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

If you have the time today please click here to read from verses 25 thru 35.

It makes perfect sense; does it not? Yet, we run after the wordly things first - putting aside "seeking His kingdom and His righteousness" as the very last item in our day's agenda as if to say, "if we get to it well and good; if not we can skip it, no big deal".

Then we worry why we can't make the ends meet or whatever happened to our joy and toss and turn through sleepless nights, worrying more and more about how to make things work - still forgetting to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

When all else fail we get back to our senses and come back to Him. But by then our need is so great we can't really seek after His kingdom but only beg and plead for our rescue. That's why our prayers are always like, "give me, give me, give me" rather than "thank you! thank you! thank you!"

Now, let me challenge you all - for the next couple of days, as soon as you wake up, before you even do anything I want you to sit at His feet - seeking His face, His kingdom and His righteousness. When you have raised up enough thank you's remember your needs, submit it at His feet and go about your day's business. Do this for a week and let me know if indeed the promise worked in your life or not...

And with that we end yet another month this year! Whoa!!

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 then it is hard to accept we will be redeemed too?!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“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.

You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. Psalm 81:16

He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. Psalm 147:14

Okay, this is what we are going to do today. We are going to claim these promises for us!

How do we claim them? First of all we need to understand what is the condition behind these blessings.

If you read these Scriptures in it's context you will understand this is for those who fear the Lord. That means for us to claim these promises, we should fear the Lord, in other words, revere His name. Jesus says  in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." So, love/revere/fear of the Lord implies obeying His commands.

It is not a difficult thing to follow His commands. In Matthew 11:30,Jesus has said,"My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

So, let's fear the Lord and claim these promises for our lives.

God bless you all!

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

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

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

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

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

Is there anything you can do about it this year? This month? Today?

Is there some way you can show Him that you do love Him above all else?

Can we help in any way? Please share...

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Be strong! It is not our physical strength we are talking here, but more importantly our spiritual strength.

We have a general idea of how to get strong physically; eat right and exercise. Same way for spiritual strength too we need to 'eat right' and 'excercise'.

Eat right what? Of course the Word of God! Word of God is referred to as bread, honey, and milk throughout the Bible; let us look at a few:

* "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." I Peter 2:2-3

* "... I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:48

* How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Just like how we need to eat everyday for a healthy physical body, we need to consume the Word of God everyday for a strong spiritual self.

Can't just stop at that, we need to also exercise it to stay healthy! How do we exercise the Word of God? Of course by practicing it! By doing what it says, by removing what it says, by accepting what it says, by believing what is says, by proclaiming our faith, by living our life as one pleasing to God!

With that our 'Call of Duty' series ends. Now that we have heard the call loud and clear, let us go perform our duties! :)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

What does it mean to stand firm in faith?

Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonians, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

So, standing firm in faith means to hold on to the teachings that are passed on to us in the Scriptures. A word of caution here... let us be careful not to get carried away by "teachings" that are not in accordance with the Word of God.

Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

So, standing firm in faith means not letting ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery or sin. Once we were slaves, but now we are set FREE by His blood! Any habit or practice that could tempt us back into slavery is to be avoided at all cost.

It is not by our might we stand, but by the grace of God. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

Finally remember, only if we stand firm to the end we will be saved (Matthew 24:13)!

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

To be on our guard means to be alert or vigilant against the devil; and also it means to be ready for the imminent return of our Lord.

The Bible says in I Peter 5:8, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

If we slack even a little he will devour us alive. Now, don't be afraid of his prowling. Scripture teaches us to, Resist the devil, and he will flee from us. James 4:7.

Apostle Paul instructs us in Ephesians 4:27, "...do not give the devil a foothold." A foothold is all the devil is looking for, to get in and settle down squarely in our hearts & minds, instantly ridding off our joy and taking reign over our thoughts and actions.

A little temptation, a little stumble, a little pride, a little self pity is all it takes to derail us from our Spiritual journey. Therefore it is extremely important to watch out for his cunning schemes.

Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." You can read more about the Full Armor of God by clicking here, which we will also discuss at large one of the days.

Finally it is also important to be on our guard or keep watch, because we do not know on what day our Lord will come. Matthew 24:42

Amen! Let's be on our guard, today, tomorrow and always!

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Courage is defined as 'That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution.'

