Pin It Now! "Yes, he lured you away from the jaws of trouble into an open area where you were not restrained, and your table was covered with rich foods." Job 36:16

I am not a huge fan of many different translations of Bible - however for this verse I had to look up the God's Word Translation. Just so you know, here's the same verse in NIV and KJV. Pick your favorite!

"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food." ~ NIV

Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait [into] a broad place, where [there is] no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table [should be] full of fatness. ~ KJV

I love the upbeat personality of King David who exclaims, "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." (Psalm 18:19) We see the reason for his merriment in the same chapter verse 6: "In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."

Here are few more references on the same topic:

* We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. Psalm 66:12
* In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5

So, let us not be restrained by the sin, fear, terror, guilt, addictions, temptations, doubts or whatever else that had a hold on us over the past year(s); Our Loving Savior has lured us away from the jaws of such, and has set a rich table for us in the open area for the new year!

Table is all set; come let's go eat!

Pin It Now! You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:3

A while ago we had seen how we are the signet ring of our Lord. Here we read that we are the crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem or wreath in the hand of our God. To me the reference as a signet ring or a crown or royal diadem held at hand kind of all mean the same thing - precious!

Of course crown is different from a signet ring in its purpose. The crown glorifies the king, signet ring attests the authority of its bearer.

Normally a crown is worn in the head not held at hand - except when the King is about to wear it, of course. Let us not waste our focus on why it says "crown in the Lord's hand and not head". The point here is that we are very precious to our Lord.

Geneva Study Bible explains it crisp and clear:

He will value you as dear and precious as a king does his crown.

Would a king forget or give up his crown? Not our King!

Pin It Now! Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Genesis 32:26

This is one of my favorite passage from the Bible - where Jacob wrestles with God Himself and does not let go of Him until he was blessed.

I would say we are at a "daybreak" too - current year is setting & new year is dawning. In matter of hours it will be a new year!

Let us not let go of God without blessing us at this daybreak. Let us hold on to Him saying, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." just like Jacob did. Sure we can enjoy such liberty with our Father; can't we?

On a side note, if you have any special prayer needs please share in our Prayer Requests Page. All requests are prayed over earnestly and faithfully. In His Service, ~ NRIGirl

Pin It Now! Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. Exodus 23:16

This is the same as the Feast of Tabernacles, but here called the Feast of Ingathering, because at this time of the year all the fruits of the earth were gathered in. Feast of tabernacles, signifies that the Israelites lived for 40 years in the tents or the tabernacles in the wilderness.

In 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, Apostle Paul associates our body as "tent" or "temporary dwelling". Now that the end of the year is nearing let us celebrate the feast of the tabernacle remembering that we have lived for ____ (fill in the blanks with your age) years in our "tents". 

It is also the Feast of Ingathering when we take a tally of all our "crops" or in other words count our blessings in the year that is slipping by... our monthly bills were paid of somehow or other, we were protected in our journeys, we had meals every single day, we had friends and many happy occasions.... you can add more to the list I am sure.

Let us gather in all our "crops" and remain grateful to our God Almighty. Let us praise God for His provisions and trust God for the New Year and beyond. Happy Feast of Ingathering!

Pin It Now! He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor. Job 37:6

Once a poor Indian preacher shared this in one of his sermon. He assured that without any doubt one can believe God made man (Adam) from the dirt because, at the first drop of rain every man runs towards a shelter - lest the mud dissolves and he melts away in the running water. Though he said it jokingly I could see the innermost meaning in those words, and wondered at the God given wisdom to the poor preacher.

Here we see Job's perspective on snow and rain. He says, God sends snow and rain so that all men he has made may know His work, God stops every man from his labor. How true! Can man make snow or rain in such abundance? Can he modulate the snow fall or rain? Definitely not! It is for sure the works of His hands and God alone can control it.

In verse 23 of the same chapter he says, The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Amen!

Pin It Now! I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1

This verse has very special meaning to me as I once had a vision of the Lord's robe filling in the tent where I was attending a revival meeting at age 13! The interesting part was that at that time I did not even know there was a Bible verse like that. My Grandma taught me the verse when I told her about my vision soon after the service was over.

