PASSIONATE LIGHT!!

Passionate Light!

Verse for Today: Saturday, August 31, 2013

 John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.

Darkness is a reality in life. We often find it difficult to make decisions because of the uncertainties involved in the issues facing us. Everything in life is a probability. Our predictions and projections are relative and often go wrong. We experience a series of perceptional errors.  We are unable to see what is ahead of us. God teaches us the reality of darkness as we emerge from a night to a new day. God’s physical lights in this world teach us about the need for light in our hearts and lives. God sent His light from heaven to this world in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to pour light into our hearts and lives so as to give us right direction to the destination that He wants us to pursue. When Jesus comes into the hearts and lives of people, they would be able to see the thickness of the sheer darkness of sin, hell, Satan and the vanity fair of this world. But when we allow God’s light in the person of Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and as He shines in our souls, darkness melts away and purposefulness and hope emerge. In the light of Jesus Christ, we see God in His glory in our hearts and fill us with hope for a brighter future where there will be no darkness. This light will help us to know the will of God and the ways of God for daily living. So when we face uncertainties in life today, it is our prerogative to go to the Light of the World who will shed His glory in our hearts to remove confusion, chaos and lack of clarity about our priorities. We will thus see truth and bear witness to it in our daily walk with Him.

Dear friend, are you experiencing uncertainties and confusions in life today? Are you afraid of the possible uncertain future with its probable negativity? But the light that Jesus brings to your life gives you hope and certainty through faith. When we meditate on the truths in God’s unchanging Word, His Holy Spirit will pour heavenly light in our hearts with which we will be able to see the glory of Jesus.  Thus faith in His power will be generated in our hearts to trust Him. As we trust Him, our hearts will become bold and our confidence will increase to courageously face the future. With His light on our pathway, we will be able to take next steps in life with boldness as He honors our steps of faith. His light will generate the warmth of God in our hearts and keep us from becoming coldhearted. Our hearts will warm up to the realities of what God would do for us and through us. Our lives will exemplify the brightness of God to provide light and direction to the dark lives around us. When our hearts and lives are thus brightened up with divine light, we will be able to sing God’s praises like Paul and Silas in a dungeon during night. It was His light that the shepherds saw in the night of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem. It was His light that opened the eyes of the disciple of Prophet Elisha to see the providence of God. It was His light which enabled a blinded Saul of Tarsus to see the glorified Jesus on Damascus Road. Today the Light of the World leads His children in times of confusions and uncertainties and takes them forward with hope, faith, confidence and boldness.

Psalms 36:9 – For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Thought for Today

The light that is in us will be visible to the outside world when our earthen vessels are broken.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Help me today to passionately ablaze with Your light and love so that the world would see Your glory and image through me. Amen! 

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HOPE AND CONFIDENCE!

Hope and confidence!

Verse for Today: Friday, August 30, 2013

John 6:20 – But Jesus said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

When the storms of life batter against our boats of life, it is natural that we become fearful and lose hope. Even when we try to row our boats for considerable time, it is likely that we do not reach the shore or get out of the storm. These storms of life come to engulf us and destroy our hope in life. All our human efforts prove to be futile in such circumstances. Our human strategies and the support of technology and expertise prove to be of no impact when these devastating storms beat against us. These are times when we crave for the presence of our Lord in our boats to help us out of the predicaments. But even after we row miles after miles, and as time ticks off, there seems to be no change in our situations and thus we plunge into hopelessness. Our eyes become dim and we become unable to recognize Jesus walking on the water towards us. We tend to forget the fact that our Lord who created waters and seas is victorious over all our circumstances. When the Lord appears in the middle of the storm, even His presence leads us sometimes to bewilderment rather than hope. But our Lord doesn’t give up on us. His voice comes to us in the midst of all the commotions to reassure us that He is near us and with us to take away our fears, anxieties and hopelessness. He showed the disciples that His very presence takes them out of the storms onto the shore of hope and strength. What the disciples didn’t realize was that even when Jesus was not physically present with them in the boat, His presence was with them in the boat and that there was no reason for them to be afraid and lose hope.

Dear reader, are you going through severe storms, mighty wind and rough seas of life lately? Is your situation trying to pluck you out of your foundation and taking away all hope in life? Are you afraid as to what would happen to you and yours because of your uncontrollable circumstances? Perhaps you are confronted with unprecedented health problems, financial difficulties, gossip, loss of job, business failures and loss, forsaking of friends and disobedient children. Are you being forsaken by your dearest and nearest ones for no fault of yours? But in all these situations, your Lord is with you to strengthen you. He wants you to look at Him and regain your lost confidence in life. He comes to you to show you that He has power over all your cumbersome situations. No matter how complicated your circumstances might be, Jesus will help you to overcome it all. Today Jesus wants you to look at Him and put all your hope and confidence in Him. Nothing will happen to you without His knowledge and permission. No external force, however powerful it might be, will have any authority over you because Jesus keeps you secure in His hands. He comes to your circumstance to take full control over it if you are willing to submit it to Him.  When He comes into your situation, and enter into your boat of life, He will put all confusions in order and give you peace and rest. He will take you to the shore where the storms will no longer blow over you. Today He invites you to look at Him and put all your trust on Him to rest in His presence.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Jesus because He cares for you.

