HAPPINESS IN HUMILITY!!

Happiness in humility!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, November 30, 2011

2 Samuel 7:18 – Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

Humility is a virtue that is much sought after in the children of God. It is a rare virtue in today’s world where the arrogant and proud are considered smart. Those who rise up to high positions often forget their humble beginnings and boast about their ability and intellectual capacity to reach new heights in life. But our Lord recognizes humility as a great virtue which He seeks in the hearts and lives of His children. He wants us to be humble in our hearts and never to boast. He wants us to admit our nothingness before the Lord. He wants us to be broken and contrite and weep over our nothingness and unworthiness before Him. He expects us to attribute all that we have and are to the benevolence of the Lord. It is He who has brought us to whatever situation that we are in today because of His kindness to us. Any thing that we have in this world is because our Lord has allowed it to happen in our lives. Our spiritual gifts are what He has bestowed upon us. Our ministries are what He has entrusted us with, to be of use for His glory. King David was always willing and ready to publicly admit that all that he had was because of the Lord. Whenever he won a battle, he was quick to admit that it was because of the Lord alone. He was ready to openly admit that he was unworthy to be married to the daughter of the King. He was always aware of His humble beginning and testified that the Lord brought him to become the King of Israel. It is this character of David which has made him the man after God’s own heart. God abhors the proud and rewards those who are willing to admit their unworthiness. The path of blessings for a child of God is the path of humility. In God’s administration of things, the crown always precedes the cross. The Lord lifts up the humble, but has no pleasure in the proud.

Dear friend, have you ever thought about the quarry from which you were taken by the Lord to the present situation you are in? Do you ever think that you reached today’s situation because of your smartness or because of the benevolence of the Lord? Remember, the Lord is pleased with the humble, but He hates the proud. Pride was the sin of Lucifer which led him to become Satan. Pride led Nebuchadnezzar to his fall. Pride made Soul loose his crown, throne and the kingdom. King Uzziah surrendered himself to pride which led him to become ill and subsequently lost his life. Human achievements often push us to be proud and thus commit sin against the Lord. He wants us to be broken and contrite in our spirits and live in repentance and confession of our unworthiness. He wants us to acknowledge all that we are to His grace and compassion. He deals with people like Herod if they do not give glory to God. Pride always leads us to fall flat on our noses. There are many who have fallen because of pride. God wants us to follow the path of David and be humble and acknowledge everything that we are to the Lord and declare ourselves unprofitable servants. It is a great privilege for us to testify to the faithfulness of God to us in bringing us so far. This is not because of our merit, but because the Lord has shown mercy to us. So we need to examine our lives to see if there are any wicked thoughts or attitudes of pride in us and confess it to Him as sin. We must submit ourselves as living sacrifices on His alter as acceptable and reasonable acts of worship. Let us endeavor to be men and women after God’s own heart today. This is the pathway to God’s hand of blessings upon us.

1 Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.

Thought for Today

Humility is sensed as a virtue by those who fear the Lord, whereas the world considers it as weakness.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

UNSEEN RICHES!!

Unseen Riches!!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Romans 8:12b – For the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him.

Our heavenly Father is so rich as to meet all the needs of His children according to His riches in glory. There is nothing lacking in Him or with Him. He meets the needs of all His creation, but has special provisions for His children who are born into His family through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. So His children are already blessed with all the blessings of the heavenly places. They have received the richest blessings in life and life after. These riches include eternal life, sonship, and all the spiritual blessings like God’s peace, love and joy. God has endowed His children with all these blessings so that they can live here on earth as if they are in heaven. They enjoy abundance of peace when everything around is shaky. They experience His happiness in spite of circumstances which are cloudy and dark. They receive His strength to do what they would not have done in their human capacity. They are able to sleep even in the midst of turmoil. Their heart is full of satisfaction not because they have the riches of this world but because of the riches of God. They live as the contended sheep of the Shepherd. They live like Abraham looking at the heavenly city and not at the material wealth they see around them. They are able to bless even the richest persons on earth just as Jacob blessed Pharaoh. They live by faith in the abundance of wealth their Father has in heaven which they will inherit when they reach their heavenly abode. He listens to the prayers of His children and meets their earthly needs so that they would be always dependent on Him and not on their abilities, intellect, position, power or possessions. They may look poor in this world according to its standard, but they are rich because their Father is abounding in riches which no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and not thought about by any human being. Are we not truly blessed people because we were ushered into this blessing as we became His children?

Dear reader, are you aware of the extent of riches you as a child of God has waiting for you in your Father’s home? Do you feel that you are a rich person according to the standards of heaven? Perhaps you experience shortages and financial difficulties here and now, but there are many things God has bestowed upon you that money cannot buy. Money can buy entertainment, but not true joy which is your strength from the Lord. Money can buy nice houses and comfortable beds, but not sleep which our Father gives us as we trust Him about our future. All that we might have in this world will be left behind when we go to our Father’s home because all that we have are corruptible and will have no value in heaven. Heaven will not count any of our material possessions as wealth because these are less than garbage according to heaven’s standards. But our God gives us enough to eat, drink and wear which might include a place to sleep on a daily basis. He keeps providing for us so that we can meet our mundane needs while we serve Him. But we are challenged to live like princes and princesses in this world because we are the precious children of our heavenly Father. But it is a great loss if we do not experience and enjoy the heavenly blessings as we live on this earth. These heavenly resources of peace, love and joy are ours to enjoy even now and praise God in all circumstances that He leads us through. Elijah was joyful at the Kerith and at the house of a poor widow at Zarephath. Abraham was contended with tents all through his life. They enjoyed God’s riches even in low living conditions because they were looking at these as God’s provisions which satisfied them. But in their hearts they enjoyed God’s riches and that kept them going in difficult situations without grumbling. Let us today enjoy the riches of God in our lives by faith and live with a grateful heart for all that He has given us.

Philippians 4:19 – My God shall meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Thought for Today
When our eyes catch the vision about the glittering riches of God, we will not be able to see the material world around us.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

BURDEN BEARING PARTNERSHIPS!!

Burden bearing partnerships!

Verse for Today: Monday, November 28, 2011

Galatians 6:2 – Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

We have a Lord who bears our burdens on a daily basis. We have the freedom and privilege to cast our burdens and cares on Him. He has invited us to go to Him with our burdens and place them at His feet. He takes our burdens away from us and gives us rest. This truth is also applied in our situations practically when the Lord urges His other children to come to us to shares our burdens. The Lord equips them with His Spirit to bear our burdens. This is one of the primary purposes in having fellow believers around us. They have the same love of God that we have in our hearts as we all receive it from the Lord. This is the love which doesn’t demand any thing in return. It is self-sacrificing love which is ready to spend time, resources and efforts for our comfort and encouragement during the rough patches of life. God sends His children who come to see us in our worst as well as in our best. Apostle Paul had such visiting brethren while he was in the prison. Nehemiah had a few fellow laborers who shared his burdens in the ministry of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Moses had the association of Joshua while he bore the burden of taking the people of Israel across the desert to Canaan. Barnabas was a great burden bearer for Paul and the believers of Antioch. It is through these burden bearers that the Lord reaches out and touches us when we have burdens that we cannot carry all alone. When burdens and sorrows are shared, they are halved. We are commanded to share burdens with others and carry the burdens of other brethren and thus serve each other. But sadly there are some who would not open up their burdens with their fellow brethren, but try to absorb it all in their minds which eventually permeate into their bodies and make them sick. Let us learn to cast our burdens on the Lord, share our burdens with other children of God and carry others’ burdens. Thus we will lighten their loads as well as ours.

