, he has achieved all the greater victory for the time.” Denney also said it well, “No man can at one and the same time prove that he is great and that Christ is wonderful.”

We rob ourselves in the process. Someone said, “I never knew real peace and joy in service until I ceased trying to be great.” And the desire to be great makes us sitting ducks for Satanic attack. The fall of a well-known personality brings greater reproach on the cause of Christ. John the Baptist assiduously renounced any claims to greatness. His motto was, “He must increase; I must decrease.”

We too should sit down in the lowest place until the Lord calls us to go up higher. A good prayer for each of us is, “Keep me little and unknown, loved and prized by Christ alone.”

Nazareth was a little place—

And so was Galilee.

( by Manorama)

Bible verse for today

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

(I Corinthians 13: 4-8)

Quote for the day

Love is an act of endless forgiveness.

( by Jean Vanier)

Love has...

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11).

We must not think of love as an uncontrollable, unpredictable emotion. We are commanded to love, and this would be quite impossible if love were some elusive, sporadic sensation, coming as unaccountably as a common cold. Love does involve the emotions but it is more a matter of the will than of the emotions.

We must also guard against the notion that love is confined to a world of dream castles with little relation to the nitty-gritty of everyday life. For every hour of moonlight and roses, there are weeks of mops and dirty dishes.

In other words, love is intensely practical. For instance, when a plate of bananas is passed at the table and one has black spots, love takes that one. Love cleans the washbasin and bathtub after using them. Love replaces paper towels when the supply is gone so that the next person will not be inconvenienced. Love puts out the lights when they are not in use. It picks up the crumpled Kleenex instead of walking over it. It replaces the gas and oil after using a borrowed car. Love empties the garbage without being asked. It doesn’t keep people waiting. It serves others before self. It takes a squalling baby out so as not to disturb the meeting. Love speaks loudly so that the deaf can hear. And love works in order to have the means to share with others.

Love has a hem to its garment

That reaches right down to the dust—

It can reach the stains of the streets and lanes,

And because it can, it must.

It dare not rest on the mountain;

It must go down to the vale;

For it cannot find its fulness of mind

Till it kindles the lives that fail.

( by Manorama)

Quote for the day

When circumstances seem impossible
When all signs of grace in you seem at their lowest ebb
When temptation is fiercest
When love and joy and hope seem well-nigh extinguished in your heart...
...then rest, without feeling and without emotion, in the Father's faithfulness.

( by D. Tryon)

Nothing is impossible for God

Faith is trust in a person that He will not leave us alone. Faith in God is the strong assurance one has at the bottom of his or her heart that all those things that are impossible for human being are possible for God.

Once I had an opportunity to interact with a couple and our discussion is still fresh in my mind. The Husband is around 48 years old and the wife is 46. They have no children yet. They prayed a lot but no answer was favoured to them. With great enthusiasm I asked them a question, “Do you still pray for a child even today in this situation? Do you believe that God can work miracles even in this crisis?”

Their response was just a hum which was so interesting and thought-provoking. I believe that the answer cannot be Yes, as I noticed their grieving face, desperate eyes and in their eyes I could read the answer to my question “How can a child be conceived at this age? Even the uterus was also removed due to the illness” there is no scope for a different answer than this.

This made me to think more about the man’s faith in God. Most of our faith is not much different from those couple I interacted with. Since there is always a logic involved in our faith like that of the couple, our trust is more relying on our abilities than God’s power to do greater things in our lives.

1. Child who is brilliant and has the capabilities to study better will win in the Exams

2. Since the uterus is capable and the age is suitable, a child may be conceived..

3. Since the body is responding to medicine, healing may happen.

Our logical thought goes like this; If that is the case, the God who formed the heaven and earth even before you were formed in your mother’s womb and given you name is an omnipotent God and for Him everything which is impossible for man is possible.

Abraham and Sarai

Nothing different is the experience of Abraham the father of all believers and his beloved wife Sarai. Genesis 13:14-16 says that “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him; Raise your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward” For all the land that you see I will give to you and your ‘offspring’ forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Rise up, walk through the length and breadth of the land for I will give it to you. What a strange promise when one looks at this with his logic because Abram is Childless when God promised this and they must have longed for a child after Abram and Sarai become one.

