Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God. Psalm 146:5

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Hope is:

to cherish a desire with anticipation (or)
to desire with expectation of obtainment (or)
to expect with confidence

We all have hopes - hope for betterment - hope for retirement - hope for a future. But more importantly do we have the hope of eternal life?

The Bible says, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (I Cor 15:19)

Let us not forget the ultimate reward - which is our salvation. Prophet Jeremiah writes, The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentation 3:24

King David constantly sings about his hope in the Lord:

Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7 (NLT)
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. Psalm 71:5
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Can we sing the same today? What is our hope? Who is our hope on?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Praise the Lord for His grace to us through out these difficult times...

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

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...

God bless you! Happy Monday!

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

When it was all set and done, Nehemiah made sure the city was consecrated 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.

This is in this context 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 loving kindness. Nehemiah 13:15-22

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

Let us restore our Sabbath!

* And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:31
* In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.1 Corinthians 15:52
* For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27
* For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17

The most important event we as Christians ought to look forward to on a daily basis is the The Last Trumpet Call!!

What is meant by the last trumpet call? The last trumpet call is the imminent return of our King and Savior Jesus Christ at the least conceivable time to gather His Church in mid air. The dead in Christ will rise and the faithful living will be transformed to be caught up with Him. This is also widely referred to by the term 'pre tribulation rapture'.

When will the last trumpet call be? No one knows the exact date/time/hour of the last trumpet call - which makes it all the more difficult to be ready for it.

What does it take to be ready? Knowing Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and having our name written in the Book of Life is all it takes to be rapture ready. When Apostle Paul was in prison, a jailer asked him, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul's answer was: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts: 16: 30-31) If we believe in the Lord, we will be ready.

Are you ready?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

For today's coffee I would like to share an illustration from John Bunyan's book The Pilgrim's Progress.

Christian - the lead character in the book, is on a journey - from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Christian is weighed down by a great burden, the knowledge of his sin, which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand", (the Bible). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Tophet (hell), is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance.

He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "Wicket Gate" for deliverance. He is diverted by Mr. Worldly Wiseman into seeking deliverance from his burden through the Law, supposedly with the help of a Mr. Legality and his son Civility in the village of Morality, rather than through Christ, allegorically by way of the Wicket Gate.

Once again the Evangelist meets the wayward Christian as he stops before Mount Sinai on the way to Legality's home. It hangs over the road and threatens to crush any who would pass it. Evangelist shows Christian that he had sinned by turning out of his way, but he assures him that he will be welcomed at the Wicket Gate if he should turn around and go there, which Christian does.

At the Wicket Gate begins the "straight and narrow" King's Highway, and Christian is directed onto it by the gatekeeper Good Will. To Christian's query about relief from his burden, Good Will directs him forward to "the place of deliverance."

Christian finally reaches the "place of deliverance" (allegorically, the cross of Calvary and the open sepulcher of Christ), where the "straps" that bound Christian's burden to him break, and it rolls away into the open sepulcher.

After Christian is relieved of his burden, he is greeted by three shining ones, who give him the greeting of peace, new garments, and a scroll as a passport into the Celestial City — these are allegorical figures indicative of Christian Baptism and the journey continues all the way to the Celestial City. (Excerpts from Wikipedia)

The point of focus for our discussion is, when we lose our burden of sin and guilt at the cross, we pick up a lighter load and continue on the journey. This lighter load indicates the teachings of the Scriptures, the areas in which we need to improve, loving, forgiving, etc to become more like Jesus every day. Compared to our original bundle of sin, this yoke is very light and not a difficult task at hand. Might seem so at times but by His grace we can do it! Amen!

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalms 68:19

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

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

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

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

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

Have a blessed Thursday!

O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.

See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.

With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.

“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”

With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you— ...

Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Amen!)

~ Psalm 83

This is a prayer of Asaph. We too pray in anguish these days hearing the news of Coronovirus around the world. There are questions and doubts that surface which get no answer. We feel helpless to help out as these things are beyond our control.

However we as believers have our Eternal Hope that we will see Him face to face someday and live forever and ever in His presence - where there will be no crying, no death, no darkness, no fear, no enemies against us - His treasured Bride - the Church! Praise the Lord!

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

* Remember me with favor, O my God. Nehemiah 13:31
* O LORD; remember me and care for me Jeremiah 15:15
* Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me..." Judges 16:28
* According to your love remember me. Psalm 25:7
* Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people. Psalm 106:4
* "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:42
* If only you would set me a time and then remember me... Job 14:13

Several people from the Scriptures such as Nehemiah, Jeremiah, King David, Job, one of the thieves in the cross, had one prayer in common: "Remember me". Some of their agony is clear from their crying out: "Will you forget me forever?" or "Why do you hide your face from me?"

