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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!

Happy Friday all! Have a relaxing weekend!

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The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:5-6

Yesterday we saw that only according to our faith it will be done to us. Today's coffee focuses on How to increase our faith?

Interestingly the disciples had the same question. Jesus's response was that it had to be developed from within.

In other words, external forces can not increase faith.Faith is heart related and not mind focused. It has to be felt and can not be forced.

Before we proceed any further, let us take a quick look at the dictionary definition of faith.

Noun
Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Synonyms
belief - trust - confidence - credence - credit

Antonyms: disbelief, distrust, doubt, misgiving, skepticism, suspicion

Based on these definitions we can rephrase the question in two parts:

How to increase our confidence in the Lord? And further more, How to decrease our doubts, disbelief, skepticism & suspicion of the Lord?

The Scripture has a simple answer: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Reading, hearing,meditating on the Word of God will increase our faith. If that is true, then the opposite is also true: Not reading, hearing or meditating on the Word of God will decrease our faith.

On explaining the parable of the sower Jesus said: "The seed is the word of God.... the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." Luke 8:15

Clearly a noble and good heart is the starting point for increasing our faith! 

A noble and good heart hears the Word of God. 
A noble and good heart retains the Word of God.
A noble and good heart perseveres - does not waver.
A noble and good heart produces the crop - which is FAITH! 

Amen! Let us seek a noble and good heart within us.

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

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

If you can spare a few minutes this morning please read Hebrews 11 which is also known as the Faith Chapter  by clicking here.

It lists a few examples of faithful people such as Enoch, Abraham, Noah etc. They chose to believe the promises of God without looking for a logical reasoning and it sure it came true in their lives. It was credited to them because of their belief.

No doubt, if they had not believed it would not have been fulfilled.

Isn't that what happened to the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years? In spite of witnessing the miracles of God in their day to day life, they did not have the faith or complete trust & strong belief that they would indeed inherit the promised land. We read that not one of them entered the land except for Joshua and Caleb who had chose to believe the promises.

So, the bottom line is, we are blessed according to our faith.

I think it is only fair; what do you say?

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As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.   2 Samuel 6:16

A familiar portion from the Scriptures. For those who are not sure, here's the cotext: King David was bringing the ark of the Lord into the city of David and he is so full of joy and merriment that he danced on the street, in front of the cart that was carrying the ark of the Lord. Seeing this from the palace window, his wife who was Saul's daughter despised him.

Not sure whether King David counted it against her or not, but looks like God did not approve of that as in the verses that follow we read, "And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death." 2 Samuel 6:23

How often do we despise our spouses - first in our hearts - and then by our words - and next by our actions?! First in private, then in public. First alone, then in front of others. I am guilty of this very action myself from time to time. May be we give it a different name such as, 'sharing our heart out', 'letting it all out', etc. but the Scripture calls it despising - without any sugar coating. Let us be aware that this is the reason for our lack of blessings.

You may ask, what then we ought to do when differences of opinion arise. The answer is to take it to God in prayer.He will give us a peace of mind and bring about a solution in the situation - not necessarily our way, but His way! Isn't that the best anyway?!

Let us sincerely respect our spouses. Let us use our words carefully while discussing with them about things we don't agree with. Every thought or word or action we do by despising our spouse is recorded against us - true for both guys and girls. I know it doesn't come naturally. The natural tendency is to act out, but the godly nature is to overcome this natural sin. This is something we need to consciously work on.With God's help we shall overcome.

Have a blessed Tuesday folks! God bless you all!

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Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. Ecclesiastes 10:20

What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. Luke 12:13

It is not uncommon to come across people who are opinionated. They are full of complaints about everyone around them, from the President of the country to the local weather man, and disguise it under a broad umbrella called, "Freedom of speech".

May it be far from us believers - the children of God - to be like one of them. Let us be careful about our words about everyone around us. The more we abuse it the more insensitive we become to the effect of our words.

The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). Which means that if our heart is full of love, grace, joy, wisdom, peace, contentment, fear of the Lord, etc. our mouth will reflect that. It will not complain much. It will build not destroy. It will heal not hurt. It will draw closer not chase far off.

