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Trust in the Lord and do good;

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

trust in him and he will do this:

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

do not fret—it leads only to evil.  Psalm 37:3-8

Today's Scripture portion is loaded with instructions, for many aspects of life. Each verse is crisp and clear delivering direct message from the Lord! It may be worth spending a few days to discuss each one in detail.

Please stay tuned for the rest of the week as we discuss the following in detail:

1. How to trust in the Lord?
2. How to dwell in the land?
3. How to delight in the Lord?
4. How to commit our ways to the Lord?
5. How to be still?
6. How to refrain from anger?

Have a blessed Monday! God bless you!

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* 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

As we get ready this morning to 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 let us rejoice in His presence singing joyful songs, worshipping Him from the bottom of our hearts.

The more we worship, the happier we get, the joy of salvation will be renewed in us and no man can take that away from us. Amen!

Love you in Christ. God bless you.

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Who can discern his errors?

Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

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 19:12-14

Let us make this humble prayer of King David as our prayer also. Hidden faults vs. willful sins, two different things, one almost innocent and the other intentional; both equally sinful.

Let us give a careful thought to the words here and make it our true statement.

Amen!

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The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. Zechariah 8:12

May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness--an abundance of grain and new wine. Genesis 27:8

Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61:7

The land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. Psalm 67:6

That is so beautiful, receiving such showers of blessing this morning; is it not?

May God bless you all as we wrap up yet another week and start the weekend. Have a blessed weekend!

Yes, Coffee with Jesus brews on weekends too; join us if you can.

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* His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:8
* Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.
Hebrews 13:9

Different translations have different words for "secure" such as: confident, steady, upheld, established, resting safely, strengthend, maintained etc. So we get the point!

The question is how to keep our heart secure or established or steady?: I believe the answer is given in the second verse above: Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

When will we be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings? : Only when we do not know the fundamentals of our christian faith.

How to learn the fundamentals of our faith?: Of course, by learning the word of God.

How to learn the Word of God?: By reading, meditating, studying, listening and why not - by googling too! :)

Any teaching or doctrine or "vision" or "calling" that can not be traced back to B-I-B-L-E which is the Book for you and me; has to be dismissed as 'strange teachings'.

Then our heart will be secure, we will have no fear; in the end we will look in triumph on our foes! Amen?

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As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”


Paying close attention to the Scriptures here you will notice that it was Martha who invited Jesus to their home in the first place. She had the genuine desire to spend some quality time with the Lord. But when He stopped by though she got busy, preparing a nice meal, setting the table, arranging the center piece etc, forgetting to fellowship with the Lord. She got so overwhelmed to a point of frustration!

Mary on the other hand cared the least for the meal or what to feed Him and His disciples but chose to sit at His feet listening to the Lord.

Martha is now distraught! She has so much to do and so little time and above all Mary is not helping! Naturally she is irritated and complains about Mary to the Lord.

But to her dismay, the Lord takes the side of Mary. Not that He didn't appreciate the hard work Martha was putting into to make His visit special for Him and His disciples but that Martha didn't come to benefit from the fellowship she could have enjoyed with the Lord.

Mary had truly made the best use of every minute she spent with the Lord. She wanted to hear as much as possible. She wanted to share as much as possible.

Clearly we all fall into either one or the other category. Are we relaxed when it comes to spending time with the Lord or are we upkeep and busy running too many errands that we suppose are equivalent to spending time with the Lord?  Are we distracted like Martha or composed and at peace like Mary?

Do we worry and get upset about many things or have we chosen what is better? Do we cherish His fellowship or be concerned about the details?

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* Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 43:5
* A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? Proverbs 18:14

What these verses tell us is that mighty kings too felt downcast and crushed at times like the rest of us. Knowingly or unknowingly we get pulled into a broken spirit from time to time; which is hard to avoid.

When things don't work out, when the bills are mounting but resources have dried up, when a loved one's health gets affected, it is only natural to get low.

