Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.

Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.

He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 7:6

He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised. Deuteronomy 26:19

Amen! What a special anointing we can sense this morning! To be known as the Lord's chosen people, His royal priesthood, God's treasured possession, is truly special.

These are not mere words, but He means it. If not for that, He wouldn't have ransomed His only Son on the cross to redeem us.

From time to time we experience a certain dullness in our Spirit. We begin to doubt His words. We reason. We look up the context of the Scripture Promises like these and say it was spoken some time in history for certain group of people. We do not believe it is meant for us.

Today's message is to awaken our Spirits. To strengthen us once again that we are indeed the chosen people of God Almighty. He has redeemed us. He has bought us with a price. We are His. His treasured possessions. Amen!

Let us keep that in mind the rest of the day. Let us declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Amen!

 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. Psalm 29:3

Thunder surely feels like God's voice, does it not?! If you have some time today, please read Psalm 29 and see what else God's voice is capable of doing. This is a beautiful passage.

When I visited Niagara Falls for the first time, I was so filled with the Holy Spirit that I was only speaking in tongues and praising and worshipping the Lord - the creator of such a magnificient thundering water fall! That's when I truly understood the meaning of this verse.

Many times we talk about only the love of God and forget how powerful He really is. He is Almighty! All Powerful! Yet loving! Isn't that something?!

Psalm 81: 7 says, "You called in trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder..."

Let's remember this as we start the weekend.

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

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Hebrews 13:4

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a wo/man with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her/him in his/her heart. Matthew 5:28

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Romans 6:12

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Let us heed to the strong corrections the Holy Spirit is talking in and about our lives this morning.

Happy Friday!

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Psalm 34:13

I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked." Psalm 39:1

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. Psalm 21:23

I am guilty of talking and talking too much at times, which only results in sin (Proverbs 10:9). For today and for a week I am going to pray and concisely control my tongue.

Would you like to join me? Or if you have already mastered the art, could you please share some tips?

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone..." Luke 11:42

Who are Pharisees? Looking the term up in the dictionary gives:

1. A member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity
2. A self-righteous person; a hypocrite

There are many references in the Gospels where there are accounts of Jesus condemning the Pharisees to the extent that it appears that He even makes the sinners look better compared to them. I was curious to know why and my search lead me to www.rbc.org which gives us the explanation below:

Jesus condemned the Pharisees' self-righteous hypocrisy because it blinded them from seeing their need for repentance and a Savior.

Many Pharisees prided themselves in their strict avoidance of obvious, outward sin. But they refused to look inside themselves and acknowledge the presence of inner sin that didn't fall within the boundaries of their man-made rules. Jesus knew that in spite of their obsession with outward perfection, they willfully resisted consciousness of their inner corruption and need for grace.

We are all sinners, both inwardly and outwardly. Although we may not be notorious "public sinners," we all share a fallen nature and are often controlled by the "flesh" -- the "sin principle" -- within us (Romans 8). Jesus' stern warnings to the hypocritical Pharisees make it clear that sin we ignore and deny is no less serious in its effects than the sin of the public sinner.

Now, the question to us is, are we like the Pharisees - self righteous and stubborn? Or Are we the sinners who acknowledge our sins and repent to be forgiven?

Good morning folks!

Praise the Lord! I am sure all of us have testimonies to share. It is one thing to read the Scriptures and another thing to share His testimonies. Sharing our testimonies brings glory to God. It edified fellow believers. It encourages crushed spirits. It reaffirms our faith in God's providence. It refills us once again with love, joy and peace.

Let us take the time today to share His praises among the community of fellow believers, with friends, neighbors, family members, passerby's etc.

You can also share a word here at the Coffee table, in the comments box below.
On my part, I am grateful to God Almighty for His many mercies in our lives. Especially grateful for completely healing a severe eczema my daughter suffered for years! Praise the Lord! Nothing is impossible for our Lord. Amen.

May God bless you all! Happy Monday.

And to man He said, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding". Job 28:28

Wisdom is another thing the human race is in pursuit of, completely forgetting that the key is already provided for in the Scriptures.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

It all starts with the fear of the Lord!

So, what then is the fear of the Lord?

Fear here does not mean being afraid of God.

Fear of the Lord, is the positive reverence for God. It is honoring God in all areas of our lives.

How is our spiritual life? Do we seek Him with all our heart? Do we spend quality time at His presence? Do we keep still to hear Him speak? Do we obey His commands? Do we acknowledge Him for our achievements? Do we consult Him for our decision making?

How is our personal life? What kind of entertainments we get drawn to? How is our dealings with friends, family, fellow believers, total strangers? Is there integrity in our lives that reflects our faith or do we play multiple facets? Do people notice we are different from the rest of the world? Can they tell we are heavenward bound?

