Pin It Now!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. I Peter 2:9-10

For easy understanding let us read these verses in a different order as below: (verse 10 first and then verse 9)

Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. And now we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Isn't this true in our lives? Are we declaring the praises of Him as we ought to?

Pin It Now!

Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem. Isaiah 52:1

In order to understand the urgency in this verse, we need to read the last verse of the previous chapter: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over. Isaiah 51:23

Jerusalem or Zion was in captive and depicted as a woman in mourning, most likely wearing sack clothes and sitting in the dust and dozed off with crying.

A message is sent for her to awake from her sleep from the dust and to put on her strength and go change into beautiful garments. Which means her period of mourning is over and singing and dancing has returned for her.

If any of us feel like we are in the dust mourning, be assured this message is for you: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem.

In Habakkuk 3:19 we read, "The Lord is our Strength" and in Isaiah 61:10 we read, "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

When adored in the Lord who is our strength and in the garments of salvation there is no doubt our singing and dancing would return. Amen!

Pin It Now!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-19

We are all familiar with the incident where the three Jewish youth Shadrach, Mesach and Abednega refused to bow down to the statue king Nebuchadnezzar had set up. If you would like to read the entire context here's the link to the chapter.

For our discussion we will focus on the underlined text: "But even if he does not". I am sure these were not the only youth brought into captivity. There were numerous others perhaps. But we learn about these men as they were the only ones that stood against the king's order and refused to defile their God by bowing down to a mere man made statue.

Someone might justify that bowing down doesn't really mean the others worshipped the image. These three men knew better, they knew bowing down before the image meant defiling the name of the Lord and chose not to. They had faith that they would be saved by their true Living God even if they were thrown into the burning fire. And they were ready to die in case it was not in God's plan to rescue them from the fire.

Some might argue it shows there was some doubt in their mind about their deliverance or that their faith was a bit shaky. But to me it shows their strong deeper faith. Faith does not mean to believe everything will plan out according to our will but to know that all things happen for good for those who love Him, according to His will.

Is that how strong our faith is also? Can we say the same?

Pin It Now!

We often say of our Lord that He is the Lord Almighty or Almighty God. Do we fully understand what that means? Here are few verses from the Scriptures to give us some idea of  the power of our Almighty God...

He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth--the LORD God Almighty is his name. Amos 4:13

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 135:7

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Isaiah 40:12

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Psalm102:25


He sure is Almighty God! Amen!

Pin It Now!

But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. I Kings 17:13

In the book of I Kings we read an account of how God fed Elijah during the famine in the land. God commands the ravens to feed him bread and meat twice a day and he drank from the brook nearby.

Later when the brook too dries up the Lord suggests he goes to Zarephath where he had commanded a poor widow to take care of him. Please read from verse 7 for today's context by clicking here.

Elijah asks the lady to make him a cake to which she responds that she has very little flour and only the bare minimum oil to make one bread for her and her little son, after which they would probably die of hunger.

That's when Elijah says,  “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’”

Did she do it? Yes! Was she blessed as per Elijah's prophecy? Yes! Yes!!

So then that's what we ought to do. Let's first give our little to the Lord trusting in Him to feed us through the famine. You know what you need to give, don't you?!

Pin It Now!

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory. Psalm 115:1

There appears to be a hurriedness about King David's words here; as if he had the slightest inclination to take some pride but immediately decided against it.

Or it could be that someone went on and on praising the king and he gives all that glory to God Himself. Either way we can understand that his focus was on giving glory to God.

Is that our focus too? When someone praises us for something, do we take it with a "thank you" or do we say, "it's all because of the Lord" thus giving glory to God's name?

When the slightest pride shows up on our accomplishment do we feed on it or rush to eliminate the pride and give glory to God alone?

How often do we say, "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory..."?

Pin It Now!

"Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. " Proverbs: 4:24

Okay, before we go on to discuss this verse, we need to know what is 'perversity'. A quick look up in the Thesaurus lists the following synonyms: wicked, bad, mean, vicious, stubborn, obstinate, headstrong...

We all can immediately relate these words to some people we might know. But that is only secondary. First, let us look at our selves. Do we identify any of these characteristics as part of our talk?

Perverse talk comes from perverse tongue and the Bible says, "A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble." Proverbs 17:20 and in Proverbs 10:31 we read, "...a perverse tongue will be cut out"

It is a serious matter - the perverse mouth which results from a perverse heart - and has to be handled at once. Let's put away perversity from our mouth & keep corrupt talk far from our lips...

