trust in him and he will do this:

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:5-6

Amen! What a great promise for us this morning. In fact, I believe this is a direct message for me as much as for the rest of you around the coffee table.

The world around us is tough. It speaks foul language. It hates the godly. It ridicules the righteous and deny justice to their cause. On the other hand, it supports the ungodly, goes hand in hand with the foul mouthed and loves their ways. It is difficult to survive such a world on a daily basis - almost impossible on our own!

That's when promises like these encourage our spirits and speaks directly to our souls. It is an assurance that the Lord support our righteous cause; and bring us justice like the bight sun. Just as bright and powerful the sun is at noon, everyone will see us shine through!

However, it all starts with a commitment on our side - to commit to His ways and trust in Him. Which then brings us to our today's discussion: How to commit our ways to the Lord?

When Moses summoned all Israelites and gave them the ten commandments from the Lord, he had given an important instruction which holds true for us even to this day:

Be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Deuteronomy 5:32

King Solomon shares a wise word: Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3.

He repeats in Proverbs 3:6, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Yet again He says, in Proverbs 4:27, Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

The Bible is full of instructions on how we can continually commit our ways to the Lord. We only need to read it and apply it in our lives - with a conscious effort.

Then the Lord will bring forth our justice as bright as the noonday sun and our righteousness will shine like the dawn!.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

We all wish our desires or dreams would come true, don't we? Well, the Bible assures us of a sure fire way of getting our wishes granted; which is to delight ourselves in the Lord!

Let us discuss How to delight in the Lord?

To delight in the Lord means to delight in the things of the Lord. We will look at Scripture examples of things that we can delight in that are of the Lord.:

* 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

* I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:174

* Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

* He will delight in the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:3

* Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. Psalm 112:1

* I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness... Isaiah 61:10

* My soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.
Psalm 35:9

Enough said I believe. The Scripture clearly tells us how all we can delight in the Lord. When we do as it says, all the desires of our heart will be granted!

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Now that we know the secrets for our wishes to be granted, why not give it a try?!

Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalm 37:3

We are meditating on the same Scripture portion for the last few days, Psalm 37:3-8, focusing on specific instructions each day. Today's discussion is: How to dwell in the land?

 In verse 27 of the same Psalm we have the answer; it says: "Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever."

Apostle John insists in his letter to Gaius, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God." 3 John 1:11

For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it. Proverbs 2:21

"Because you have made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling. "  Psalms 91:9-10

King David sings, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Can we sing the same song? If we turn from evil and do good, then we will dwell in the land forever and of course, sing the same song!

Trust in the Lord and do good. Psalm 37:3

"Trust in the Lord!" is a common phrase we have often heard in sermons, Scriptures and from family and friends. Sure enough it is vital for our Christian walk. The question is: How to trust in the Lord?

Looking up the word 'trust' in the dictionary we see:

trust/trəst/

So, to trust in the Lord actually means to firmly believe in the reliability, truth, ability and strength of the Lord! The key is "firmly believe".

The more we know about someone the more we can develop a trust in him/her; developing trust in the Lord is no different from that. We need to spend more time with the Lord, learning more about Him.

The best way to learn how is from examples; what better examples than the great men of faith who have often professed about their trust in the Lord. Let's see a few examples below:

* Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4
* Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. Psalm 4:5
* Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
* He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3
* Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:4
* "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." Jeremiah 17:7

Kings and Prophets don't just use empty words. Each words uttered by them are of great value and given utmost importance.

If such mighty men confess they firmly believe in the reliability, truth, ability and strength of the Lord, than their mighty chariots or fast running horses or their great wealth or fame or any of the obvious things, how much more we ordinary folks need to trust in the Lord?!

Trust in the Lord and do good;

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

trust in him and he will do this:

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

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

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

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

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

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

Have a blessed day! God bless you!

"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 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

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 filtration 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 deliverance.

We can sure learn a great deal from this prayer. Knowing that in spite of our righteousness, in spite of our enemies wickedness, amidst our plea, the deliverance 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!

Today's reading: Proverbs 10 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." 10:19

If there is one thing that can not be erased off someone's memory that easily - it is the words! Worst yet, if we speak something in anger. It lingers on for a long time causing further drift in relationship.

In my experience, every time I have sinned with my words is - whenever I try to give "company" to someone who is complaining about another. We believe we are helping them vent; but if we look closer, we are making them sin more with our "encouraging" words.

Being always opinionated about everything is another fool proof way to fail with words. Disciple James reminds us in his book: "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19

Let us strive towards this goal in our Christian walk.

Happy Friday!