Thought for Today

When Jesus takes control of our lives, He takes all our fears away and gives us hope in the most hopeless circumstances.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Help me today to experience and enjoy Your presence in all my difficult circumstances and trust You to take away all my fears, anxiety and confusions in life.   Amen!

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FAITH AND EXPECTATIONS!!

Faith and Expectations! 

Verse for Today: Thursday, August 29, 2013

John 6:7 – “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite”! 

Human calculations and expectations have serious limitations. We understand things in a limited manner and speak out of our poor expectations about what God intends to do in our lives. Philip knew how to calculate and estimate cost as per human standards. His calculations revealed human impossibility and poor expectations. After all, what is the purpose in giving people a bite when they had no food for days! If only Philip admitted his inability to even make estimates, he would have surrendered his calculations to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to intervene.  Like Philip, today we are confronted by the Lord Jesus to review our poor understanding of His power to supply all our needs and trust Him to go to any extent to replenish us with His provisions in our lives. It is also interesting to know that Philip only envisaged bread, but the Lord Jesus had already prepared fish along with it to increase the quality of His supply line. He knew how much each person would eat and prepared enough and more to satisfy every need of every individual to overflowing. Today Jesus comes to each of us to meet all our spiritual, emotional and physical needs according to His measure, status and dignity so that we would find total satisfaction. He wants us to keep our cool in the wake of our needs no matter what they are because He cares for us. Even before we develop a sense of need in our lives, He is with us with His reservoir of resources to meet those needs to overflowing. We must be patient to see Him at work. We must look unto Him to see how He provides for us in His own way at His time and keep trusting Him all the days of our lives

Dear reader, are you facing dire needs of various kinds in your life today for which you do not have any resources? Are you exasperated about the depth of your needs? Do you feel that you are far away from any hope or possibilities? But you must open your eyes to see Jehovah-Jireh who is with you by your side. His mission today is to be with you in your difficult situations to meet your varying needs. He knows the depth of your spiritual, emotional and physical needs and has the power to meet those needs. He wants you to trust Him and keep your cool in the weary land. He challenges you to consider His power and willingness to meet your needs. He is the compassionate Lord who has pity on you because He understands your desperate condition. He will not leave you as an orphan or as sheep without a shepherd. He is your Shepherd who leads you to His green pastures and cool waters. He invites you to dwell in His shadows and experience His compassion and grace in all your situations. The Lord has a plan to meet your needs in His own unique way at His best time according to His measure. His hands are so large as to extend it to you with all that you need. He wants you to wait patiently for His time to serve you with all His goodness and mercy. The God of Elijah who fed him in the desert, at Cherith and in Zarephath is with you to feed your soul, spirit and body. He is faithful and considerate to meet you where you are and serve you with a gourmet to enrich your life with His goodness.

Psalms 20:4 – May the Lord give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 

Thought for Today

My unbelief melts away in the heat of His supply line.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Open my eyes to see Your riches in glory and to trust You every step of the way to live by faith in all my circumstances. Amen!

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ALL GIFTS FROM ABOVE!!

All Gifts From Above!

Verse for Today: Monday, August 12, 2013

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

Man often becomes proud and forgets that all that he has are from God out of His benevolence. The sinful man has no right to expect anything good from God. So man ought to become grateful for all that he has in this life. A child of God, as a sinner saved by grace confesses and acknowledges all that he has in life as gifts from God. He confesses that he is unworthy to receive anything from God and is truly grateful for all that God has given him. He also acknowledges that his God gives him only good things in life. It might be a little or a little more, but it is solely his by the grace, loving kindness and mercy of God. When a child of God meditates on all that has been received from God, he is enabled to see and consider it as pleasant and good. He appreciates and enjoys that which has been given to him without comparing it with what others received. He is satisfied with what he gets and tries to make use of it for God. We give what has been entrusted with us back to God and continue to receive more and more from Him. We have the privilege to publicly confess all our blessings as God’s purposeful and perfect gift to be used for His glory. This is the sure way to live without feeling proud or self-sufficient. When we have such response to God’s gifts in enriching our lives, we would be more careful the way we use these resources and become better accountable. We thus live for our God with all that He has given us.

Dear reader, have you become complacent with what God has been making available in your life day by day? Do you enjoy these gifts with a truly grateful heart? By the way we handle the gifts that our God gives, we would reveal its true source. King David knew from where his strength, mental ability, intellect, skills and the facilities that he enjoyed have come from. He realized that he was a shepherd boy to start with and spent his time running after the sheep. But His God picked him up from his lowly engagement to become the king of all Israel. His God gave David all the resources that he needed and a magnificent palace to live in. David had received greater things in life than his elder brothers who were trained soldiers in the army of King Saul. All David could say was that he had been chosen by God to enjoy His favors by grace. He acknowledged it all to God’s mercy and lived to testify to the greatness and benevolence of God. David had much to sing about the greatness of His God who supplied all his needs at the right time. Today the God of David comes to us to reassure us that He will meet all our needs so as to enable us to serve Him with a grateful heart. Let us confess our unworthiness to receive blessings from God and attribute what He gives to His grace. Let us become accountable to God for what He has entrusted with us. It might be material things as well as spiritual gifts, along with our time, training and abilities. When we use it all for God, He will reward us with greater gifts to help us to continue to serve God and honor Him. Our God will be pleased with us when we honor Him with all that He allows us to handle on His behalf.