Pin It Now!

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. I Chronicles 16:29

Yesterday we saw that honor and respect are due unto the Lord; and today in the similar lines we are reminded that glory is due unto His name.

Giving glory to God means adoring, praising and worshipping the Lord God Almighty which comes from our heart and is proclaimed by our mouth.

Giving glory also indicates we bring an offering to the Lord when we come before Him. Remember not the lame and the blind but the best kind of offering is what is expected of us.

Not only that; giving glory to God should be part our daily activities too. In I Corinthians 10:31 Paul says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Shall we?

Pin It Now!

Those who honor me I will honor. I Samuel 2:30

Constant mention of God's love somehow gives a wrong idea that we can take Him for granted. We forget where we came from and who God really is.  He is the King of kings; the Lord of lords; the Beginning and the End; we were among the dirt, wearing rags, decaying in our souls.

Yet He chose to love us, cleansed us by His blood, made us holy, clothed us with garments of righteousness, wrote His name on us... and now we have forgotten that.

In Malachi 1:6 we read, 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. He goes on to explain we have defiled His alter by offering the blind and lame animals, in other words we have not given Him the best of what we have. We can't deny that can we?

According to Proverbs 3:9 let us honor the LORD with our wealth, with the first fruits of all our crops. The keyword here is 'all' not just 'some' or 'any' or 'one' or 'none' but 'all'. In all areas of our lives (including our finances) let our first priority and our best service be to God and godly affairs.

Those who honor the Lord will be honored by Him. What a privilege that is!

Pin It Now!

* My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. Psalm 27:8
* I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8
* Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:4

King David sets us a good example of seeking the Lord continually, not just on Sundays's not just on mornings but continually - all the days of the week, every hour of each day, every second of each hour...

What does it mean to seek? The following definintions are given in the dictionary:

1. Attempt to find (something)
2. Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something)
3. Ask for (something) from someone
4. Search for and find someone or something
5. Go to (a place)

Now, how do we seek the Lord? Based on the definition of the word 'seek' we can say,
1. Find out more of the Lord
2. Desire more time with the Lord
3. Pray
4. Search the Scriptures more for hidden treasures.
5. Go to His feet more often.

The Lord assures, those who seek Him will find Him... (Proverbs 8:17)

Pin It Now!

He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.Psalm 147:14

Peace is defined in the dictionary as follows:

1. The absence of war or other hostilities.
2. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations.
3. Public security and order
4. Inner contentment; serenity: peace of mind.

Our Lord is also called Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). To know that our Lord is the Prince of Peace is to understand that He has the authority to impart peace to us. In fact, Jesus says in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."

When someone gives us something, it is important we receive it and put it to use. It is not enough to know God gives us peace; we need to accept it and use it.

When doubts arise, when our hearts are troubled, we need to remind ourself of the peace our Lord gives us. The inner contentment or serenity or peace of mind comes from knowing that our Lord is in control. Amen!

May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. Psalm 122:7

Pin It Now!

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez's prayer was simple, yet powerful. Simple because it was short and to the point. Powerful because God granted him his request.

Before we conclude it was the short prayer that did the trick, let us read verse 9 which gives us a glimpse of who Jabez was: "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."

Literal meaning of Jabez is sorrowful. In fact the gist of his prayer was to be free from pain. God saw that he was honorable and granted his request. He was not sorrowful anymore but filled with joy.

If there is someone here unhappy today, please repeat Jabez's prayer with a sincere heart. God will grant the request for each one of us today.

Pin It Now!

According to your faith will it be done to you. Matthew 9:29

What is Faith? Complete trust, strong belief are some words used to describe faith. Hebrews 11:1 gives us a clear definition of what is faith; it reads: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11 is known as the Faith chapter. Please check it out if you have a few minutes today by clicking here. It lists a few scenarios of faithful people such as Enoch, Abraham, Noah etc.

They chose to believe the promises of God without looking for a logical reasoning and it sure it came true in their life.It was credited to them because of their belief. No doubt, if they had not believed it would not have been fulfilled. That's what happened to the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, since leaving Egypt.

In spite of witnessing the miracles of God in their day to day life, they did not have complete trust or strong belief that they would indeed inherit the promised land. We read that not one of them entered the land except for Joshua and Caleb who had chose to believe the promises.

So,the bottom line is, we are blessed according to our faith. I think it is fair; what do you say?

Pin It Now!

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:12

Kissing is a token of expressing affection. We don't just kiss anybody, but people related to us. So, if we are to kiss the Son, we should have established a personal relationship with Him.