But what we do about it is what makes us different. Let's see how King David handled it:

* He puts his hope in God.
* He keeps praising the Lord.
* He acknowledges the Lord as his Savior.
* He sings praises for His Holy name

Let us learn from his example. Let us put our hope in our Lord. He will fill us all over again with His joy of salvation in no time. Absolutely no doubt about it!

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Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32

It is all natural to be afraid of things beyond our control. We - the believers - are small in number compared to the forces against us. But remember the Lord is our Shepherd. As long as He is in control we need not fear. Wait! Before we start singing Hallelujah, let us look closely at the context in which these words are mentioned:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now, to get to the point, it is clear from these verses that we need not worry about any of the usual stuff that bothers us - as He has taken care of it all. I especially like the part where it says, "O you of little faith!And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.For the pagan world runs after all such things..." How true! Think about it, if we worry the same what difference we make as His flock?!

Happy 'Son'day! Let's enjoy His presence!

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"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...

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“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14

Something strikes me about today's Scripture. It is a wonderful promise indeed; but it requires for us to do something. What? Actually 'not doing anything' is what we are required to do. In other words, being still is what we must do!

It is the simplest commands of all; yet we all know very well how difficult it is to obey it - especially when our situation calls for a panic or temper tantrum or a quick fix. You can't just be still when there is a roaring sea in the front and chariots of army behind, can you? Right, we can't; not without a strong faith in Him.

Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

That's why it is extremely important to know these scriptures, the Word of God, the promises already given to us. Then when the situations call for panic we will not fear; we will not despair; we will not take matters into your own hands; we will not jump to your own conclusions; we will not lean on our own understanding; we will not fight our fight!

We will stand firm and be still believing that our help comes from the Lord! And it will! Amen!

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* LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.  Psalm 16:5-6

* I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:24

Interestingly King David and Prophet Jeremiah from different times have made the same statements. What do they really mean by saying the Lord is their portion?

A portion or a share is a part of  the whole, an allotment, if you will, mostly referred to as an inheritance. It could be a portion of the booty or plunder that one had the right to, or the portion of land that belonged to one in the division of an estate.

So, to say that the Lord is our portion means that we will trust in the Lord for our portion, for our inheritance, for our lot, for our part, for our rightful allotment.

It also means that whatever we enjoy at current times, all the little blessings, are given us by the Lord as our portion and secured lot! The joy in our heart, the peace of our mind, the confidence in our Lord are all part of His grace we enjoy.

His mercies are new every morning. Let us praise Him with a grateful heart for securing our lot and for being our portion. Amen!

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Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews: 3:7-8

What is meant by hardening of our heart?

Gill's exposition of the entire Bible has a beautiful explanation for it, which I wish to share: (sorry it is one very long sentence, but if you pause and read it you will get it.)

There is a natural hardness of the heart; the heart of man is like a stone, destitute of spiritual life, motion, and activity; it is senseless, stupid, impenitent, stubborn, and inflexible, on which no impressions can be made, but by powerful grace: and there is an acquired, habitual, and voluntary hardness of heart, to which men arrive by various steps; as entertaining pleasing thoughts of sin; an actual commission of it, with frequency, till it becomes customary, and so habitual; an extenuation or justification of it, and so they become hardened against all reproofs and sermons, and to all afflictions and judgments; are insensible and past feeling, and openly declare for sin, and glory in it: and there is a hardness which God's people are liable to, and should guard against; and which is brought on by a neglect of private and public worship, and by keeping bad company, and through the ill examples of others, and by giving way to lesser sins; for all sin is of an hardening nature...

 Is our heart harden today? Have we become insensitive to the Holy Spirit? If we have the slightest doubt we need to work on it.

Not too long ago we had discussed Ezekiel 36:26 which promises us that the Lord will remove our stone hearts and give us a heart of flesh. Let us reach out to Him this morning.

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

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I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Revelation 2:14-15

It was not my intention to share these Scriptures today; I truly believe it is from the Holy Spirit for those who need to hear.

The church in Pergamum had many good things about them - they remained true to His name, they did not renounce the faith in Christ.

Yet, they went wrong in who they were associating with - there were people who believed in idols and those who followed false teaching, among them.

