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"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
Let us pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for reminding us to rejoice always. Please help us Lord to rejoice - in all circumstances. Please help us to truly understand that all things happen for good for those who love you Lord - even when things don't seem to go as we desire Lord. Please help us to overcome any and all sadness and to rejoice in your Lord. Thank you again for your love and grace which is sufficient at all times Lord. In Jesus's mighty name we pray, Amen"
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Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
"One running to secure the prize would not stop to look behind him to see how much ground he had run over, or who of his competitors had fallen or lingered in the way. He would keep his eye steadily on the prize, and strain every nerve that he might obtain it. If his attention was diverted for a moment from that, it would hinder his flight, and might be the means of his losing the crown", explains Barne's Notes on the Bible.
Apostle Paul says it was so with him. He looked onward to the prize - Jesus Christ. He fixed the eye intently on that. It was the single object in his view, and he did not allow his mind to be diverted from that by anything - not even by the contemplation of the past.
He did not stop to think of the difficulties which he had overcome, or the troubles which he had met, but he thought of what was yet to be accomplished."
It is easy to lose track of our goal with the overwhelming demands of the day to day life. It takes extra efforts on our part to refocus on the goal and continue the race. So...
Ready, set, go!
Go! Towards the Goal!
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Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. Jeremiah:31:20
Who is this Ephraim? Ephraim is Joseph's second son. Ephraim and his brother Manasseh were born to Joseph in Egypt before his father Jacob and his brothers came to him during the draught.
When Jacob sees Ephraim and Manasseh, he adopts them both as his own. (Gen 48:5) however Ephraim is set apart and seems like Jacob has a soft corner for him. Probably he recalls his younger days of being a second son to his own father and sees himself in Ephraim.
Very important point is that Ephraim became a blessing or greeting in Israel. People would bless their children, "God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh".
Later in Joshua we read, when Ephraim got his inheritance they (the tribe) did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt among them (Judges 1:29)
Interestingly in Jeremiah 31:9, we read the Lord saying, "Ephraim is my firstborn"! In fact he was the second son to his father Joseph and the youngest if counted as a "son" of Jacob, yet he was as special as a first born in God's eyes.
You might be excited to know - as I am - that Joshua is a descendant of Ephraim! Plenty of other references can be found on Ephraim.
Why did God speak against Ephraim? I understand his main sin was not chasing away the Canaanites from his inherited land. I am sure he endured issues due to that.
Does it sound familiar? We too hold on to some "Canaanites" in our lives. Let us not take God's compassion on us for granted. It is true we are very dear to Him, but there are times as we continue to rebel, God's anger is directed towards us, but when we repent, almost immediately His mercy is revealed... Amen.
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Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
The hard thing about this verse is, often times we do not recognize the devil. On the contrary to our imaginations he doesn't come with baring teeth and twisted horns...
He is so subtle and cunning that at times it is hard to even recognize it as the devil. We might mistake him for self pity, temptation, depression, tiredness, sickness, sadness, etc.
Remember this: Anything that spoils our joy of salvation is the devil - or from the devil. So right away resist him and he will flee from you.
That brings us to a very important question: How to resist the devil?
* In the same verse we read, "Submit yourselves, then, to God"
* I Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"
* In I Peter 5:9 we read, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."
* Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:11
And when you do recognize him say, "I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from me satan... I take victory in the blood of Jesus Christ!"
He will take off! As simple as that!
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* The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
* For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned Matthew 12:37
* When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19
* The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:6
* This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19
What is the fruit of your tongue? Is it life or death?
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"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah: 3:17
Today's reminder for us is "He is Mighty to Save". Whatever is your care and concern for the day, whatever you are worrying about, whatever was going through your mind all night long keeping you wide awake, however bad the situation is, please remember "He is Mighty to Save". Indeed He is.
How powerful these words are! What an assurance we as believers have! Let me repeat the verse once again: "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Now let us all say it together: "The LORD my God is with me, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in me, He will quiet me with His love, He will rejoice over me with singing."
Let us say it all through the day - loud and clear: "He is Mighty to Save!" Amen!
Have a blessed Friday! God be with you!
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You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
Do we trust in the Lord? Do we have a steadfast mind? Then God will keep us in perfect peace!
There is peace; then there is perfect peace.
I believe this is the peace God promised us, peace as defined in John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
There is a trick to earn this peace, which is explained in Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Here's wishing you all this perfect peace from above! Happy Thursday!
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Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." Psalm 126:2
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13
And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Throughout generations, the plea remains constant - Fear the Lord and serve Him with all your heart!
Do we? Shall we?
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Teach me to do your will... Psalm 143:10
I am astonished by the close relationship King David had with the Lord.
He was constantly praying, constantly worshipping, constantly praising, constantly learning, constantly improving, constantly repenting, constantly singing the name of the Lord! Our Lord!
There are endless Scriptures on that:
Here in Psalm 143, he prays, "Teach me to do your will".
In Psalm 25:4 he sings, "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths".
Again in Psalm 119:12 he says, "teach me your decrees".
