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I am glad some of you could join for an early coffee today while the rest of the family sleeps in; whereas some of you had to skip coffee as you slept in late... Either way, Welcome to Coffee With Jesus!

Before we go about the day's errands, let me quickly encourage you to mirror Christ today in all your endeavors. Our Pastor often says, for many people we might be the only "Christ" they know and our homes might be the only "church" they visit. They may not choose to pick up a Bible or visit a church or hear a sermon. But they are living with us, among us, watching our every move, seeing how we handle situations.

The question is, are we reflecting Christ in our actions? 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read: "And we, ...all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord..." Let us seek for this "ever increasing glory" that will transform us more into His likeness.

Let us pray:

Dear Father, Thank you for this weekend Lord & thank you that your grace was sufficient for us all through this week Lord. Thank you now for this moment with you Lord. As we were just talking we want to become more into your likeness Lord, we should reflect more of you and less of us Lord. Let the people who see us see you Lord. Please help us to grow more in your likeness Lord. Fill us with this ever increasing glory the Bible talks about Lord. Continue to use each one of us for your glory Lord! In Jesus's wonderful name we pray, Amen!

Now folks, let's go R E F L E C T   C H R I S T!

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Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

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"Let not your heart be troubled..." John 14:1-3

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

These are Jesus's parting words to His disciples, if you will. Soon after this conversation which happened during the Last Supper, He was to be crucified.

I would like to quote from Barnes notes on the Bible:

The disciples had been greatly distressed at what Jesus had said about leaving them. Perhaps they had indicated their distress to him in some manner by their countenance or their expressions, and he proceeds new to administer to them such consolations as their circumstances made proper.

The discourse in this chapter was delivered, doubtless, while they were sitting at the table partaking of the Lord's Supper;  were while they were on their way to the Mount of Olives.

There is nowhere to be found a discourse so beautiful, so tender, so full of weighty thoughts, and so adapted to produce comfort, as that which occurs in these chapters of John.

It is the consolatory part of our religion, where Christ brings to bear on the mind full of anxiety, and perplexity, and care, the tender and inimitably beautiful truths of his gospel - truths fitted to allay every fear, silence every complaint, and give every needed consolation to the soul.

In the case of the disciples there was much to trouble them. They were about to part with their beloved, tender friend. They were to be left alone to meet persecutions and trials. They were without wealth, without friends, without honors. And it is not improbable that they felt that his death would demolish all their schemes, for they had not yet fully learned the doctrine that the Messiah must suffer and die.

We are in a better position than what the disciples were at; don't you think?

We know for a fact our Savior has risen! We have experienced the Great Comforter the Holy Spirit. We have the Scripture that sheds light on fulfilled prophesies; we hear of testimonies of lives changed because of salvation. We have friends and family who are tolerant of our faith.

We are not threatened to be killed for the Gospel of Christ. Above all we have the comforting presence of the Lord Jesus Christ always with us.

Then why are we troubled often?  What bothers you?

Let us take comfort in His love and accept the peace He offers.  Now.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 1 Chronicles 28:9

Faith can be hard at times. It may seem like blindly following something vague. This thought could distract our focus and make us reason our belief. Care must be taken to shun such doubts right away. In fact this is the work of the enemy in a subtle cunning way.

One way to overcome any trace of doubt is to seek Him more. Ask Him for answers. Reach out to His Words for understanding. The Holy Spirit will then explain the truth to you.

If at any time God seems unreal to you, it clearly means you haven't sought after Him for quite sometime.

This morning let us recommit ourselves to seek Him. To seek Him with wholehearted devotion - just like King David instructed his son King Solomon.

Then wherever we turn we will have proof of how real God is. We will find Him. Amen!

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Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, 'Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? -- if Jehovah is God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' 1 Kings 18:21(Young's Literal Translation)

Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (NIV)

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? :)

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But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3

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

What we read in these Scriptures is the exact opposite of what we see and hear around us. The world defines self confidence as confidence in oneself or one's own abilities. But for us - the believers - the Lord must be our confidence!

Paul has set a very good example for us in his statements. Great King Solomon - the wisest ever lived has said: The Lord Is My Confidence. Proverbs 3:26. My favorite King David has sang, It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

The Lord has spoken through Prophet Isaiah: "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Can we too confirm the Lord indeed is our confidence?!