Let us remember as we worship today the train of His robe fills the church/hall/tent/theatre/under the tree/ home - wherever we are gathered in His name.

Remember the lady who touched the hem of the Lord's garment and got healed instantly? Well, the Lord is the same today! Let us not forget to touch the hem of the train of His robe! Hallelujah!

Pin It Now! For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

We all have a new born to celebrate today! It's a Boy!

Have we made the birth announcements? Have we told our friends and neighbors and relatives far and near?! Are we spending enough time with this new born day and night to nourish Him and also cherish Him?

Let us celebrate our New Born! He is Wonderful!!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Pin It Now! Don't I have a right to complain? Don't wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food? Job 6:5

My most painful experiences have given me my greatest strength and fiber - what I most needed to mature. Through them I was forced to rely on the Lord, deal with reality for what it was, defer reward - in short, quit griping and grow up! The very things I hated have been the making of me. ~ Luci Swindoll

What kind of complaints do you most often hear? Does complaining serve any purpose or it do any good?
Have you ever felt the way Job did? In Job 10:1 "I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul."

There are lots of ways to describe us when discontentment boils over: whiners, grumps, moaners, mopers. We get snappish, crabby, and edgy. You know the type - sort of like Eeyore, the gloomy donkey of Winnie the Pooh fame. No matter what cheerful circumstance he and his friends are in, his melancholy mindset makes his ears and tail droop ever lower. We can always find something to complain about if we try.

Come, let us cultivate some contentment going forward...

(Credit: Women of Faith Study Guide)

Pin It Now! “But you, O Israel, my servant,

Pin It Now! "I'll restore your health and heal your wounds," declares the LORD Jeremiah: 30:17

Some of us have been hurt in 2010; financially, physically or even spiritually we have been wounded - which has affected our health, joy and peace of mind. In Jeremiah 3:22 we read, He will cure us of backsliding - which means that backsliding is also a wound.

The word of God today assures us that He will restore our health and heal our wounds. Yet another scripture goes like this: I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (Jeremiah 33:6)

Just as Jeremiah said, "Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." (Jeremiah 17:14), let us also completely submit our self to His healing touch today...

Pin It Now! Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23

A little prayer today as we get closer to the New Year: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting..."

Barne's note on the Bible reads,

The prayer denotes great sincerity on the part of the psalmist. It indicates also self-distrust. It is an expression of what all must feel who have any just views of themselves - that the heart is very corrupt; that we are liable to deceive ourselves; and that the most thorough search should be made that we be not deceived and lost.

Let us make it our sincere plea today, opening up our hearts for the "search". If there is any offensive way in us, may the Lord lead us in the everlasting way. Amen!

Pin It Now! Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God,and cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14

As we are closing up on year 2010, let us set our self a holy fast - to go over each blessing in the past year and thank the Lord; also to pray for the needs in the New Year 2011.

It is up to you how many days you want to fast or how many meals you wish to skip. However, here's the guidelines for fasting that is acceptable to God Almighty, as listed in Isaiah 58:

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

The focus of the fast should be to humble our self and bring praises and honor to God Almighty. If any of you are willing to share your testimony please post it in the comments section below.

Pin It Now! There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty Deuteronomy 33:26

Surely there is no god like our God - who rides on the heavens to help us and on the clouds in His majesty!

In the following verses we read, "Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places..."

Which explains there is no one like us - the people saved by the Lord. Isn't that amazing!

Indeed there is no one like our God and there is no one like us! Amen! Let us live and love according to these verses. Happy 'Son'day!

Pin It Now! Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. Deuteronomy 32:15

New Living Translation helps us understand it better: Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.

We read in the verses before that how God nourished Jeshuran. It says, "He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat.You drank the foaming blood of the grape..."

Yet, they abandoned the Lord... how sad is that...

Sadly we too do just the same - from time to time. When blessed by the Lord we tend to forget the one who blessed us and go after the "blessings". With much prayer we start a job or business and soon it takes the upper hand on us - we give into the demands neglecting the closeness with our God who blessed us with the flourishing business in the first place. When health is suffering we cling to His feet and when we feel better we get too busy doing everything else other than sitting at His feet.