Still Abram was sure that God will favour his prayers and God is faithful to his promises and that is the reason that Abram went towards the Promised land which is offered to his own descendants even when he was childless. Abraham experiences a delay to reach in to God’s promises and probably which could have caused his heart to go dim and to doubt than trusting in God’s promises.

Again the merciful and compassionate God speak to Abraham in a vision that we read in Genesis 15:1-6, “After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield, your reward shall be very great. But Abram said, ‘O Lord God what will you give me, for I continue childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Demascus?’ And Abram said, you have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’

But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir no one but your very own child shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said “look towards heaven and count the star, if you are able to count them”. Then he said to him “so shall your descendants be and he believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

However, after long-awaited interval Abraham still experience the withdrawing faith and he listened to Sarah’s words and obeyed Sarah’s advice to go to her slave girl and obtain children by her. It clearly tells us that even Abraham or Sarah could not believe what God promising many a times in their lives before.

However, we see the merciful and compassionate God again and again intervening in his life and promising the same thing even at his age of 99 in Genesis 17: 1-6 God tells him “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face, God said to him, as for me this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of Nations. No longer shall your name be Abram but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the multitude of nations; and I will make you exceedingly fruitful."

Now it is Sarai’s turn because the logic is that a woman cannot conceive after certain age, and see in Genesis that God even making Abram's heart strong to believe that everything is possible for God we see in Genesis 17:15-19, God said to Abram, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her and she shall give rise to nations; King of people shall come from her. At this time when God spoke to him Abram fell on his face and laughed as his logic questioned him if a child can be born to such an old lady like Sarah who was 99 years old and Abraham who was 100 years old.

However, even the merciful and compassionate God comes down to meet Abraham again and again whose faith had grown down and could not believe in God’s providence and promises as he being completely a human being crammed with logics.

In Genesis 18:9-15, God appears to him and ask where is your wife Sarah, “There in the tent, then one said, I will surely return to you in due season and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah was also listening to this conversation at the tent entrance behind him, could not believe as to how can an old woman like her and her old husband have pleasure was her argument.

Still what had happened in their lives? Abraham and Sarah’s life is not different from those couples whom I had introduced you before. Genesis 21 ;1-2 gives us an answer to that question” The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.Here we clearly understand that one who waits for God’s own time will experience God’s greater miracle. The wonder here is that the Bible says that the 99-year-old lady nursed her son Isaac with her own milk till he grew up instead of substituting it with any other food.

All these incidents in Abraham and Sarah’s life gives us ample evidence and proof that nothing is impossible for God Almighty and God works in one’s life in his own time. Therefore, it is good to believe in God’s power and ability than trusting in one’s own abilities and capabilities. God can work in your life in a mighty way even when there is no hope in your life and you feel you are left out with no scope for things according to your logic and ‘reasons. If you are willing to believe strongly inside your heart that God will do great things in your life, certainly it will be done for you.

The wax melts at a certain degree Celsius is a scientific proof and hence we believe it. However, faith means believing that God can work even where science has no scope. Each and every Christian has a call to grow in faith which goes above ones logic. If Christian life is not growing beyond rituals and if the rituals are not becoming an outward expression of an intimate and unbreakable relationship with Christ, One cannot experience the depth of the deep-rooted faith in God’s ability. It is difficult for a human being to have such strong faith in God when his logic rules him.

When we question about the place of God in Man’s life, the answer is correct that the place of God in Man’s life is extremely high. However, man’s reasoning limits him to think about God as a powerful person who is extremely high and above from man’s reach and slow in answering his prayers. However when we realize that our Lord is the God who is powerful, compassionate and merciful and that He came down from the heavens to the earth to live with us humans, we will flee from our sins and come out from the lack of faith in his abilities and will have a passionate desire to live with him and this will enable us to acquire a strong faith to believe that nothing is impossible for God.

When God becomes an intimate and loving family member who always stays with us, we stop wandering for materialistic pleasures and seeking reasons in everything else than God’s ability. May the Holy Spirit help us to experience him more closely so as to have a strong faith in his ability.

( by Thomas Philip, from turnbacktogod.com)

Quote for the day

Faith is often strengthened right at the place of disappointment.