In Psalm 139:24 he asks, "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting".
Just the fact that he repeatedly asked these questions indicate how keen he was to follow the will of God.
How are we doing? Are we constantly seeking the will of God?
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Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard.
So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. “Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”
Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” She said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. I Samuel 1:9-18
Hannah here sets a good example of a humble spirit. She didn't get annoyed by Prophet Eli's comments. She didn't get offended. She simply shared the burden of her soul with the Lord, which she then explained to Eli. The same Eli who had started reprimanding her, now blesses her.
In our lives also, many a times we come across elders (parents, in-laws, pastors, bosses) blaming us unnecessarily. We often defend our self strongly, making it clear to them we are right and they are wrong. By doing so we have broken the relationships and might have heaped curses instead of blessings.
Since we can't unwind the clock, going forward let us follow in Hannah's footsteps. Let us always respect elders and learn to give gentle responses instead of harsh retaliations.
Seeing our humble heart, the Lord will bless us and honor the desires of our heart. Amen!
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
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"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm--my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2:25-26
It is such an encouragement to know that the Lord will repay us for the years the locusts have eaten. What are these "locusts" we read about?
It could be our joblessness, our ill health, our failures, our disappointments, our broken relationships - but the Lord promises us that He is going to look into it that we are rewarded for our losses.
Our health will be restored, our bills will be taken care of, our joy will be full, our relationships will be stronger, we will be singing and dancing and praising the name of our Lord who led us so wondrously! Hallelujah! And we will never be ashamed!
Wesley's Notes on Bible explains: Wondrously - In one year giving as much as the locusts wasted in the years foregoing. Ashamed - Neither disappointed of your hopes, nor necessitated to seek relief among the heathen.
That's right! We will be neither disappointed of our hopes, nor necessitated to seek relief among the heathen. For now let us praise the Lord!
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“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
We as believers are given one commission and one commission only - to go and make disciples.
A disciple is a learner or pupil, who is committed to a leader or teacher. Making disciples takes on our part:
* Time
* Relationship
* Truth
* Humility
The discipleship model is:
* I do it; I follow Christ
* I do it, you watch (Follow my example)
* You do it, I watch (Making sure you can do it)
* You do it; You follow Christ
Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ". True we can follow someone who follows Christ. But just as a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy can get blurrier and blurrier, following a follower of a follower of a follower of a follower of Christ could soon lose it's essence. We need to be connected one on one with the real thing - the original who is Jesus Christ!
Are we making disciples? Are we following the Lord in the first place so that we can influence others to follow Christ? Let us recommit ourselves to the great commission to follow and thus making disciples.
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Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Today's message once again reinforces the bonding in a marriage. When we read about the account of creation in the book of Genesis, at the end of each day for each creation, it states that God saw that it was good. At the end of the 5th day, we read in Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
However on the 6th day, when He made Adam the first human being, we read in Genesis 2:18, The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” and proceeds to make Eve! Let's pause there for a minute.
Is it just enough for Adam & Eve to be together alone to make it good? Do they even understand each others' emotions or thought process or any of those sorts? Don't they need an interpreter who can help them understand each other and bond better?
How strong is a two cord strand compared to a three cord strand?
The third person recommended for every marriage is the presence of God Almighty who bridges the gaps between the two and acts as the glue if you will, between the husband and wife. When misunderstanding arises the Holy Spirit will guide and comfort them separately mending their hearts, removing their hurts, bringing them together and making them whole again.
This is why it is extremely important to keep our marriage a three strand cord and never a two strand cord and of course not a single strand (or separation) which is considered not good.
Let's invite the Divine presence in our marriages today if we do not sense Him already. Above all let us submit to His leadership in our lives rather than arguing over who is the head; undoubtedly it is Him!
With that we end this series.Enjoy your weekend and God bless you!
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Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33
Isn't it awesome God has given us instructions about every aspect of life - even to the detail of how we must treat our spouses. To make matters even simpler there is actually only one condition to the husband and to the wife.
Husbands must love their wives. Wives must respect their husbands. That's all!
Behavioral experts will tell you, a man's primary need in a relationship in respect while the woman's primary need is love.
As long as the husband feels respected he loves his wife. When respect is compromised he acts out. Same way, the wives are happy as long as they feel loved by their husbands and can't remain happy when love is compromised in their marriage.
So you see this causes a vicious cycle - as she can't respect a husband who does not love her; and he can't love a wife who does not respect him. The only way this trend is developing is downhill and before long the marriage union will suffer.
So, what is the solution? Today's Scripture has the answer! Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Now we ask, who should do what first? Good question; but wrong motive! Of course it will be convenient if our spouse stops this vicious cycle explained above; but as long as we have an equal part why not we apply the breaks?
When the need arises to snap back next time, keep calm, hum a song, praise God, and at any cost avoid further damage to your marriage! No, you haven't lost anything; but will gain his/her heart over time! Isn't that worth the try?!
The wise woman/(man) builds her/(his) house, but with her/(his) own hands the foolish one tears hers/(his) down. Proverbs 14:1