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* I  am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:11
* Only hold on to what you have until I come. Revelation 2:25

The message for today is: Hold on to what you have!

Hold on to what we have? What do we have? Let's see what the Scripture tells us:

* Hold on to the good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21
* Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
*Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.  1 Timothy 6:12
* She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. Proverbs 3:18
* Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14
* Stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
* Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:13

As born again believers we must therefore hold on to the good, our hope, eternal life, wisdom, our faith, what the Scripture teaches us and the instructions given in the Bible till He comes. That's all is expected of us.

Hold on tight! Don't loosen the grip!

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Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. Jonah 4:6

The book of Jonah is a very interesting book and I hope you have all read through it. If not please take your time one of these days to breeze through the four easy chapters.

Here's the summary to set the context: Jonah was asked to preach in Nineveh about the impending destruction to the city God was planning. He refuses to do it, leaves for Tarshish, gets thrown out into the stormy ocean, a big fish swallows him, he survives inside the belly of the fish for three days and night before finally being spit out. Now he visits Nineveh as how God had told him to. People of Nineveh including the king and the cattle everyone wear sackcloth and fast and pray asking God to relent from His fierce anger. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He was not hesitant to let God know how very disappointed he was that he even wanted to die right then and there. If you think about it he had all the reasons to be angry, right? Wrong! That's what God intends to prove by teasing him with a little shade one day and removing it the next. Using that as an example God was able to explain to Jonah why he changed his mind about the hundred and twenty thousand people of Nineveh who could not tell their right hand from their left and the many cattle there. Though the chapter ends there I am sure Jonah was convinced of the reason and continued to serve the Lord, happily ever after...

Application: Like Jonah, we may think too high of ourselves at times and care more for our reputation than the will of God to be demonstrated in peoples lives. To us God asks the very same question today:  “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” Jonah 4:11

We were not punished according to our transgressions, why then do we expect others to be punished and not forgiven?! Freely we have received, let's freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

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Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

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Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Many have promised us many things in the past. Most have been broken.

During childhood there were friends who said they would stay connected no matter what, only to find our self drifting far and away from them. As young adults we were given promises only to end up in heartbreaks. Even as we married our spouses promised in front of the guests, the priests and God Himself that he/she would be with us thru' everything; yet there have been countless instances when we have felt alone.

All promises ever given to us by any human being are broken one way or other. Of course they will come up with solid excuses for breaking their promises; and most likely it would be "our fault". They would easily blame us and move away.

Well, if we think about it we too are no different. We break promises all the time, don't we?

This morning we are given a TRUE promise however. One unlike any other "promise" we have ever received or given.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

God the Father, the Lord Himself promises us that His unfailing love will not be shaken and His covenant of peace will not be removed from us! Amen!

He quotes the mountains and hills which are not so easily removed and even if they did shake or move, His love for us will stand firm! The Lord Himself has said this! Amen!

Let us always keep this in mind. No matter what, God's love for us is constant. Amen!

Have a blessed Thursday. God bless you!

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Our Father in heaven!

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Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

Throughout the Scriptures we read of several people designating stones as monuments for remembering the deliverance or encountering of God in that place.

If you recall Jacob had set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him and called it Bethel (Genesis 35:14,15) and Joshua had set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. (Joshua 4:9). King David confessed several times that the Lord was his rock of salvation (Psalm 18:2).

Here Prophet Samuel sets up a monument to remember the return of the Ark of the Lord and names it Ebenezer which means "Thus far the Lord has helped us".

Now the question is, do you have such a monument that reminds you constantly of God's deliverance from certain situation? If you think about it there are easy reminders in our lives such as birthdays, anniversaries, years of experience, number of children, we can go on and on and on.

If these are not enough reminders and/or if we would somehow forget what the Lord has done thus far, we might as well put up some monument as reminders. If we remember already, let us praise the Lord for helping us thus far!

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The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans: 13:12-14

So, what does it mean to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ?

Interestingly, it does not say clothe ourselves like Jesus - which would mean to wear clothes similar to His. But to clothe ourselves with Jesus which implies we should wear Him!

How can we wear a person? Clarke's commentary on the Bible states, "To be clothed with a person is a Greek phrase, signifying to assume the interests of another - to enter into his views, to imitate him, and be wholly on his side."

Scripture tells us when we are baptized we wear Christ (Galatians 3:27). When we wear Christ we start to live for Him, imitating Him, becoming more like Him everyday.