My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.” Songs 2:10-13

It is call of love we hear this morning, from our first love - the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can't keep on ignoring the call. All the excuses we normally give are all taken care of. Winter is gone. The climate is moderate. It is the season for singing, cooing and blossoming. He is intent on taking us away to be alone with Him.

Are you ready? Do you hear Him? Ever so lightly - yes, that is Him. Wake up. Go away with Him. Spend some time together before the rush of the day. Even if it is for a short few minutes, it is so worth it. His grace fills you. His love engulfs you. His words lead you.

"Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

When we read about the account of creation in the book of Genesis, at the end of each day for each creation, it states that God saw that it was good. At the end of the 5th day, we read  in Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

However on the 6th day, when He made Adam the first human being, we read in Genesis 2:18, The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” and proceeds to make Eve! Let's pause there for a minute.

Is it just enough for Adam & Eve to be together alone to make it good? Do they even understand each others' emotions or thought process or any of those sorts? Don't they need an interpreter who can help them understand each other and bond better?

How strong is a two cord strand compared to a three cord strand?

The third person recommended for every marriage is the presence of God Almighty who bridges the gaps between the two and acts as the glue if you will, between the husband and wife. When misunderstanding arises the Holy Spirit will guide and comfort them separately mending their hearts, removing their hurts, bringing them together and making them whole again.

This is why it is extremely important to keep our marriage a three strand cord and never a two strand cord and of course not a single strand (or separation) which is considered not good.

Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Throughout generations, the plea remains the same - Fear the Lord and serve Him with all your heart!

Do we? Shall we?

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. Deuteronomy 29:18

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15

The first scripture here is an excerpt from Moses's address to the Israelites at the end of their journey; the second is from Paul's letters to Hebrews.

The idea is the same: Do not develop bitterness yourself; neither do let others induce it in you! Both will lead to falling short of the grace of God. Let us see how we can work on these.

How do we get rid of our bitterness? Ephesians 4:31-32 has the answer. It says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

How do we safeguard against people who produce bitterness? For one, by praying the Lord's prayer "Lead us not into temptation  but deliver us from evil" (Luke 11:4).

* Love one another. As I have loved you. John 13:34
* Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other Ephesians 4:32
* Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Colossians 3:13
* Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Romans 12:10
* Encourage one another and build each other up. I Thessalonians 5:11
* Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

The Scripture calls for it repeatedly (as we see in the above verses) to be right in our relationships with one another. Doing so however is really tough. Relationships are complicated; no denying that.

May be when we were children it was possible for us to love all unconditionally. But over the years as we get older, day by day there is a subtle change in us; keeping us away from friends/family members/in-laws/neighbors/church members/strangers who are not in tune with us.

We make every effort to stay clear of further bonding. We drift aloof and indifferent from their company, which of course we can justify from every possible angle. But the question is: Are we okay in our relationship with God then?

We would like to answer a beaming "YES!" But won't we be fooling ourselves if we did?! In the coming days over the coffee table let us wait to hear from the Lord to lead us in the paths of righteousness.

Let us look forward to rebuilding our relationships with one another, in Christ. Stay tuned. God bless you all!

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done." Revelation 22:12

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:11

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20

Jesus is coming soon! It is what we as believers look forward to, or do we?

I remember as a child and as a young adult, I have expected His return every day. Going to bed my prayer would be, "Lord, if you return tonight please count me in"; waking up my prayer would be, "Lord if you return today, keep me holy and take me along".

However, I admit over the years, His tarrying has made me lose the expectancy of His return, to a point where for days together I have gone without much thought about it.I am sure, all of you believers can relate to this one way or another.

Today's message comes as a reminder that indeed He is coming soon. We must stay focused, not giving yield to the distractions life throws our way. A child like faith, that fully trusts the Word of God, without any reservation or bias, is what is expected of us.

Being always ready for the imminent return of the Lord, should be our constant state of mind. The assurance of forgiveness of our sins and the joy of salvation is what it takes to make us ready for His return.

If anyone here does not have that assurance, please seek Him today. I guarantee you, you will find Him. Amen!

Jesus is coming soon. Until then, happy waiting!

For now, happy Friday!

 "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" Psalm: 23

A staff is a strong wooden stick with a curved end and held at hand, a rod is a stump or a thick wooden stick, normally worn in the belt.

I often wonder how can a shepherd's rod and staff comfort the sheep. We can visualize it being used to punish a wayward sheep or goat that goes away from the flock; but how can these comfort?

