RIGHT PRIORITY FOR RIGHT LIVING!

RIGHT PRIORITY FOR RIGHT LIVING!

Verse for Today: Monday, March 07, 2011
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Man is a seeker all his life. At different stages of his life, he seeks different things to satisfy his immediate and future needs on the basis of his desires and priorities. His priorities and desires are often directed by his instincts, foresight, taste, preferences, cravings, likes and dislikes which are controlled by what he knows and what he is attracted to. When these are controlled by the world, flesh and Satan through his five senses, he goes in the ways of the world. But a child of God is to desire and seek God and godly things as his priority. God has promised that if we seek after Him, we will have real contentment and purposefulness in life. As we seek Him, our soul is satisfied and our basic human needs will also be met by the Lord. This is the order of desires and priorities that man is to seek, but his first priority above all other things has to be God and His business. God's children are to seek genuinely for God. Any haphazard way of seeking after God is superfluous and external. God looks at our motives and thoughts to see if we genuinely seek after Him. If only we are right in our desires on the inside will we find true satisfaction in our hearts. When God challenges us to prove our allegiance to Him by desiring Him and His business above all things, He is looking into us to see if we respond accordingly. If we are found to seek genuinely for Him and His business, He will fill our hearts with Himself and matters concerning His ways. Otherwise, we will find our hearts and lives filled with matters of the world and our own selfish desires. It is a great blessing to seek for the Lord and get our sustenance from Him as it pleases Him.

Dear reader, are you a genuine seeker of God and His business in this world? Have you had occasions when you sought after the affairs of the world and your selfish desires, yet had expressed interest in God's matters also? Remember, you cannot have two priorities at the same time. Either your first priority is God or He is no priority at all. You have the freedom to seek after the world, but be sure to know that it will never give you lasting satisfaction in life. Your desires for the world will keep enlarging and extending day after day and finally swallow you with all your resources for its own glory. But if you seek after God, He will fill you with His glory and use you to glorify Him. This way, you and God will work together and seek to fulfill His desires in this world for the extension of His kingdom and His righteousness in the lives of the people around you. A genuine seeker will only find God and His righteousness in all areas of His life. Such a person might not become successful according to the world's standards. His standards in life will become that of God and as given in His Word. He will love all whom God loves and hates sin which is hated by God. In all matters, he will have the desire that the righteousness of God is fulfilled in the lives of those who do not know God and so he will do everything possible to spread the good news of God's salvation. While he purses after the will of God and His standards in his life, the child of God will find that God looks after his business and meets all his needs according to His riches in glory. Such a divine approach to life takes away all our anxieties about the future. It gives meaningful priority in life for God's children. They will work hard to make a living for themselves and their families, but their priority will always be the Lord, His kingdom and His righteousness. All God's children at all times have this challenge before them to make God their ultimate priority and focus in life which is the way to live a contended life here on earth for the glory of God.

Matthew 7:7 - Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Thought for Today
Only those who have God as their priority can genuinely sing that He is their every thing both great and small.

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DIVINE DRESSMAKER!

DIVINE DRESSMAKER!

Verse for Today: Sunday, March 06, 2011
Matthew 6:30 - But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

God's glory is often revealed through the uniqueness of His creation. It is amazing how He has added colour, shape, size and strength for each of His creation including every vegetable, grass, bird and animal. He also makes sure that the resources each of His creation needs to grow and sustain itself are also provided by Him. His care for His creation is seen in the way the creation is given what it takes for all its needs. It seems the other creatures of God are not much concerned about their future and are satisfied with what they get each day to eat and drink. They do not have anxiety as to what to eat and what to drink or wear. They know where to look for food and water and do it on a daily basis. They also do not amass resources for the future. But man is so unsure about his future that he thinks much less about today and lot more about his tomorrows. He keeps a great part of his resources for tomorrow rather than use it for today's needs. In other words, most of his days are full of concern and burden about the tomorrows for himself and his family. But God doesn't want man to live in his tomorrow, but in the day that is granted to him to live. Instead of getting preoccupied with the future, the Lord wants him learn a lesson about the way He takes care of the other creatures and less valued living things like grass or bush. The Lord wants us today to look at the way He clothes the grass of the field which have very short life span, yet see the beauty and serenity with which He has adorned it. If this is how the Lord looks after the grass of the field, it is only reasonable to think that He will do much better for man who is created in His own image. But such confidence in the Lord requires faith in Him in spite of circumstances.