Apostle James has dedicated almost an entire chapter to the topic of taming the tongue. 

In James chapter 3 verses 5-6 we read, "...the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

Every child of God must master the art of taming the tongue. This is one area we can clearly differ from the ungodly. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ was a perfect example of One who had mastered it all! We read in Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

 Let us make this our desire too. Let us make this our regular prayer: "May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

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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 we enjoy to be able to freely worship the Lord. I say privilege because most are denied the fellowship of believers and some are even persecuted and killed 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!

It is His love that connects us across the miles. It is the same Savior we all serve. It is His salvation that makes us one big happy family of faith.

Come, let us bow down in worship! Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker!

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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

Psalm 18 is a song of King David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

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. He had the perfect 'rags to riches' story. He could have easily taken the credit for it all; but he was careful not to. For every little thing 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 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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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

The past few days we discussed about the enemies of the heart. Now what? That is the question.

As today's Scripture says we should not merely listen to the Word of God which will be decieving ourselves. Let us follow what we have learned. Then we will be blessed in what we do.

So, here's a reiteration of what we learned over the days.

* Let us cure our guilt by confession
* Let us get rid of our anger by forgiveness
* Let us overcome our greed by generosity
* Let us be free of our jealousy by celebration

Hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did. Love you all in Christ Jesus our Lord! God bless.Have a blessed weekend!

Note: This study is an excerpt from my Sunday School notes which was based on Andy Stanley's  book Enemies of the Heart. If you would like to read it in detail, here's a link to the Amazon page for your convenience: Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You

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Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy. [Wikipedia]

The attitude behind jealousy: God owes me!

We read in the Scriptures that God is jealous (Exodus 34:14); but His is the right kind. In Deuteronomy 32:21 we read, they made me jealous by what is not god and angered me with their worthless idols.

There is a difference between ambition, determination, motivation and being jealous.

Cure for jealousy: Celebration. Acknowledging what we have is much more than what we deserve.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3

Let us celebrate what we have! Let us praise His Holy name with a grateful heart. Let us keep jealousy far from us. Are we not blessed much more than we deserve?!

Have a blessed Thursday! God bless you!

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Next in our enemies of the heart series is guilt.

Guilt is defined as feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one's behavior.

Attitude behind guilt: I owe you.

Guilt can be a killer when we are really at fault. It is a result of our unconfessed sin.

Cure for guilt: Confession

We need to confess our sins to God obvisousely but we also need to confess it to one another - whoever we offended.

King David writes:  I decided to confess them to you, O LORD. ... I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5

James writes: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16

Confession will set you free!

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36

Amen!  Instead of carrying the burden of our guilt, let us confess it to the ones we offended and also to God and accept the deliverance only He can give. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

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Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:20-23

Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.

Attitude of the greedy is - I owe me!

A greedy person can become dishonest, deceitful because he/she is always looking out for more.

Luke 12 talks about a rich fool. He was called a fool because he failed to realize where his increase came from. He had forgotten who blessed him with the harvest in the first place. He claimed it all as his.

Greed is not a financial issue; it is a heart issue. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34

Cure for greed - Generosity. Acknowledging that God has blessed us and what we have belongs to Him and being willing to share our blessings with others less fortunate.

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

King David prayed, Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Psalm 119:36.

Can we make this our prayer too?

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Psalm 86:15 - But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:20

Next few days we will discuss certain enemies of the heart, a series which we have discussed couple of years ago. The first enemy of the heart we will focus on is anger.

Anger is an emotion related to one's psychological interpretation of having been offended, wronged or denied and a tendency to undo that by retaliation.

Attitude behind anger - You owe me!

God's anger is different from man's anger. God's anger is moral, holy and is about the righteousness of God. Man's anger is selfish, immoral and sinful - someone will have to pay.

Issues of anger - ill health, depression, paranoid, suspicious of others, judgemental, messes up our relationship with people and ultimately God Almighty.