( by Rodney McBride)

Broken but Made Beautiful…

What we are is God's gift to us. 

What we become is our gift to God. 

Broken but Made Beautiful…

Anne was a special person in my life. I first met her when I asked her to teach clay modelling to our group of campers at a summer Bible camp. She told me about how she loved her work with clay and how she had just recently purchased a kiln to bake her clay creations. When I asked her how she got started in her work of clay modelling she told me her story.

Her son, who was born mentally challenged due to brain damage at birth, had passed away at the age of 15, several months before I met her. She told me how working with the clay had helped her to get through those difficult days of caring for him during those years. Her life had been broken through this difficulty but God had made something beautiful out of her brokenness. While working with the clay God had been at work moulding her life and now I was seeing the beauty created by God the master potter.

I was delighted when Anne consented to come several times during the camp session to teach the campers the art of clay modelling. On her first day she gave each camper a lump of soft gray coloured clay and after a few instructions let them mould their little clay vessels. At the end of the craft session we had an assortment of vases, pots and dishes of various shapes and sizes. Anne instructed me to put them in a warm, dry place until she would return for the next lesson. I chose what I thought would be a good place and then in the busyness of my daily schedule forgot about them until the day of her return.

A few hours before the time of her next craft session I checked my collection of clay pots. To my dismay they were anything but beautiful - almost without exception each one had a crack. I quickly concluded I had chosen the wrong place to store them, so when she returned I apologized for what, to me, seemed like a disaster zone. To my surprise, Anne quietly said, “Oh, that’s okay we can easily repair them” Then mixing up her clay she began to repair each one. As she worked she said, “You know, this is just the way God works with each one of us. We too, often find ourselves cracked and broken and God, the master potter, fills the cracks and makes us beautiful. We are never too broken that he can not repair and fill the broken areas in our life.

In the Bible we read about God sending Jeremiah to visit the potter’s house (Jeremiah 18:1-6). Jeremiah watches the potter mould a vessel from the soft clay. As he works the vessel is marred or spoiled so he reworks it and makes something beautiful out of it. As Jeremiah watches the potter God says that the people of Israel are like clay in his hands that he wants to shape them as he sees best. In 2 Cor. 4:7 people are also referred to as jars of clay in which God’s glory dwells.

It would seem to me that we are all in the potter’s house being shaped and moulded. God holds us in his hand and moulds us through the different experiences in life. Sometime he makes little changes and other times he fills the cracks and closes them up. Or maybe sometimes the cracks remain so that the glory of his presence within us can shine out through those very cracks for others to see. The difficulties of life which to us may seem to be unfair and meaningless may well be opportunities for God, the master potter to make us into a vessel of honour and blessing.

Thinking about how God mends our brokenness, I had to think of Peter in the Bible when he denied Jesus before his crucifixion and said he didn't even know him. It says he wept bitterly, when he realized how he had failed the Lord. He must have felt that his relationship with the Lord was over. Peter experienced total brokenness. But then Jesus meets him again at the breakfast on the seashore after his resurrection (John 21). In his gentle and loving way he calls Peter back and touches his brokenness, giving him a new assignment to feed his sheep. We know that Peter then became a person of influence and blessing to the early church as well as to Christians throughout the ages. God had repaired his brokenness and made him a clay vessel that brought glory to God.

As we travel the journey of life God gives us the choice to become clay in his hands. As we invite him into our life he lovingly begins his work of moulding us and making us into a vessel of honor and blessing. We can come with our cracks and brokenness and he will make something beautiful out of our life. Even when we have made a mess of things, maybe by making wrong choices, God can repair and bring healing so we will display his glory. How encouraging to think that with God we are never too spoiled, too cracked, too broken. With him there is always hope. With him there is always a another chance. Will you meet me at the Potter’s House?

You can meet God right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Mould me into the kind of person you want me to be.

( by Elfrieda Nikkel)

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and we are the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

Quote for the day

Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.

Eyes On The Shore…

Those who leave everything in God's hand

will eventually see God's hand in everything.

Read: 1 Samuel 17:32-51

Worries end where Faith begins!

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to focus on the goals that are in your heart. When we keep our eyes on the prize, nothing shall be impossible to us.