Apostle Paul expands on this matter more in Colossians 3:1-17:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

As you see, it takes conscious efforts to clothe Him on a daily basis. But let's give it a try; shall we?

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Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 96:9

It is such a privilege being able to freely worship the Lord. I say privilege because most are denied the fellowship of believers and some are even persecuted, jailed or even murdered for coming together and worshipping the Lord!

Even those of us who live in a free country must consider it a privilege and thank the Lord for the good health and transportation which enable us to go and worship the Lord.

True we can worship Him everyday within the confines of our homes by ourselves; but it is nowhere close to the sheer joy of worshipping the Lord in the fellowship of believers. When we come together as a Church to worship Him we are made complete - as we are one body - His bride!

Let us be mindful of that as we go on to worship the Lord today. Let us go into His presence with singing, dancing and a heart full of praise. Let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker!

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Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Isaiah 55:2

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. John 6:27

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine -  the best of meats and the finest of wines. Isaiah 25:6

I (Jesus) am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. John 6:51

We all run after things bigger, better, designer wear,  gourmet meal, exotic vacations - but do these ever satisfy us? Sadly, never! We are only broke and exhausted at the end of the day.

There is however one thing that is truly satisfying - which is the joy of His salvation; and the only source it comes from is our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Have you tasted Him?

Taste and see that the LORD is good Psalm 34:8

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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!

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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?

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"You are all together beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." - Song of Solomon 4:7

This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible. It amazes me at all times. I take the verse personally for me and encourage all of you to take it personally for yourself too! It is for every one of us indeed, where God says, "You are all together beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you."

I am sure it makes us pause & analyze our self, to see if it truly fits us; you would agree it always fails.

If we were to take an inventory of our flaws it would go miles long... No matter how hard we try, we would still be full of flaws, but the unfailing, unconditional love of God sees beyond our flaws and lovingly calls us "Beautiful" and "Flawless".

Sometimes I wonder if these are the exact words Jesus uses as He pleads our case with the Father, "...please Father forgive him/her; there is no flaw in him/her"

I turn to this verse anytime I need an assurance of the Divine Love which brings instant joy to my heart & music to my soul.

Hope it does to you too. Happy Wednesday folks!

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The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4

Reading through the Book of Proverbs you would notice how often a sluggard is reprimanded. Almost in all those Scriptures immediately following the mention of the sluggard and his curse, is the mention of the diligent and the blessings associated with him. Here's to list a few:

* The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. Proverbs 12:27
* Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
* Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor. Proverbs 12:24
* Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. Proverbs 22:29
* The plans of the diligent lead to profit. Proverbs 21:5

Now coming back to today's Scripture, if we are diligent our desires will be fully satisfied.

What does it take to be diligent? Diligence means "making every effort to excel in what we do". Marked by persevering, painstaking effort or in plain and simple words, diligence is striving for perfection.

Being diligence does not mean running after the world; it means being diligent for the Lord, for spreading the Gospel, for living a holy life, for winning souls for Christ!

When we are diligent in godly affairs He will bless us with our desires for everything else.Things will fall in place. With less effort on our part we will reap great benefits.

For the Scripture insists:Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Luke 12:31

Amen!

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In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. Isaiah 27:6

Amen! What a beautiful promise here this morning!

Though the contest of this prophecy by Prophet Isaish was for the nation of Israel, we as believers, as God's chosen generation, His royal priesthood, can rightfully claim it as our promise too. Praise the Lord!

Let's repeat it once more: In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. Amen! Let it be so!

If you pay close attention you can't miss the condition this promise is based upon - taking root!

What does it mean to be taking root?

In the Gospel of John Apostle John writes of Jesus's saying: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

In the parable of the sower that Jesus shared, we read about the seeds that fell on the rocky ground that could not grow roots due to shallow soil. (Matthew 13:5,6)

Further down in the same chapter when Jesus explains the parable, He says,

"The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." Matthew 13:20,21

So, taking root means not falling away in faith. It means standing firm in faith even through trouble or persecution. It means abiding in Him.

When we abide, we will bud and blossom and bear much fruit. Amen!

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* 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 Scripture assures, those who seek Him will find Him... (Proverbs 8:17)

Hope you will start seeking from now on... Let's start with the worship service this morning!

