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"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." Matthew 23:37

Yesterday we saw King David's prayer that cried out "... hide me in the shadow of your wings". Today's Scripture is the flip side to that, where Jesus is crying out to Jerusalem wanting to hide her under His wings but she is not willing!

Let us take a moment to see if we are willing - willing to be hidden under the wings of the Lord. It is one thing to pray for protection and another thing to abide in His protection.

Even in the Lord's prayer, we say "... lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil". 'Deliver is us from evil' is the prayer portion of it; not getting into temptation is the abiding part of the equation.

Let us therefore pray and abide!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

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Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:8

Please take some time to read Psalm 17 which is a prayer by King David.I love prayers of different people from the Bible as it shows their heart and teaches us to pray as well.

King David's prayers are candid, coming straight from his heart without any filterations by the head.

In this prayer, King David sets before the Lord the contrast between him and his adversaries: He is righteous; they are wicked. He does not sin with his mouth ; but they speak arrogance. He keeps himself from the way of violence but they are crouching in cover to prey on him.

He then pleads for God to confront his enemies on his behalf and ends it with no doubts of his deliverence.

We can sure learn a great deal from this prayer. Knowing that in spite of our righteouseness, in spite of our enemies wickedness, amidst our plea, the deliverence is at hand should make our faith stronger. We have thus disqualified our merits, nullified the fear of our enemies' wickedness, accepted that God alone can save us and look forward to receive our victory! Amen!

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Of all the conversations mentioned in the Bible, the one I truly enjoy is that between Gideon and the angel of the Lord. Gideon at first does not know that it was an angel he was talking to and is quite candid about his faith.

When the angel of the Lord greats him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior", without skipping a beat Gideon asks, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happend to us?" To understand Gideon's aloofness and frustrations we need to know little bit of his background.

In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.

They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."

It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a winepress. So you get a picture of his plight.

The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!

Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...

(If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )

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This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

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* Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14
* Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land. Psalm 37:24
* I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

Very familiar verses I am sure; but not quite a familiar habit. We are not wired for 'waiting'. We get impatient and decide to run our show our way - whether God shows up or not... that's really sad.

Waiting on the Lord is way too important than we can imagine as our quick fixes could permanently damage our peace of mind. Sometimes answers to our prayers seem not quick enough but that doesn't mean we should hurry making decisions for ourselves. If God promised you something He will bring it to pass even if it takes time.

Here's a beautiful verse I want to bring to your attention: For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.Habakkuk 2:3

Knowing these verses gives us hope to wait on the Lord. Let us continue to wait!

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Even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. Zechariah 9:12

Amen! What a beautiful promise from the Lord for us this morning! I am so glad for all of you who didn't miss it over the weekend. May this very promise come true in each one of our lives.

In Isaiah we read, "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

Amen! Such powerful promises we have heard this morning over the coffee table. Let us pause, take a moment to let it sink in! Let us proclaim the promise by our mouth; please repeat this after me:

"Instead of my shame I will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace I will rejoice in my inheritance; and so I will inherit a double portion in my land, and everlasting joy will be mine."

One more time:

"Instead of my shame I will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace I will rejoice in my inheritance; and so I will inherit a double portion in my land, and everlasting joy will be mine."

Amen! It will be so!

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The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Jesus's miracle of feeding the crowd of five thousand adults with five loaves of bread preceeds today's Scripture. The fact that this conversation above is also mentioned in the same chapter explains how soon the desciples had forgotten the miracle and started to worry about "how to feed the crowd".

Aren't we like them too? We forget how God delivered us through certain incidents in the past and keep worrying about the future far and near. Why is it hard for us to trust that the Lord will see us through all the way? Why do we still depend on our abilities and merrits and resources?

Why are we talking about having no bread? Do we still not see or understand? Are our hearts hardened? Do we have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t we remember?

Why o why?

I know too many questions to handle in one day... but let's take some time to analyze our mind. Let us learn to look up to our Source(Jesus) which never dries out; instead of forever worrying about our low resources...

It is high time we fully trust beyond what is see, don't you think?

Have a blessed weekend ahead. Coffee will be brewing hot on weekends too; join us if you can.

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You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. Psalm 128:2-4

In Genesis 3:16-19, we read of a somewhat contrasting scenario:

To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life...”
I find it amazing how even the curse God gave man, was in fact a blessing in disguise. I am sure you will agree with me that having a job, being profitable by the toil of our hands, having children are all in fact blessings; no denying that!