James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Thought for Today

God gives us to satisfy our every longing so that we would gratefully use it all for His glory.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to acknowledge all that I have as your benevolent gift and strengthen me to use it  for your glory. Amen!   
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BURDEN BEARER!!

Burden Bearer!

Verse for Today: Sunday, August 11, 2013

Luke 24:17 – Jesus asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.                     

Face often reflects the emotional state of a person. Our faces indicate emotions like joy, satisfaction, irritation, anger and anxiety through changes in blood circulation, movement of the facial muscles and expressions of various kinds including sadness. Jesus the Wonderful Counselor confronted two such sad followers of His whose faces were downcast. Jesus knew that they were agitated and wanted to help them to calm their anxious minds. Jesus had answers to their concerns and fears. In fact, Jesus Himself was the panacea for all their agonies. He took time to explain things to them and comforted them. He became their friend and even dinner guest. He communicated the love of God to them and showed them that He understood their concerns. Even today Jesus comes to us when we are confronted with the reality of heartaches, anxieties, fears and distress. His Word is still the panacea for all our emotional ailments along with the consequential physical and spiritual aberrations in us. Jesus diagnoses all our ailments and gives us the right remedy from His Word. His Spirit takes His Word and applies it to our hearts like a balm to take our pain away and heal our emotional wounds. He walks with us all the time and knows the depth of our emotional entanglements. He looks at us with sympathy and interacts with us as a friend, philosopher and guide. When Jesus is with us, we do not need to feel downcast, but should enjoy His presence. When He speaks to us, we must listen keenly. We must open our eyes to see Him in His glory so as to allow His glory to penetrate into us. Then our pain and misery will be lost in His glorious person. We need to recognize His nearness with us and draw from His power to lift our countenance up and become cheerful.

Dear friend, is your burden heavy and are you finding it difficult to carry it alone? Is your face expressing your emotional hurts and apprehensions vividly? But there is no need for you to swim through the deep waters of grief, distress, tension, frustration and anxiety. Jesus is near you to help you to lighten your load. You have the opportunity now to unload yourself on to the Lord Jesus. He comes to ask you as to what has caused you to feel hurt. He will help you by opening your mind to understand your situation realistically. He will challenge you to trust Him to handle your situations. He will strengthen you physically, emotionally and spiritually so that you will be equipped to face your situation and do the needful. He will continue to walk with you and talk with you and show you His glory. When you are hungry, He will be your heavenly bread. When you are thirsty, He will be your water of life to quench your thirst. He will help you to go to His green pastures and cool waters. You can sit under His shade and enjoy His coolness. He will not leave you as orphans, but will come to you to take care of you. The same Lord who was with Joseph in the pit and in the dungeon will be with you to take away your loneliness. The Lord who was with Paul and Silas in the prison cell will be with you to open your cell so that you can enjoy freedom from the bondage of your situation. Today you have the great privilege to enjoy the counsel, fellowship and company of the Lord and cast all your tensions on Him. When Jesus is near you, there is no need for you to be downcast.

Psalms 55:22 – Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

Thought for Today

Jesus comes to us to receive all our cares and concerns and convert it into peace and joy.  

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to walk with You and hold Your hands as You help me to carry my heavy load. Amen!

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GOD'S SHINING FACE!!

God’s shining face! 

Verse for Today: Saturday, August 10, 2013

Psalms 4:6 – Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.

God’s children are often considered worthless and merit-less by others. They do not consider us worthy to receive any good from anyone. They resent and reject us because of our testimony and stand for the Lord. They are unable to see any goodness in us because we do not join their lifestyle. Our purposes and motives are maligned by them. All negatives are attributed to us because we take a stand for truth. When we do not use the ways of the world to become successful, the world would think that we are good for nothing and not smart as they are. But our consolation and comfort come from our Lord who understands us and loves us in spite of the criticism and judgment that come from other detractors. He knows what we stand for and appreciates us for the strong positions we take for Him. When the world turns its face away from us, our Lord would make us feel his presence ever closer to us. When the world tries to create darkness around us through loneliness, friendlessness, isolation, rejection and resentment, our Lord comes to us with the brightness of His face shining upon us. In His light, we will be able to see the way to keep going. He wants us to please Him and get His recognition rather than please the world for its false appreciation. He wants us to stand for the truth that He has taught us through His Word. He doesn’t want us to be discouraged when others discount and undermine us. Today God reemphasizes the truth that no matter who is against us, He will be for us and His goodness and mercy will ever flow to us to make us a blessing to even those who reject us.

Dear reader, do you get exasperated when others undermine and isolate you? But God wants to remind you that He doesn’t judge you cruelly like others. When the world writes you off, your God will shine His face upon you. When the people ignore you and isolate you, He will fill you with His presence and peace. When you don’t have anyone to interact with, God will come near you and speak to you through His Spirit and Word. When your friends, colleagues, kith and kin do not show any kindness to you, He comes to you as the God of all comfort and Father of all mercies. In your darkest nights, He will allow His stars of promises to shine upon you. He comes to remind you that you are in the company of a cloud of witnesses around the world who enjoy the fellowship of Triune God. Perhaps you feel like you are in a pit or a dungeon the world has locked you in, with no hope for deliverance. There might be fear of the unknown future looming large over your head. There might be people who try to devour you like hungry lions in the den in which God makes you spend a night. You might be traveling in a boat in an unknown part of the sea of life, without seeing sunlight for several days. But your God will be with you in all these situations and will shine upon you with the light of His face. In His brightness, you will be able to see His face of hope, stability and certainty. He comes to comfort you today and reassure you that He will never withhold His shining face from you. Remember, Jesus is as real today in your life as He has always been, in your loneliness and isolation to strengthen your faith to keep going. When He is for you and with you, it doesn’t matter if others undermine you.