It is important to claim God's promises for ourselves and receive His blessings and nourishment for our physical & spiritual needs; but it is even more important to hold on to our Rock & Salvation when we are fat and merry! A grateful heart is all we can offer and that is all what is expected of us! Is it hard?!

Pin It Now! Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me; Yet thy commandments are my delight. Psalm 119:143

With all that pressure at work, home & church it is difficult not to feel stressed or anguished this time of the year. As we read in the scripture here, King David did too from time to time. In a different translation we read, As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Looks like he had found the perfect stress reliever too - the commandments of the Lord!

In the same chapter verse 24 he says, "Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors." Are we heading to the word of God for counseling? Can we say that we take joy in the commandments of the Lord?

Kolanda - our fellow reader at the blog - had shared with us that when she meditates the word of God at the end of the day she was less stressed and felt relaxed. I can also honestly say that I have been reassured many times through the scriptures that God was in control of whatever stressful situation I was in at that time, bringing me complete peace and a good nights rest.

So, next time you feel stressed out, you know what to do - Take joy in His commandments!

Pin It Now! Some tough questions in front of us this morning - asked by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself:

* If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners do that.
* If you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
* If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. (Luke 6:27-36)

Knowing that we are speechless, He also gives us the answers: (our immediate response within parenthesis)

* Love your enemies (mmm will try...)
* Do good to your enemies (now that is getting harder...)
* Lend to them without expecting to get anything back. (what?!)

The reward:  We will be sons (daughters) of the Most High (wow! that's something! who wouldn't want that?!)

Take away: Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Can we at least try?

Pin It Now! "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23,24

Since we all can relate to gifts this time of the year, thought we will do another "gift" scripture.... how's that?! Today's scripture is very clear as is and and I don't think we need any explanations.

The question today is, does your brother/sister, mother/father, son/daughter, aunt/uncle, friend/coworker/neighbor have something against you? Let's sit back and think it over. The question is not who is right. I am positive you are right, but if someone got offended, let's quickly go and reconcile first before offering our gifts this season.

Hey, how about sending them a nice letter with a family portrait? Or how about go knock at their door a Sunday afternoon? I did just that. It seems a little awkward I am sure, but trust me you will be glad you did it! You will feel lighter and merrier and better yet your gift offering will be more pleasing to God.

Pin It Now! "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

Isn't it true that when it comes to buying gifts for our children we only want the best, even if it is a little over our budget? We go above and beyond to get our kids the special something they have been asking for - right?! Well as you know we are all sinners; and yet we care nothing but the best for our children.

Think now of the contrasting nature of God from us humans - He is Holy, sinless, full of grace and mercy, loves us unconditionally. Would it be beyond His means to treat us to the best, when we ask for it? Definitely not!

Though it is in context with spiritual gifts this verse is about, I believe we can hang on to it for our regular needs too. Let's go ask!

Pin It Now! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

After singing about many aspects of his walk with the Lord such as the law of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the fear of the Lord etc, King David ends his song with a little prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight..."

Following is an extract from Barnes Notes on the Bible commentary which helps us understand it better:

Let the words of my mouth - The words that I speak; all the words that I speak. And the meditation of my heart - The thoughts of my heart. Be acceptable in thy sight - Be such as thou wilt approve; or, be such as will be pleasing to thee; such as will give thee delight or satisfaction; such as will be agreeable to thee. This supposes:

(a) that God has such control over our thoughts and words, that he can cause us to order them aright;
(b) that it is proper to pray to him to exert such an influence on our minds that our words and thoughts may be right and pure;
(c) that it is one of the sincere desires and wishes of true piety that the thoughts and words may be acceptable or pleasing to God.

Though a simple prayer, it has such deep meaning in it. It would be a great idea to add it to our prayers everyday too; what do you say?

Pin It Now! * Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalms 100:2
* Rejoice before the LORD your God, you, your sons and daughters... Deuteronomy 12:12

It is a beautiful new day, a brand new week - is it not?! As we get ready to go worship the Lord in the congregation of fellow believers, let us remember these verses and the emphasis today is on gladness.

In Isaiah 35:10 we read, "...the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Aren't we the "ransomed of the Lord"? Are we glad this morning? In spite of everything going on in our lives, we are still breathing - which alone is enough to be singing joyful songs at His presence.