So, whom are we associating with today? Do we stand firm in our faith that Jesus is the only Way? Or do we reason saying there may be more than one "ways"?  Do we know the the Truth from the Scriptures or waver at every new "doctrine" out there? Do we stay clear of idols and sexual immorality that are justified by the false teachers? Are we sensitive to the Word of correction the Holy Spirit reminds us about or ignore it and carry on our lives in sin?

I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. I Peter 1:15

We got the message; let us be holy!

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I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4

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He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3

When do we need a new song? Only when the old songs aren't enough to praise Him. Which means that the latest deliverance or blessing we received from Him is so good that we don't find anything appropriate to sing and worship Him with. Our heart just opens up bubbling with a new song of praise.

It is a wonderful experience when you don't have anything but only gratitude for the Lord. When you come to His presence without the long to-do list but only with praise and worship from a very grateful heart.

When we sing such new song of praise, as King David suggests many will see and fear and put their trust too in the Lord. What an awesome way to share our testimony - by being a living proof!

I pray that as we all get ready to worship our Savior today, let us for once forget our "shopping list" at home and only go with a grateful heart and a new song of praise. God bless you all and have a great 'Son'day!

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

Only yesterday 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! We are very precious for Him.

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"I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you" Haggai 2:23

What is a signet ring? It is a finger ring bearing an engraved signet - an emblem or seal.
Who has a signet ring? The King or a Noble
What is a signet ring used for? It is used to attest the authority of its bearer.

What does the verse above signify for us?
The Lord will make us like His signet ring, or in other words, He will grant us His authority.

What kind of authority?
* authority over the nations Rev 2:26
* authority over evil spirits Mark 6:7
* authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction Mathew 10:1
* authority over all the power of the enemy Luke 10:19

Why? Because he has chosen us

What do we do next? Be a Signet Ring!

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What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Past few days we have been discussing the same verse Micah 6:8. Today's focus is on 'Walking humbly with our God'.

We would think it is something to boast about - right? Walking with the Lord? Apparently not! As the verse suggests walking humbly is what is required of us; humbly is the key here.

So, how do we walk humbly with the Lord? I guess this comes with maturity. As we grow more in Christ we become less significant in our sight.

Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."

When the Pharaoh called in Joseph to solve his dream he responded: "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Genesis 41:16

Young David when confronting Goliath said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied..." I Samuel 17:45

Looks like these people knew a thing or two about walking humbly with the Lord. We can learn from their example, can't we?

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What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

What does it mean to love mercy? Better yet, what is mercy?
Looking up the word in the dictionary reveals mercy means pardoning some one's punishment or being compassionate to our offenders. It is also an act of kindness, compassion or favor.

Mercy is one of the strongest qualities of our Lord. Lamentations 3:22 says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Other translations have it as "His mercies never cease". In Psalm 103:10 we read, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities."

We are all recipients of God's mercy; no denying that. How are we doing with showing mercy to others? In Matthew 18:21 we read about the parable of the unmerciful servant. The question that lingers on is: Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? Matthew 18:33

The same question is directed towards us today. How merciful are we? Do we love mercy? Shouldn’t we have mercy on our fellow men just as He had on us?

It may look like we are taken for granted or that they don't deserve it. But that is the point. Being kind to others when they don't deserve it that is mercy! Here is an encouraging word for you: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

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And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Yesterday we discussed that one of the few things expected of us by our Lord is to act justly. Today we are going to discuss how to do just that - act justly.

First we need to understand what does 'just' mean. In Deuteronomy 32:4 we read: "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."

In Leviticus 19:36 we read of an instruction from the Lord: "Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt."

From these verses we can understand that being just means to be faithful, honest and not doing wrong. Now getting back to our original question, how to act justly, let us read on.

1 John 3: 9 says: "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God."

So, ultimately we need to be born of God. What does it mean to be born of God?

It is to realize that we are sinners and to recognize that Christ died for our sins on the cross and that the blood of Jesus Christ washes our sins. Repenting and asking for forgiveness for our sins makes us a whole new person - born of Christ!