Psalms 34:5 – Those who look to the Lord are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Thought for Today

God’s radiant face will show us the way forward when others shut us in darkness.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Keep my heart from discouragement when others pronounce doom on me. Amen!

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AVAILABLE AND AVAILING!!

Available and availing!

Verse for Today: Friday, August 09, 2013

John 2:6 – Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

The blessings that we enjoy from God are often limited to our surrender rather than His willingness to bless us. God has blessed us with all the blessings of the heavenly places, but we often do not open our mouth wide to enjoy it. Even though we positionally become recipients of His blessings, it is not translated into our practical lives because of our lack of surrender. When we do not make our faculties available to Him, we fail to receive blessings to fill the unsurrendered areas of our lives. Jesus was ready and willing to bless the marriage house at Cana and to meet all their needs. But unfortunately they only had 6 stone water jars that were available to Him. So only these six were used to fill it with His goodness. Today Jesus is looking for empty vessels so that he can fill it with His best. If we make our empty lives available to Him, He will fill it to the brink. Then others will taste the goodness of God in our lives through our behavior, attitude and corresponding action. But for this to happen, we must empty ourselves of selfishness and self-will. God challenges us to submit our lowly lives to Him to lift up to higher vistas. Our lives will then become instruments to demonstrate His power and glory. His question to us today is as to how far we are willing to make ourselves available to Him to fill and make use of us. We must make use of the opportunity to be filled with Jesus while there is still chance.

Dear friend, how many opportunities have you missed in receiving great spiritual blessings from God? If you fill your faculties with the world and its seemingly glittering, but perishable things, you will not be used for God’s glory. This is because God will not fill a vessel which is not completely empty, clean and surrendered to Him. He will not mix His blessings with the world’s temporal elements which might be inside us. It is useless to lament at the end that we didn’t make all our faculties available to Jesus early in life for full use. When we allow our lives to be filled with His goodness, it will end up as spiritual blessings to many whose lives have no taste. It is also true that those stone water jars were fortunate to be of use to Jesus when He wanted it. Let us not get frustrated at the end of opportunities that we have not made use of it. Today Jesus the gracious and compassionate Provider is passing your way to see if you are willing to make yourself available to Him to use the way He wants. He will provide all the necessary ingredients for you to be of use to Him. He doesn’t want you to use any worldly resources because those are powerless for His purpose. When you allow God’s resources to fill your vessel, it would bring forth the kind of results that God wants from your life. It will then become a blessing to those who taste your life through the way you relate to them. Let us today empty ourselves of our self and make us available for God to pour His goodness into our lives to use us for His eternal purpose. Our surrendered lives might be looked upon as waste by the world, but we will have gained the greatest and most fortunate usefulness for Jesus.

Psalms 81:10b – Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Thought for Today

The greatest lament of our age would be our lost opportunity to make ourselves fully and unconditionally available for God to fill us.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to empty my life of self and the world and to make it fully available to You to fill it with Your goodness. Amen!

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SHIELD AND GLORY!!

                

Shield and Glory!

Verse for Today: Thursday, August 08, 2013

Psalms  3:3 – But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

Our prayers often portray the depth of our needs and predicaments. When we are unable to expose our needs before man, we still have the presence of God to articulate our deepest needs and emotions. Others who observe us will never truly understand the enormity of our pain and distress. Often these fiery darts come through our dearest and nearest which make us far more vulnerable than attacks from outsiders. These attacks bleed our hearts and sag our heads in shame and misery. Our past glory is dragged into the sand by these attacks. We have no escape from such perils except in the presence of God. David went through such a bitter situation when he was ousted by his own son Absalom. David had to run for cover. His closest aides made use of the opportunity to undermine him further through public attacks and abuses. But David’s heart-cry reached his God from where came deliverance and rescue. Even when many wrote David off and others lost hope about David, he didn’t give up or give in. His comfort and confidence came from God as he prayed. Surely David’s situation made him humble and crushed before the Lord. He became a broken man, recounting his own failures in life which led him to confess his weaknesses. David’s return was a painful victory as it was against his own son. But even as he experienced pain, God lifted up his head and reestablished his past glory. David enjoyed the security and safety that His God granted him. Today the God of David is our safety and security when we face such poisonous arrows of gossip, unfair criticism and misinterpretation of our motives. But our God comes to our rescue and He will lift us up at the right time to the shame of all our detractors.