In Acts 4:13 we read, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

What is it that Peter and John did which made the people see their courage and take note that they had been with Jesus? If you read Acts Chapter 4 from the beginning, you will understand that Peter and John were jailed for preaching the Gospel and yet they were courageous and continued to proclaim the Good News!

How do we fare in terms of our courage? Are we standing up for the Good News or trying to be "politically correct"?

Recently I had shared a facebook video on my profile which raised some concerns from my non-believing friends. What do I do then? Stop sharing such videos? Disconnect from those friends? Quit social sites altogether? Or Continue to stand for what I believe in? That's where courage plays a role, in every day decisions like these little things.

Do we have the quality of mind which enables us to encounter danger and difficulties (even loss of friends) with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart to stand for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for what He means to us? By looking at us will people take note that we have been with Jesus? This is our call of duty!

* Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalms 100:2
* Rejoice before the LORD your God, you, your sons and daughters... Deuteronomy 12:12

It is a beautiful new day, a brand new week - is it not?! As we get ready to go worship the Lord in the congregation of fellow believers, let us remember these verses; the emphasis today is on gladness.

In Isaiah 35:10 we read, "...the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing;everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Aren't we the "ransomed of the Lord"? Are we glad this morning? In spite of everything going on in our lives, we are still breathing - which alone is enough to be singing joyful songs at His presence.

For the rest of the day let us cast away our cares and go before him with joyful singing... shall we?

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

As you see, this verse comes across as a command. We should be filled with the love and joy of the Lord at all times. We should reflect upon the real love and joy of Christ who lives within us. No matter what the circumstances be, let us be reminded of this verse to keep us true to our calling.

Why is it so important to rejoice? Because many things start to go wrong when we lose the joy of life. Our physical, mental and spiritual health too will take a toll. We won't feel like singing, worshipping, reading the Bible, talking to Jesus, eating - so the overall system collapses when the divine joy within us is lost. That's exactly what satan is after. Let us consciously make an effort to be filled over and over with the divine love and peace which brings true JOY.

Let us pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you for reminding us to rejoice always. Please help us Lord to rejoice - in all circumstances. Please help us to truly understand that all things happen for good for those who love you Lord - even when things don't seem to go as we desire Lord. Please help us to overcome any and all sadness we are currently experiencing Lord. Thank you again for your love and grace which is sufficient at all times Lord. In Jesus's mighty name we pray, Amen"

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?

* It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8
* Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Psalm 146:3
* Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Isaiah 2:22
* Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Isaiah 36:6
* Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame.Isaiah 20:5
* This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5

I am sure you noticed how the verses got stronger and stronger as we read through the list above. It starts as a suggestion, becomes a command and ends in a warning.

This is a good reason to analyze our selves if we trust in any men. How about our bosses? Husbands? Neighbors? Parents? Or even your own hands? Are we clinging on to mere men or our ability as our "source" forgetting that the ultimate Source is the Lord God Almighty? This can't be.

Today's take away is from Isaiah 26:4 which once again re insists the importance of trusting in the Lord: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. Shall we?

"You, Israel, my servant,
I took you from the ends of the earth,

* Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem - Isaiah 52:1
* Provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

In those days, people tore their garments, wore sackcloth and sat down in the dust when they were mourning over someone / something. The verses here are direct calls to Zion (Israel) to awake from its mourning and put on her strength and her beautiful garments.

The Lord is our strength (Exodus 15:7, Psalm 28:7); the beautiful garment is the salvation through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 61:10). When we put on the Lord as our strength and wear the garment of righteousness then we will have a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

 Now, as you get ready for your day, do remember to put on your strength too, which is Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day!

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2

Prophet Micah lived around the same time as Prophet Isaiah - about 700 years before Christ. Micah had foretold about the exact location of the birth place of the Messiah Jesus Christ as Bethlehem.

Some argue that since Jesus did not establish His kingdom on earth during His first coming, He is not the messiah foretold here. They miss out on the dual role of the Messiah - one as a suffering servant who bears the sins of His people (which was fulfilled by Jesus during His first coming), and next as a triumphant ruler who will exercise authority over the nations (which will be fulfilled by Jesus at His second coming).

What about the statement that His origins are from of old and is from ancient of times? It only means there is no beginning for Jesus Christ we can fathom in our mind - He is from eternal past - He was with God from the ancient of times!