For the rest of the day let us cast away our cares and go before him with joyful singing... shall we?

Pin It Now! We have some new prayer requests lately. Let's take some time today to go over them:

* Raji asks to pray for her son who has epilepsy and other related problems. Also pray for Raji as she is trying for a suitable job.

* Bikramjit requests prayers for his job and wishes to be able to fulfill the desires his late dad had for him.

* Reena asks to pray for her family and traveling mercies to/from India.

* Christopher wants to spend more time with God, nowadays he is getting addicted to computer games.

* Stranger is going through a difficult time physically and would like to seek God's help to let her get over this phase and get calmness to her mind.

"Dear Heavenly Father! Thank you for your grace all through the week - for your protection - for all providence. Thank you for the opportunity to sit at your feet Lord. We have all these prayer requests in front of us which we are bringing up to you Lord. We as believers pray for each others needs in your name Lord. Please grant the answers to each one of them Lord. Bless each one of them Lord. Provide for each one of the Lord. Be with them Lord; Guide them Lord; Heal them Lord; Fill them with your love and joy Lord. There is no magic in our hands or in our words Lord. It is you and only you we trust Lord. You alone can help. You alone be praised, worshipped and glorified Lord. Bless the weekend for each one of us Lord. We completely surrender us all under your wings Father. Thank you Lord. In Jesus' most precious name we pray, Amen!"

Pin It Now! Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed. Isaiah 55:13

About a year ago I was saddened when my contract was cut short for my previous job - which I had hoped would become permanent. One of those days God comforted me by this verse: "Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow". Indeed the situation was such - sure a thornbush - the internal politics.

I held on to the promise and kept telling myself that God will bless me with a better job - a more permanent one. Well it took me five long months before I got "my pine tree"; all the while I never doubted that His promise will fulfill. I praise God for fulfilling His promise in my life!

The same promise is extended to you today. If you are going through tough times now, I encourage you to hold on to this verse as your promise and keep believing in it. Surely God will bring it to pass. You will soon see your pine tree in place of the current thornbush! Amen!

Pin It Now! * When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19
* Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:10
* When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:20
* He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17

So, how is our harvest going? Are we reaping to the very edges or leaving some leftovers for the poor among us? Are we spending everything we earn on us and ours, completely forgetting the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphans among us? Have any of them made it to our shopping list for Christmas?!

* Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
* Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)
* He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31
* Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Ecclesiastes 11:1

I urge you to please not forget the poor among you this holiday season...

Pin It Now! * My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Psalm 119:148
* On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6
* I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways Psalm 119:15

Do we stay late any night just to meditate on His promises? May be if you are a Pastor you would. But for others it might be the least priority in a day's schedule. In one of our posts - Healthy Start, we saw King David rose up early every morning to praise & worship the Lord. (Psalm 5:3, Psalm 59:16, Psalm 119:147).

Here we see that he also stayed awake late in the night to meditate on the promises. He was a king, he had a big family, he was running for his life from time to time, yet he found time to sit at His feet both early mornings and late nights. Clearly his first priority was the Lord. No wonder he was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:13) or in other words a friend of God.

My sincere desire is to be a friend of God; you too wish the same? Well, now we know what works...

Pin It Now! * Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem - Isaiah 52:1
* Provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

In those days, people tore their garments, wore sackcloth and sat down in the dust when they were mourning over someone / something. The verses here are direct calls to Zion (Israel) to awake from its mourning and put on her strength and her beautiful garments.

The Lord is our strength (Exodus 15:7, Psalm 28:7); the beautiful garment is the salvation through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 61:10). When we put on the Lord as our strength and wear the garment of righteousness then we will have a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

 Oh! Love your lovely garment this morning...! I see you have put on your Strength too. Have a blessed day!

Pin It Now! * 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 Mathew 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

When we are frustrated with certain situation how do we handle it? Do we tame our tongue and turn to God who is able to solve the issues or turn to offensive slang taking matters in our own hands?

When a friend talks to us ill of his/her boss, spouse or co worker, what is our response? Are we nodding in agreement, adding fuel to the fire, thus not taming our tongue or are we setting an example by responding wisely offering to pray over the situation thus ending such conversation?