  

Dear friend, are you facing unkind criticism and brutal character assassination by those who are around you? Are you made to drink the tears of shame and embarrassment when you are under attack? Does your situation look so hopeless as to make you feel like running away for life? But God has a few songs of encouragement in His hymnbook for you to sing and find comfort. You are free to go to His presence and find peace and hope in spite of your hopeless situation. Joseph also experienced such painful situations of hatred, conniving and misrepresentation in his life while he was still very young and inexperienced. Today the life and experience of David and Joseph encourage us whether we are in important positions or work as slaves. Our God will not leave us alone to suffer as He suffers when we suffer. He feels our pain and misery because of His infinite love for us. He always comes to rescue us at the right time. Perhaps He is interested in greater brokenness in your life and would permit such painful experiences to see you truly contrite in your spirit. But your Lord will not forsake you nor will He leave you to be dragged through the streets. He will establish you and continue to make use of you for His glory and to accomplish His purpose through you. Today God wants you not to look at your enemies with their plot and get discouraged, but look unto Him and get energized because of the hope He plants in your heart. He gives you the song of prayer and victory to sing unto Him and take courage to go forward for Him.

Psalms 34:5 – Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Thought for Today

When we enjoy the security of God our shield, our heads and hearts will be lifted up to sing in His power.  

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me today to lift up my head to see your glory so that the darts of the enemies will be like shadows in my eyes. Amen!

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GOD'S ANTIDEPRESSANT!!

God’s Antidepressant!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Psalms 01:03 – (The blessed man) is like a tree planted by the streams of water…. whose leaf does not wither.

When we look around, we can see a lot of lives which are sagging like withered leaves. These lives progressively wither away because they don’t dwell near the cool living water and are not planted near to the water of life. When the poisonous wind of difficult situations blow on it, these leaves sag as they do not have the capacity to withstand pressures. They do not receive spiritual nutrition and water to keep be alive and grow stronger. The people of the world who do not have Jesus in their lives wither away and disappear into a Christ-less eternity. The people of God who keep themselves away from being planted near to the water of life in the Word of God also sag and get depressed because they do not have the time or interest to dwell near to the water of life. Many such lives try to survive on the world’s artificial nutrition for their minds, but slowly their spiritual tenor and texture elude them. Such people succumb to temptations and fall into the worldly ways of living. But Word of God today instructs us to be planted nearest to the water of life. This water is Jesus and His Word which ought to fill our lives so that we will not sag or become depressed. When we are thus rejuvenated by the Person of Jesus Christ and as His life and Word fill our hearts, our lives will become spiritually energetic, vibrant and exuberant. We would be filled with the Spirit and the Word which will become the spiritually sustainable force in our lives. A spiritual diagnosis of our lives each day with the help of the Word of God will reveal how much our lives are spiritually sagging. Today His Spirit invokes us to draw near to the cool waters of our Shepherd and drink to the brink to soak our souls so that we would experience spiritual vibrancy.        

Dear reader, is your life a sagging leaf which ebbs away from the spiritual realm in which you are placed? Are you experiencing spiritual coldness in your relationship with your Lord and His Word? Do you feel the loss of spiritual power to withstand the attacks of the enemy and do you become more and more depressed in life? Is the joy of the Lord in your life dwindling? Perhaps it is time to take a spiritual audit of your life to see how far you are drinking the water of life on a daily basis. Nothing that the world offers you will impact your spiritual life positively. On the other hand, it will only drain you of your spiritual energy and enthusiasm.  The panacea for all your spiritual ailments today is to get yourself firmly planted near the water of life and get yourself sink deep in it. The water of life will cure your spiritual weaknesses and mental depression and will give you the nourishment that you need to grow spiritually. The spiritual water of the Word of God will purge you of the worldly poisons of possessions, positions, prestige and prominence which the world lures you into. It will give you the vigor and vitality that you once had in your life and will enable you to withstand the pressures of the world upon you. Today you are challenged to be deeply rooted in the Word of God to fill your heart, mind and life to guide you as you face the pressures of the world and live to portray the life of Christ in its power all the days of your lives.

Psalms 92:13 – Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Thought for Today

The fruit of our tree of life will reveal whether we are planted on the side of the river of life or not.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to dwell with you in your green pastures and cool waters

to revive my sagging soul from distresses. Amen!

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MEASURELESS SUPPLY LINE!!

Measureless supply line!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Numbers 20:7 – The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.

When we complain and grow in unbelief, it is very difficult for us to see the hand of God at work in our midst. The Israelites couldn’t see how God would give them water in the desert. They didn’t realize that God provides for His children at their place of need. But a life of faith in God demands our trust in what God would do at the right time and place in the right measure. The more than two million people and their cattle required water of the size of a small lake, but their unbelief made them to conclude that it was impossible for such a body of water to come up in the desert. This was because they never understood how big their God was. But God wanted Israelites to ask Him for water and all other needs no matter where they were and God was determined to give it to them to satiate all their cravings. God had already planned to perform a miracle and open a rock to give them water like a lake for all of them and their cattle to drink to the brim. There was no need for Moses to break or beat the rock for water, but to simply speak in the name of the Lord. The rock and the water have been waiting for God’s command to break open to give water to His people. God was there waiting for them to open their mouths wide to drink water rather than use the mouths to complain and murmur. Today God speaks to us to follow the same instruction that He gave to Moses and ask that our needs be met according to the depth of His provisions. It needs trust, faith and patience to wait for God to give to us at His time according to His measure. When He gives, it fully satisfies us as a testimony to His faithfulness and benevolence.