Who is the Son? How do we develop a personal relationship with Him? In I John 4:15 we read, "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God."

Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I John 5:5 we read: "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

So, to answer our question: Jesus is the Son of God and by believing in Him we can develop a personal relationship with Him.

Then we can kiss the Son, lest he be angry and we be destroyed in our way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are we who take refuge in him. Amen!

Pin It Now!

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Psalm 118:17

Psalm 118 is a testimony of King David about the Lord. He starts with singing: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever..." and continues to share from the past, how on different times  the Lord came to his rescue.

All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.  I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Pin It Now!

How beautiful your sandaled feet... Song of Solomon 7:1

Interesting passage it is the descriptions of the bride by the groom and vice versa in Song of Solomon. Let us pay attention to the descriptions as indeed we are the bride personified here...

Here, the Lover admires how beautiful His bride's feet are. Not just bare feet, he specially mentions 'sandaled feet'.

What kind of sandal it would be? In Ephesians chapter 6, where we read about getting ready in the full armor of God, in verse 15 it says: "... with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace".

Oh! Now we get it! It is not just any sandal we are talking about here; it is 'the readiness' that is implied. Readiness? Readiness for what? Clearly it mentions 'readiness that comes from the gospel of peace'.

In Isaiah 52:7 we read: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Let us check if we are fitted with the 'sandal' our Groom so admires...

Pin It Now!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

King David often talks to his inner self, which I find quite interesting. Often he is upbeat and tells himself: "Praise the Lord,O my soul!", "Forget not His benefits,O my soul", "Bless the Lord, O my soul". Then there are times his despair is quite evident such as: "Why are you downcast, O my soul?", "Be at rest once more, O my soul", "my soul is troubled exceedingly...", etc.

Here, in Psalm 62: 5 King David reminds his soul to be calm about the prevailing situation and encourages that his help comes from the Lord. He is giving hope to a soul that is ready to give up waiting.

Barne's notes on the Bible explains:

The idea here is, that all that he expected or hoped for must come from God. He did not rely on his fellow men; he did not rely on himself. God alone could deliver him, and he confidently believed that God would do it.

Often are we in such circumstances that we feel that our only "expectation" - our only hope - is in God. All our strength fails; all our resources are exhausted; our fellow-men cannot or will not aid us; our own efforts seem to be vain; our plans are frustrated, and we are shut up to the conclusion that God alone can help us.

So we get the message. We need not panic or despair; but train our souls to be calm. Let us repeat King David's statement to ourselves: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him!"

Pin It Now!

Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another... Romans 13:7,8

Do you owe anything to anyone? I know you didn't expect this question at the coffee table this morning... But we might as well get it cleared and out of way, as the Scripture suggests today.

I do not suspect any of us have problem giving back monetary debts we owe people. But sure all of us have problem with the other kind of debt we owe others such as respect, honor, love etc.

Our justification may be "He/She doesn't deserve it!" But that's not true; it's just a lame excuse. Every one of them deserve love, respect, and honor. It is almost a birth right if you will, though no one can expect it without offering it to others first.

In Love, we can never payback as it is a continual debt, an obligation if you will and we don't think of it that way. Without loving fellow men we can not possibly praise the Lord. In other words, if we do praise the Lord, we can not curse fellow men.

James writes in his letter to the tribes:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3: 9,10

Let us therefore pay off our debts in terms of taxes, revenue, respect, honor & love...

Pin It Now!

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:21-24

In the Gospel of Mark we read an account of Jesus healing an evil possessed boy. Here's the link to the passage if you are interested.

Our focus today is on the conversation between the boy's father and Jesus. It is evident that the father was not fully convinced that Jesus could heal his son. True, he had some hope otherwise he wouldn't have brought his son to Jesus. But he was not very sure if Jesus could indeed help him. His doubt came out in the words he used like 'if', 'but', 'anything' etc. and Jesus did not miss noticing it.

So, He asks the father, "(What do you mean) 'if you can' ?" and goes on to assure, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

The boy's father admits the slightest doubt he still has and pleads Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief. Jesus performs the miracle rebuking and chasing out the evil spirit from the boy, thus proving to the father, "Yes, I can!".

In our lives also, though we are steadfast believers, we do struggle with some trace of doubt from time to time. We can't deny that. To us Jesus gives the same answer He gave to the boy's father: “(Why doubt?) Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Are we ready to admit our unbelief and pray to overcome it? When we do, our help will be near...

Pin It Now!

Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen... Isaiah 44:2

Jeshurun here means Israel. It is interesting to know that 'Jeshurun' is used as a name called lovingly to express fondness, like we call our children sweety pie, munchkins, pumpkins etc. :) Throughout the Scriptures we see many references to 'Fear Not' but today's verse comes across as extra special because Our Lord calls us with a father-like fondness and tells us not to be afraid.

In the following verses He also explains why we should not be afraid. He says, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. " Isaiah 44:3-4

It is like He knows the very reasons that cause us fear and provides a solution for each. He will flourish us with water or abundance. He will pour His Spirit on our children, He will bless our descendants.

Is there really anymore reasons for us to fear when He so clearly assures us a flourishing present and a promising future? No! Amen!

Pin It Now!

He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Song of Solomon 2:4

Let us visualize a banquet hall. A feast has been prepared to celebrate a bride by her groom. All nobles who were invited are seated. There is merriment among the young and the old there. All are rejoicing over the wedding that has just taken place or soon to be taking place, it doesn't really matter. It is a joyous occasion for sure.

Now the groom presents a banner over the bride. I sometimes imagine it like a sash worn by beauty pageants with the words "MY LOVE" written across. Or it could be a flag like banner of fine ruby red linen with golden words "MY BELOVED" embroidered on it in big bold letters that hangs just above the throne where the bride is seated! It is indeed a beautiful sight.

Now imagine, it is all for you - the bride! Isn't that special? Does it not make our hearts swell for Him, for the one who has redeemed us from a miry pit and elevated us to such a honorable state known as His bride? Indeed it does.

King David sings in Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Surely He will prepare a table for you and me in the presence of our enemies and will anoint our heads with oil and fill our cups to the rim and will fly His banner over us, which reads: "My Beloved"! Let us never ever doubt that.

Pin It Now!

As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you! Isaiah 62:5

God's love has been personified in many roles such as father, mother, master, friend and also lover and here the groom. What that implies is that He perfects each role in its fullest. No one can love us as much as He does in any role. He is the ultimate Mother, Father, Lover, Master, Friend and Groom.

The fondness between a bride and groom is a very special kind of love. To know God rejoices over us like a groom would rejoice over his bride is very exciting, is it not? It implies that the bride (us) ought to love Him (God) like a bride would rejoice over her groom, does it not? Are we?

Do we love Him the best? Are we constantly indulged in thoughts of Him? Are we looking forward to spending time with Him as much as possible? Do we long to see Him?

As we go in to worship Him today, let us go with a new kind of fondness, a new perspective, a new infilling of love and a special bonding to fall in love with Him all over again. Let's go celebrate with our Groom!

Pin It Now!

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. John 14:27

Just as Jesus was preparing His desciples for His departure, He shared these words with them: "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."

He is sharing the exact same words with us today: "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."

Why do I repeat it so many times? So that we let it sink in and get hold of the promise in its full potential! The 'peace' the world gives is temporary; it gives it for just a little while and takes it away almost immediately. But the PEACE our Lord has given us stays with us regardless of circumstances. So, let us not let our hearts be troubled or afraid... Amen!

P.S: Coffee with Jesus mugs are now available. If you would like one please email me at nrigirl@hotmail.com with your address. Also, if anybody is in need of prayers please email me your contact number and availability; I can pray with you. Let us build His Kingdom together.

Pin It Now!

Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20-21

I wish to share a small testimony over the coffee table today.

A while ago when I was looking for a job, God gave me a promise; I have shared it with you on Coffee with Jesus. It was the verse in Isaiah 55:13: "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.". Just as He promised I was blessed with a fine job.

Well, now nearly a year and a half later I was told yesterday my position is being eliminated. On my way back home I was recalling the promise God gave me and was wondering 'what about that'. To my surprise I am presented with today's verse - written on a piece of paper, supposedly a Promise verse picked by my sister for me at the New Year service back home.She had sent it through my Mom who is visiting us this summer.

It is not a coincidence I get it in my hand today, when I needed it the most. It says as you read above, Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

Amen! This is exactly what I intend to do. I am sure my God - our God - has the power to do what he had promised! I have no doubt in my mind about that. Praise be to His holy name!

Pin It Now!

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21

We are not getting into details on the context of today's text. However, if you wish to understand the context, please click here to read the full chapter.

How many of us can relate to wavering between two opinions? What causes us to waver? When a promise is delayed we waver; when our faith is tested we waver; out of fear of someone or something we waver, to avoid conflicts we waver... To sum it all up, in plain and simple words, we waver between hope and fear.