When we are born of Christ He enables us to walk justly!

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With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

We at times forget what is ultimately required of us by the Lord. Is it how much we give? No! Is it our being regular to church? No! How about we fast and pray for three days? That will be good idea but not something required of us by the Lord. Well, then what is really expected of us?

Today's passage has the answer: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God! How do we do that? To find out let's discuss each of these in detail in the coming days:

Act justly
Love mercy &
Walk humbly with the Lord!

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He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:6

Amen! He is risen! Happy Resurrection Sunday to all who are joined here from all over the world. The only thing that brings us together is His Holy name.

The only thing that binds us closer is His love! Isn't it anazing how we all can unite under His Holy presence from far off places and still feel so connected!

We have all the more reason to rejoice this morning as we celebrate the resurrected Christ! Our Savior! He is risen!

Not only that, we  too will be risen oneday.  If the Lord tarries and we pass on, at a twinkling of an eye when the trumpet calls we will rise and be caught up with the Lord in the skies.  (I Corinthians 15:52) How awesome is that!

Let us sing Hosannah to our King all the more louder this morning and rejoice in His presence during the worship service. Let us not allow anything or anybody spoil the joy of our salvation this morning.

We will Rejoice! For He has risen!

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They asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" Mark 16:3

It is hard for many to believe Jesus is the Lord and even harder for them to accept the fact that He is risen from the dead. To be honest, we believers too struggle with a shadow of doubt from time to time.

Who will roll away the stone? How can we overcome our doubts? The plain and simple answer is: "By His grace!"

Ephesians 2: 8 & 9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

So, any time doubt shadows our faith, let us cling closer to His grace, rushing back to the foot of the cross,  and being saved all over again.

"'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the LORD, 'I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,' declares the LORD, 'I will not be angry forever. Jeremiah 3:12

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22

Amen! His grace and love will roll away the huge boulders of doubt in our lives - if we look up to Him.

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Happy Good Friday everyone!

I know most of us keep a grim face today as we recall the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. But I believe we need to rejoice for His sacrifice as otherwise we would be doomed forever. Now we are redeemed! Praise the Lord! So indeed it is a day of celebration and not necessarily a day of mourning for us believers.

As with the norm in many churches worldwide let us also quickly look at the words spoken by our Lord on the cross.

People give extreme importance to a person's last words, do they not? When we hear of someone's demise one of the first questions we ask is, what did he/she say last or when did you speak to him/her last. Jesus's words on the cross are therefore important too, though these are not His last. He lives and continue to speak! Amen!

* "Father, forgive them: for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) 

* "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)

* "Dear woman, here is your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Here is your mother!" (John 19:27)

* "I Thirst."  (John 19:28)

* "It is finished." (John 19:30)  

* "My God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

* "Father into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:45-46)

God Himself in human form came down to rescue us. He submitted fully even unto death to redeem us - the human race. He died a painful death thus fully paying off for the punishment of every sin ever committed by any person - whoever believe(d)!

I do believe! I am sure you do too. He Lives! Let us rejoice!

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"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert" Isaiah 25:4

If you have time today please read Isaiah 25th chapter. It is a praise and worship song by prophet Isaiah, no wonder it sounds like a chapter from the Psalms. If your native tongue is different from English, I strongly encourage you to read and grasp the full meaning of today's verse in your language. You will appreciate the in depth meaning of the passage.

When the ruthless attack us with their storming words and heated arguments, it is the Lord who gives us shelter against them. He is the refuge for us in our distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

On the other hand, intentionally or unintentionally when we become ruthless to the poor, using unkind words against the needy, showing fierce anger against the less fortunate, causing them distress, or "storm", then they will look upon the Lord who shelters them.

As much as we don't want to be treated by the ruthless, let us not become ruthless also. Even very "good" Christians get carried away by race, status, ethnicity and the such, looking down upon people of different backgrounds. Let us remember always that when we mock a poor we mock his Maker who is God Almighty.