Dear reader, are you a burden bearer or burden sharer today? Are you open to others when they want to share their burdens with you? Do you feel free to share your burdens with those who are intimate with you? It is possible to find such prayer partners with whom we can share our burdens and pray together. Moses, Nehemiah, Paul and others could not have progressed in their ministries had it not been for their associates who shared their burdens. Burden bearing demands openness on our part and setting apart time to make ourselves available to others who have burdens. Our Lord Jesus was available to the people who carried burdens and He invited them to go to Him with all their burdens and toils. Whoever went to Him found that He was the all-sufficient burden bearer. He took their burdens away and made them free. So dear reader, no matter what your burdens are today, you have the freedom and privilege to go to the Lord to present your problems in His presence and pray for a release. The Lord will fill your heart with His peace as He takes your burdens away. He will also do what is necessary for you to get a release. Perhaps today you are burdened about your health conditions, job situation, relationships, finances, lack of result in your ministry, family situation, children’s future, church dynamics, friendlessness, a difficult boss and the like. No matter what your burdens are and how heavy they are, the Lord will carry it for you. He will lighten your shoulders and comfort you with words of encouragement from His Word. He will also prepare some other believers to come to you so that you can share your burdens with them and pray. He will lighten your load and strengthen your heart. He will help you to find peace in the wake of heavy burdens because your Savior is right there with you to carry your burdens as your willing and able partner.

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Thought for Today

The Lord bears our burdens and sometimes prepares a raven or a widow also to bear our burdens.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

DIVINE APPRECIATION!!

Divine appreciation!!

Verse for Today: Sunday, Novembeer 27, 2011

Matthew 25:21 – His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’ happiness!”

Workers most often have conflicts with their bosses because the bosses expect more from them. Even when they do their best and the highest possible level of work, there is rarely a kind word of appreciation. Bosses often behave like a referee in a soccer field who always find fault and not complimenting. But this is not how our Lord looks at our service for Him. He looks at us and our service objectively and with compassion and kindness. He recognizes what we have done and compliments us and our work. He has no bias towards any of us and would not show any favoritism. He examines our hearts to see our attitude and motives and gives us credit for what we have done in our particular circumstance. He happily appreciates our service for Him and commends us. He also recognizes the toil and hard work we have put together for Him in His absence. He also rewards us with greater services for Him and the opportunity to share in His happiness for the work we have done for Him. Our Lord is not a task master. His expectations from us are reasonable and justifiable. But He is very particular that we employ the gifts He has bestowed upon us in His vineyard. He expects us to employ the gifts and make use of the opportunity He grants us because of our love and respect for Him. He sees our toil, sweat, perseverance, hardship and sufferings while we work for Him and gives us great joy when we would have completed our task for Him. Our Lord is the Lord of encouragement and good pleasure. He tells us like it is and will not hide His good pleasure from us for our service. If someone is not working hard or is lazy, that will also be told by the Lord. He comes to strengthen us to continue to work for Him and that is why He gives us more and more responsibilities here on earth as days go by. Let us take these responsibilities seriously.

Dear reader, are you being treated unkindly by your boss lately? Instead of putting in a good word, is your boss dealing with you harshly? If you are a boss, are you dealing with your workers harshly and cruelly? But these are the ways of the world and its leader who is the greatest task master the world has even known. He keeps on increasing human burdens and tightens the chains of sin on them as days go by. But our Lord is first of all the lover of our souls. He delights in us because we are His and that we work for Him. He takes pleasure to see that we use the gifts that He gives us. It is He who gives us the increase when we employ His gifts for Him. Even then, He comes to encourage us in what we reap for Him from His vineyard. He expresses appreciation for what He has helped us to gain. So if you are discouraged by your earthly bosses or even by the leaders in your Fellowship, do not loose heart because your Lord sees your toil for Him. He sees all that you are doing secretly for Him and will reward you accordingly. He will entrust greater responsibilities with you and will fill you with His joy which will be your strength to keep going. Today it is your prerogative to toil for your Lord with the assurance that your Master and Lord will come soon and deal with your tasks with compassion and love. He will reward you and express words of encouragement about your ministries. Perhaps no one else sees your toil for the Lord today. It is likely that there are people who criticize you unkindly and even find fault with you. But rest assured that your Lord will assess your work with compassion and pour out encouragement on you. You will be ultimately rewarded at the Bema, but He fills your heart with happiness now for all that He accomplishes through you today.

Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

Thought for Today
Our Lord encourages, rewards and shares His happiness with His servants who toil for Him.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

STREAMS OF WHOLENESS!!

Streams for wholeness!

Verse for Today: Saturday, November 26, 2011

Psalms 42:1 – As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

The anguish of the deer for streams of water in times of deepest thirst is phenomenal. But the thirst drives the deer to swiftly search for streams of water. It pants for streams and will not relent until the streams are found so that it can quench its thirst. There is a time urgency felt by the deer which is a great lesson for us today. It is only natural that when we are in this world which is but a desert, we would develop deep thirst. The heat and the dust of this world will push us to utter inner thirst for which there is only one solution. The only water which can quench our inner thirst is available at the streams of God. It is available for us to freely drink from the reservoir of God’s living water which is found in the Word of God and in the presence of God. It is offered to us free of cost, but we need to avail it and appropriate it. We need to have a deep desire for it and should swiftly seek it. The world has its alternatives in the form of knowledge, wisdom, strategies, entertainments, occupations, positions, possessions, prestige and prominence as answer to our thirst. But these are very costly. Unless we are ready to give our souls in exchange, we would not get these alternatives from the world. There is always a catch in whatever the world offers us. These alternatives are prima facie attractive and effective, but will only deepen our thirst which can only be met by our Lord. We need to be filled with the Lord, His Word and Spirit to take away our inner thirst. The Lord satisfies whereas the world deepens our thirst and leaves us exasperated. The more we have the world, the more we will want the world and what it offers, to ultimately push us into frustration. All that the world offers will finally elude us and we will loose it all, but what the Lord offers cannot be lost. The Lord’s living water will take away all the toxic elements from our souls and make us holier day by day. Today there is a challenge for us to seek God’s eternal streams to quench our inner thirst and to make us whole.

Dear friend, are you a seeker of the satisfying things that the Lord offers to all who go to Him? Do you feel the need to get rid of the toxic worldly elements from your soul? These toxic thoughts and desires are thrown into your soul by the enemy of your soul to make your life bitter and frustrating. But there is hope for you if you desire the spring of living water that the Lord offers you. His spring is not sterile water in a pool, but an ever flowing and dynamic stream from His presence to all who desire Him and His goodness. It is available for all who seek it but only those who seek will find it. The swifter we seek, the sooner we will find it. If we want peace and rest, we will not get it from the psychologists and the spas of this world. If we are seeking satisfaction, it will not be given to us by the world which has only materials that will increase our thirst. Not only that, the world will ruin our souls and lives if we go on its way to its sterile pools of deadly water reservoirs. The Psalmists found the streams of living water in the presence of the Lord and they renewed their desire for it and kept going to these streams to fill them to full satisfaction. The more we drink from the streams of God, the more it will refresh and renew our souls in our love for the Lord and His presence. Let us today go to the Lord with our thirst and drink form His love, grace and peace to fill us to the brink. Let us find answers to our puzzles in His presence. More than the answers we get from Him, we will be satisfied with His person and the fellowship that we enjoy in His presence. Today we have the opportunity to pant for the best that the Lord offers us in His presence and renew our commitment and love to Him so that we would find rest and peace for our souls.