Eyes On The Shore…

A story is told about a bloodhound chasing a stag. A fox crossed the path, so the hound chased the fox. After a while a rabbit crossed the path, so the hound chased it. Later, a mouse crossed the path and the hound chased the mouse into a hole. The hound began his hunt on the trail of a magnificent stag and ended up watching a mouse hole!

Not that there is anything wrong with spontaneity. Some of the most wonderful things have come into my life by beautiful accident. But there is also something to be said for knowing where we want to go.

Florence Chadwick learned the importance of keeping a goal in mind on July 4, 1952. She waded into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island and began swimming toward the California coast 26 miles away. The day was cold and her attendants drove off sharks throughout the journey.

Florence had already swum the English Channel twice and, if she could finish today, she would be the first woman to have swum both. But after fifteen hours in the water, for the first and only time in her long-distance swimming career, she gave up and climbed into the escort boat. Others had urged her on, but in the fog they could not tell her how near she was to the coast. She later learned that she was less than half a mile from shore.

When asked by a reporter why she gave up, Florence replied: “It was the fog. If I could have seen land, I could have finished. But when you can't see your goal, you lose all sense of progress and you begin to give up.”

On a warm, sunny day two months later Florence Chadwick swam the Catalina Channel, handily beating the men's record. Only when she kept her eyes on the shore did she eventually arrive there.

Keeping that goal constantly in sight will get you where you want to go.

Be encouraged to re-evaluate your life goals. Have you been sidetracked and lost focus of your main goals in life? Let this message rekindle the fire within your spirit to focus again on why God has you on this Earth. Always remember that you are special and are called to accomplish great things in life.

Rejoice in God’s message of Love for you:

“Delight yourself in the LORD 

and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the LORD; 

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, 

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...”  ( Psalm 37:4-7)

( by Michael Raymond)

Quote for the day

Forgiveness brings freedom - freedom from being controlled by the past, freedom from the emotional ties to the offender, freedom from the continual inner conflicts of bitterness and hate, freedom to become whole and enjoy the fullness of life.

( by Jeanette Vought)

Forgiven

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Without the assurance of this verse, it would be practically impossible to go on in the Christian life. As we grow in grace, we have a deepening awareness of our utter sinfulness. We must have some provision for instant cleansing for sins, otherwise we are doomed to perpetual guilt and defeat.

John tells us that, for believers, provision is made through confession. The unbeliever receives judicial forgiveness from the penalty of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus. The believer receives parental forgiveness from the defilement of sins through confession.

Sin breaks fellowship in the life of the child of God, and that fellowship remains broken till the sin is confessed and forsaken. When we confess, God is faithful to His Word; He has promised to forgive. He is just in forgiving because the work of Christ at the Cross has provided a righteous basis on which He may do so.

What this verse means, then, is that when we confess our sins, we can know that the record is clear, that we have been completely cleansed, that the happy family spirit has been restored. As soon as we are conscious of sin in our lives, we can go into the presence of God, call that sin by its name, repudiate it, and know with certainty that it has been put away.

But how do we know for certain? Do we feel forgiven? It is not at all a question of feelings. We know that we have been forgiven because God says so in His Word. Feelings are undependable at best. God’s Word is sure.

But suppose someone says, “I know that God has forgiven me but I can’t forgive myself”? This might sound very pious but actually it is dishonouring to God. If God has forgiven me, then He wants me to appropriate that forgiveness by faith, to rejoice in it, and to go out and serve Him as a cleansed vessel.

( by Manorama)

Quote for the day

Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love.

( by Oswald Chambers)

A Perfect Fit

Those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. —Titus 3:8

“What kind of skill set do you bring?” That question, posed in a job interview, was intended to determine if my friend would be a good fit for a position. My friend quickly did a mental review of his skills and talents, hoping to emphasize the unique characteristics he possessed that would contribute to the success of the company.

What if we already had the perfect set of skills required to accomplish what God wants us to do? Well—as a matter of fact—we do! The spiritual gifts we possess, along with our experiences, training, natural talents, and a submissive heart make up a unique individual who has the skills needed for the “good works” that God has “prepared beforehand” (Eph. 2:10). If God has something He wants to accomplish and that you feel He is calling you to do, He will provide what you need to complete the task. Or, as one paraphrase emphasizes, God wants us “to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 The Message). The one thing He requires of us is that we “be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).