We do want to believe in God's promises (hope) but at the same time we want to consider the 'what if it is not true' scenario (fear or doubt). The Scripture says: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8

Wavering or being unstable has huge consequences. If you recall Reuben, he received curse from his father Jacob instead of blessing. Jacob's words in Genesis 49:4 goes: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel"

King David sings in Psalm 26:1 "I have trusted in the LORD without wavering". In his letters to the Hebrews Apostle Paul writes: Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm Hebrew 10:23 As part of His sermon on the mount, Jesus said: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37

Knowing these Scriptures will help us to improve in our faith and reduce our doubts. Any doubt about that? :)

Pin It Now!

* Remember me with favor, O my God. Nehemiah 13:31
* O LORD; remember me and care for me Jeremiah 15:15
* Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me..." Judges 16:28
* According to your love remember me. Psalm 25:7
* Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people. Psalm 106:4
* "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:42
* If only you would set me a time and then remember me... Job 14:13

Several people from the Scriptures such as Nehemiah, Jeremiah, King David, Job, one of the thieves in the cross, had one prayer in common: "Remember me".Some of their agony is clear from their crying out: "Will you forget me forever?" or "Why do you hide your face from me?"

Taking a closer look at the list we can understand that they were among prophets, kings, nobles and also criminals, which means that the feeling of abandonment occurs to people from all walks of life, including you and me!

How do we tackle this - that is the question. King David sings, "My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you " Psalm 42:6 which has the answer for us.

So, whenever we feel downcast, abandoned, let us remember our Lord! Makes sense right?

Pin It Now!

Differing weights and differing measures--the LORD detests them both. Proverbs 20:10

The question before us this morning is: Do we use any differing weights or differing measures in our lives? To rephrase the question, Do we have any "Double Standards" in our dealings?

Do we have any pretense in us? Do we try hard to live certain lifestyle inspite of our finances so that people don't think anything low of us? Do we appear to be good believers outside while at home we do not set a good example? Are we just talkers or also doers? Do we often look at the grain of dust in our brother's eyes, failing to see the plank in ours?

Clearly the word of God says any such pretense to please men or self is detestable to Him. Let us analyze our hearts this morning to see if at all we have any kind of differing weights in us.

Let us honestly seek to get rid of any double standards we might have set over the years. In all our dealings, let us use only honest scales. Our Lord will delight in us when we do.

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!

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14

Abraham & Sarah had a burden; they wanted a child. But we see that they were not sad or depressed. They were happily going about their daily business praising the Lord, keeping their communication open with the Lord, entertaining guests, eating merrily and remaining cheerful.

They didn't let their burden take over their joy and peace of mind. That's when the Lord appears and tells Abraham that they will have a child same time next year. Sarah laughs; responding to that the Lord Himself asks: Is anything too hard for the Lord?

What is your burden today? Are you praying for a child too or a job or what is it? Let us bring it to the Lord this morning. Our Lord Himself asks: Is anything too hard for the Lord?

What do you say? Is there really anything too hard for Him? Test Him yourself. How? Of course by trusting these verses: At the appointed time next year you would have received your blessing already! With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

For now, keeping the burden aside let's turn to praising and worshipping His Holy Name. Let's do our part; He will do His! Amen!

Pin It Now!

"How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." Psalm 116:12,13

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure." (Psalm: 16:5)

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm 23:5

King David asks a very interesting question that often crosses our mind - how will he ever repay the Lord - and he also has an interesting answer - that he will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I visualize it as King David giving a toast (with his drink/cup) in honor of the Lord.

"Cup" could very well mean our hearts here or it could be the different roles we play. He fills it with His grace to the point it overflows... So, let's get back to the question which is the focus of our discussion for today: How can we repay the Lord for all his goodness to us? Ready to toast?

Pin It Now!

Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory. Psalm 24: 7-10

Quick question: Do we have any ancient doors that are shut for our King?

Barnes Notes on the Bible has this beautiful explanation on this passage:

Lift up your heads ... - The repetition here is designed to give force and emphasis to what is uttered. The response is slightly varied both times; but the same general sentiment is expressed. The design is to announce in a solemn manner that the symbol of the divine presence and majesty was about to be introduced into the place of its permanent abode, and that this was an event worthy to be celebrated; that even the gates of the city should voluntarily open themselves to admit the great and glorious King who was to reign there forever.

In Revelation 3:20 we read, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me"

Imagine our King standing at the door and knocking... Shouldn't we all open our gates for Him already? Please do.