Psalms 16:6 – The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Thought for Today

The streams of the presence of God fill, wash and detoxify us in our daily walk.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

DIVINE ENGRAVING!!

Divine engraving!

Verse for Today: Friday, November 25, 2011

Isaiah 49:16 – See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

In a world of constant changes, God has kept His children above all instabilities and placed them on firm grounds. God’s children are in His hands from where no force on earth or under the earth can remove or destabilize them. They are engraved as eternal part of His hands. There is no safer place than being in the hands of God. But God’s children are not only in His hands, but are made a part of His hands through divine engraving so that there will be no more separation. This position not only gives us permanent and eternal security, but also eternal fellowship and companionship. There is no room for anxiety about our stability, safety and future when we are permanently engraved in His hands. These are the hands which hold the whole world. All of His creation is in His hands. He holds the oceans in His hands. A child of God ought to recognize and appreciate this great position of being engraved in His hands and enjoy the confidence His hands provide for us. He knows all our limitations as our walls are known to Him. He knows the strength of our walls and its height. He knows how far our walls are able to resist the attacks of the enemy. But there is no need to develop anxiety about the limits of our strength to resist because our Lord watches over our limitations and strengthens us to withstand any pressure which might come our way. We do not need to know how He will handle our situations, but we only need to accept and appreciate His ability and power to keep us from affected by pressures. All God’s children who have gone through pressures of life have realized that no earthly pressure is above the power of God embodied in us. No pressure will overcome us because we are engraved in His hands and that He knows the strength of our walls.

Dear reader, are you being challenged today by various pressures of life? Do you wonder how you would handle these difficulties? Do you feel that you are being constantly shaken by the enemy through difficult situations and the progressive problems you are faced with? As pressures mount, do you feel the power of pressure on your mind and body? Remember, the power of God in you is capable of handling all the pressures and tensions that you might be encountered with. You cannot be destabilized by these challenges in life because you are engraved permanently in the palm of God’s hands. The power of God can diffuse all pressures which blow against you. Our greatest comfort when faced with devastating winds, waves, storms, darkness, clouds, earth quakes, flood, fire, slander, mockery, isolation, gossip and rejection is our engraved position in the palms of the Lord. When everything is against us, He is there for us and will hold us in His hands close to His heart. David experienced this comfort when he was hunted after. Moses had this experience when he had the pressure of handling more than 2 million people, their cattle and belongings through a wilderness journey for forty years. Daniel had such pressures when the Babylonian empire threatened him. Paul had such pressures when the Jewish religion and the Roman Empire put pressure on him. Peter had a taste of it when he was confronted by Herod. John tasted this pressure when he was uprooted from his church to be an exile in Patmos. But the Lord was with His children in all these situations and gave them the uninterrupted warmth of His fellowship, love and compassion. They enjoyed the confidence and courage received from the Lord because of their engraved position in His hands. When the Lord knew the limitations of their walls and protected them, they enjoyed confidence to keep going. This privilege is ours today as we face the challenges of our lives and keep going by trusting in our Lord.

Psalms 91:12 – (God’s angels) will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Thought for Today

There is no greater security than enjoying the experience of being seated in the palm of God’s hands.

Contact us: todayintheword@gmail.com

HANDLING OBSTRUCTIONS!!

Handling obstructions!

Verse for Today: Thursday, November 24, 2011
Ecclesiastes 11:4 – Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

There are people who look for reasons not to go forward. For them a wind or some clouds are hindrances and excuses for being inactive. But life requires us to take risk and go forward no matter what is on our way. When God’s children try to do something for their Lord, the enemy always tries to clutter their way forward with hindrances and negative thoughts. They will be shown roadblocks so as to stop them from going forward for their Lord. Instead God’s children ought to look at their God for light and guidance to go forward and should not focus on circumstances. But the enemy would like us to retreat or stop from making progress in the will of God. There are many who see unfavorable circumstances and stop rather than trusting God and His promises to sustain them. Nehemiah faced many roadblocks but in spite of it all, he went forward and accomplished what God wanted him to complete in record time. Ezra did the same when he was commissioned to refurbish the temple of God in Jerusalem. But the Israelites felt bewildered at the Red Sea and stopped there thinking about going back to Egypt. Had David thought like this, he would have never killed Goliath or become king of Israel. Opposition and hindrances did not stop Paul from continuing his ministries. Even prison did not stop him from his ministries and he continued to build up people and wrote down whatever God gave him. Yes, there were wind and clouds, but these could not stop God’s people from accomplishing God’s plan in their lives. When there are roadblocks, we need not retreat or get discouraged, but go forward by faith in the Lord who has commanded us to go in His name. Today we are challenged to look at the Lord and not at the wind or the clouds because the one who has created wind and cloud is with us to keep us going through it all.

Dear reader, are you at the crossroads in your life because of the obstruction of wind and clouds on your way forward? Are you looking at the wind and the clouds and getting discouraged? Perhaps the wind and the clouds are tests of your faith. Your faith should grow stronger as days go by so that even in the midst of opposition and obstruction, you can fly through the wind and the clouds as the Lord leads you. When you go through these oppositions, your Lord travels with you and will take you by your hand to the destination that He has prepared for you. Abraham as a sojourner had various obstructions at Haran, Canaan, South Country, Hebron, Mamre’s Estate and Beersheba. We would have never thought that Jacob would make it to become Israel, but he exhibited tremendous faith and trust in the Lord during innumerable times of mighty wind and clouds in his horizon. Joseph ploughed through devastating wind and clouds of bitter experiences, but the Lord enabled him to keep going so that he would become the savior of the children of Israel to keep the genealogy of Jesus going. David found stiff hindrances to becoming king, but his heavenly Shepherd strengthened him to break through the clouds and mighty wind to reach the throne and the crown. Esther and Mordecai faced dark clouds in their horizons, but the Lord took them through it to their destination. So, dear reader, there is no scope for you to fearfully retreat and be discouraged because the God of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Nehemiah, Esther, David and Paul is with you. You can beat any dark situation in life by faith to reach God’s purpose for you through His power. The enemy wants you to retreat, but the Lord charges you to face the obstructions and break it all open in His name to go forward to be fruitful for Him. Let us today smile at the wind and the cloud in our horizons and break a pathway of faith through it to go forward and accomplish God’s purpose for us.

Psalms 118:6 – The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Thought for Today
The power of God will enable us to break through mighty wind or darkest cloud of obstructions and hindrances to go forward.

CONTACT US:todayintheword@gmail.com

REAL RULERS OR SLAVES?

Real rulers or slaves?

