Jn 15: 7 - 'If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.'
Meditation :
Cleansed by Him : Jesus says that, 'He is the vine and the Father is the gardener'. In the days of the old testament, Vine signified God's goodness and people's faithfulness. A person involved in grape farming would time -to time check the branches and prune(meaning clean) it, similarly God our Father too shall prune the family keeping the people who trust and love Him and cut-off the people who doubt His power.
Leaning on Him : 'Apart from me you can do nothing'...........hardly are people aware of this, they go on tossing and toiling in life to meet their ends relying on their own strength. All the efforts of man are futile, just like Prayer without Work is useless so also Work without Prayer is also useless. It is so important to be co-workers with Him, invite Him into every areas of ur life.......even when u have to spend Rs 5/- ask Him if He wants u to do that. For in all things he blesses us, so that we glorify the Father. Let our lips never cease to praise Him and His words be our weapon at times of struggle and pain.
Abiding in Him : Jesus, once again is promising us that our prayers will definitely be answered but we need to be rooted in Him and the word. We will bear much fruits and the fruits refers to Gal 5: 22-24 {love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control}
Loving Him : God wants His people to be in fellowship, sharing and caring. Only when you love your brothers and sisters then will God will be please with you and remain in you. Lets not hold back anything when we turn to help others but lets go to rescue, comfort and give unconditionally and more than that, since all that we have, even God's love was given to us unconditionally. Jesus calls us friends though He is the master and King which implies the attitude we need to have with our brethrens. Today, with no second thought show that you love Jesus by loving others. 'This is my command: Love each other.'
Standing up for Him : There may be times we feel very embarrassed to confess our faith in a group or even move out of a lunch table just bcoz we r fasting. But being followers of Christ let us imitate Him in all aspects. What will a man gain if he gains the whole world but loses His soul? the world spat him, bruised Him, crucified Him so lets not get carried away when the world praises us........................whats more important is Eternal Life...................what will my Father say when He meets me on that glorious day................lets think about it seriously. 'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first'.
Anointed to testify : Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as Counsellor and Spirit of truth, 'And you also must testify'. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, because it is He who would guides us and leads us into the beautiful and everlasting relationship with the Triune God. Its only the Spirit who enables us to boldly testify about Jesus to others and be a sweet fragrance wherever we are placed.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Faith Lesson from Bartimaues
Mark 10:46-52 - 46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Precious saints, this passage once again shows how an insignificant person gained favor in God’s sight.
Bartimaeus was weak, he was blind and poor, lived life begging; all he had was a cloak to protect him from the harsh weather. But those few moments of encounter with Jesus turned his life from ashes to beauty.
Bartimaeus had great faith, when Jesus passed that way, he knew that Jesus is the only Saviour who could bring a breakthrough in his life. He acted on time. Lets ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to act on time.
If you look at his prayer, all he said was ‘Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me’ . His prayer was a faith proclamation and leaning on the Redeemer for his utmost need. We need to know that, it is the strength of faith and the depth of the need which will make a beautiful prayer.
Even when people rebuked Bartimaues to keep silent, he used all his strength to shout at the top of his voice. You and I are called to be people who will look beyond the storms and hindrances in life. Use all your resources to magnify your Maker.
We see that as Jesus called him, he throws his blanket and rushes to his feet. Today, let us let go off all the relative securities we hold so tightly and embrace the absolute security that is in Jesus alone.
Lastly, we also find that after Bartimaeus was healed, he followed Jesus. When God works miracles in life, blesses you with talents do not harden your heart and use it for your own glory. Instead go after the Blesser, the Life giver, the Lover of our soul.
Be filled with the Spirit and have an anointed week ahead…..
Precious saints, this passage once again shows how an insignificant person gained favor in God’s sight.
Bartimaeus was weak, he was blind and poor, lived life begging; all he had was a cloak to protect him from the harsh weather. But those few moments of encounter with Jesus turned his life from ashes to beauty.
Bartimaeus had great faith, when Jesus passed that way, he knew that Jesus is the only Saviour who could bring a breakthrough in his life. He acted on time. Lets ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to act on time.
If you look at his prayer, all he said was ‘Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me’ . His prayer was a faith proclamation and leaning on the Redeemer for his utmost need. We need to know that, it is the strength of faith and the depth of the need which will make a beautiful prayer.
Even when people rebuked Bartimaues to keep silent, he used all his strength to shout at the top of his voice. You and I are called to be people who will look beyond the storms and hindrances in life. Use all your resources to magnify your Maker.
We see that as Jesus called him, he throws his blanket and rushes to his feet. Today, let us let go off all the relative securities we hold so tightly and embrace the absolute security that is in Jesus alone.
Lastly, we also find that after Bartimaeus was healed, he followed Jesus. When God works miracles in life, blesses you with talents do not harden your heart and use it for your own glory. Instead go after the Blesser, the Life giver, the Lover of our soul.