See, fear of God is a way of life. It is a part and parcel of every day behavior. It is a commitment.

But what it offers is way more rewarding that what it calls for. It promises wisdom and understanding, which the scripture says is far more precious than rubies!

Shall we strive to achieve this wisdom at all cost? Let's then start fearing the Lord.

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:5

The entire human race is in pursuit of happiness, not knowing where to start.

But we as believers are given the keys to happiness, without much toil on our part.

Now, as believers if you say you are not happy, clearly you have misplaced the key.

So, what is the key to happiness?

Having the God of Jacob for our help and putting our hope in the Lord, is the key to happiness.

King David who was a fugitive most of his life, says this confidently, "For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth." Psalm 71:5 

No wonder he often sang happy songs, praising the Lord.

Prophet Jeremiah writes: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that send out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit" Jeremiah 17:7-8

I am sure there are many references we can find of people putting their trust and hope in the Lord, thus enjoying ultimate happiness. Shall we also give it a try?

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

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.”

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

The message this morning  is very clear; this is especially true for marriage decisions. Those who are at the cross roads, take heed to the Word of God!

But those who are already in it, pray for your spouse to receive Christ. In the meantime show them the unconditional love you have so freely received from Jesus the Lord. You may be the only 'Jesus' they see. You better be a good reflection.

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

Don't we always think about how to gratify ourselves? I mean don't we always look to satisfy the desires of our heart? Looks like that is bad. Certain sins are so subtle that we may not even consider it a sin. We may term it as 'habit' or 'that's just me' or whatever, but not sin. This is where learning and meditating the Word of God can help us improve.

I would like to share an extract from Barnes notes on the Bible on this:

The gratification of the flesh was the main object among the Romans. Living in luxury and licentiousness, they made it their great object of study to multiply and prolong the means of licentious indulgence. In respect to this, Christians were to be a separate people, and to show that they were influenced by a higher and purer desire than this grovelling propensity to minister to sensual gratification. It is right, it is a Christian duty, to labor to make provision for all the real needs of life. But the real wants are few; and with a heart disposed to be pure and temperate, the necessary wants of life are easily satisfied; and the mind may be devoted to higher and purer purposes. 

Many apostles have written about why we should not gratify the desires of our sinful nature; here's to quote a few:

* Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. I Peter 2:11
* For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. I John 2:16
* So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16

God bless you! Enjoy the Thursday! Sure; why not?! :)

Who can discern his errors?

Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

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

Psalm 19:12-14

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

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

Amen!

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

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

Thought of sharing the highlights with you for today's coffee...

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

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

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

Our heart is precious. Our heart is under attack. Let's guard it with all diligence!

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

These Scriptures are spoken by our Lord Jesus Himself. He has given us these instructions for dealing with people we do not really love, we are offended by, we do not approve of. The reasoning behind His expectation is given in verse 36 - because He is kind to the ungrateful (that is us) and the wicked (us including!)

Now tell me do we have any say in it one way or another but to follow in His foot steps? When God has forgiven us so much can't we forgive someone who offended us?

How long you want to hold on to a grudge over an insensitive comment by a family member some years ago?! How about pick up the phone and call that person sometime today? It might even go straight to voice message; making it easy on you. All you may have to say is, "Hi! It's me! Just wanted to say hi!" That's all.

Try it and see how refreshing you feel afterwards.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

By their fruit you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


The question that is in front of us this morning is: Where is your heart?

Happy pondering and a happy weekend folks!

Love you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Today's reading: Proverbs 26 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.." Proverbs 26:21

Just yesterday we learnt how not to be a quarrelsome woman; today interestingly we are going to discuss how not to be a quarrelsome man.

As in the verse above, a quarrelsome man is like fuel to the fire, always finding faults and starting a strife. I would imagine it would be extremely difficult to live with someone who is a ticking time bomb! People would normally try to find excuses such as an abused childhood, or something similar to justify their action. But bottom line is lack of godliness is what is going on.

Here are some scriptures that talk about anger:

* James 1:19 "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" 
* Eccelesistes 7:9 "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
* "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger..." Ephesians 4:31
* "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." Isaiah 53:7

You know yourself better than anybody. If you believe you are always angry raise your hands as we pray over you today. If you know of someone else be it your father, husband, mother, brother or anyone who struggles with anger, let us bring them also in our prayers:

Dear Father in Heaven! Thank you for the beautiful day and for this wonderful opportunity to gather at your presence Lord. For the last two days you have been convicting us that anger is sin Lord. Please help us get rid of anger from our hearts in any shape, size or form Lord. Please help us get rid off even the very trace of anger from our hearts Lord. We can not do it all by ourselves Lord. We need your help Lord. You have already set an example where you were like a lamb that was silent Lord. We too humble our hearts Lord. Please erase all our past sins Lord.