Let us pause a moment this morning to acknowledge and appreciate the blessings He has showered on us. Let our hearts earn to Him with sincere gratitude.

God bless you! Have a blessed Thursday!

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Such a beautiful passage from the Scriptures! It has an instant calming effect on our worries.

It reassures us that our Lord is mighty to save and that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength! Amen!


Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Are you hoping? Hope so.

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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.

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For by you I have advanced against a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. Psalm 18:29

If we can learn one thing from King David, it is how to be truly humble. He was a great king who had won many battles, earned many riches, he had the perfect 'rags to riches' story. He could have easily took the credit for it all; but he was careful not to. For every little or big achievement in his life he acknowledged the mercy of God.

Being a king, making such statements that emphasized his dependency on God might have been shunned at by his advisers, ridiculed by his adversaries and was not considered "politically correct" by his inner circle. Yet, he cared the least for what people thought of him and never hesitated to praise the Lord for his advancing career.

He was not ashamed to share about the perils he encountered and the emotional turmoils during the process. In 18th Psalm verses 4,5 & 6 he says, "The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help."

No wonder he was a man after God's own heart!

Now, the question is how many of us can truly say we can relate to King David in these aspects? Are we more like him or unlike him? Do we realize it is His grace that we are not consumed? If we answered "No" let us start working on our attitude.

Let us make this our sincere prayer: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

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If you are not feeling up to going to church today, here's a reminder for you:

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14

It doesn't matter which day of the week we choose to gather to worship the Lord; whichever day it is, let us do it willingly. Then we will find our joy in the Lord.

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"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1

Let's consider a puzzle board, what is easy to do, building up or tearing down? I am sure you will all agree tearing down is easy to do than building up as in tearing down we don't really care how each piece falls, if it piles up or lays flat,which piece goes where or any of the mess it creates. However when we build up something, more care is needed to put the pieces in certain way, in proper order.

We as women have greater responsibility in building up our homes, one heart at a time. It is a tedious process I agree. It gets difficult at times and we feel like tearing it all down... trust me it will be more hard to put things back together than fixing the single area that needs attention.

Keeping peace in the family should be every home maker's primary focus - of course peace in alignment with God's Word. Agree, men too have the same responsibility, but it falls on the mothers and wives more because we are called to build. Even amongst birds and animals it is the female of the species that builds the nest or finds a cave etc. A peaceful home is every mother's primary need.

Thrashing seems easy to do but always results in pain. Building results in joy though hard labor. If we set a role model as thrashers, it is hard to expect our children to be builders. Yes, sometimes it takes a selfless effort to build. It seems no one else cares but you. Keep building anyway.

So, to repeat the Scripture: The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Let's build and be blessed!

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Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. I Chronicles 16:8

Giving thanks - okay we can understand; but what does it have to do with 'making it known among the nations'?

Words have the influence to claim someone for or against a matter. Marketing specialists, can assure you that "word of mouth" is one of the most effective way of marketing technique out there. James chapter 3 goes on and on about the power of the tongue, associating our tongue to the rudder that can steer a huge ship.

In the Gospel of Luke we read of the scene when Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem where people put down the palm branches and their cloak for His colt to walk on. The crowd was singing and praising in loud voice of His many miracles and the disciples rebuked them. Jesus's response was, "if they keep quite, the stones will cry out."

That is true for us too. If we keep quite from proclaiming of His wonders, the stones will cry out - putting us to shame.

So, to answer our question, making known among the nations, means to make a bold statement that we acknowledge or support or affiliate with the name Jesus! That we love and adore Him as huge fans;we cherish His love; we have accepted His proposal and that we look forward to spending eternity with Him. That we are not ashamed but proud to stand for Him.

That we are not just stopping with a quick thank you, but we will announce, proclaim, make known of what He has done for us among the nations!

You are with me on that - right?! Praise the Lord!

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Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. Psalm 45:10-11

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

It is one day when the whole world pauses and talks about "love". As believers it is a wonderful chance to pause and exclaim over the love of our Lord and to renew our love vows to Him once again! In that process why not renew our love for our spouses too?!

Today's Scripture almost always reminds me of a similar Scripture addressed to the men: "...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." (Ephesians 5:31)

Most marriages fail due to disobedience to these very instructions. The husband does not leave and cleave. The wife does not forget her people and her father's house. Some of us who have survived in spite of it made it so far only by pure grace.