In the Gospel of John he writes about the same which explains it better. John writes in John 1:1-5, "In  the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

So true! He shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood Him.

In Him is life! Have you found Him?

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.

When the Lord returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.

Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.

Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.

But you will not leave in haste
or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

~ Isaiah 52:7-12

Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. Song of Solomon 6:13

This seems like a conversation between Shulammite and her friends.

In the earlier verses of the same chapter we see how beautiful Shulammite is and how much she is loved. I guess that is the reason why her friends are suddenly interested in seeing her again! They want to look upon her to see what it is about her that attracts her Lord.

Let's just pause there for today... Does our Lord find us (our hearts) impressively beautiful? Does His love for us make our friends want to look at us once more - up close?!

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

Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.

See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.

Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”

~ Isaiah 55:1-5

You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. Psalm 45:7

"Rejoice!" is an often mentioned command throughout the Scriptures.  Yet, that is one area we Christians fail from time to time. All it takes is one criticism or one sickness or one crisis, or <you name it>, to offset us from our joy of salvation.

"Rejoice!" by it self implies that it is something within our capacity to do, not necessarily something others can do for us. If it were so, the command would have been something like "Make him/her rejoice".

One may wonder how we can rejoice irrespective of the circumstances. Or is it even possible to rejoice always? Yes, when God anoints us with the oil of joy we can rejoice in all situations! What it takes to be anointed with oil of joy? According to today's Scripture, when we love righteousness and hate wickedness God will anoint us with the oil of joy.

To add, anytime we feel that the joy within us is lost, we need to repent and cry out to the Lord for restoring our joy. We are familiar with Psalm 51 where King David cries out "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Let this be our prayer too today: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Amen!

Yesterday we discussed that we must wait on the Lord before decision making. Today's discussion is on How do we know when the wait is over?

It is a good question, but the wrong motive. It clearly shows how impatient we are already.

Having said that, the answer to the question is that the wait is never over, over until the coming of the Lord!!

"Wait a minute, that can't be? We need to make decisions as part of our daily lives and we can't wait forever until eternity", you say. I agree.

For day to day life, we wait for assurance from the Lord; making sure we have taken the matter to God in prayer and petition, get a complete peace of mind, sometimes an assurance with a Scripture portion (Word of God), mostly a calm attitude resulting from being led by the Holy Spirit. That's how we know we have the answer from the Lord for the matters at hand.

However, our wait on the Lord is never really over. Each day, each minute we ought to be waiting and depending on the Lord knowing clearly each moment is His precious gift to us and we make it through each day only by His mercy and grace.

I know the answer is disappointing, but that is what the Scripture tells us:

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:7-9

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-16

Have a blessed Tuesday!

They that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

'Waiting on the Lord' is a frequently mentioned term among Christians. But what really does Waiting on the Lord mean?

Looking up the thesaurus for 'wait' we have the following:

Definition: pause, rest

Synonyms: abide, anticipate, await, bide, bide one's time, cool it, dally, delay, expect, fill time, foresee, hang around, hang onto, hang out, hold back, hold everything, hold on, lie in wait, lie low, linger, look for, look forward to, mark time, put on hold, remain, save it, sit tight, sit up for, stall, stand by, stay, stay up for, stick around, sweat it, tarry, watch

Antonyms: carry out, do, forge, forward, go, go ahead

So, to say we must wait on the Lord implies we have to abide in the Lord, expect from the Lord, delay our own decision making, linger in His presence, tarry, hold on, look forward to His answer, stand by for His deliverance etc. In addition it also means not to carry out things in our whim or fancy, not to go ahead with our own conclusions, not to move forward without hearing from Him etc.

Wait on the Lord, wait at His presence, bring it to His feet, raise it to His hearing, tarry for a definite answer from Him on all matters concerning. The business idea you have, the marriage proposal at hand, the job offer you like, for all things big and small, pause, consult with the Lord, wait on Him and then do it according to His will. Don't move an inch before you have heard from Him. Do not proceed!

Pause. Pray. Listen. Act.

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4

How do you know when the wait is over? We will discuss that tomorrow; please stay tuned...