Have you found a place in God’s service where you can be used of Him? Let’s “do good” and “be rich in good works” (1 Tim. 6:18).

( by Cindy Hess Kasper )

Think not that you are limited

Because of what you cannot do,

But think instead of all you have—

The talents God has given you. —D. De Haan

Spiritual gifts are meant to be used, not admired.

Quote for the day

What seems too difficult for us is a sure sign that it belongs to God.

( by Marie DePree)

Word's strength

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.” (Phil. 4:13)

It is easy to misunderstand a verse like this. We read it and immediately think of hundreds of things that we cannot do. In the physical realm, for instance, we think of some ridiculous stunt requiring superhuman power. Or we think of some great mental achievement that lies far beyond us. So the words become a torture to us instead of a comfort.

What the verse actually means, of course, is that the Lord will give us power to do anything He wants us to do. Within the circle of His will there are no impossibilities.Peter knew this secret. He knew that, left to himself, he couldn’t walk on water. But He also knew that if the Lord told him to do it, then he could do it. As soon as Jesus said, “Come,” Peter got out of the boat and strode across the water to Him.

Ordinarily a mountain will not slide into the sea at my command. But if that mountain stands between me and the accomplishment of God’s will, then I can say “Be removed,” and it will.What it boils down to is that “His commands are His enablements.” Therefore He will provide strength to bear any trial. He will enable me to resist every temptation and conquer every habit. He will strengthen me to have a clean thought life, to have pure motives, and to always do the thing that pleases His heart.

If I am not getting the strength to accomplish something, if I am threatened with physical, mental or emotional collapse, then I may well question if I have missed His will and am seeking my own desires. It is possible to do work for God that may not be the work of God. Such work does not carry the promise of His power.

So it is important to know that we are moving forward in the current of His plans. Then we can have the joyous confidence that His grace will sustain and empower us.

( by Manorama)

Bible verse for today

Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield its increase.

( Psalm 85:12)

Quote for the day

Faith is two empty hands held open to receive all of the Lord.

( by Alan Redpath)

Reward for Patience

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Lord Jesus assures us that He will make us more than conquerors in this world (Romans 8:37). All we have to do is just say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57). He says, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The Lord Himself walked through all kinds of afflictions, trials and temptations in this world just to grant us victory over them. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). He Himself carried all our sins, iniquities and afflictions on the cross in order to grant us a new life. Just for our sake, He went through the experience of utter helplessness and cried out, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:46).

Joseph was a young man who loved God with all his heart. On account of that, he had to suffer in the prison for 13 years. However, the Lord changed everything in his life and made him a blessing to many. He never forsook him. He was with him and delivered him (Genesis 39:2, 21 and 23). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (I Peter 5:6). As mentioned in the above Scripture verse, Joseph surrendered his life to God even in that difficult situation. He continued to lead a godly life. That is why God delivered him from all his troubles and made him a channel of blessing.

The Lord enabled Joseph to obtain grace in the eyes of Pharaoh. He gave Joseph the necessary wisdom and the power. At His appointed time the miracle happened. Finally, the Pharaoh himself acknowledged, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?...There is no one so discerning and wise as you” (Genesis 41:38, 39).

Dearly beloved, we may be lamenting on account of our afflictions. According to James 5:11, the time has come for God to reward us for our patience. He will certainly remember all the afflictions we went through in the past and grant us deliverance. Therefore, let us seek the Lord with great faith and enjoy wonders and miracles in our lives.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus, 

I am going through the path of adversity. You suffered on the cross for my sake in order to give me a new life. You overcame the world. Lord, do not forsake me. Let your presence be with me as I walk this difficult path. Hold my hand and strengthen me. Grant me deliverance and elevate me in my life at the appointed time. I give all glory, honour and praise to You.

In Your matchless name I pray. Amen.

(by Stella Dhinakaran)

Quote for the day

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.

( by Andrew Murray)

Unhook The Chain

If you love Me, keep My commandments. —John 14:15

Jesus made it clear to His disciples that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He is the only way to the Father, and our belief and commitment to Him results in love and obedience—and leads to an eternal home in heaven.