This morning over the coffee table let us renew our love for our spouses. Like Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Church in Philippians 3:13-14 "... Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal..." let us forget the past and focus toward the future, loving one another in Christ, just as He has loved us.

Let us recommit our vows in His presence this morning asking for forgiveness over the irritations and annoyance and disapproving comments we have had/made to our spouses lately. A heart is a precious thing but so often we trample it with our words. 

Let us ask our Lord to fill us up to the rim and overflowing with His love so that we can pour into the hearts of our spouses so much more love than we are ever capable of. Let us learn to rejoice in His love so that we are forever satisfied with His unfailing love.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

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* My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 2:16
* I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 6:3
* I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. Song of Solomon 7:10

No doubt the couple depicted in Song of Solomon is head over heals in love with one another; repeatedly they reassure their love for each other.

Hopefully it is the same with our love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When was the last time we told Him we are His and He is ours? When was the last time we heard Him speak in His slow still voice? Are we sure of our love? Then why aren't we spending time with Him whenever possible?

His love remains constant; it is us who waver from time to time. Let us see what we can do to rekindle our love for our Lord today. At least once tell Him how much you love Him today; it won't be long before you hear Him say the same and more to you.

Let's enjoy His loving presence rest of the day. Never doubt God's love for you.

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

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Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Today's Scripture is the chief commandment in the Law of the Lord. How many of us can assure that we follow it just as it says.

Do we love the Lord? With all our heart? With all our soul? With all our strength? With a superlative love, above everyone else, with the whole of our hearts, with a fervency of our spirits, with such sincerity of our souls, with every little strength we have? Well then! You rock!

But for those who are not so sure, let us take a pause.

If God is not your first love, who else is? If it is not possible for you to devote your heart,mind and soul to God, what has hold of your being? What prevents you from getting closer to God?

Is there anything you can do about it this Valentine week? Can we help in anyway we can? Please share...

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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 are invited; the guests 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 His bride with a banner over her that acknowledges His love for her.

I 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 precious occasion. It proves to the world she now belongs to Him. Such a beautiful sight.

Now imagine, it is all for you - the bride! Yes You!

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 also will fly His banner over us, which reads: "My Beloved"!

Let us never ever doubt that. Be engulfed in His love!

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Continue to work out your salvation Philippians 2:12

In order to understand this verse first we need to fully understand what is salvation.

Thinkexist.com has a beautiful explanation which goes, "Salvation is the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and the conferring on him of everlasting happiness."

So, salvation has two parts to it: (a) redemption from sin & (b) everlasting happiness.

If that is the case, the true meaning of today's Scripture is:

(a) Continue to work out your redemption from bondage of sin
(b) Continue to work out your everlasting happiness

How do we go about doing just that? How do we continue to work out our salvation?

The best part about God's commandments to us is that, it never lacks instructions or in other words each command comes with an user manual or key if you will that will enable us to follow it.

If we continue to read through the same chapter we can find the following instructions on the how-to: 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe... Philippians 2:14,15

Now that we know the how to, let us put it into practice - to continue to work out our salvation! May God bless you. Enjoy the Sunday, I mean "Son"day!

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"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Here's a direct message for someone who needs to hear it: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice! No matter what your circumstances be, please be reminded you are called to rejoice, to feel the inner calm or complete joy.

It is even possible you may ask. Yes it is! Otherwise the Scriptures won't instruct us to. Let us consciously make an effort to be filled over and over with the divine love and peace which brings true JOY.

Let us pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day (though snowy in this part of the world...) Thank you for reminding us to rejoice always. Please help us Lord to rejoice - in all circumstances. Please help us to truly understand that all things happen for good for those who love you Lord - even when things don't seem to go as we wish Lord. Please help us overcome satan in this area Lord. Thank you again for your love and grace which is sufficient at all times Lord. In Jesus's mighty name we pray, Amen"

Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. Joel 2:21

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"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" 9:10

So, the first signs of having gained wisdom is the 'fear of the Lord' in us. Fear here also means reverence, regard, respect etc.

If we don't have this fear or regard for the Lord we can be almost certain we haven't gained wisdom yet, as the Scripture clearly explains that without the fear of the Lord, there is no starting point for wisdom.

When we respect or revere or regard our Lord, we can be certain we are on the right track towards attaining wisdom. He fills us with the godly wisdom which we need on a daily basis for making right decisions in matters big or small...