Please help us live a quarrel free life Lord.  Fill us with your love and peace Lord. Guide us Lord. We love you so much Lord. Please bless each and every one of us gathered here in your name Lord. There is no other reason than your Holy name which connects us together Lord. We remember our loved ones who struggle with anger in their life Lord. Please Lord open their eyes so that they can see, open their ears so that they can hear, open their hearts so that they can heal Lord. We continue to praise your Holy name Lord. In Jesus's most precious name we pray, Amen!

Today's reading: Proverbs 25 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Proverbs 25:24

This may be one of the verses that is hardly discussed in Bible studies or sermons or elsewhere for fear of retaliation from the ladies. But we are going to discuss it today anyway as it has great truth in it for us to learn from.

How many of us are guilty of being a quarrelsome woman from time to time? How does it affect our husband & children when we behave thus? I am sure they too can relate to King Solomon here as he shares exactly how it feels like living with a quarrelsome woman.

Now the question is, how to avoid being a quarrelsome woman? Here is a list of tips that worked for me; I am sure we can definitely trace these back to the scriptures:

* By accepting the differences and learning to love unconditionally
* By learning to be still and know that He is Lord who holds everything under control.
* By understanding that no one is perfect, just like we are not perfect.
* By learning to retreat to prayer and petition anytime anguish tries to engulf us.
* By being contended with what/whom we have.
* By not dwelling in the past - neither his nor ours

Let's try these tips cautiously for a week, two weeks, a month, 6 months and before we know it, we will stop being a quarrelsome woman and will start making our home a happier place for our husband and children. Also, be assured you will be a whole happy you too!

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. Isaiah 51:7

During our Christian walk, we have come across situations where the world is quick to insult us believers. They call our ways foolish. They say we don't know to have fun. They mock our humility. They quote Scriptures against us.

We have heard of incidents where believers have been falsely accused and persecuted because of their Christians faith. 

We read of Job in the Scriptures that even though God Himself testified of his merits, he was no exception to their friends' insults. In Job 22 we read, they falsely accused him of corruption, wickedness, greed, selfishness, where as only the opposites were true.

Even as our Lord  & Savior Jesus Christ was led for crucifixion, He addressed the wailing women and tells them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.... For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Luke 23:28~31

Compared to the sufferings the disciples, apostles and many more martyrs have gone thru' in this world, for the sake of the Gospel, no insult is too big to walk with a chip on our shoulder for the rest of our lives.

We read of the apostles in Acts 5:41,  "they went on their way..., rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name." And they continued to preach the Gospel.

Let us too count it a joy when we are insulted for His name sake. We are blessed and homeward bound. Let us continue to live out our faith. Amen!

LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:9

Let us go back to the Garden of Eden for a minute. It was such a paradise and Adam and Eve had everything they needed, they didn't have to work hard, food was readily available as the earth was yielding its fruits in abundance, the animals were tame & friendly, birds obeyed to their call, they were in their honey moon with the least of care and best of all God was their friend. He stopped by to enjoy a conversation with them every day...

Suddenly everything turns upside down. They have had the forbidden fruit and are running around to hide from God. They are running away from Him as far as possible. They are overcome by guilt, shame, agony so much that they didn't have the strength to face their creator anymore.

That's when they hear His voice, "Where are you?" Definitely God knew where they were. Why then He asked?

Wesley's Notes says:

This enquiry after Adam may be looked upon as a gracious pursuit in order to his recovery. If God had not called to him to reduce him, his condition would have been as desperate as that of fallen angels.

Aren't you glad He asked? Our Lord extends the same question to all of us today: "Where are you?" It is important to analyze our selves every now and then to make sure we are on the right track - walking towards Him and not away from Him.

Are we in His bosom enjoying His nearness or are we far away from Him filled with guilt, shame, sorrow and agony?

Have we acknowledged and answered to His call? Where are you?

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:8
The interesting thing about a fruit bearing plant is that the plant does not 'think' about producing fruits. It just comes naturally. Same way, in our lives, we do not 'have to work' to produce fruits. It will come naturally, if we remain in the True Vine.

The sap within the branches that keeps the branch connected to the vine, can be compared to the Holy Spirit, who enables us to connect with Jesus one on one, on a continuous basis. When the sap runs dry, the branch starts to wither, and soon dies. Same way, when there is a decline in our experience of the Holy Spirit, when we don't thirst as much for the new infilling of the Holy Spirit on a continuous basis, our connection with Jesus will soon suffer.

Remain in the Lord Jesus Christ.Do not let anything or anyone hinder your joy of salvation.Do not let any offshoots of false doctrine, take your focus away from the True Vine.