Dear friend, are you experiencing a craving for your mundane needs to be met? Do you get exasperated because you can’t find what you want around you? Have you been waiting for long to meet your needs? Today God reminds you whether you have taken the time to ask Him to meet your needs. You can ask only if you have the faith that God will provide. You probably feel that there is no scientific and logical evidence that your needs can be met where you are situated. But God wants to challenge you to exercise your faith and dare to ask Him to meet your needs no matter what they are. He will definitely answer you and meet your need in unusual ways. He will meet open needs openly and confidential needs confidentially. Sometimes He gives in bits and pieces, but at other times He gives in large quantity, and it is all according to your needs at the right time. He will not let you faint and weary. He will come to your rescue at the nick of time. He gives far beyond your expectations and imagination. It gives total satisfaction now and forevermore. The way God gives today is an indication of how He will give in the future also. It overwhelms us and makes us feel guilty about our unbelief, complaints and murmurs. God’s daily provisions in our lives are to strengthen our faith in His benevolence.  Let us continue to trust our compassionate and benevolent God and confess our faithlessness to Him.

Psalms 107:9 – For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 

Thought for Today

Every gift from God is an opportunity to confess our unbelief and concretize our faith.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Pardon my unbelief and strengthen my heart to put all my trust in your mighty power to meet all my needs far beyond my imagination. Amen!

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IT'S ALL HIS!!

 It’s all His!

Verse for Today: Monday, August 05, 2013

1 Samuel 1:20 – She named her son Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

We serve a God who gives us according to our needs so that His name will be glorified through it all. He gives us the right desires and prompts us through His Spirit to ask Him to give it to us. Thus God enables us to pray for the emerging needs in our lives. But He will give it to us only at His time. So He expects us to keep praying and depending on Him for our needs. Hannah made a vow to God that she will give God’s gift back to Him once she receives it. Hannah had no doubt in her mind that when God gives her a gift, it still belonged to the Giver. She wanted God to remove her resentment at home and prove to others around her that God would give her the desire of her heart. But Hannah was not selfish and possessive about the gift she believed God would give her at the right time. He poured her heart out before God and continually asked for it. She was relentless about her deep desire in her heart and believed that her God would be sufficient to give her the deepest need of her heart. Ultimately when God gave her the desire of her heart, she linked her son’s name with God. She reminded him and others that he was received from the Lord. Hannah gave the son back to God for His service all his life without any hesitation. Today we work with the God of Hannah who is committed to giving us the desires of our heart if our desires are pleasing to Him. When we are His, He wants all that happens in our lives also to be His. Our God wants us to have only that which He gives us and not what the world offers. What God gives us is divine with an eternal legacy whereas what the world gives is temporary.

Hello friend, have you been praying for your various needs and wonder whether these are what God wants in your life? Do you have anything in your life today that is not given to you by God? Perhaps the world would have given you many glittering things to lure you into its vanity. It is also possible that you would have secured a few things out of your intelligent and shrewd smart moves. But your God wants you to have only those things that He is pleased to give you. He knows all your needs and will give it you at His time so that all you have will be His gifts to you according to His will and pleasure. He proved to Hannah that she couldn’t have the desire of her heart fulfilled in her own capacity and smartness. As her dependence on God increased and as she demonstrated it through prayer of importunity, God blessed her with the desire of her heart. But God gave far more than she ever asked for or expected. Today God wants us to be totally dependent on Him and give our desires to Him so that our life would be a platform for Him to bless us with His gifts. All that Hannah had were God’s gifts to her and it was far more than what she asked of the Lord. God wants us to reach such a stage of dependence on Him and receive all that we need from Him. Then we, along with all that we have will belong to our God just as the case of Hannah.  That is when we will be able to say that we are truly His and He is ours to possess, enjoy and worship.

Psalms 23:1 – The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Thought for Today

The heart tuned to God will depend totally on Him for every need at all times and will receive it at His best time.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to confidently say that I have nothing in my life other than what You have given me. Amen!

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BLESSING FAITH!!

Blessing faith!

Verse for Today: Sunday, August 04, 2013

Genesis 48:14 – But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the first born.

Patriarchal blessings starting with Abraham had great spiritual significance. Among other things, these blessings signify God’s emphasis on the second birth. Jesus explained this truth as He spoke to Nicodemus and underscored the need for a person to have second birth. From the beginning, God showed clearly the hopelessness of the first birth without a second birth. He chose the second person in the families of Adam (choosing Abel’s worship), Abraham (choosing Isaac instead of Ishmael), Isaac (Jacob instead of Esau), Jacob (rejecting Reuben and his two brothers and choosing Judah) and Joseph (Ephraim instead of Manasseh). Jacob knew the spiritual significance of the order of birth as he was a recipient of such a blessing from God. Even when Jacob had very poor natural vision, he had not lost his spiritual vision to give the higher order Patriarchal blessing to Ephraim, the second son of Joseph. He crossed his arms to make sure that God’s perfect will regarding blessings will go in the divine order. Today God’s spiritual blessings go only to those who are born again. Jacob demonstrated great spiritual insight and spoke to each of his sons about God’s plan for their lives.  Jacob rose to such spiritual heights at Peniel where he became a new person through spiritual brokenness. His old inclinations were broken by the hand of God. His old name signifying success through human tactics was replaced with a life reigned by faith. So his heart became a stream of spiritual insights and revelations. Jacob started his life in conflicts, alienation, rejection and frustrations, but he ended his life well in faith. His life challenges us to live by faith and become fountains of the richness of God’s grace.