Taking a closer look at the list we can understand that they were among prophets, kings, nobles and also criminals, which means that the feeling of abandonment occurs to people from all walks of life, including you and me!

How do we tackle this feeling; now that is the question. King David sings, "My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you " Psalm 42:6 which has the answer for us.

So, whenever we feel downcast, rejected or abandoned, let us remember our Lord!

Makes sense right?

Today's reading: Proverbs 5 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths. " 5:21

There is nothing hidden from the Lord. Even our deepest thoughts, our fondest desire, our sincere prayer are all in FULL view of the Lord. Sure, why not?! It is all good.

But how about the Lord knowing all about our secret sins, the perverse heart, the gossiping tongue, etc. ? Definitely not good.

In Hebrews 4:13 we read, Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Indeed we are uncovered and laid bare before the Lord. Would it be a pretty sight or are there things we need to take care of first? Let us make a commitment today and pray as King David did below:

* See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:24
* How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Psalm 19:12 (NLT)

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 our kind of worship. Is our worship made up of only rules taught by men? OR Is our worship streaming from sincere desire of our hearts?

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

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

'I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.' Jeremiah 30:17

Today's message is for the sick among us. Please be encouraged our Lord will restore your health and heal your wounds. As Prophet Isaiah foretold about Christ the Lord in his book, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Amen! By His wounds we are healed. Praying over my children when they get sick, I often envision touching the blood that runs from the cross and applying it over them. When I pray for our household I envision sprinkling the shed blood of Jesus Christ in our door steps, in each room, in our foreheads, over our territory etc.

What good is the Christian faith if we only talk about healing but do not actually believe it for ourselves? What benefit it is if we proclaim that the blood of Jesus Christ heals our diseases but do not really apply it over us? If we know of a new ointment that could heal the skin condition would we not go buy it and start using it religiously? Then what is preventing us from giving the same seriousness if not more to the healing powers of Christ our Lord?

We are indeed healed! Let us proclaim health over us and our families and diligently apply His protection over us and ours. He will restore us to health and heal our wounds! Amen!

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. Psalm 32:1,2

We tend to relate blessing to the matters of this world forgetting that this life we live right now is only temporary - a make-shift phase in God's eternal plan. If someone has huge wealth, great fame and good fortune we call them blessed. But are they?

The Scripture here tells us if our transgressions are forgiven and our sins covered and there is no deceit in our spirit, then we are blessed!

Do you have the assurance your transgressions are forgiven? Yes! Do you believe your sins are covered? Amen! How about the third checking point - a spirit with no deceit? Well...

Barnes Notes on the Bible gives us a beautiful explanation as to how to develop a spirit with no deceit:

And in whose spirit there is no guile - Who are sincere and true. That is, who are not hypocrites; who are conscious of no desire to cover up or to conceal their offences; who make a frank and full confession to God, imploring pardon. The "guile" here refers to the matter under consideration. The idea is not who are "innocent," or "without guilt," but who are sincere, frank, and honest in making "confession" of their sins; who keep nothing back when they go before God. We cannot go before him and plead our innocence, but we may go before him with the feeling of conscious sincerity and honesty in making confession of our guilt.

Let us go before the Lord baring everything from the inner most parts of our heart - not trying to hide anything. Let us ask for sincere forgiveness and receive the assurance our sins are covered; that is what makes us blessed!

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21

We are not getting into details on the context of today's text. However, if you wish to understand the context, please click here to read the full chapter.

How many of us can relate to wavering between two opinions? What causes us to waver? When a promise is delayed we waver; when our faith is tested we waver; out of fear of someone or something we waver, to avoid conflicts we waver... To sum it all up, in plain and simple words, we waver between hope and fear.

We do want to believe in God's promises (hope) but at the same time we want to consider the 'what if it is not true' scenario (fear or doubt). The Scripture says: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8

Wavering or being unstable has huge consequences. If you recall Reuben, he received curse from his father Jacob instead of blessing. Jacob's words in Genesis 49:4 goes: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel"

King David sings in Psalm 26:1 "I have trusted in the LORD without wavering". In his letters to the Hebrews Apostle Paul writes: Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm Hebrew 10:23 As part of His sermon on the mount, Jesus said: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37

Let me challenge you (& me as well) this morning: How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him!