Do we back bite; do we rather praise men than God; do our words hurt or heal someone; what is the fruit of your tongue? Is it life or death?

I am choosing life today... are you?

Pin It Now! Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty--he is the King of glory. Psalm 24:10

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:16

Weeks ago we had discussed getting ready for Our King's banquet, which sets the scene for today's discussion. As we stand before His throne today in our prayer & worship, how do we visualize our self? What is our expectation? Are we seeking His presence as the King's mere citizens forgetting that we are His own children?

A while back I happened to read C.H. Spurgeon's sermon The Throne of Grace and loved a passage from it which perfectly fits our discussion today.

Spurgeon says, "We do not come, as it were, in prayer, only to God's almonry where he dispenses his favours to the poor, nor do we come to the back-door of the house of mercy to receive the broken scraps, though that were more than we deserve; to eat the crumbs that fall from the Master's table is more than we could claim; but, when we pray, we are standing in the palace, on the glittering floor of the great King's own reception room, and thus we are placed upon a vantage ground.

In prayer we stand where angels bow with veiled faces; there, even there, the cherubim and seraphim adore, before that selfsame throne to which our prayers ascend. And shall we come there with stunted requests, and narrow and contracted faith? Nay, it becomes not a King to be giving away pence and groats, he distributes pieces of broad gold; he scatters not as poor men must, scraps of bread and broken meat, but he makes a feast of fat things, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined."

In Hebrews 4:16 we read, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Shall we?

Pin It Now! Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 2:11

Happy weekend everyone! Hope you had a good week and all is well with you and yours. I must say I truly enjoy your company for Coffee with Jesus. Thank you!

Just realized it has been a while since we had our last open discussion - Dear Ephraim and thought may be today being Saturday, we can go for another round.

So, what comes to your mind when you read the verse, "Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling." What do you think it means to "serve with fear" & "rejoice with trembling"?!

Please share your thoughts by clicking on the comment link below. Bring it on! Let's enjoy the goodies.

Pin It Now! * "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. Malachi 1:6

* "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Luke 6:46

* If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

Often times we take the Lord and His grace for granted. We don't always forgive, we don't always love, we don't always confess, we sometimes have selfish ambitions, and yet we justify our actions and believe we are better than most.This is termed "Cheap Grace".

In his book The Cost of Discipleship, German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, "cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ."

Is this our story too? I hope not. If not, Where is the honor due to our Father? Where is the respect due to our Master? If you love Him, keep His commandments...

Pin It Now! The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:13

Have you noticed that every promise in the Bible comes with a condition? It is only fair, I believe.

In the scripture quoted we read, if we keep the commands of the Lord and carefully follow them, He will make us the head, not the tail; we will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Our focus today is the underlined text.

It is not just the ten commandments we are talking here, it would be all the commands and commandments of God that we read throughout the scriptures. Feel free to check out this link where someone has painstakingly compiled a list of commandments he/she calls a Complete List.

As you see it is a very long list. I am sure you would agree it is not a one time effort to keep His commandments; it is a lifelong process ... but trust me while you are at it, during the process itself, the promise will be fulfilled. He will make us the head and not the tail; we will be at the top and not at the bottom!

Pin It Now! Stepping into December 2010, we may worry about many things, from the spiking heating bills to depleting credit card balance to "fill in your worries".

For some it is a question of what is after December - how is year 2011 going to be, will the economy turn around, will I find a job, will this, will that, mostly it is the fear of the unknown...

Probably we can all relate to Israelites at the banks of river Jordan. Imagine what all would have gone through their minds - fear of uncertainty, fear of their safety as they go into unknown territory, of course fear of the "crossing over" of the roaring Jordan. I am sure their knees were weak and hearts trembling in fear.

Sensing that our Lord assures,

* Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,... But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. Deuteronomy 9:3

* But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. Deuteronomy 11:11-12

Let's take these promises for us today as we stand in the rim of year 2010! Let's be assured that the Lord our God is the one who goes across ahead of us into 2011! Also, the eyes of the Lord our God are continually on the year 2011 from the beginning of the year to its end! Amen!!