Verse for Today: Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Ecclesiastes 10:7 – I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

God created man to be a ruler of all that was around him and within him. He was to subdue the environment and seasons along with all creatures, and his own emotions, feelings and thoughts. But when man became a slave to sin and Satan, he lost his privilege and ability to rule over all that has been entrusted with him by God. He also lost his control over his own emotions, feelings and thoughts. So today man is controlled by the external environment and he has been taking efforts to adjust his life as a response to the pressure the environment, his thought life and emotions try to puts on him and thus to control his behavior and attitude. Solomon illustrates this phenomenon as a walk where the real slaves now behave like rulers and ride on horses and chariots while the real ruler is walking on foot like slaves. But God doesn’t want man to be a slave to his external environment or his own thought life. God wants to give man a release from it all and make him a ruler again. This is possible when we surrender our lives to God and accept the freedom that He offers us through Jesus Christ. When we are thus free from the punishment and power of sin, we do not need to live like slaves to our external environment and our thought life as slaves to anxiety, anger, envy, competition, discouragement, loneliness and the like. In Jesus we can have victory over all of these emotions when we are filled with His Spirit. In Jesus, we no longer need to live as slaves to our external environment by being anxious about possessions, positions, prestige and future prospects. We can find victory over the cravings that the natural man has and live to rule over our minds with the help of the Spirit of God. When we thus become rulers of our emotions, we will have joyful and contended lives. When we thus live in subjection to Jesus and His Spirit, we are unshackled from our external environment and our own emotions. This is the path to victorious Christian living which we enjoy as we walk with the Lord Jesus on a daily basis.

Dear friend, are you a ruler over or a slave to your external environment and your own emotions and thought life? Is your environment putting pressure on you and making you respond to it as if you are its slave? But if Jesus Christ controls your life and emotions, you need not dance according to the tunes played by your environment, but behave and respond according to the enabling of the Spirit of God. Your environment might play around with you through shortages, losses, failures, unexpected changes in scenarios, competition, deprivation, defeat, isolation, persecution, oppression, ill-treatment and cruelty. It wants you to respond in the same manner and thus become its slave. But with the help of the Spirit of God, you can respond with grace and peace. With Jesus, you can rise above the level of your environment and bring your emotions under the control of the Spirit of God. Thus you can become a ruler over all that is around you and live above their level. Today Jesus is inviting you to live like a king and be a blessing to others. He will give you the strength and power to rise above your external or internal environment. The Spirit will strengthen you to subdue your emotions so that you would not respond negatively. The Spirit of Jesus will help you to live positively like a prince with Jesus. This was how Jacob lived in times of adversity. Joseph had this attitude to life and environment while he was in the pit and the dungeon and also when he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Daniel and the three Jewish youth lived to be rulers and not slaves to their environment. Paul and Peter had the same attitude while in prison and John demonstrated such an approach while alone in Patmos. Today you and I have the privilege to live as rulers and not as slaves to our emotions and our external environment. This is the joyful life that Jesus invites us to have today in spite of the discouraging scenarios that we might be going through.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Thought for Today
Jesus the King became like a servant in order to make us rulers and to be seated in heavenly places like princes and princesses.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

UNINTERRUPTED CHANNELS!!

Uninterrupted channels!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, November 22, 2011

1 Kings 17:4 – You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.

God leads His children through unusual circumstances victoriously and meets their needs in unprecedented and unimaginable ways. When God’s children serve Him, their needs are wide and varied. First and foremost they need His strength to face the enemy. They need His protection as they fight the battles of life. They also need sustenance to keep going. The Lord provides for all of these in order to facilitate the ministries that He wants His children to undertake for Him. Each day the Lord leads them through miracles of various kinds to sustain them. It is unusual for a servant of God to be served by ravens that do not have acceptable standards of hygiene. Yet ravens were the divinely ordered channel of blessing and sustenance for His servant. But the ravens and the brook are only temporary arrangements for the servant of God. There are other plans which God had made for His servant. He is to serve and tarry in His presence as his provisions come on a daily or hourly basis. It is his responsibility to serve the Lord and cling on to His faithfulness to meet daily needs. At the next moment, another marching order might come for him to keep moving to a new place of ministry with support from a different source of provisions. But the Lord never forgets His servant in all his circumstances which is marvelous in our eyes. His ways of leading His children are amazing and unexplainably sublime. But the Lord gives His children great peace and faith to keep going without being anxious about their future. He gives food and water for our bodies and peace for our souls to continue to be in His service with the hope that He will lead us in marvelous ways in the future. He gives us assurances and reassurances and renews His faithfulness to us on a daily basis. We can hold on to Him even when the brook dries and the ravens stop coming because His mercy endures forever.

Dear reader, are you experiencing the drying brooks for your daily drink of water to sustain your life for the Lord here on earth? Do you have to depend on ravens that do not have a wrist watch to keep time to give you food twice a day? Are these seemingly unstable arrangements causing you to be filled with apprehension and bewilderment about your future? Remember, your Lord is the God of Carmel. He is the Lord who fed millions for 40 years in the wilderness while they were travelling. He led them without a map or flashlight in the night to keep moving around. He is the Lord who fed several thousands with five flat bread and two small fish and had even leftovers. He is the provider for all the wild animals and birds. He is more interested to give you spiritual food than physical food even though physical food is also important to Him for which He has sufficient arrangements. Even though He is above world’s time frame, He keeps time and schedules without fail. He knows what each of us needs and likes in our different cultures, geographical areas and time zones of the day. He is aware of the quantity that is required by each of us and provides for us according to His measure at the right time and place. He gives orders to His creation to be channels of His provisions for us as He will not leave us orphans. Today He challenges us to dare to trust Him who is the God of all mercies to meet our needs in marvelous ways. The God of Elijah is also our God and He meets our needs with compassion. He is sufficient to meet all our needs. Let us boldly and courageously trust this Lord for our needs today and all the days of our lives.

Psalms 48:14 – For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.

Thought for Today

Brooks may dry and ravens may stop coming, but God’s provisions for His children will still arrive on the wings of His compassion and faithfulness.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

NEVER OR SURE LOSERS!!

Never or sure losers!!

Verse for Today: Monday, November 21, 2011

Lamentations 3:24 – I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”

There are a lot of people in this world who work hard and fight for their portion of assets, position, power or prestige in this world. They are not keen to wait, and want to use quick means and methods to acquire their portion. Once they obtain it, their effort will turn to sustain it. It gives them great pleasure to feel the ownership of their portions in this life. But they do not realize that they can keep it only till they pass away from this world. Their hope about their portion in this world is for a short time. Many do not enjoy it because they want to save it for a rainy day, but they are unable to see it being utilized meaningfully. Thus man toils hard to obtain and sustain assets which they do not enjoy and wonder why they work hard any way. But for the children of God, the perspective is expected to be very different. They realize that there is no permanency for their earthly possessions. So they use the goodness that their Lord gives them to sustain them here on earth to serve Him and to give to the underprivileged. God is their portion and the greatest gift they receive while one earth. This gift is most precious and it lasts throughout eternity. They receive eternal life while here on earth and this is the life of the Lord that is given to them. He is visible in their lives and He becomes their everything and all. The Lord is their focus and goal in life and He is their permanent companion, philosopher and guide. He is their protector, provider and partner in life to accomplish His purpose in their lives. They are so glad to claim Him to be their portion and live with the confidence and strength this relationship gives them. Their aim is not to get any temporary and destructible portions in this world. They always wait for their Lord to be their first and foremost portion in life here and hereafter. In all that they do, their desire is to do it with the Lord and so they wait for Him and His time. Their life is filled with Him, His glory and His goodness and so they lack no good thing in this life.