Christina, a Bible student in Minsk, Belarus, wrote this testimony: “Jesus died for everyone, even the most desperate sinner. The worst criminal who comes to Him in faith, the Lord will accept.

“For a very long time, Jesus had been knocking at my door. Figuratively speaking, the door to my heart was open. I was a believer. But I kept the safety chain in place. I would not turn my life over to Him.”

Christina knew this was not right, and she felt that God was compelling her to make a change. “I knelt before Him and opened the door as wide as I could.” She took off the chain.

Committed followers of Jesus will do what He commands—without safety chains or back doors. No reserving little corners of our lives all for ourselves. No secret sins.

If, like Christina, you’ve been holding back from surrendering to God, it’s time to unhook that safety chain. Let go of those reservations. Throw open the doors of your life, and experience the joy of obedient discipleship.

( by David C. Egner)

Less of self and more of Jesus,

More and more each day like Thee;

Just to live in full surrender

For my Lord who ransomed me. —Wonder

No life is more secure than a life surrendered to God.

Quote for the day

The Christian life isn't difficult - it is impossible. 

If we don't know that, we will try to do things ourselves. 

Faith is not necessary when we think we can do it ourselves. 

Faith comes along when we realize that we cannot do it on our own.

( by Joseph Garlingen)

Christian Life

“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Heb. 12:1, NASB)

Many people have a view of the Christian life that is excessively idealistic. They think it should be one uninterrupted series of mountaintop experiences. They read Christian books and magazines and hear personal testimonies of dramatic events and conclude that this is all of life. In their dream-world, there are no problems, heartaches, trials and perplexities. There is no hard work, no daily routine, no monotony. All is Cloud 9. When they don’t find their life fitting this pattern, they feel discouraged, disillusioned and deprived.

The true facts are these. Most of the Christian life is what G. Campbell Morgan calls “the way of plodding perseverance in the doing of apparently small things.” This is the way I have found it. There has been a full share of menial tasks, of long hours of disciplined study, of service without apparent results. At times the question has arisen, “Is anything really being accomplished?” Just then the Lord would drop some token of encouragement, some wonderful answer to prayer, some clear word of guidance. And I would be strengthened to go on for a while longer.

The Christian life is a long-distance race, not a 50 yard dash, and we need endurance to run it. It is important to start well but what really counts is the endurance that enables us to finish in a blaze of glory.

Enoch will always have an honored place in the annals of endurance. He walked with God—think of it—for 300 years (Gen. 5:22). But we need not think that those were years of undiluted glamor or uninterrupted thrill. In a world like ours, it was inevitable that he should have his share of trials, perplexities and even persecutions. But he did not grow weary in well doing. He endured to the end.

If you are ever tempted to quit, remember the words of Heb. 10:36 NEB, “You need endurance if you are to do God’s will and win what He has promised.”

A noble life is not a blaze

Of sudden glory won,

But just an adding up of days

In which God’s will is done.

( by Irma Raymond)

Quote for the day

Unanswered yet? 

Nay, do not say ungranted; Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done; 

The work began when first your prayer was uttered, and God will finish what He has begun. 

Though years have passed since then, do not despair; His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.

( by Ophelia Adams)

Surprised By God

The Lord . . . has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead! —Ruth 2:20

If Naomi had dreamed about returning to her former home prosperous and successful, entering Bethlehem would have been a nightmare. While living in a foreign land, she had lost her husband and two sons and returned with only her daughter-in-law Ruth and a heart full of sorrow. “Do not call me Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter],” she told her former neighbors, “for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).

But this wasn’t the end of the story. When the discouraged Naomi saw God’s hand in Ruth’s life, she said, “The Lord . . . has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” (2:20). What appeared to be a dead-end had become a doorway for these two women who had lost so much.

The Old Testament book of Ruth is a wonderful story. The brief narrative is infused with an amazing sweetness and grace as “the Lord” is mentioned time after time.

Through Naomi and Ruth, we are reminded that God works in surprising ways to make His love known and to accomplish His purposes—even during difficult times.

God’s surprises continue so we can take heart. He has not stopped showing His kindness to you and me.

( by David C. McCasland )

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best—

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest. —Berg

What we see of God’s provisions teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His purposes.