Thinking a little deeper of how else a shepherd might use his rod and staff, we can come up with the list below:

* The shepherd uses his staff to pull a branch of a tree down so that his animals can feed on the leaves.
* The shepherd uses his rod or staff to kill snakes, chase away dogs or other intruders.
* The shepherd uses his rod to instruct discipline to the flock
*The shepherd uses his rod or staff to untangle the bush a goat/sheep may run into
* The shepherd uses his rod to clear the water of fallen leaves or debris, so the animals can drink from it.
* The shepherd uses his rod or staff to examine a sick animal or even carry very sick animal.
* The staff signifies the shepherd so that people know who is in charge of the flock

We see that the rod and staff comfort more than punish. As the Lord is our Shepherd, His rod and staff they comfort us. Of course He also needs to discipline us from time to time; agree?

In Proverbs we read, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." It is only natural for our Heavenly Father who loves us dearly, to carefully discipline us too. Shall we say Amen?!

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah: 40:11

When Israelites were being led out of their bondage, not all were happy all through the journey. They were unhappy, complaining and were going back to Egypt all the time - in their minds! As we read through Exodus we exclaim how they could have been so ungrateful while free, after all that they have been through in Egypt.

Often times we are no better off than them. We complain at the pressures of one job, God gives the next one, and then we start complaining about the commute. We ask for a home and when we are blessed with one, we rant it is not worth the price we paid... We wish to come to America and when we are here we wish to return home... When we are young we wish to grow up and when we are old we wish we were young...

This is the "wilderness syndrome" where we keep looking back at our Egypt(s) that we once left behind; in doing so we forget to appreciate what we have.

Instead of praising God for his daily supply of abundant grace and mercy, we start worrying what's in store for tomorrow or how things would have worked out if he could have made different decisions... the list goes on.

Isaiah - Chapter 43, verses 18 & 19 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

Shall we?

P.S: Interesting how today's message touches on the same lines as of yesterday's, Do not dwell on the past. 

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty." Haggai 2:9

Some of us are still looking back to our former house, our former jobs, our former positions, etc missing out on the current blessings God has in store for us. If I hadn't sold that house, if I hadn't left that job, if I had stayed in that town, if I had accepted that offer, etc etc.

Today's verse comes as a reminder that whatever God has blessed us with in the current times is definitely better than what we had before. Wherever we are at, our god will grant us peace. Let us be thankful for what we have right now rather than worrying over the past bad decisions and the such.

In Isaiah 43: 18-19 the Lord declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland..."

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Indeed the new has come! Let us cherish it with a grateful heart.

Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! Psalm 118:15

What is the significance of the tents of the righteous? According to today's Scripture, shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous. There is constant praising and thanks giving in the tents of the righteous as the Lord has done mighty things for them.

What kind of voices resound in our homes? Are we acknowledging the mighty things God's right hand has done in our lives? Can people hear us rejoicing over our joy and victory that comes from the Lord?

If you were to tell me this morning that there is so much going on within your walls which prevent you from resounding shouts of joy and victory, here's a verse to strengthen you in the Lord:

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.” Job 8:20-22

Keep praising the Lord in spite of everything! Joy and victory will soon be yours!

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must Love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you Love one another." John 13:34-35

Love is the very fundamental foundation of Christian faith. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Amen!

Time and time again our Lord Jesus Christ talked about loving one another. Probably because He knew how difficult it is to truly love one another. It is beyond human nature to love unconditionally. Oh, yes we can love our selves, our family, our children - no doubt about it. But how about loving others? Now, how about loving others as we love our self? To go to the next level, how about loving others as God has loved us?

Few questions I lay before us for discussion: (my answers within parenthesis)
* Is it even possible to love others as God has loved us? (Has to be; otherwise Bible wouldn't teach us to do so.)
* Where can we begin in our attempt to love others as God has loved us? (By forgiving others)
* What does it take to stay loving? (By constantly reminding ourselves about the Love of God)

What would be your thoughts; care to share?

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

Don't know about you but I can blindly believe this verse without asking for any proof. I love the concept of our God holding our right hand. Clearly it shows how protective He is of us.

Let us repeat the verse, slightly altered: For you are the Lord, my God, who takes hold of my right hand and says to me not to fear and that you will help me. Amen!

As if to reiterate the statement, in the very next verse He says: Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 41:14

To sum it all up: Do not fear about anything. Just as He has promised He will help you! He Himself will help you!! Remember He is holding your right hand... Praise the Lord!

Have a blessed day!

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land. Jeremiah 50:34

We are going to claim this verse as our promise today. Let's read it again custom fit for our needs: My Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is His name. He will vigorously defend my cause so that He may bring rest to my land.