Dear reader, are you tossed around with changes, ups and downs, long waiting and the accompanying uncertainties? But as long as you tread with the Lord on His pathways, these uncertainties do not matter at all. What is important is to keep dwelling with the Lord in His sanctuary imbibing in His worship and doing His will. The people around will probably find you an unsettled person in life, but they do not realize that you are on the move with your Lord. We do not have a resting place here on earth, and we are only passersby. Our duty is to dwell and walk with the Lord and do His perfect will. We are instruments in His hands to touch the lives of people around for His sake. With all the sufferings that Jacob endured, he was instrumental in carrying his faith in God to a heathen country so that the people of that country could taste godliness. But sadly they rejected Jacob’s God, but it was in Jacob’s credit that he was able to extend God’s blessings to the people and the rulers of Egypt. Jacob had the tenacity to bless Pharaoh in the name of his Lord and to keep his faith till his last breath. His burial was also a testimony of the living faith he had in God. Jacob was materially poor, but he was spiritually rich and he passed his spiritual wealth and faith to his children. Jacob lived to enjoy the spiritual blessings till the end and passed it on to posterity. The life of Jacob today challenges us to hold on to the Lord throughout our sojourn and exercise our ardent faith in all circumstances. Our Lord will surely hold our hands each day as we touch the lives of people by faith.

Hebrews 11:21 – By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Thought for Today

God desires that we begin and end our lives by faith and become a blessing in other lives.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me to trust You each day to live by faith and keep touching the lives of others around me. Amen!

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PRINCE ON CHARIOT!!

Prince on chariot!

Verse for Today: Saturday, August 03, 2013

Genesis 45:21 – Joseph gave (his brothers) chariots, as Pharaoh has commanded, and also gave them provisions for their journey.

It is amazing how God picks up His prince from the doldrums and puts him on a chariot to continue his sojourn! We see Jacob in the depths of dire spiritual, emotional and physical needs. He was depressed and he lost hope about God’s plan in his life. He also lacked food for the sustenance of his family. But God didn’t want him to continue to live in the depths of frustration and despair, but to live in victory. God has already prepared a dwelling place for him where all his physical needs would be met. God made way for him to be reunited with his beloved son Joseph. God wanted him to reach the pinnacle of his spiritual experience when he would be able to impart blessings on his children who would head the twelve tribes of Israel and carry his legacy forward. He would be fortunate to see the offspring of his son Joseph and adopt them as his heirs. He would soon see the way his son Joseph has been lifted up in this world and among his brothers in fulfillment of Joseph’s teenage dreams. Added to it all, God even prepared the chariots of Pharaoh for Jacob to travel. At this point in his life, Jacob had nothing better to ask for. All his burdens were being lifted up and all his questions were answered. God even made Jacob to bless Pharaoh, the richest emperor of the world at that time. We are today amazed at the way God lifted up Jacob His chosen vessel. God wanted him to live as a prince and not simply hold a name. God was to prove to Jacob and the world that His princes would travel by faith in the chariots of His promises here on earth. Today God reassures us that if we trust Him, we would live to reign in His spiritual kingdom victoriously. Soon He will move us into His millennial kingdom.  

Dear friend, are you reigning victoriously for God today or sinking deep in the miry clay of despondency? God has great plans for you and He wants you to lift up your head over the cluttering despair that tries to entangle you. He wants you to know that despair is a thorn that the enemy plants in your soul, but your Great Physician will pull it out and make you free of pain and misery. He wants you to reign as a spiritual victor over your circumstances which are debilitating and distressing. He wants you to travel on the chariots of great promises which your Lord sends you day after day from His eternal Word. You have unfinished spiritual task to take up for God and to further prepare your generations to claim the promises of God. He wants you to continue with your sojourn by faith and capture new territories for God. Today He wants to give you His provisions which are prepared for you for daily use. You must move forward a step at a time trusting God to lead and guide your future initiatives.  Your God will never plunge us into despair, but will only lift you up as He did to Jacob. Today the God of Jacob is on our side and He is working for our sustenance and strength. We must take steps of faith and experience how He meets all our needs from His reservoir in all our circumstances and situations. Let us ride on the chariots of provisions which the Lord has brought to us today and live like princes of God.

Psalms 46:11 – The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Thought for Today

We have to climb up out of the depths of despair by faith in order to travel on the chariots of God’s promises to newer heights of victorious living.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Hold my hands and help me out of the depths of my distress to ride on your bright promises. Amen!

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DIVINE SIGNAL!!

Divine signal!

Verse for Today: Friday, August 02, 2013  

Genesis 41:1 – When two full years have passed, Pharaoh had a dream.