Cure for anger: Forgiveness

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. Colossians 3:5-8

No one owes us anything - not even an apology. We owe it to ourselves to be anger-free. That's what the Scripture tells us. If we are calling ourselves children of God, believers, would you carry an offense rest of your life, or would you rather forgive it and go anger free?

Let us choose what the Scripture tells us - Forgive! Shall we?

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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 and all of the other blessings promised above will be ours!

Let's enjoy the 'Son'day!

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'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:23

 I am sure we all hope to hear our Master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!.... Come and share your master's happiness!" someday. The condition seems to be simple - to be faithful with a few things.

What would those few things be? I guess one would be how we spend our time, another would be how we use our resources, it could be our talents, our finances, our dealings, our attitudes, our conversations... simple things really...

In Luke 16:10 we read, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."

Let us assess each area in our lives and make a conscious effort to become faithful with the few things; then our Master will surely say, "Well done!"

On a different note, if any of you are interested in sharing your testimony with the rest of us, please contact me at nrigirl at hotmail dot com I will gladly publish it for a Tuesday or Thursday post... Thank you!

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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. Colossians 3:12-14

Didn't we just undergo a beauty treatment? Next we need a new wardrobe! Of course, one filled with beautiful clothes for the beautiful YOU! Here's the Designer suggested list of must haves -  Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Now let's add some 'forgiveness' to the look - please note, it is not just the cheap namesake 'forgiveness' we are talking here; go for the best quality - the name brand - the kind that forgives whatever grievances - the Jesus brand - yes, that's the best!

Don't forget to spray on some love! This binds us together in perfect unity - with God, with ourself, with our family and the rest.

What an amazing make over! Don't we look stunning! Stay blessed! :)

By the way, have a happy Valentines Day! Isn't Jesus our ultimate Valentine? We have all the more reasons to celebrate! 

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Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Hope you are with me on the beauty regimen we have been discussing. I am truly enjoying it and hopefully becoming more beautiful:) Today we will discuss how 'the fear of the Lord' adds to our beauty.

Interestingly the fear of the Lord goes hand in hand with 'the gentle and quiet spirit' we had discussed yesterday. Proverbs 22:4 in the Basic English translation goes: The reward of a gentle spirit and the fear of the Lord is wealth and honour and life. In Proverbs 15:33 we read, The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Now, the question is How to develop this fear of the Lord? The answer is given in Proverbs 2:1-5:

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Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
I Peter 3:3-4

Unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit! Yes, that's our first check. But unfortunately in this light most of us look 'ugly', as we hardly have any trace of this quality of 'a gentle and quite spirit' in us. We are defensive! We talk back! We fight! We argue! We kick and scream and what not?!

On the other hand, our Lord Jesus Christ is the best example of one with this unfading beauty. About Him we read in Isaiah 53:7, He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

The Gospel writers who have seen Jesus face to face write about this very nature. Matthew writes in verses 27:12, "When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer". Mark notes, "Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed" in chapter 15 verse 5.Luke 23:9 says, He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. Again in John 19:9 we read, "...but Jesus gave him no answer".

The opposite of Gentle Spirit is Pride. We read about that in Proverbs 23:9, Proverbs 16:19 and Ecclesiastes 7:8.

In his letter to the Philippians Apostle Paul insists, Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. Philippians 4:5

Gentle Spirit comes with it's own reward in addition to the unfading inner beauty. In Proverbs 22:4 we read, The reward of a gentle spirit and the fear of the Lord is wealth and honor and life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ in His own words said, "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

So, Gentle Spirit also gives us rest - the beauty rest! Why not desire it with our whole heart?! Those of us who seek to develop this 'beauty' in us will have to take the effort to practice it consciously. The next time the need arises for us to defend ourselves, let's remember this and save those words! We will turn out beautiful!

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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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* These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. Exodus 25:3-7

* Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. Exodus 25:9

* "Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lamp stand." Exodus 25:33

It makes me go 'wow!' every time I read the detailed instructions God gave Moses about the Tabernacle, the lamp stand, the table and its accessories. How very specific including the measurements, color of the thread to use, from where to where, what design, then what metal to cover it with etc etc. I love it! I absolutely adore the decorative sense of God Almighty. The interest He takes on every single detail... isn't that amazing?!