Dear friend, is there a lingering satisfaction in your life because Jesus has become your portion? Are you in any way disappointed that your possessions are not up to the level of your craving? Do you desire more and more positions, prestige, power and prominence in this life? Is our heart telling you to go for more and more things and positions in this world? Is the community in which you live challenging you to be more and more successful in this life? Are you afraid that if you don’t measure up to the level of wealth of others, they would undervalue you as a fool who is not utilizing the opportunities that knock at your door? But you and I need to understand that all that we amass here on earth will have to be left behind when we depart from this world, either at the rapture or when the Lord calls us home. All our earthly portions have only temporary significance and have no eternal value. But if we desire to be filled with the Lord and His glory, we will be rich here on earth with His glory visible in our lives. Whenever we attempt to do any thing, let us wait for the Lord to give it to us because He is our greatest portion and possession in this life. Let us be dwellers in tents like Abraham or tent makers like Paul. Let us value our Lord to be our only desirable portion in life. Let everything else be our opportunity to invest in Heaven. Let us invest in the lives of people and attract them to the greatest portion of all who is the Lord Jesus.

Psalms 16:5 – The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.

Thought for Today

Let us hold on to the portion that we are sure not to loose and detach ourselves from that which we are sure to loose.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

SHIELD AGAINST DARTS!!

Shield against darts!

Verse for Today: Sunday, November 20, 2011

Psalms 91:5 – You will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day.

The people of God who dwell under His wings are susceptible to fear, anxiety, discouragement and confusion because we live in a world of negative environment. In the night darkness is used by the enemy to create fear in our minds about the consequences of the terror which is a mere earthly reality. The thought life of the believer is often penetrated by the enemy with the power of the darts which might come against them at unexpected moments during day or night. But if our eyes are not fixed on the Lord and if we do not take care to occupy ourselves with Him, we might develop confusion about the consequences of such terror or darts. These thoughts would slowly erode our courage and faith as we would sometimes imagine about the consequences of the attacks of the enemy and the power of the enemy’s tactics against us. We are all the more vulnerable to such confusions especially if we have a negative thought pattern. When the seeds of unbelief are planted in our hearts, it would often grow into discouragement and lead us to despair. When our courage thus slowly erodes, we would become increasingly shaky and end up in beginning to believe in the imaginary consequences of terror from the enemy. But our Lord doesn’t want us to give our imagination to the enemy to work on. He wants our minds and thoughts to be fixed on Him and under His rules. He wants us to be strong and firm in our faith and trust in His power so that no matter who attacks us, we would not need to be discouraged. We have to remind ourselves of the fact that we can have victory over the discouragements which come our way in and through Jesus Christ. The victory that David had against all his enemies including Goliath was not because he was strong and skillful, but because of His Lord. Gideon won the wars because of the Lord as he was only a loyal instrument in His hands. Peter got out of the prison not because of His abilities, but solely and absolutely because of the Lord. Nehemiah was able to complete his task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem because he refused to be confused and discouraged. Our God wants us to learn lessons about faith and trust from these heroes of faith and follow their pathway in putting all our faith in the Lord. Today let us refuse to be confused and discouraged because our God is working for us in our circumstances.

Dear reader, are you facing the great enemy of discouragement knocking at the door of your heart? Is the enemy of your soul giving you all the negative possibilities of your scenario to make you doubt the work of the Lord in your life? Is your circumstance painted dark by the enemy so that doubt and unbelief can slowly creep in to your thought life? Remember, you are in the battle ground and the enemy is engaged in the battle for your mind. Once he gets access to your mind, he knows that he can defeat you just as he defeated our first parents. Let us be aware of this subtle danger and not allow even a needle point for the enemy to plant his poisonous seeds of doubt and confusion in our minds. Our Lord is sufficient to pull us up even when our scenario seems absolutely hopeless. Our Lord has the power to bring hope in any desperate situation as He is the God of the Impossible. He stops the winds and calms the sea. He keeps His promises in the most utterly hopeless situations like that of the birth of Isaac. He lifts up the forgotten Joseph to become the Governor of Egypt. He uses meager means to get His people out of Egypt and make them walk through dry land in the Red Sea. He stops sun and moon for a few hours to accomplish His purpose. He makes the donkey speak to warn people. There is nothing impossible for Him and at the right time He will emerge in mighty power to fulfill His purpose in our lives. So there is no need for us to loose our hope and peace about our future. Let us be confident and unshaken today because our God lives and He still works in the lives of His people for His glory and for joy and satisfaction in their hearts.

Psalms 89:15 – Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.

Thought for Today

God of Impossibilities can remove the mountainous confusions that the enemy tries to install in the hearts of His people.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

DELAY THAT DEMANDS READINESS!!

Delay that demands readiness!

Verse for Today: Saturday, November 19, 2011

Lamentations 3:31 – For the Lord will not cast off forever.

The experience of God’s people speaks vividly that God will not forget His people forever. It is likely that when they disobey Him, He might at times be silent. He sometimes delays the answers to their prayers. He even abandons His people for a time to make them learn lessons in life which they refuse to learn from His school. This has been the history of Israel who kept disregarding His decrees and instructions. So He did not work in their midst and waited until they came back to Him in repentance and confession. But His silence did not mean that He had cast His people off forever. In fact, it is in God’s very nature that He cannot and will not forget His people forever. Even when He is silent, He still loves them because they are His children. He still has great plans for them and He waits for them to come back to Him just as the father of the prodigal waited patiently for his son to return. When the prodigal returned, he was accepted without any condition. He was treated as if he has never before disobeyed the father. He was not cast off forever, but it was he who abandoned his father and went off to a far country. Sometimes God is silent with His children and this silence is to teach them patience and maturity in their relation with the Father. He wants us to learn how to wait patiently for Him to answer our prayers. God’s silent response to His praying children is to invoke importunity in them and thus to build up their life of faith and trust in Him. So let us today reaffirm our trust in the Lord even when we do not have His ready answers to our pressing questions. Whether He speaks to us readily or not, we know that He loves us with everlasting love which will not dwindle in its quality and dimensions. He will not cast off His children forever and will answer as it pleases Him at His best time.

Dear friend, have you been asking the Lord some puzzling questions about your difficult situations, and you have been waiting for answers for a long time? Has He delayed His answers to the extent to which it cast doubts in your mind as to whether He has forsaken you or not? Have you been undergoing hardship and adversity for considerable time without a release in spite of persistent prayer for long time? Have you been praying for physical or emotional healing, for that job which has eluded you for considerable time or for the salvation of a loved one? Rest assured that our Lord will not cast us off forever. When we pray, it is registered in His presence. Our importunity is well taken by Him in His grace and love. He sees our sufferings and pains of various kinds and has compassion on us. But He has designed His answers and timeframe to come to us. If we have backslidden, He expects us to find the way back to Him with confession and repentance. If we have grieved Him, He expects us to go to Him with a penitent heart and true brokenness. But we can be sure that our Lord will not cast us off forever and that He will give us a visitation in due season. He is faithful to do His part, but it is up to us to settle our matters with Him with contrition and confession. If His Spirit is grieved in our hearts, He wants us to bring joy to the Spirit through repentance. Abraham had to wait for a quarter of a century for a promised son. Joseph was out of circulation for 13 years before his dreams were fulfilled. David had to run around from cave to cave for years before he finally became king. Hanna had to wait for years to get the child she asked for. Rachel also had such an experience. Mary and Marta had to wait for 4 days to get their brother back from the dead. Yes, our Lord will not cast us off forever and will come back to us at the right time to answer our heart cry and meet our needs. Today it is our blessed privilege to cling on to Him and ask for His grace to wait for His time to answer our prayers and meet our needs.