Of all the conversations mentioned in the Bible, the one I truly enjoy is that between Gideon and the angel of the Lord. Gideon at first does not know that it was an angel he was talking to and is quite candid about his faith. When the angel of the Lord greats him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior", without skipping a beat Gideon asks, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" To understand Gideon's aloofness and frustrations we need to know little bit of his background.

In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."

It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually  threshing wheat in a wine press. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a wine press. So you get a picture of his plight.

The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!

Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...

 (If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )

For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

I just love this verse so much that I use it in almost all my prayers, be it for me or someone else. The power of His word is enormous. If you recall the incident when a centurion comes to Jesus requesting healing for  his servant, he said: "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." Matthew 8:8

In Genesis 1:3 we read, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The rest of the creation was also created simply by His spoken words.

Elsewhere in the Scriptures we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 Little Samuel was taught by Eli to respond by saying "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

Jesus rebuked satan by saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

We had a while ago discussed how Jesus commanded the wind and the sea. In  Mark 4:39 which goes: He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

In Romans 8:34 we read, "Christ Jesus, ... is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

Even here at Coffee with Jesus, day after day we are encouraged by His spoken Words!!

If we sit down to look for more Scriptures that emphasis His Spoken Words, I am sure we can find many many more. Don't you want Him to speak for you today? I do. Let's hold on to these verses and pray to our Lord thus: "For You spoke, and it came to be; You commanded, and it stood firm."  Amen!

The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things! Psalm 118:16

Your right hand, LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, LORD, shattered the enemy. Exodus 15:6

There is an interesting incident of Moses's arms lifted high mentioned in in Exodus chapter 17; the excerpts below:

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but  whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Exodus 17:8-13

I am glad some of you could join for an early coffee today while the rest of the family sleeps in; whereas some of you had to skip coffee as you slept in late... Either way, Welcome to Coffee With Jesus!

Before we go about the day's errands, let me quickly encourage you to mirror Christ today in all your endeavors. Our Pastor often says, for many people we might be the only "Christ" they know and our homes might be the only "church" they visit. They may not choose to pick up a Bible or visit a church or hear a sermon. But they are living with us, among us, watching our every move, seeing how we handle situations.

The question is, are we reflecting Christ in our actions? 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read: "And we, ...all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord..." Let us seek for this "ever increasing glory" that will transform us more into His likeness.

Let us pray:

Dear Father, Thank you for this weekend Lord & thank you that your grace was sufficient for us all through this week Lord. Thank you now for this moment with you Lord. As we were just talking we want to become more into your likeness Lord, we should reflect more of you and less of us Lord. Let the people who see us see you Lord. Please help us to grow more in your likeness Lord. Fill us with this ever increasing glory the Bible talks about Lord. Continue to use each one of us for your glory Lord! In Jesus's wonderful name we pray, Amen!

Now folks, let's go R E F L E C T   C H R I S T!

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. Isaiah 62:4

Anyone here whose name is Deserted, who lives in the land of Desolate? Well, this message is for you. The Lord will call you Hephzibah as He delights in you. Your land will be Married, no longer Desolate!

Praise the Lord.

The name Hephzibah equals us to the Bride of Christ, as the Bridegroom rejoices over His bride. Just imagine, the King of kings and Lord of lords calling you Hephzibah - my beloved! Isn't that absolutely overwhelming?! 

Indeed His love for us is overwhelming. And soon we will be married to Christ Himself. What a privilege!

Let us therefore get rid of our feelings of self pity, depression & doubts and celebrate knowing that His love for us is all the more stronger.

Have a blessed day Hephzibah! God's delight! Remain in His love.

The Lord said (to Elijah)  “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

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

* When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19
* Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:10
* When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:20
* He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17

So, how is our harvest going? Are we reaping to the very edges or leaving some leftovers for the poor among us? Are we spending everything we earn on us and ours, completely forgetting the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphans among us? Have any of them made it to our shopping list for Christmas?!

* Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
* Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)
* He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31
* Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Ecclesiastes 11:1

I urge you to please not forget the poor among you this season... Let us sow generously.

Today's reading: Proverbs 12 Click here to read online (NIV)

Verse of the day: "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death" 12:28

Life is about our choices. It is the choices that makes or breaks one's eternity. Black or White, nothing in between - that's the way things fall. Narrow path that leads to Life Eternal and the broad way to destruction. Either we please God or the world. Good or bad. Holy or evil. Clearly there is no 'in between' state.

If we choose life, there is no death. Which in turn means if we choose death there is no life. Now, the choice is completely ours.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, we read of God's covenant with the Israelites, setting before them their choices clearly:

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The same covenant is made this morning between God and us, to be more precise, between God & You!