You may ask what does it have to do with me?

Well, Apostle Paul asks in his letter to the Corinthians, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Again in 2 Corinthians 6:16 we read, "For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

It is also true that God created our inmost being; He knit us together in our mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) Every little detail of our body was designed and made by our God!

As we start a new week this morning, let us give a thought to how wonderfully the Lord has made us. Let us praise Him from the bottom  of our hearts for knitting us together when not one of our bones was formed. Praise the Lord!

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The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2

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. 1 John 1:7

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. Psalm 89:15

Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:5

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Beautiful Scriptures! Enlightening!

Just yesterday we had discussed in similar lines: Arise, shine; for your light has come. The fact that we are reminded of it again means it is the Holy Spirit in the works - speaking to us through these Scriptures this morning.

Light is defined in the dictionary as "the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible". Let it be our prayer that we become the natural agent that stimulates sight and make things visible for those still in darkness around us.

More importantly let us put away traces of any deeds of darkness that may be hidden in us...

Now, let us go worship our Source of Light so that we can reflect His light! Happy Sunday!

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"Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." Isaiah 60:1

"...it is light that makes everything visible ...and Christ will shine on you."" Ephesians 5:14

"the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;" Numbers 6:25

"You are the light of the world. ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Mathew 5:14-16

I guess these verses are pretty straight forward and self explanatory. For today's coffee let's focus on the word "light". Thinking of light in general terms, what are some of the things that come to our minds? Of course the sun, the moon, the stars, light houses, street lights, lamps, flashlights, fire, decorations, what else?!

Now let's try to imagine ourselves as one of these sources of light. Can we be a sun to the world? How about a moon - reflecting the light from the Son? Could we be the stars brightening the night? A light house directing a boat or ship of life? Street lights illuminating someone's path? A lamp chasing away a child's fear? Flashlights used in a search, how about a bonfire to someone cold and tiered, or pretty decorations in the busy downtown? Do we shine for His glory?

Can we play light for today and practice it for the days to come?! When we attempt it the Lord makes His face shine upon us! It's a promise!

If you recall anyone who was such a source of  light in your lives please share so it may benefit fellow readers.

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No weapon forged against you will prevail. Isaiah 54:17


With that we wrap up the week. Aren't you glad it is finally Friday? Let's go celebrate!

For those who care, coffee will brew over the weekend too. Stop by if at all you can...

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* You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17

* The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes Deuteronomy 1:30

* The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still Exodus 14:14

* You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you. Joshua 23:3

There are plenty of Scripture verses stressing the same point repeatedly that our Lord will fight our fights; so it has to be true!

Whatever be our circumstances, whatever be our battle, we can trust that our Lord will fight it for us. Let us by heart these verses and repeat it in our prayers, claiming victory over our battles.

Now, stop fighting it all yourselves. Have a thankful Tuesday!

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"If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer." Exodus 15:26

We are often worried and troubled by the news of sickness among our friends, family, church members, colleagues, community etc. Our hearts melt in fear when we have to wait for certain test results at the doctor's office. But these are unnecessary worries. If we worry the same way as a non-believers what difference does our faith make in us?

Instead of worrying over things beyond our control let us praise God for what we have - the joy of salvation, the hope of eternal life,  that we still have breath, that we are able to move around and for everything that works fine in us that we often take for granted.

Even when we are diagnosed with some sickness, however life threatening it is, it does not help to worry. I am sorry if that sounds insensitive. But that is what the Scripture tells us.

Jesus said in Luke 12:25,26: "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?"

Only as long as we have the breath in our nostrils we can praise the Lord; so like King David let us make the most of our life praising the Lord: In Psalm 115:17,18 he says,"The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the LORD  From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!

He is our Healer! Whether He heals us for life or decides to take us home, no denying that He is our Healer. He paid the price for our sickness too on the cross along with our sins. Let us rebuke all fear, doubt, worry and sickness away from our dear ones and get protection under His wings. Let us not take things for granted but remember to praise Him for the countless blessings in our lives.

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8

So why worry? Only praise!

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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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