Isaiah 54:7 – For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

Thought for Today

God’s delays are not denials, but opportunity for you to revive your life in readiness to receive what He wants to bestow upon you.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS!!

Impenetrable Fortress!

Verse for Today: Friday, November 18, 2011

Psalms 94:22 – But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

When we are under attack from various corners, it is natural that we seek a hiding place. As we go through rough waters, our ship needs an anchor so that we would not sink. When we pass through slippery places here on earth, we need a rock on which we can stand firm. In such situations, the testimony of the Psalmist is a great encouragement for us. He has found a fortress and a rock in times of adversity. In the midst of attack from the enemy to annihilate him, he would not be shaken because his fortress is not human or material, but the Lord who is mighty in deeds and power. He demonstrates His mighty power to rescue His children from peril. He primarily keeps the minds of His children from getting agitated. All their fears are wiped out when they see the demonstration of His mighty power in protecting them as they take refuge in Him. Along with that, He protects them physically so as to give them safety and security. The Lord as our refuge and fortress guarantees our safety. Once we are in this fortress which is the Lord and His presence, we can leave all our cares to Him and relax. Nothing untoward will ever come to us because we have a divine guarantee that our Lord is sufficient to help us to withstand all the pressures of life. When the enemy sends his darts towards us, they do not have the strength to penetrate the strong walls of our fortress. Our Lord keeps us from becoming anxious and fearful about our safety now and in the future. But in order to appreciate and enjoy the safety available to us in the fortress which is our Lord, we must go and dwell in His safety. We must leave all our cares totally and absolutely to Him and resolve to remain calm. We must be willing to leave our safety to Him along with all the fears and doubts that we are encountered with. He is faithful and mighty to honor our faith and keep our hearts from doubts and confusion. He will keep us calm and composed in times of great adversities and opposition in this world and He guarantees our security.

Dear friend, are you being tossed around by the wind and the waves in the sea of life today? Are the fiery darts of the enemy coming your way and are these arrows taking away your confidence, courage and joy and make you tremble? But no matter where you are today, and how vulnerable your situation is, there is no cause for any alarm. You can lift up your head and see your Lord, who is the tower of strength standing out for you. His promises are also standing out for you to see from your place of turmoil or adversity. His power is demonstrated in all of creation which you can observe, and take courage in His power and strength which are for you to make use of in times of trials and tribulations. He is the never changing Lord who will be with you when you are all alone to fight your battles. When circumstances isolate you, He is the God who is near you to touch your heart and remove loneliness. When you are intimidated by the enemy, He comes to be you and shields you under His wings. Because your feet are on your Lord who is the Rock of Ages, no force on earth can rattle you. Remember, if you depend on earthly forces and resources around you, it will end up in gross disappointment because they make powerless and empty promises. The only mountain from where help will come is your Lord and the other tall mountains around you are only museum pieces. Your Lord is your help in times of gravest needs and situations. Today you have the privilege to run to the Lord who is the fortress and tower of strength, and to stand firm on the Rock of Ages to weather away any adversity that might try to blow you away.

Psalms 18:2 – The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Thought for Today

Instead of running away from situations, we should run to the Lord who is our divine fortress for refuge and strength.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

ESCORTED BY FAITHFULNESS AND MERCY!!

Escorted by faithfulness and mercy!

Verse for Today: Thursday, November 17, 2011

Psalms 89:24 – My faithfulness and loving kindness will be with him, and in My name his horn will be exalted.

God has established His faithfulness and loving kindness to be with His children at all the time and in all situations. His faithfulness is the cornerstone of His promises to His children and they can count on it all the time. His faithfulness will not depart from His children even when He disciplines them. He also deals us in loving kindness and compassion. In His mercy, He doesn’t give us what they are not equipped to handle. As we walk with the Lord each day, in all our experiences of hills and valleys, He always deals with us by fulfilling His promises. So we can always count on His promises to be fulfilled in our lives. We have the privilege to live each day by holding on to the promises which are ours to trust. Each promise can be personalized by each child for each moment in life. God’s power, prestige and dignity are embodied in each of His promises. God’s very character of changelessness is the cornerstone of these promises. They are fulfilled with loving kindness for the good of His children. God is absolutely faithful in all His utterances to His children and so they can claim these pronouncements in all situations and circumstances. Even when all others depart from us, He will not. His mercy will always be with us in all situations. He deals with us in mercy and will give us what we need. He does not give us what might cause us to be proud or to backslide. If we keep holding on to His promises and understand His mercy, we will be able to take comfort even in our painful situations. When there is no visible hope for us in our situations, our God has something good planned for us in it. So God permits seemingly painful and unpleasant events and situations in our lives, and make these works together for our good. We may not know how it would end up in our good, but in God’s faithfulness, God wants us to trust Him to work it out for our good. Nebuchadnezzar and Darius were made to worship our Lord because of the unpleasant and fearful experiences which God permitted in the lives of Daniel and the three Hebrew youth. These events exalted His children in the enemy territory. God’s faithfulness moved nations and kings and made them send His children back to their country to rebuild the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem according to His plan and schedule. God’s faithfulness and mercy become our teachers to help us learn lessons about the depth and breadth of God’s love and care for us.

Dear reader, are you intimidated by unpleasant and painful experiences in life today? Is your natural mind asking you as to how a faithful and merciful God permits such events in your life? Do you wonder how God takes glory to Himself through these events in your life? Remember, our God takes glory to Himself when there is a shortage and an embarrassment during a banquet in Cana. He takes glory when several thousand people are hungry in the wilderness. His name is exemplified when a dear brother of two loving sisters is promoted to glory. He is praised when the would-be king of Israel is hunted after. He is glorified when the sea blocks the passage of God’s people. When they are hungry and thirsty, He is glorified by the way they got food and water. His name becomes glorious when a strong city wall is broken simply when His people shout and blow the trumpet. God’s glory exemplifies in times of flood, water, wind, waves, storms, sickness, death, poverty, hunger, shipwreck and even in mockery and crucifixion. His faithfulness and mercy stand guard on both sides of His children just as security officers escort very important persons (VIP). When we hold on to His faithfulness and mercy, we can also go forward in all our unpleasant circumstances and experiences and learn spiritual lessons of trust, faith and peace all the time.

Psalms 91:4b – His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Thought for Today

The dignity and status of the children of God is revealed through their victory march in this world with the escort of the faithfulness and loving kindness of God.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

SHADOW STRONGER THAN STORMS!!

Shadow stronger than storms!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Psalms 197:30 – They were glad when (the storm and the sea) grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.