When we fear the Lord, our life will be set apart from the rest of the crowd; our mind will be focused on godly things; our spirits will be in communion with the Holy Spirit which teaches us the right from the wrong. The 'regard for the Lord' becomes our very nature. Amen!

Let's be careful not to be carried away with what the world calls as "wisdom". The world questions the existence of God, the world declines His grace on the cross, the world says it is foolishness to trust in the Lord, the world questions the divine birth of Christ, the world doubts the resurrection of the Lord, the world mock at the Return of the King, etc. This is worldly wisdom which the Bible warns us against. The wisdom we need to strive for is the godly wisdom which is in line with the Word of God. Amen!

Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs3:7

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If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

So, we understand we need more wisdom but don't have a clue where to "buy it" from? Wisdom is one thing that can not be found on any sale. It can not even be acquired from any books. What we acquire from books is knowledge - not wisdom. It can not be inherited. It does not necessarily increase with age. It can not be rubbed on or injected in. So, how can we get more?

The one and only way to gain more wisdom is to ask. Ask? Ask who? Ask God! Then it will be given. What do you mean it will be given, will it be given to anyone who asks? Yes, of course!

There is no prerequisites to receive wisdom. It is not only the righteous and upright who will receive it. It is us - the common folks - who are full of faults - but those who asked - they will receive it!

Next question arises - how much will we receive? The answer is, it will be given generously.

We didn't think it was that easy; did we? Asking for wisdom is the most humbling of experience as it takes to acknowledge we lack wisdom in the first place. God sees the honesty and gives it to us generously without finding faults in us.

Naturally when we receive the wisdom we will learn to shun from evil and do good, we will then have the discerning spirit King Solomon received, which in turn brings all the other blessings we wouldn't dare ask for.

Let's make it our daily prayer to ask for more wisdom and when we receive it let us put it to use unlike King Solomon who later went astray from God.

Tomorrow we will see the first signs of having gained the wisdom. Please stay tuned...

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Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong 1 Kings 3:9

A very interesting conversation goes on between God and King Solomon in the book of I Kings 3rd chapter. Agreed, it was a dream but we all know the dream very much came true.

God tells King Solomon to ask for anything he wants and very clearly, of course very cleverly, King Solomon asks for a discerning heart to govern and to distinguish between right and wrong. What was God's response to that? God gave him what he had asked for plus everything else he didn't dare asking for. Isn't that amazing!

If God is to appear in our dreams tonight, what will be our plea? What do we consider as the most important thing we need?

Are we seeking for a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong? Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. If we have the fear of the Lord in our heart, we already have a 'seed of wisdom' in us. We only need to ask for more to cultivate that 'seed'.

Is asking for wisdom part of our daily prayer? We will discuss the "how to" tomorrow.

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Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25

Many non believers have a disregard for Christ by seeing the activities of some so called "Christians". This is sad. Some Christians too always find fault at the pastors, evangelists, fellow believers and other servants of God and stop following Christ. This is even sadder.

Many do not realize that following Christ is not a one time commitment but a continuous one. Every day, every hour, every minute one has to commit to follow Christ. Looking at a flawed man one can not determine what Jesus is like. Only by looking at Him directly one can experience Him.

Let us not get distracted looking hear and there and losing focus on the Lord. Let us not get trapped into false preachings that are not in accordance with the Bible. Let us not come to our own conclusions on Spiritual matters based on our own reasoning. Let us be determined to look straight ahead always going back to the Scriptures for our answers on things unclear.

In his letter to the Philippians Apostle Paul insists on Pressing towards the goal. He writes: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Amen! That's exactly what we ought to do - pressing on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus!

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Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Our heart is the precious of all organs - vital for our survival. No wonder the scripture says we need to guard it with all diligence. While looking up this verse I came across a sermon by Rev. Adrian Dieleman. Thought of sharing the highlights with you for today's coffee.

What does the Bible say what heart is:
* Heart is a physical organ and food & drink strengthens it
* The heart is the focus of intellectual life. The heart is connected with thinking
* Acts of the will are considered to arise in the heart
* Heart is closely connected to the feelings and affections of a person: joy, fear, discouragement, sorrow, hate, love.
* The heart is spoken of as the conscience.
* The heart represents a person's true nature or character.
* The heart is the place where God does His work in the individual.
* The heart is the dwelling place of God.