Let us examine our self if over the years we have become ruthless somehow. How do we treat our children? Can they see us as a role model that they can follow? If you have the slightest doubt now is the time to repent and be set free.

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Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Many of us wonder how we can find out the will of God in our lives. Today's Scripture gives us the answer for that.

If we do not conform to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our mind, then we will know what is the perfect will of God for us. Isn't that simple? I believe it is smart, holding us responsible for knowing the will of God! Instead of saying, ask your pastor or check with your parents to find out what God's will for your life is, the Scripture clearly says it is within our capacity to know His will!

That arises further questions: What does it mean to conform to the world? How not to conform to the world? How to be transformed by the renewing of our mind?

In the Gospel of Mark when we read about the parable of the sower, chapter 4 verse 19 says, "...the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

This is conforming to the world. This is what the ungodly do - they worry for this life, they deceive for wealth and they desire worldly things. But not so are the godly. We need to live a life without conforming to the world.

Ephesians 4:17-32 explains how we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds:

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

For today's coffee I would like to share an illustration from John Bunyan's book The Pilgrim's Progress.

Christian - the lead character in the book, is on a journey - from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Christian is weighed down by a great burden, the knowledge of his sin, which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand", (the Bible). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Tophet (hell), is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance.

He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "Wicket Gate" for deliverance. He is diverted by Mr. Worldly Wiseman into seeking deliverance from his burden through the Law, supposedly with the help of a Mr. Legality and his son Civility in the village of Morality, rather than through Christ, allegorically by way of the Wicket Gate.

Once again the Evangelist meets the wayward Christian as he stops before Mount Sinai on the way to Legality's home. It hangs over the road and threatens to crush any who would pass it. Evangelist shows Christian that he had sinned by turning out of his way, but he assures him that he will be welcomed at the Wicket Gate if he should turn around and go there, which Christian does.

At the Wicket Gate begins the "straight and narrow" King's Highway, and Christian is directed onto it by the gatekeeper Good Will. To Christian's query about relief from his burden, Good Will directs him forward to "the place of deliverance."

Christian finally reaches the "place of deliverance" (allegorically, the cross of Calvary and the open sepulcher of Christ), where the "straps" that bound Christian's burden to him break, and it rolls away into the open sepulchre.

After Christian is relieved of his burden, he is greeted by three shining ones, who give him the greeting of peace, new garments, and a scroll as a passport into the Celestial City — these are allegorical figures indicative of Christian Baptism and the journey continues all the way to the Celestial City. (Excerpts from Wikipedia)

The point of focus for our discussion is, when we lose our burden of sin and guilt at the cross, we pick up a lighter load and continue on the journey. This lighter load indicates the teachings of the Scriptures, the areas in which we need to improve, loving, forgiving, etc to become more like Jesus every day. Compared to our original bundle of sin, this yoke is very light and not a difficult task at hand. Might seem so at times but by His grace we can do it! Amen!

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalms 68:19

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He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

We sometimes tend to forget the essence of the Gospel in our lives. We become less sensitive to the ultimate sacrifice our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bore for us. This week as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, we will meditate on His sufferings for us.

Let us read the Scripture above as below:

My Lord Jesus Christ was pierced for my transgressions!
My Lord Jesus Christ was crushed for my iniquities!
My Lord Jesus Christ bore my punishments upon Himself!
My Lord Jesus Christ brought me peace!
My Lord Jesus Christ was wounded for me!
My Lord Jesus Christ healed me!

Gospel is very personal folks! It is not as generic as we tend to think of at times. True He died for the entire human race. But more importantly He died for me! For you! On a personal level. One on one! It is like dying that many times all over again!

Let us not make light of His sufferings for us. Let us not let His blood go wasted. Let us be rinsed all over again, engulfed by His supreme love. Let us be mindful of the fact that He took our place on the cross! Amen!

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Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14

We will have a open discussion on this passage over the coffee table today. If anyone has questions on this passage bring it on or feel free to share your thoughts.

One question to keep in the back of our mind today is: Are we invited or chosen? Further, do we have the wedding garments?