Storms and raging sea are realities in human life. These come when we least expect it and cause a lot of inconvenience, delay, loss, anxiety, fear and apprehension. It is physically and emotionally costly and creates experiences which we find difficult to pass through. It is powerful enough to shake the faith of any child of God. But the greatest comfort we have is that our Lord is in the raging sea with us. He knows when the storm is coming and how powerful it is. He stays with us throughout the storm as we pass through the rough sea. He guides us so that we can go through it without damage. He also helps us to learn valuable lessons during our times of storms and rough weather. The company of our Lord helps us to weather away the storms and sea billows. He helps us to sing songs of salvation before the storms, through the storms and after the storms. He gives the right songs when each wave comes to seemingly devour us. His grace is showered upon us to meet the challenges of the storms and the rage of the sea of life. As we go through these rough experiences, we might wonder how we would face the next moment. When the tough moment is over, we will be able to see that we could endure because the Lord gave special grace. In moments like these, the Lord keeps giving us the reassurance that He is with us and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We will hear His soft and soothing voice that He will lead us forward and strengthen us even through the storms. Yes, He gives us the grace to face the rough realities of life whether it is failure, loss, separation, sickness or loneliness. He keeps reminding us that there is a haven and a home for us to rest and that He will take us through the storms and the sea to our haven of rest. When we reach our eternal destination, we will be able to look back and thank the Lord for the devastating storms and the sea billows and how these had helped us to learn to trust the Lord each moment in life.

Dear friend, is your life today a facing powerful storms in a raging sea with its devastating wind and waves? Is your boat of life being tossed around? Do you see the devouring storm coming towards you and shouting out to you that there is no hope for you? But have you not seen your beloved Lord travelling with you in your boat? Do you recognize that He is your co-traveler and He moves with you even in the eye of the storm? He is the unseen traveler who is always with you and He is your partner when the weather gets rough. Your boat is His and all your affairs are His also because you have surrendered your life to Him. You are His special concern because He has purchased you with His life. So all your experiences in life make Him act swiftly to cover you up with Him. He sees to it that you experience His peace and providence every moment of your passage through the rough weather. Remember, He wants to takes you through the rough waters rather than take a detour because His purpose is to make you trust Him more intensely. The Lord who took the disciples through the raging Sea of Galilee is with you in your boat today and will see to it that you reach your haven of rest safely. Perhaps your co-passengers might not be of much help because they are also fighting their own battles. But your Lord is there with you and for you all the time. Your boat will land on solid ground just as Noah and the ark landed. Moses will give way to Joshua and soon Joshua will also be removed from the scene, but the Lord will not leave you alone. His grace will go with you each day to meet the challenges of that day with His grace. Today He is with you and He will be with you in all your tomorrows with all the challenges which tomorrows might pose. He will carry you in His arms until you reach your haven of rest and safety.

Exodus 33:14 – The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Thought for Today

No matter how rough the sea of life is and how devastating the rage of the storm might be, those who live under the Shadow of the Almighty have no cause to be anxious or fearful.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

PEACE AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!

Peace again and again!!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, November 15, 2011

John 20:21 – So Jesus said to (the disciples) again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you”.

God’s children are given His peace to lead us on a daily basis. But when we go through intense and bitter experiences and situations, and as we are not able to lay hold of His peace, God comes again and again to reassure us of His peace. He watches over our hearts always and when we lack the ability to exercise our faith, He comes to strengthen us further. His peace comes to us through His reassuring presence, promises and power through the Holy Spirit. When we lack such peace and trust because of our weak mind or fierce circumstances, and when doubt and confusion creep into our thinking, He doesn’t reprimand us or find fault with us. When Peter lacked such faith, the Lord held him by his hand and strengthened him. When the sisters of Bethany were broken down because of bereavement, He went to them to strengthen them through His presence and the demonstration of His power. When Elijah was depressed and desperate, He commissioned an angel to go to him to find him in his valley experience to strengthen him and to re-commission him for greater ministries. His empowering and enabling in times of difficulty is not only for us to get out of our discouragement, but for us to continue in His ministry. When God gives us such peace, it is meant to also strengthen others who need this peace. The disciples were fearful of the Jews and the Roman soldiers who were falsely accusing them of taking away the body of our Lord. Their hearts were broken because of the departure of their Lord and also because of attack from the outside. Our Lord knew that what they needed was peace to face the situation. He came again to them even though He came to them earlier to give them His peace. His peace came to them in the very person of the resurrected Prince of Peace. When they saw Him, floodgates of peace filled them and their hearts overflowed with His joy. Their fears took flight and their hearts were filled with courage, strength and peace. Whenever we lack peace, this Lord comes to us again and again, to reassure and fill us with His love.

Dear friend, are you faced with a situation when you are drained of peace and strength? Are there moments when you are filled with peace for a while and then it evaporates the next moment? Is it that when the sun is shining in your horizon, some dark clouds come to cover the sun with its bright rays? But then it is not a time to give up hope because the dark clouds will take a flight and the sun (Son) will brighten up again. When all hope seem to elude us, our Lord comes back to us again and again to bless us with His presence, promises in His Word and power through His Spirit to fill us with His peace. He watches the barometer of peace in your life and when the measure gets lower because of difficult circumstances and bitter experiences, He comes back to fill and refill your cup to overflowing. When our doors are locked from the outside, He still comes in to give us His peace and take away our fears. During the dejected Emmaus walks in our lives, He comes to walk with us. When we are crying in the garden where He cried for us, He comes to reassure and confirm His presence to us. When we are in our prison cells of situations and experiences and wonder how we would get a release, He comes to give us a song or two to sing along and take comfort in His mighty power to deliver us. Our Lord never gets tired of coming to us because of His inexhaustible love to us. He wants to fill our hearts with His overflowing love and will not allow our hearts to have a vacuum. His power never gets eroded and it comes back to us again and again. Today the Lord wants to come to you to top up your heart with His peace no matter how bitter and painful your situation is and gives you the reassurance that His peace will help you to face your future with courage and confidence.

Psalms 119:50 – This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me.

Thought for Today

The ceaseless fountain of God’s comfort keeps coming to us in our times of trouble to soak us in His love and peace.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

GEMS OUT OF THE CRUCIBLE!!

Gems out of the crucible!!

Verse for Today: Monday, November 14, 2011

1 Peter 5:10 – And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

When God’s children go through sufferings of various kinds, they often wonder why they suffer and why these sufferings do not end. For those who suffer, each moment seems to be long and needs special grace to endure it. Time seems to pass very slowly as the pain and agony they sustain increase. But in God’s administration of things, their sufferings are only for a short time. God oversees rules and overrules the sufferings of His children. Their sufferings are because of the sinful bodies they are in and the sinful environment they live in. Sometimes sufferings come as a consequence of our wrong decisions, omissions and commissions. At other times, we suffer when the enemy of our soul with his agents, the world and the flesh, trouble us. We also suffer because of our faith and the righteous stand we take on contemporary issues. Sufferings also come to us as we are tested by our Lord to increase our faith and to make us strong. But God intends it all to end in our spiritual good. When we suffer, it helps us to confess our sins and failures and become holier in our relationship with our Lord. It helps us to praise God for allowing us to go through sufferings for the sake of our faith. Sufferings increase our trust in the Lord as we cling on to Him to help us to go through it and come out victorious. We are reassured that our sufferings in this world are only for a short time. Our positive attitude to suffering makes it but for a short period as it renews our hope in the Lord. When we suffer for the sake of the Lord, in His will and for His cause, our sufferings become a privilege rather than an ordeal. As we go through it, the Lord speaks to us and often confirms to us the reasons why we suffer. But one thing is sure; our sufferings are only for a short time and are purposeful in God’s administration of things in our lives.