God’s dreamer not only dreams, but interprets dreams on behalf of God. Joseph believed that one day his teenage dreams will come true. He knew God intimately and believed what has been promised to him through dreams will come true. He knew that His God was powerful to speak to other people through dreams and would use him to interpret dreams. Even after the cup-bearer of the Pharaoh found Joseph’s interpretation of his dream to come true, he was not grateful to Joseph to work to release him from the prison. But God would not forget Joseph. God used dreams to reveal Joseph’s divine wisdom and to find a window for Joseph to express it in the life of Pharaoh. Through this incident, God spoke to Joseph and reassured him that even when people forget his cause, God will not. At the right time, God would work things out through incidents in the lives of people and upcoming changes in nature that He was in control of the lives of His beloved children. God proved to him that Potiphar, cup-bearer of the king and his own kith and kin might forget him, but God will not. It is amazing that God made all the people Joseph served to become his servants in a little while. God disturbed Pharaoh’s sleep and peace until Joseph was settled in life for the sustenance of his family would be guaranteed. These developments in the life of Joseph speak powerfully to us today to trust God for His every move in our lives. When years pass by silently, we see that our God is still at work quietly behind the scene. He is preparing people, circumstances and events to accomplish his purpose in our lives. We must continue to serve Him wherever He has placed us and wait patiently for His time to come to lift us up. His delays are not inactive and passive, but full of preparatory activities to fulfill His divine purpose in us. We should not jump ahead of God, but must wait for His time to come for us to act according to His will.

Dear friend, are you getting impatient at the slow pace of developments in your life? Remember, the Master Designer who is at the controls of this universe is the same Lord who is controlling your life also. He has a grand design for your life which He will carry forward according to His wisdom, pleasure and schedule. Perhaps you feel that you are forgotten by all and sundry, but rest assured that your Lord will never forget you nor ignore you. He will not forsake you for a moment. His plan for you is based on His wisdom and understanding of the pace at which you grow spiritually. As you pass each milestone in your spiritual life, newer vistas will be opened for you. What God expects from you is to simply wait for newer opportunities, but to be faithful in whatever ministries you are entrusted with. At the right time, God will send divine signals for you to move forward in His will. His design for your life will unfold day by day. He doesn’t expect you to sit and wallow over your present plight, but to use it as a bridge to cross over the troubled waters in front of you. Each step of your way forward will be determined by His perfect will and He will hold your hands. Today He is processing you for greater vistas of life of faith and will lead you onward in a magnificent manner.

2 Timothy 4:18 – The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom.

Thought for Today

Your prison cell is God’s workshop to chip, chisel and remold you for greater usefulness.  

Prayer for Today

Lord: Help me today to take my eyes off my present miseries and focus on Your great plans for my life which are yet to be revealed. Amen!

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REIGNING BY FAITH!!

Reigning by faith!

Verse for Today: Thursday, August 01, 2013

Genesis 37:34 – Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.

Our circumstances often dump us in the deepest valleys of depression and grief. We dwell in the depths of grief in utter hopelessness and self pity because of hard situations. Jacob went through such a valley of tears for years without any comfort because he thought he had lost his beloved son Joseph. Even though Joseph’s brothers separated him from his father out of jealousy and hatred, the good hands of the Lord worked behind the scene to turn it into the family’s good. But while Joseph’s brothers lived in guilt and their father lived in agony for years together, God was preparing Joseph to be the savior of the family from extinction. God was also reshaping Jacob’s life to be a blessing even to the Pharaoh. It was true that Joseph went through many dangers, but God protected him everywhere and preserved his life for greater blessings. God was also working on his teenage dreams and changed his circumstances to fulfill it. Even though Joseph’s brothers hated him all the more for his dreams, the fulfillment of those dreams finally worked for their salvation. In all of these turn of events, God worked behind the scene to protect, preserve and provide for Jacob and his family in order to fulfill His eternal plans for them. It is true that Joseph and Jacob had to endure a lot of pain and misery, but it turned out to be for their blessings and sustainability. So it was time for Jacob to draw closer to God and spend more time in His presence rather than dwell in the depths of depression and hopelessness. Depression, self pity and extended grief make us physically and emotionally weak, but faith and trust in God will revive our spirits to come out of the doldrums of misery. Today we are reminded by the story of Jacob and Joseph that we must fight battles of depression and find victory through faith in Jesus.

Dear friend, are you deeply distressed about the wind of sad events that beat against you? Is it taking away your hope, peace, sleep and appetite? Are you in a state of despair as you wallow in the valley of dejection with no hope of any restoration? If so, you can look at the Lord’s face for hope because your hope is built on Jesus, the Rock of Ages. While you are desperate, God is working in your life to lift you up from despondency. He understands your situation and the bitter experiences you are going through. It is likely that you are experiencing pain because you believe the misrepresentation someone has played on you as done by Jacob’s sons. It is also likely that you are on a tough training turf through various uncertainties and persecutions by your Lord to build up your character as in the case of Joseph. He is teaching you to look to Him and not to any human beings.  Help will come at the right time from your Lord. It might take thirteen years of training in the school of patience for Joseph to become ready for the Lord to open the next chapter in his life. It might take even longer for Jacob to know that there is still hope in the Lord for his future. Jacob was to live like a prince, enjoying God’s blessings and rein his emotions rather than behaving as if all hope is gone.  Today the God of Jacob and Joseph is with us to teach such lessons in our life of faith and to keep us going towards the goals He has set in His agenda for us.

Psalms 116:7 – Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

Thought for Today

When God lifts up His curtain of time, we will see how He was active in our background to shower His blessings upon us.

Prayer for Today

Lord: Strengthen my faith to believe that all my situations will work together for my good and Your glory. Amen! 

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