What will you choose? I choose Life!

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4

Since today's verse starts with 'Yet' let's read a few verses above that: Revelation 2:2-3: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

All is well. All is good. We are okay - that's what we think. But there is a complaint against us - that we have lost our first love... :( What? Me? Is our first reaction. But if we sit down to think about it, sadly, we can all relate to that.

We are not as upbeat about spending time with the Lord. Not as keen on spreading the Gospel. Not as passionate about church gathering - as in the past. Our love has gone cold - okay not really cold - but not hot either. This is bad - very bad. In Revelation 3:16 it says, "Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

What is the remedy? In the following verse it says: Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:5

Let us repent and do the things we did at first. Let us first seek Him and His kingdom, shall we? Matthew 6:33

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13 

In the book of Joel we read of many end time prophesies and here in Chapter 2 a detailed description of an army of locusts. If you have some time today I encourage you to read the full chapter to get a glimpse of the impending danger by an invasion of locusts. It is dreadful to realize that such destruction could be caused by swarms of locusts. It is absolutely horrifying even to read.

The chapter does not end with just the warning; but goes on to explain how we can escape the ordeal. This clearly shows the love of the Lord to protect us from these calamities. In verses 12-13 we read:

“Even now,” declares the Lord,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 

Rend your heart

and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13

You may ask, what does rending our hearts or repenting have to do with escaping the army of locusts. The answer is in verse 32: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Joel 2:32 Amen!

If we are intune with the Lord, we will be caught up in the sky when Christ returns to gather His Church before such calamities strike the earth. Praise the Lord!

We have been warned. Let us heed to it. It is time to return to the Lord with all our heart! Yes, today!

* Return home and tell how much God has done for you Luke 8: 38
* Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." Genesis 16: 9
* I will set out and go back to my father Luke 15:18

Not sure why we are reminded of these verses at the coffee table this morning. Maybe it comes as an answer to someone's prayer/quest. Maybe you are at the crossroads unable to decide which way to turn.

We can all relate to times in our lives when we believe the best way to serve the Lord is to leave everything behind and follow Him; but He specifically instructs us to go home and share our testimony with people in our neighborhood.

Sometimes it is hard to go back home; especially if we went somewhere to make it big and now have to return empty handed. As in Hagar's case, if going back means encountering the crowd we were running away from, it doesn't sound like much fun.

Or maybe just as the prodigal son we were running away from our Father and now we have come back to our senses and returning to Him.

Whatever be your situation, the instruction comes loud and clear!

Return home and tell of His wonders!!

Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong 1 Kings 3:9

A very interesting conversation goes on between God and King Solomon in the book of I Kings 3rd chapter. Agreed, it was a dream but we all know the dream very much came true.

God tells King Solomon to ask for anything he wants and very clearly, of course very cleverly, King Solomon asks for a discerning heart to govern and to distinguish between right and wrong. What was God's response to that? God gave him what he had asked for plus everything else he didn't dare asking for. Isn't that amazing!

If God is to appear in our dreams tonight, what will be our plea? What do we consider as the most important thing we need?

Are we seeking for a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong? Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. If we have the fear of the Lord in our heart, we already have a 'seed of wisdom' in us. We only need to ask for more to cultivate that 'seed'.

Is asking for wisdom part of our daily prayer? 

Yesterday we saw if God is for us, nobody can be against us. Well and good! Today, let us look at the other side: If the Lord had not been on our side... It is pretty scary even to imagine as it would mean just the opposite - that everybody will be against us.

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

If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

if the Lord had not been on our side

when men attacked us,

when their anger flared against us,

they would have swallowed us alive;

the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

the raging waters

would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird

out of the fowler’s snare;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

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

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

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

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

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

When He is for us, who can be against us?

The plain and simple answer is: Nobody; indeed nobody!

Happy Monday and have a blessed week ahead.

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah: 3:17

Today's reminder for us is "He is Mighty to Save". Whatever is your care and concern for the day, whatever you are worrying about, whatever was going through your mind all night long keeping you wide awake, however bad the situation is, please remember "He is Mighty to Save". Indeed He is.

How powerful these words are! What an assurance we as believers have! Let me repeat the verse once again: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Now let us all say it together: "The LORD my God is with me, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in me, he will quiet me with his love, he will rejoice over me with singing."

Let us say it all through the day - loud and clear: "He is Mighty to Save!" Amen!

Happy March 2020 folks! God be with you as a mighty warrior!