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

When Joshua had led the people of Israel into the land flowing with milk and honey, one of the first things the Lord prompted him to do was to give each tribe their allotment of land, or their inheritance or portions. You can read Joshua chapters 14  through 21 for the complete listing.

Even in present times aging parents allot their estate among their children according to what they have decided in their mind. When the family gets together to discuss their lots, it leads to lot of disappointments, heartbreaks and divisions among family members as they are not happy with their allotments.

However, here King David seems to be very happy about his lot. He sings confidently, "... the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance".

What makes him so confident? What keeps his joy going? What makes his heart singing? It is his unshakable trust in the Lord that He will give him only the best or that whatever he has been given will turn out to be a blessing for him.

Knowing that every little blessing is from the Lord, given as our portion, our cup and our delightful inheritance is important to keep our heart singing too. If on the other hand we murmur over our lot, disregard our rightful inheritance, abandon our portions, devalue our spouses, kids, jobs, family we will be the most miserable lot.

Let us therefore cherish the lot God has blessed us with - which includes our family.

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

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." Psalm 126:2

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 constant - Fear the Lord and serve Him with all your heart!

Do we? Shall we?

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. Deuteronomy 32:35

Tit for tat is how we like it sometimes. If someone doesn't invite us for some get together, we remember to "forget" them when we play host. When someone doesn't pick up our calls, we don't either. Agree, this is in the simplest form, but what I mean to say is, avenging or repaying is in our blood, even if in it's minuscule form. One might argue it is only natural.

But let us ask ourselves: Is it not the "natural sin" the blood of Jesus Christ has delivered us from? If we behave the same way like everyone else, what difference we make as believers?

We are done wrong, I do not deny that. But let's move past that not letting anyone or anything take up space in our minds making us dwell on thoughts of how to avenge or repay them back.

The Scriptures promise us time and time again that it is the Lord's to avenge. But sometimes it may seem to take forever for Him to do anything on our behalf. That's when King David cried out in Psalm 94:1, "O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth."

Sometimes it may appear we are given an easy opportunity to pay back in vengeance. Let us be careful not to fall into that tempting trap. Remember King Saul was right there for King David to avenge, but he had clearly made up his mind against that. He said in 1 Samuel 26:10-11 "...the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed..."

Here are few more verses to remind us in those lines:

* Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath. Romans 12:19
* Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Let us take heed to the Word of God!

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.

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, 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! Have a blessed Monday.

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

We see two characteristics of God's very nature here - former as a Judge who cannot tolerate sin and the latter as the Father who cannot and will not tolerate the punishment upon us; rather would bear it upon Himself!

This description of God's slowness to anger, and readiness to save, is given by King David - someone who is deeply acquainted with God.

The Lord spoke through Prophet Isaiah:

"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:7-8

Be encouraged He is angry no more! Praise the Lord! Joy comes in the morning! Amen!

Have a joyous "Son"day!

"Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." I Kings 18:41

You must read Kings if you haven't read already, which is full of accounts of kings and prophets. The scripture here is a conversation as it happened between Prophet Elijah and King Ahab. Ahab was an evil king and he had married Jezebel who was a devote worshiper of Baal. Elijah had prophesied three years ago that there would be no rain on the land for three years until he prays for it again.

At the end of the three years, Elijah appears before Ahab and invites the prophets of Baal for a sacrifice of bulls. Baal's prophets were to sacrifice one bull and Elijah was to sacrifice another and whoever serves the true God their sacrifice would be accepted. We learn that Baal's prophets screamed and shouted and even hurt themselves but no answer to their prayers.

When it was Elijah's turn he prayed: "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.  When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

That's when Elijah tells Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain". It comes true shortly that there is a mighty downpour of rain after three long years of famine and drought.

What I wish to point out for today's take away is that let us remove our Baals and any other idols such as money, fame or whatever else we are after and then our years of drought will be exhausted by abundant rain.

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2:26

Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. Leviticus 26:5

The Scriptures are filled with blessings and promises like above. Yet, some of us have a problem with worry! Worry by definition means to give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Is it human? Yes. Is it biblical? No!

Let us say your own earthly father has written down a Will to provide for your needs rest of your life.Would you be at ease or continue to worry? I am sure you will be at ease knowing your needs have been taken care of. Why then it is difficult for us to trust the Will our Heavenly Father has written down for us in the Scriptures?!