Be filled with the Spirit and have an anointed week ahead…..
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Worship
Why bother going to church? Some would tell us that it's better to sleep late on Sunday, eat a leisurely breakfast and play games or watch tv.
Worship? Who needs worship?
We all do! We need worship because we are unique creatures made in the image of God. We are made for God. We can't fulfill our purpose unless we develop a right relationship with Him. And worship helps us to do that when we focus on the Lord.
Sing a song to Him, make a small prayer, and praise Him all these are the forms of worshipping God. Simple prayer like, ‘Abba Father, I love you’ or ‘Thank you Jesus’ will bring a smile on the face of God. Let us give our best to God. This way we can thank God for the countless blessings we receive from His hands everyday.
There is a saying, ‘The man who kneels before God can stand before anyone’. We need to start our day by worshipping our Creator. Like we eat food to be healthy, to nourish our soul take the vitamin called WORSHIP.
The Bible tells us in John 4:23 that "The Father seeks for True Worshippers." God is seeking for people who will worship Him in truth and spirit.
Psalm 150 says 'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord'. Praise Him every minute of your life and be thankful dear friends.
This is an incident I came across in my daily reading, ‘A group of children were in a worship service, and they started to sing the song --- “Isn't He beautiful? Beautiful, isn't He? Prince of peace, Son of God, isn't He?" Suddenly, a 7year old girl leaned close to the Pastor and softly said, "I love this song; it makes me cry."
Isn't Jesus beautiful! Worship Him with all your heart, strength, soul and mind.
Worship? Who needs worship?
We all do! We need worship because we are unique creatures made in the image of God. We are made for God. We can't fulfill our purpose unless we develop a right relationship with Him. And worship helps us to do that when we focus on the Lord.
Sing a song to Him, make a small prayer, and praise Him all these are the forms of worshipping God. Simple prayer like, ‘Abba Father, I love you’ or ‘Thank you Jesus’ will bring a smile on the face of God. Let us give our best to God. This way we can thank God for the countless blessings we receive from His hands everyday.
There is a saying, ‘The man who kneels before God can stand before anyone’. We need to start our day by worshipping our Creator. Like we eat food to be healthy, to nourish our soul take the vitamin called WORSHIP.
The Bible tells us in John 4:23 that "The Father seeks for True Worshippers." God is seeking for people who will worship Him in truth and spirit.
Psalm 150 says 'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord'. Praise Him every minute of your life and be thankful dear friends.
This is an incident I came across in my daily reading, ‘A group of children were in a worship service, and they started to sing the song --- “Isn't He beautiful? Beautiful, isn't He? Prince of peace, Son of God, isn't He?" Suddenly, a 7year old girl leaned close to the Pastor and softly said, "I love this song; it makes me cry."
Isn't Jesus beautiful! Worship Him with all your heart, strength, soul and mind.
Fruitful Bough
Philippians 1:12-14 - 'Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.'
This portion is selected from Paul's letter to Philippians.
What faith is it that can tell, "Its doesn't matter if I am in chains; let His will be done'. Paul reiterates to the believers of Philippi that God cares and He is in check of the situation. Despite being chained he felt the power of deliverance that came from the cross.
If we carefully observe, we find Paul not as a captive but captain, not a person in prison but a person in possibility, not seeking pity from others but encouraging others. He stands as a powerful witness; who stood the test of times, faithfully serving the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear friends, please appreciate the fact that our testing times can be our testimony time. Stay rooted in His word. Be on fire for the one who was trampled and crushed so that you and I may live forever. To be appreciative, contended and feel the peace of God like Paul under every circumstance, we need to learn to abide in Him and His word both during the high and low tides of our lives.
May this meditation urge us to testify and speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
'Catch on fire with the Spirit and Word of God and people will come from miles to watch you burn for Him' - John Wesley
This portion is selected from Paul's letter to Philippians.
What faith is it that can tell, "Its doesn't matter if I am in chains; let His will be done'. Paul reiterates to the believers of Philippi that God cares and He is in check of the situation. Despite being chained he felt the power of deliverance that came from the cross.
If we carefully observe, we find Paul not as a captive but captain, not a person in prison but a person in possibility, not seeking pity from others but encouraging others. He stands as a powerful witness; who stood the test of times, faithfully serving the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear friends, please appreciate the fact that our testing times can be our testimony time. Stay rooted in His word. Be on fire for the one who was trampled and crushed so that you and I may live forever. To be appreciative, contended and feel the peace of God like Paul under every circumstance, we need to learn to abide in Him and His word both during the high and low tides of our lives.
May this meditation urge us to testify and speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
'Catch on fire with the Spirit and Word of God and people will come from miles to watch you burn for Him' - John Wesley
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