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Psalm 147:4

He who... calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land--the LORD is his name. Amos:9:6

The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. Isaiah 49:1

I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah:43:1

I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. Isaiah 45:4

"... The one who calls you is faithful ..." 1 Thessalonians 5: 24

I believe there is nothing as magnificent as a starry night sky or an endless ocean - as these clearly show the magnificence of God Almighty - the maker of heaven and the earth. To know that our Lord calls each star by name, and that He calls the waters of the sea, it is simply amazing!

The same Lord also called you & me by name - even before our birth -which is beyond our imagination. There is absolutely no doubt about it; there are countless scriptures we can read that He has called us by name.  I encourage each one of us to claim these as our personal promises and live to fulfill our calling.

Remember, the one who has called us is faithful and will help us through! Amen!

"Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." Numbers 11:23

If you can spare some time to read the whole chapter, here's the link: Numbers 11

We are all familiar with the incident when the Israelites were complaining to Moses that they were too tired of eating Manna every day and not only that, they went on to say Egypt was far better because they got fish for free and lot of vegetables to eat.

We all know how it turned out but our focus today is the conversation between Moses and the Lord. When Moses tells the Lord about the people's complaint, the Lord assures him there will be meat for them the very next day and not for one or two days or weeks but for a whole month!

Now, Moses is in shock! Naturally! If you think about it, they are in a desert land, no shore nearby even for some fish, and it is only the grace of God that they even have Manna every day, but now meat? He immediately does a rough calculation in his mind on what they have available - their livestock - and comes to the conclusion even if they were to slaughter those animals it is not possible to feed over 600,000 people! For a whole month?! That's not at all possible! - was Moses’ immediate response/reaction. He asks the Lord for clarification.

That's when the Lord answers: "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." We will pause right there!

Some of us are always in doubt of how God can work out things on our behalf. We look at our resources, our ability, our experience and say "Nah! I can't really do that!"

To us the Lord asks the same question today: "Is the LORD's arm too short?" What do you say to that? The Lord continues: "You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

Whether we choose to believe Him or not, it will come true. But when we choose to believe before seeing it, we are better off!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24: 3-5

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

Amen! We are reminded this morning over and over again of the importance of seeking a pure heart. A pure heart is in essence clean and void of any debris if you will. A heart that has forgiven others. A heart that loves the Lord with all might. A heart that loves unconditionally. A heart that is constantly connected with the Maker.

It would be a precious thing to possess - a clean heart. Just imagine, a heart that is not burdened with the past, a heart that knows not to carry vengeance, a heart that is full of joy - joy of salvation, a heart that always praises... Indeed precious.

Let us seek the Lord to create a clean heart in us today. Let us consciously pray for it. Let us make every effort to be holy so that we can see the Lord one day - face to face! Amen!

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!.

May God bless each one you. Love you all in Christ. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do not imitate what is evil but what is good 3 John: 1:11

Here John writes to Gaius his dear friend, about Diotrephes - a bad example. We do come across several such bad examples in our lives. It is very important to take special care not to "become" a bad example ourselves.

Let's see what Diotrephes did that made him a bad example:

* First of all, he loved to be first (the me, me, me syndrome - sounds familiar?)
* He Gossiped maliciously (talking ill of Pastors and other ministers doing the work of God)
* He refused to welcome the brothers (not having to do anything with people from different denominations)
* He also stopped those who wanted to welcome the brothers (discouraging friends who do...)
* He put those who welcomed the brothers out of the church (worst, barring such friends from "our type" of gatherings)

Sadly we can immediately associate these characteristics of Diotrephes with some people we know... Let us analyze ourselves too to see if we fall through the crack somewhere...

Let us strive to be good examples.

* His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:8
* Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. Hebrews 13:9

Different translations have different words for "secure" such as: confident, steady, upheld, established, resting safely, strengthend, maintained etc. So we get the point!

The question is how to keep our heart secure or established or steady?: I believe the answer is given in the second verse above: Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

When will we be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings? : Only when we do not know the fundamentals of our christian faith.

How to learn the fundamentals of our faith?: Of course, by learning the word of God.

How to learn the Word of God?: By reading, meditating, studying, listening and why not - by googling too! :)

Any teaching or doctrine or "vision" or "calling" that can not be traced back to B-I-B-L-E which is the Book for you and me; has to be dismissed as 'strange teachings'.

Then our heart will be secure, we will have no fear; in the end we will look in triumph on our foes! Amen?

Happy October 2017!