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When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. Psalm 104:28

For today's reading you may consider Psalm 104 It is a beautiful song telling of the many wonderful works of our Lord from sea to mountain to the plains, and explains how God's hands provide for the needs of every living thing from wild animals to men to birds.

Verse 28 is one of my favorites verse which I use in my prayers all the time:
When He gives it to us, we gather it up; when He opens His hand, we are satisfied with good things.

It convinces me that every little blessing comes from the Lord: the breeze, the rain, the good dinner, the beautiful flowers, fresh drinking water, a good night's rest, etc.

A related verse can be found in Psalm 145, verse 16:You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Amen! It is the Lord who satisfies our desires, who feeds us, clothes us and provides for our other needs, not only for us humans but for all living things.

The least we can do is acknowledge Him by giving thanks. Would you?

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My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. Song of Solomon 1:14

Looks to me the bride here loves henna blossoms and especially those from En Gedi; so she compares her lover to a bouquet of henna blossoms from En Gedi. Since we haven't been to En Gedi or seen those henna blossoms, let's pick our favorite flower or perfume so that we can relate to the context better, shall we?

Now, let's see if we can compare our Lord to our favorite perfume. Does His sweet fragrance constantly attract us to Him? Do we want to smell like Him? Do we remember to "spray" some of Him before we step out to start our day?

Elsewhere in Proverbs we read, Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart (Proverbs 27:9) I believe this truly fits the description of our Lord. His love surely brings joy to our hearts, does it not?

Interestingly Apostle Paul also has shared similar thoughts in his letter to the Ephesians church, in which he says: "...and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2)

It feels so good to be associating our Lord with our favorite perfume. Now I can almost smell Him! I am sure you do too. Let's enjoy His sweet presence rest of the day!

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Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3

The very act of pouring out the expensive perfume suggests that Mary didn't give it a second thought when it came to using it for the Lord. She didn't hold back on it, she didn't think what people might say, she didn't wait for permission from her brother or sister, she didn't consider it worth anything, she didn't even consider the poor deserved it better than the Lord Jesus Christ!

This goes hand in hand with what Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians; we read in chapter 3 verse 7 (NLT), "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him."

Our focus today is the after effect of these acts. We read Mary's house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume; Paul led an exemplary life for Christ.

Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:1-2, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Are we spending our best for the Lord? Do we consider all things worthless for the sake of Christ? Have we gained Christ discarding everything else - including our finest - as garbage? Can people sense fragrance filled in our house? Do we give ourselves up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God?

Tons of questions this morning; hopefully it will help steer us in the right direction...

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"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. I Samuel 15:22

It is true that the Lord had given specific instructions about burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Old Testament. In course of time it became an easy way out for many with rebellion and disobedience. King Saul was reprimanded by Prophet Samuel for his disobedience. Saul could have thought he could quickly undo his act by making some amendments in terms of offerings.

King David on the other hand seems to have a clear handle on what is expected by the Lord. He says in Psalm 51:16-17:  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

In Proverbs 21:3 we read: To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Prophet Micah has said: What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
 
In Jeremiah 7:22-23 God clarifies His commands about sacrifices: He says, "When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you."

It is evident from these Scriptures that no sacrifices will please God than our humble spirit, broken heart and obedience.

Is that hard to offer?

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In Isaiah 58 we are given the guidelines for fasting...

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


The focus of the fast should be to humble our self and bring praises and honor to God Almighty. Shall we try?

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But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21

Fasting and praying has been insisted upon throughout the Scriptures. Fasting and  praying was practiced by the prophets, kings, and even our Lord Himself. Fasting and praying is expected of us to receive certain deliverance because certain kind does not go except by prayer and fasting.

Here at Coffee with Jesus, I am inclined in the Spirit to announce a fasting and praying month. Starting today for the rest of the month let us be on a fast.

Fasting from movies, shopping, browsing, snacks, certain entertainments, food, anything you can think of! And devoting that hour/minutes/energy/money/resources praying at His feet for the "stubborn need" that will not go out/away except by prayer and fasting.

Let us make a prayer list, bring it to His feet, enjoy His presence and take home the deliverance! If you would like others to pray with you, please feel free to share your prayer requests on the Prayer Request page or email us at nrigirl@hotmail.com.

At the end of the month I expect to hear great testimonies from people far and near who ultimately received their healing/blessing/deliverance because of fasting and praying.

Happy April!