Dear reader, are you going through sufferings of some sort in your life today? It could be physical, emotional, financial or even social. But you can be sure about the fact that your Lord knows all about it and it is permitted in your life by Him. It is not a punishment, but a tool in your life to draw you closer to Him. Perhaps your greatest support in life is withdrawn from you without notice. It is possible that you are a prey to difficult diseases or disabilities. You might loose your job or financial stability because of turn of events around you. Your stand for Christ would have irritated your boss or even your neighbours who might be giving you a hard time. What is legitimately yours is probably taken away from you and the list might include your assets, job or position. But be encouraged that your Lord knows about it. Even when the enemy of your soul would have planted it in your life to destroy you, the Lord will use it to build you up. First of all, He gives you the grace to go through it without bitterness. Even when you do not know what benefit will accrue to you because of the suffering, you can praise God for it because He can work it together for your good. The Lord Jesus went through tests by the enemy without bitterness or irritation and He is your model as you go through it. Joseph, Peter and Paul suffered tremendously for the Lord, but they were never bitter and they never quit. Sufferings made them patient and mature in the Lord. Sufferings developed greater hope in them. They even rejoiced in sufferings and considered it a great privilege to suffer for the Lord. Our Lord has promised to restore us and to make us firm, strong and steadfast in our faith in Him as we go through sufferings. He gives us the grace to go through it and praise Him because it has pleased Him to use our lives for His glory through sufferings. So when we suffer, let us examine to see what we can learn from it and how we can use it build up our lives for the Lord. When we focus our attention on the Lord, He will turn our sufferings into praises for the impact it will have in our lives and how it can touch other lives. When the Lord wants to use our lives to bring glory to Him through sufferings, let us be willing to submit our suffering lives for His praise.

Romans 5:3 - …..but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Thought for Today
Suffering is the crucible which produces the strongest gems of faith and hope out of God’s children.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

OUR GOD WHO REMEMBERS US!!

Our God who remembers us!

Verse for Today: Sunday, November 13, 2011

Psalms 115:12a – The Lord remembers us and will bless us.

We live in a world which forgets people, circumstances and experiences in a short span of time. We tend to forget the people who touched our lives in the past. People try to discredit what others have done for them. Time makes us to forget the loving touches which we would have experienced in our lives. When we forget the good deeds of others in our lives, we tend to be less grateful to them and for them. But our Lord is not forgetful of us and our good deeds. Whatever it is that we have done for Him will never be forgotten. He will announce these in the presence of God the Father and His holy angles. He will give us credit for what we have done and reward us accordingly at the Bema. But He remembers us while we are here on the earth also. When we are forgotten by the people around us, including our kith and kin and household of God, our Lord still remembers us. He will not forget us or abandon us during our trying times and moments of needs. He might not respond to our needs when we expect it. Sometimes He comes ahead of us in order not to exasperate us. At other times when all hope is gone, He still comes to us. He rules and overrules our situations to reach out to us and touch us. When we are abandoned by others, He still remembers us. The whole world had forgotten Prophet Jonah, but the Lord remembered him in spite of his disobedience and gave him another chance in life and ministry. The people of the ship thought they had gotten rid of the problem man, but God was pleased to use Him as the man of the hour. When the whole world forgot Joseph while he was abandoned in the Egyptian dungeon, our Lord remembered him because of the grand plan He had for Joseph. When others rejected him, the Lord lifted him up. When Hannah was childless and rejected by others around her, the Lord remembered her and gave her Samuel and then five more children. Rachel was remembered by the Lord when He gave her two children and removed the scorn from her. This Lord is our God today and He will not forget us.

Dear reader, are you experiencing rejection in life? Do you find people who want to discredit you? Sometimes do you even feel that God has also forgotten you? But this will never happen because our Lord will never forget His children. God loves His children and expresses this love in all circumstances and situations. His love is perfect and there is no guile in it. Perhaps the people around might forget us and reject us. Perhaps when we are in trouble, our dearest and nearest might keep away from us. Perhaps no one around us understands our real situation with its implications. But even when the whole world forgets us and rejects us, our Lord will not reject us. He remembered us in our low estate and gave us His salvation as a special gift and made us His beloved children. We are precious to Him and He treats us as the apple of His eyes. When the world intimidates us and mocks us, He stands by us and stands with us. His power and strength will be poured out on us in times of our weaknesses, losses and failures. When the world heaps scorn upon us, the Lord gives us honour. When we are cut off from the honour roll of the world, we do not need to feel dejected because we are in the honour roll of Heaven. When we are forgotten by the world around us, the Lord remembers to remove our scorn and despises from us and adds His blessings to us so that our hearts will be filled with His joy and happiness. Today let us thank the Lord because He remembers us in all our situations and strengthens us to weather away the tough times in our lives with the joy of the Lord in our hearts.

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a mother forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Thought for Today

God remembers us at all times not because of our merit, but because of His love and grace.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

A TOUCH FOR WHOLENESS!!

A touch for wholeness!

Verse for Today: Saturday, November 12, 2011

Psalms 107:20 – He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

God expresses His concern for His people through action. He is watchful of His people and knows their problems as they go along. He has the right answer to all their problems and needs. His actions are personal with direct involvement in each case. When God’s people are sick, He becomes their physician and panacea. He appears to touch their bodies and minds to take away their weaknesses and infirmities. Their sin sickness has been healed forever and their bodies and souls are purchased by and for Him. When they are sick in their bodies, He gives them healing to keep serving Him and His cause here on earth. The health that He grants His children is always for them to serve Him and not to serve the cause of this world. When they are in the pits of life experiences like frustration, failure, loneliness, persecution, oppression, grief, misrepresentation or rejection, He comes to pick them up and give them hope in our souls. He renews His promises to us and gives us the reassurance that His Word will never loose its power in our lives. When the world tries to defeat us, Jesus comes to lead us into victory. He helps us to overcome rejection through His friendship and fellowship. When we are frustrated, He becomes our encouragement. When we face persecution, He gives us the grace to go through it without murmuring. When we are oppressed in our bodies and minds, He gives us release of our souls and spirits. In our lonely hours, He becomes our best friend. When we encounter grief, He comes to wipe our tears with His own Hands. When we are misrepresented, the Lord becomes our righteousness in His presence and declares our innocence. When the enemy tries to destroy us, the Lord comes to renew and revive us in the newness of life.

Dear reader, are you encountered with emotional or physical infirmities because of the negative responses of the world around you? Is the enemy of your soul trying to cast clouds around you and make your situation dark and damp? Perhaps the enemy comes to tell you that there is no hope for you and that you are in a pit from which you will never come up. Don’t you believe this lie from the father of lies? Your Lord has become victorious over all the negative elements in your situation and He is with you to give you victory over all your situations on a daily basis. He opens doors for you when you are shut in by the situations. He brings light into your dark valleys to brighten you up. Remember, you are the light of the world! You have the light in our soul because Jesus, the Light of the World, is living in your heart and life. If you look at Jesus, your life will brighten up and you will shine for Him. So when situations become dark, oppressive and discouraging, you can call on the name of the Lord and claim victory over your situations in that name. Then you will experience a floodgate of peace, love and grace. Praise will then flood in your heart for the victory He gives you. Right now, it is good to go to the presence of the Lord and ask for His hands to touch you and give you such a renewal in your soul. Then fountains of praise will flow from your heart to the Lord. Even when you do not know why your situation is so dark and cloudy, you can praise Him because He knows why you are going through such experiences. Today it is your privilege to appropriate the touch of the Lord in your life and experience His healing and lifting up in your soul.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Thought for Today

God’s touch makes us whole and lifts us up out of the pits of our situations.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com