Jesus preached the following which is recorded in the Gospels:

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 6:31-34

Here are God's promises for us for today:
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2:26

Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. Leviticus 26:5

So, what have you decided on? Would you continue to worry or choose to believe in the promises of God? I choose to believe!

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.

~ Psalm 13

A perfect example of how King David was like every one of us. Again, a perfect example of how King David was unlike most of us.

He was like us with his despair; yet he was unlike us in his ability to rejoice in his despair.

He starts this psalm in agony but ends it with such joy.

His questions seem like he is doubting God; but the answers come right back with such assurance of his salvation.

He was hurting, on the verge of giving up, yet not quite. He had mastered the art of quieting his soul time and time again when situations called for an uproar.

King David is indeed a great example to learn many things from.

Let us pray for such a heart - a heart like King David's. A heart that trusts in God's unfailing love, even though the human nature of despair overtakes us. A heart that praises more and complains less. A heart that always seeks the Lord. A heart that is forever connected and in tune with the Maker. A heart that claims to be a friend of God. Precious!

Amen.

* 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


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.

From the very beginning of this year to now His mercy has been sufficient for us.

Let us praise Him with a grateful heart for securing our lot and for being our portion. Amen!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman/man lustfully has already committed adultery with her/him in his/her heart.

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

Sometimes we get a revelation or promise from the Lord through a dream or vision or a word or song or a message. But it may not immediately come true.

If that is your case, the Bible says, "Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19

Sometimes things may not work out the way we are expecting it, but it definitely does not mean His promises have failed. In course of time it will all come clear for our understanding. For now let us accept the limitations and move forward.

One thing to remember is: "All things happen for good for those who love the Lord." Amen!

Hang in there; His promises are yeah and amen!

Have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?

It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. ~ Hebrews 12: 4-13

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 of taming your tongue, could you please share some tips?

“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

Happy Friday folks!

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.


~Matthew 7:1-6

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 Israelite's 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, even to the point of going after idols!

It is therefore extremely important to get rid of 'bitterness' 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).

"Therefore 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? Matthew 6:25

Seems to be a practical advice, but to think about it, it seems quite impractical too. How is it even possible not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. Isn't that the first thing that comes to our minds when we start the day? - when we plan a get together? - when we are invited to an event?

We don't really think, "Oh I am alive and well that's enough to make it through the day"; do we? May be we should. I guess the emphasis is on the words "do not worry" Of course we need to eat, drink and dress well, but what we learn here is that it shouldn't be our primary concern.

As we read towards the end of the same passage in verse 33, our focus should be on 'Seeking His Kingdom' then all these things will be taken care of by Him. Shall we?

Have a blessed Tuesday folks!

“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? 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!

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 1:20-23 

It is interesting how the disciples of Jesus Christ, who were once common fishermen, developed such wisdom and insight about all things supernatural and eternal. It is the wisdom that comes from knowing the Lord. It is the insight from being led by the Holy Spirit.

Here Apostle Jude calls us to persevere in our faith, staying focused on eternal life. It is as though he knew the current times. He warns us about the scoffers & false preachers in earlier verses, and insists us to safeguard our faith amidst it all.

It is important to hold on to our faith first. Then we could help out those who are in doubt and those on the verge of eternal fire. In doing so, we will stand before God without fault and with great joy! Hallelujah!

Let us heed to the call this morning: by building ourselves up in our faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in God’s love as we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life. Amen!

Give thanks in all circumstances. I Thessalonians 5:18

Easier said than done, you would agree- to give thanks in all circumstances. We all have something to be thankful for; but honestly can we say we are thankful for everything? Paul instructs us we should be!

There is an illustration I had read somewhere, where everyone was asked to bundle up their problems and throw it in a basket; and later each person was asked to take one bundle from the basket; interestingly most of them walked away with their original bundle. What this tells us is that what one might frown as "problem" is nothing compared to what someone else is going through.

Once I fell down in an airport elevator trying to handle two toddlers by myself. Got some scratches on my foot and felt terrible about the situation. What my little daughter - hardly four at that time - told me, made me to think. She said, "It's okay Mommy! It could have been worse!"

How true! Since then I have learnt to take things in the lighter sense which has helped me remain grateful in most circumstances - if not all, which I am striving for.

For a change let us learn to look at our problems from a different angle today, from an outsider's perspective; see if it is not something to be grateful for after all?!

