Friday, September 24, 2010

REASSURANCE TO THE ABANDONED
Friday, September 24, 2010

Verse for Today
Revelation 2:2a - I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.

The greatest comfort and consolation that a child of God has is that His Lord knows him and his situations very well. He knows what our motives and aspirations are. He understands our failures and weaknesses. He is fully aware of the responses that come from us under various circumstances. He knows when we are patient and impatient in different situations. He knows all that we do and why we tend to do it. He sees all our running around, often without rest and relaxation. He is watching us when we go through different experiences. He knows when we are miserable and weary and seek help, but do not know who to turn to. He is near us in all our experiences and situations. This knowledge and constant reminder is one of the greatest strengths of a child of God, to face the daily realities in our lives. Often we do a lot of hard work, but there won't be any one to recognize and appreciate it. Most of our associates won't even bother to know how we are managing and what resources we need to keep going. Often no one will be there when we break down in despair because of what we are involved in for the Lord. On the other hand, there will always be people to point fingers, or to find fault and level unkind criticisms against us. But in all these difficult circumstances, the greatest encouragement always comes from the Lord that He sees it all and that all of these are in His records. He appreciates even the smallest thing that we do for Him and His kingdom. He keeps strengthening us to keep going to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish even when no one else understands and notices. No matter what discouragement we are going through today, let us be comforted by the Lord through His Word that He knows it all and recognizes and appreciates it. He will also reward us for all that we do here for Him.

Dear friend, do you have bitter experiences in the place where the Lord has placed you? Is it true that you are always destined to be criticised, misunderstood, undervalued and unrecognized? Are you frustrated with unkind criticism and fault finding by those around you? The words of comfort from Jesus comes to you today that He knows and sees all that you have done for Him and watching over you as you continue to do more for Him. Perhaps the people around do not have a large heart to accommodate the good things done by you. Perhaps they do not have enough grace to show kindness and appreciation to people like you who do things silently for the Lord. But the Lord is not like that. He has promised that even if someone gives a drink of cold water to a thirsty soul in His name, that person will be remembered and rewarded by Him. The little Israeli girl who showed Naaman the way to prophet Elisha and the little boy who gave his meagre lunch of 5 barley loaves and two small fish to Jesus are not forgotten by God. Their names are unknown to us, but are written in Heaven and their acts of kindness are preached every day somewhere in the globe. He appreciated the man who earned five talents more, and the other one who earned 2 talents more, in the same measure. Those who wage war and those who keep the clothes of the soldiers get the same reward from God. The praying grandmothers, the two-penny widows, the person who gives a glass of cold water, the widow of the last bread at Zarephath, the people who sent Paul out in a basket through a window, are all remembered by the Lord and there will soon be a day of recognition of the millions around the world who served the Lord through great difficulties. So dear friend, please don't be discouraged by your situations and the hyper critics around you. Your Lord comes to you today to remind you that He knows you, your motives, priorities, sacrifices and hard work that you put in out of your love to the Lord. He desires that you don't loose your first love for Him and continue to serve Him in spite of events, circumstances or criticisms around. A day of real reckoning is soon coming and at that time we will hear the "well done" from Him. Let us be prepared and be faithful to receive His commendation on that day.

John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.

Thought for Today
Even when no one understands us, we have the great comfort that our Lord knows us and what we do for Him well.

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