Who can attack our heart?:
* Sin & Satan - God lives in our heart. But so does sin and Satan. The two cannot coexist. This means our heart is a battleground between God and Satan. Both lay claim to our heart. Both want to be master of our heart. Both want the allegiance of our heart.
* World - The world hates Jesus along with His followers.
* The acts of our sinful nature
The devil is our opponent who attacks us from the outside. The world is the hostile environment in which we live. And our own "flesh" is the enemy within us.

How do we guard our heart?:
* To "guard our heart" our heart needs to belong to God.
* We need to listen to the Word of God if we want to guard our heart
* Be part of a church in the fellowship of believers
* Steer clear of sin.

Our heart is precious. Our heart is under attack. So, let's guard our heart!

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"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my Joy may be in you and that your Joy may be complete." John 15:9-11

Surprisingly Joy goes hand in hand with Love! When we are in love - with our Savior, with our dear ones, with our friends and family, with our neighbors, co workers, - then our Joy is full. It is complete.

Also we know salvation brings Joy. What is salvation? Salvation is believing that God came in human form to love us, to take away our sin; died on the cross for our sin, resurrected, ascended to heaven and continues to reconvene with the Father for us. It is believing we are no more sinners but washed in His blood and made saints! Hallelujah!

Just the feeling of freedom brings an unspeakable JOY. This is the joy of salvation; the joy that stems from hope for an eternal life.

I invite any of you who haven't yet felt this joy to surrender your hearts to Jesus now - right at this coffee table as we join hands with fellow believers and readers. Let's pray:

"Dear Lord, we come at your presence rejoicing in the joy of our salvation Lord. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and for the sins of other believers in Christ who have joined me around this coffee table today Lord. Yet there are some of us who are not quite sure of this joy of salvation Lord. Prepare their hearts Lord; open their eyes Lord. Speak to them Lord. Guide them Lord. Help them understand you have died for their sins too Lord. Help them see that they are free indeed Lord. Bless them with the joy of your salvation Lord - right at this minute Lord. We praise and glorify your name this morning Lord. You alone be glorified! May all the glory, honor and praise be to you alone Lord. Thank you for the joy of salvation you have renewed in our hears too Lord. In Jesus' joyous name we pray, Amen!"

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The Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.” Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing about it, about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank - the nobles with scepters and staffs.” Numbers 21:16-18

Interestingly this scripture from the Old Testament has a striking resemblance to the New Testament where Jesus offers Living Water to the thirsty (John 4:13)! Also John reminds us: "Whoever believes in Him, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)

The Lord talks through Prophet Jeremiah, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13

The question today is, is this our story? Have we forsaken our Spring of Living Water? Have we dug our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water?

In other words, have we forsaken Him and served other "gods" that never satisfy us such as - our forms of entertainment, ways of recreation, kinds of socializing, you name it - anything and everything that is our top priority in terms of our time, finances and energy? Hope not!

OR can we gladly say, "With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3) Then we too can sing like Israel sang: “Spring up, O well!"

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The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. Numbers 1:1

Happy February everyone!

In today's Scripture we see of something that happened many thousands of years ago on the first day of the second month since the Israelites had left Egypt.

They had walked for about a month and then set up camps in the Desert of Sinai for nearly a year. It was kind of a necessary pause, a preparation platform to put things in order before resuming the long journey ahead. Having God alone as their King now, they are given the new sets of laws - religious and civil, taken census, assigned duties and then were led further on. This census at the start of the journey enabled them to put together their accurate genealogical records to which they kept adding as they went.

At the end of the census, we see the Israelite men of military age were over 600,000! 603,550 to be exact! Remember this was men alone. Women, children and youth of under 20 years of age were not included in the count. The sepcific detail of the census mentioned in Numbers 1 is refered in Exodus 38:26! How accurate!

It was a promise fulfilled to Abraham, mentioned in Genesis 22:17: I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.

Amen! What a mighty God we serve! His promises prove true (2 Samuel 22:31). He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9).

Just like He spoke to Moses, He speaks to us - if we are keen to listen. Just like how He led the Israelites out of bondage, He frees us from sin - when we call on His name. Just as how He made them pause and prepare for the journey, He has given us His Holy Scriptures that show us the way. Last but not the least He is preparing our Promised Land and promises to take us there!

Let us expect greater things from the Lord in this new month! Let us do greater things for the Lord through the rest of our journey.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Note: We are introducing a new feature called Birthday Blessings! Feel free to wish your family and friends a very happy birthday through this page. We will display the message prominantly on the front page. If you would like for us to send them a Coffee with Jesus mug and a little card, please email their address to nrigirl at hotmail dot com. Thank you!