Let me remind you once again: Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Amen!

Do not lie to each other... Colossians 3:9

Today's simple instruction to follow: Do not lie

A lie is an intentionally false statement. 

Lie is the opposite of truth. I find it interesting that satan is mentioned in the scriptures as 'the father of lies' while on the contrast our Lord and savior Jesus Christ - He is the Truth. Praise the Lord.

Lying is a serious sin. In Revelation 21:8 where a series of deadly sins are mentioned that are doomed to be cast in the fire, it is said clearly that all liars will be consigned to the fire. 

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. Revelation 21:8

It does not say some lies are acceptable or ignored. All liars will be cast out. Let us watch out take heed so that we are not counted among the liars. 

But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

Let us be doers of the word, and not hearers only. (James 1:22)

Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Genesis 32:26

This is one of my favorite passage from the Bible - where Jacob wrestles with God Himself and does not let go of Him until he was blessed.

I would say we are at a "daybreak" too. One chapter in our lives is closing. Another chapter is starting. One situation is taken care of. Another one is looming. One day is just setting and another day is just dawning.

Let us not let go of God without blessing us at this daybreak. Let us hold on to Him saying, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." just like Jacob did. Sure we can enjoy such liberty with our Father; can't we?

On a side note, if you have any special prayer needs please share in our Prayer Requests Page. All requests are prayed over earnestly and faithfully.

Have a blessed Thursday!

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. James 4:11

We encouraged you and comforted you as we urged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 

And we continually thank God that in receiving the word of God from us, you did not accept it as the word of men, but as the true word of God— the word now at work in you who believe. 

1 Thessalonians 2:12-13

Good morning my friends. Thank you for joining me to have "coffee with Jesus" - your time alone with God.

It is my earnest prayer that the scriptures shared over the coffee table here are taken in the right context as intended - as the Word of God and not of men. Amen.

In that case we ought to apply the scriptures in our daily walk with the Lord. Because the scripture insists: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.". James 1:22. 

In the light I thought it would be ideal to learn some simple instructions from the Word of God for the next few weeks, and see if we can apply it in our lives. 

Ready? Great! We shall start tomorrow. 

For today let's ponder over the thought that the scriptures are not word of men but true Word of God. Have a blessed day!

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”


~ John 2:1-8

A familiar passage indeed! The focus this morning however is on the highlighted text above.

Thoughts to ponder: 

Have we ran out of wine during our festivities? Is that because of the empty jars in our lives? When was the last time we got filled? Did we care to offer some to the Master of the banquet?

For the choice wine to return in our lives, let us do whatever He tells us to do this morning!

Nehemiah was a cup bearer for King Artaxerxes - king of Babylon. Most Israelites had been taken exile during that time and the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. When Nehemiah heard it, he wept, prayed and had a desire to rebuild the wall. Since he had found favor with the king, the king sanctioned his pettition to rebuild the wall.

When it was all set and done, Nehemiah made sure the city was concecrated for the Lord, the temple grounds reestablished, by bringing in Levites and Priests to serve there, appointing a choir, and reminding people about the laws and festivities Moses had taught their forefathers to do.

It is in this context we read about how he restored the Sabbath - the day of rest, God had commanded us to follow. The following text explains exactly how he restored it.

In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food.

Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? “Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.

Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness. Nehemiah 13:15-22

The question to us this morning is: Have we restored the Sabbath?! Do we give it the atmost reverence to spend in the fellowship of believers to worship the Lord? OR Have we allowed certain "merchants" in?!

It doesn't matter which day of the week we have consecrated for the Lord. The important matter is to concecrate one day, and do it as He commanded us.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11

Let us restore our Sabbath!

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

* haughty eyes,
* a lying tongue,
* hands that shed innocent blood,
* a heart that devises wicked schemes,
* feet that are quick to rush into evil,
* a false witness who pours out lies, and
* a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

I am sure we are familiar with this list of things that are detestable (odious - abhorrent - loathsome - abominable - hateful) to the Lord.

If we think deeper most of us are guilty of at least one of these!

It is a shocking realization for us "grown" Christians that we could even be part of the "rest of them" out there.

We have never arrived until our last breath or until the Lord returns whichever occurs first. Till then it takes a constant effort to walk in faith, staying clear of the things that are detestable to the Lord.

With God's help, we can! Amen!

Happy June 2019 folks!