Here's a complete list of the fruits that is expected of us, which we have discussed several times in our study.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

When we bear fruits, much fruits, it is ultimately for the Father's glory! Bearing fruits is the only way we believers can clearly distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world. Praise the Lord!

 Thank you for joining me every day for Coffee with Jesus. Have a blessed Sunday!

 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Today's Scripture is an excerpt from Jesus's final address to His disciples - before His death & resurrection that is.

Soon after these words, Jesus prays for Him to be glorified, prays for His disciples, prays for all believers and then they cross over the Kidron Valley, into the Garden of Gethsemane where He gets arrested; the crucifixion follows..

The passage starts with these words: Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” 

The disciples were totally confused. What was He talking about? They had left everything to follow Him and now what?

Jesus clarifies their doubts in the preceding portion of the Scriptures in the same chapter, the highlights of which I wish to share:

* Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. (verse 20)

* Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (verse 23)

*  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (verse 24)

What is in these portions for us today? That we will have trouble. Yet we will rejoice. In Him. Because of Him. 

I know for some these words are vague, just plain words. But for those of us who believe these are great promises. It ascertains our future. It confirms our faith. Let us take heart!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Nowhere else we see such a direct call to go and lay down our burdens. I don't think no one else ever opened up such an invitation. Even we our self would not call out in a similar fashion to our family, friends or neighbors, for fear of adding to our burdens.

As humans we are limited in our capacity to ease out other's weight. May be we will add to it like Job's friends did when he was suffering. Of course they thought they were helping him out but did they?; hardly.

That's one reason why this invitation stands out in the crowd in a special way.

Let us take heed and go to Him this morning with all our burdens and take the rest He offers in return!

The rest comes naturally from knowing that He handles our cares. Isn't that awesome!

Have a good weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:12

Kissing is a token of expressing affection. We don't just kiss anybody, but people related to us. So, if we are to kiss the Son, we should have established a personal relationship with Him.

Who is the Son? How do we develop a personal relationship with Him? In I John 4:15 we read, "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God."

Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I John 5:5 we read: "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

So, to answer our question: Jesus is the Son of God and by believing in Him we can develop a personal relationship with Him.

Then we can kiss the Son, lest he be angry and we be destroyed in our way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are we who take refuge in him. Amen!

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16

When was the last time we feasted on the Word of God? Can we relate to the verse above where Prophet Jeremiah says he ate His words which were his joy and his heart's delight.

Apparently it is not just Jeremiah who enjoyed the words of the Lord. King David sings: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Job too loved them, he said: I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:12

It is a true joy 'eat'ing the Word of God. Why not have some today? Here's some for starters... Psalm 19

Have a blessed day! Happy July 4th to my fellow citizens!

My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2

What does a gardener do? Of course he tends to the garden. He waters the plants. He enriches the soil with needed minerals. He fertilizes the ground. He removes the weeds among the plants.

Gardener gets strict with the branches that do bear fruits. He prunes them so that they can bear much fruits. But any branch that is no good for fruits, he cuts off only to be thrown away in the fire.
Pruning involves removing any and all offshoots from the plants. Offshoots are little branches that drain the nutrients off the plant but produce no fruit.

Pruning is painful yet not fatal. Cutting off on the other hand is beyond repair.  He does that only when there is no sign of ever finding any fruits in them even after much toil. He cuts off the unfruitful branches with a heavy heart.

The plight of the gardener is well explained in Jesus's own parable in Luke 13:6-9, “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

Knowing how much our Gardener - Father God cares to see us fruitful, are we willing to let Him prune our offshoots? Our distractions? Are we willing to surrender to His care completely? Are we ready to acknowledge His supremacy over us?

Those who are willing, say amen! Amen!

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Isaiah 29: 13

As we get ready to worship the Lord today, let us take a closer look at how we worship. Is our worship made up of only rules taught by men? OR is our worship streaming from sincere desire of our heart?

Do we only go to Him with our mouth and honor Him with our lips, OR do we truly love Him heart of heart?

Are we giving more importance to what we wear (or what we do not), or are we concerned to keep our inner beings holy and presentable to God?

If knowingly or unknowingly we have been trapped in to "rules taught by men" as opposed to true form of worship, let us seek to free our selves today.

Let us be careful not to blindly follow any form of "worship" or teachings that are not in sync with the Word of God.

Let us worship our Lord with sincere hearts. Remember He is worthy of all of praises and honor and power and majesty and only He is worthy to be worshipped.

Enjoy the "Son"day! God bless you all!

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

For the explanation of today's Scripture let us read the complete passage - in Jesus's own words:

I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34

You got it! Let's stop worrying about mundane things and start seeking His Kingdom!

Happy July 2017 everyone!