Who is a Redeemer?
* A close relative who is capable of freeing us from debt;
* A savior

How Jesus redeemed us?
* By paying the price of our sin upon the cross Himself
* By freeing us from the penalty of death that was the wages of our sin, but gave us eternal life instead.
* Saved us from God's wrath by His blood.

What more our Redeemer is capable of doing today?
* He can free us from our financial burden
* He can pay off our debts
* He can free us from worries and depression and the like
* He can heal us from sorrow
* He will defend our cause vigorously
* He will bring rest to our land.

Job during his severe affliction reminded himself, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

We all know how Job was redeemed and his health, wealth and fortune were restored.

King David sings in Psalm 25:3, "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame." Amen!

This was true in the life of Job, King David and many other saints from the old and new testament. Why, is it not true in our case too?! Those who are sure praise the Lord; those who are not, claim Him now.

Yesterday we saw if God is for us, nobody can be against us. Well and good!

Today, let us look at the other side: If the Lord had not been on our side...

It is pretty scary even to imagine as it would mean just the opposite - that everybody will be against us!!

Interestingly, King David had thought of it in those lines in Psalm 124:

If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

if the Lord had not been on our side

when men attacked us,

when their anger flared against us,

they would have swallowed us alive;

the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

the raging waters

would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird

out of the fowler’s snare;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

If God is for us, who can be against us? Roman 8:31

If God is for you, who can be against you? Repeat this after me: If God is for me, who can be against me?

Amen! When God is for us nobody can be against us. This also ties with yesterday's message: No weapon forged against you will prevail.

How can we be sure that God is for us? In verse 28 we read: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So if we are called according to His purpose, we can be assured that in all things God works for the good of us who love Him or in other words God is for us.

When He is for us, who can be against us? The plain and simple answer is: Nobody; indeed nobody!

No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

I love promises; especially those that end with 'declares the Lord' as it is like a 'certified promise' if you will.

Thus the promise above is a certified promise for the servants of the Lord. If we are the servants of the Lord then no weapon forged against us will prevail. Not only that, we will refute every tongue that accuses us.

How? By sending back a stronger weapon? Or by fighting back with stronger words? No, not at all!

If we are true servants of the Lord, we will continue to serve the Lord and He will fight our battles and argue our cases for us.

This is our heritage; let's inherit it!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 1 Peter 4:7

The last but not the least, in the Fruits of the Spirits is Self Control. What really is self control? It is the control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will or in other words, the ability to exercise restraint or control over one's feelings, emotions, reactions, etc.

Why is it important for us believers to practice self control? Mainly because it is one way we can set apart ourselves from the world. We can not consider it fun what the world calls as fun. We have to exercise the fear of the Lord along with our merriment.

King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 11:9, "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment."

King David instructs in Psalm 2:11, "Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling."

These wise kings don't say it for no reason. They have practiced it in their lives. Let us also make it our priority to develop self control. God bless you all!

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

After singing about many aspects of his walk with the Lord such as the law of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the fear of the Lord etc., King David ends his song with a little prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight..."

Following is an extract from Barnes Notes on the Bible commentary which helps us understand it better:

Let the words of my mouth - The words that I speak; all the words that I speak. And the meditation of my heart - The thoughts of my heart. Be acceptable in thy sight - Be such as thou wilt approve; or, be such as will be pleasing to thee; such as will give thee delight or satisfaction; such as will be agreeable to thee. This supposes:

(a) that God has such control over our thoughts and words, that he can cause us to order them aright;
(b) that it is proper to pray to him to exert such an influence on our minds that our words and thoughts may be right and pure;
(c) that it is one of the sincere desires and wishes of true piety that the thoughts and words may be acceptable or pleasing to God.

Though a simple prayer, it has such deep meaning in it. It would be a great idea to add it to our prayers everyday too; what do you say?

Today's reading: Proverbs 11 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." 11:25 (KJV)

This verse reminds me of another verse from Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

We can find numerous other verses in the similar lines. The bottom line is 'Being generous'.

My Mom always encourages us whenever we get discouraged of giving: "It is a blessing being at the giving end rather than at the receiving end." How true!

Indeed, giving is better than receiving. Even when it comes to prayer, giving praises to God is far better than always asking for one thing or another.

It may seem like no one is watching our giving or that only we are giving all the time. But remember nothing is hidden from the Lord's eyes and He will repay you for what you have given. Let us earn to be givers and not so much of receivers! Because that's the true blessing!

Happy September 2016 all!