Quote for the day

God's Word is pure and sure, in spite of the devil, in spite of your fear, in spite of everything.

( by R. A. Torrey)

What a Faithful God Have I

A song by Robert and Dawn Critchley...

Lyrics:

Lord, I come before Your throne of grace
I find rest in Your presence
And fullness of Joy
In worship and wonder
I behold Your face
Singing what a faithful God have I

What a faithful God have I
What a faithful God
What a faithful God have I
Faithful in every way

Lord of mercy, You have heard my cry
Through the strom You’re the beacon
My song in the night
In the shelter of Your wings
Hear my heart’s reply,
Singing what a faithful God have I

Lord, all soverign
Granting peace from heaven
Let me comfort those who suffer
With the comfort You have given
I will tell of Your great love
For as long as I live
Singing what a faithful God have I

Bible verse for today

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.

(Psalm 62:1)

Quote for the day

When I am in the midst of the desert, wondering if there is any possible way out of my situation, it is hard to imagine God working behind the scenes.
He is. He has his own time.
He knows what needs to be in place for the fruition of his promises. 

I cling to this truth. 

Even in the darkest night, I know that my redeemer lives and is at work in my life.

( by Katherine Walden)

Making the Most of Life

Partiality builds Walls

Love breaks them down.

Read: Luke 5:17-26

Have a LOVE-filled day!

I hope today’s message inspires and challenges our heart to want to be a giver in life. When we take the time to help others, that is when we find what true joy and happiness is all about.

Making The Most of Life…

If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; 

If I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother; 

If I can wipe from any human cheek a tear, 

I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty; 

If I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty; 

If I can teach one man that God and heaven are near, 

I shall not then have lived in vain while here.

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness; 

If I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness; 

If I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, 

I shall not have lived and loved in vain.

If by life's roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, 

Though I may never share its beauty, 

I shall yet be truly blessed though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, 

I shall not have lived in vain while here.

Rejoice in God’s Message of Love for you:

Jesus declares “But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.” -- Luke 6:35-36

( by Irma Raymond)

Quote for the day

When God comes down, He removes the immovable difficulties. 

When God comes down, the impossible becomes reality. 

God moves on behalf of the one who waits.

He is...

When we are even with God
We can work, no matter what the odds are.

Read: Luke 1:5-25

Be one with God today!

He is...

When you are the neediest, He is the most sufficient.

When you are completely helpless, He is the most helpful.

When you feel totally dependent, He is absolutely dependable.

When you are the weakest, He is the most able.

When you are most alone, He is intimately present.

When you feel you are the least, He is the greatest!

When you feel the most useless, He is preparing you.

When it is darkest, He is the only Light you need.

When you feel the least secure, He is your Rock and Fortress.

When you are the most humble, He is most gracious.

When you say that you cannot, remember that He can!

( by Irma Raymond)

Quote for the day

When life knocks you to your knees, and it will, why, get up!
If it knocks you to your knees again, as it will, well, isn't that the best position from which to pray?

Risky Business

Then Joseph . . . did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. —Matthew 1:24.

On some of the Christmas cards you will receive this year, no doubt there will be a man standing in the background looking over the shoulder of Mary, who is prominently displayed caring for the baby Jesus. His name is Joseph. And after the nativity narratives, he isn’t heard from much again. If we didn’t know better, we would think Joseph was an insignificant bystander or, at best, a mere necessity to undergird Jesus’ claim to the throne of David. 

But, in fact, the role that Joseph played was strategically important. If he had disobeyed the angel’s command to take Mary as his wife (Matt. 1:20), he would have, from a human perspective, put the entire mission of Jesus at risk. Taking Mary as his wife was a risky assignment. Public perception that he was the baby’s father put him in serious violation of Jewish law and made him a public disgrace. Yet today all of us are thankful that he was willing to risk his reputation to participate in and facilitate God’s unfolding drama.

Most of us are insignificant compared to the major players in this world. But all of us are called to obey. Who knows what God has in store when we are willing to surrender to God’s will—even when it puts us at risk!
( by Joe Stowell) 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, 

What a glory He sheds on our way! 

While we do His good will, He abides with us still, 

And with all who will trust and obey. —Sammis 

 It’s no small thing to trust and obey.