Dear friend, are you a worrier or a warrior for God today? Are you much concerned about your tomorrows even while you live to use God's resources to live today? Is it your habit of looking through the future and think that it is going to be bleak and dim? Are you afraid that something bad will happen to your health, wealth or relationships? But the Lord doesn't want you to have anxiety about your future because He knows your future and has planned for it all. His eyes are already on your future and will have provided for it all. All you have to do is to commit your future in the hands of the Lord and trust Him to see you through the future no matter what happens. You are expected to enjoy the resources and opportunities He has given you today and live for His glory and for the extension of His kingdom with grateful hearts. He wants you to learn a great message of the care of the Lord through the way He has created the grass of the field and every other creature of His, and see that He who has given all of them all that they need will do much better for you. He has promised to look after you because you are created in His image. He has also purchased you from the clutches of sin and Satan with the very blood of His beloved Son. He is at work to meet all your needs in the emotional, intellectual, physical and financial realms. If He sustains the grass of the field, how much more will He do that for you who are His son or daughter? Today He wants you to meditate on the love and care of your gracious Father and renew your total, absolute and unreserved faith in His ability and willingness to sustain you far better than the way He takes care of the plant and animal kingdom. So today let us confess our little faith to Him and ask for His grace to strengthen our feeble faith to trust Him for all our todays and tomorrows.

Luke 10:41 - But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her". (NLT)

Thought for Today
When the Lord is working for you with divine concern, your anxiety about it is an indication that you have no faith in His willingness and ability to sustain you.

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REWARD FOR SINCERITY!

REWARD FOR SINCERITY!

Verse for Today: Saturday, March 05, 2011
Matthew 6:18b - Your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

It is one thing to receive provisions from the Lord for our daily needs, but yet another thing to receive special rewards from the Lord for praying. These rewards are not for doing some special service for the Lord, but for simply trusting Him and obeying His commandments in prayer. It is true that God answers prayer and His answers are in accordance to His will and pleasure and at His time. But God takes special note when His children deny themselves of basic needs like food and pray in secret. He understands our special burden and concern when we go to the extent of denying ourselves of food and set apart time to pray for special needs. But if we publicize our time to pray in fasting, the very purpose of fasting is defeated and such prayers are understood to be for attracting attention from others about our high level of spirituality. But when we fast and deny ourselves of food secretly, it comes out of our great concern and burden about special needs which are uppermost in our minds. The burdens are such that we do not even consider our daily intake of food important. When the body demands food, the soul denies itself of this basic need and cry before the Lord. But the reward comes for doing it secretly so that only the Father will know that we are denying ourselves of food. Such prayer in devotion to the Lord and the burden of the need are rewarded by the Lord in special ways. He rewards us first of all by giving us the assurance that He hears our special burdens and concerns. He realizes that the solution to the burden and problem is more important to us than eating and drinking. He also recognizes our desire not to attract attention to our act of denial so that there won't be any human recognition for our self denial. When we pray with such fervency, there will be special rewards for us. He will answer your prayers and lift up the burden.

Dear friend, are you so much burdened about some special need in your personal, family or church life that you don't even feel like eating or drinking, and instead want to pray? Do you feel that your burden is such that you don't think about your basic needs of food and drink and other comforts as you go to the Lord in prayer? Such prayer with fasting will certainly help you to devote more attention to the need for unburdening yourself before the Lord. You are commanded to pray and fast in secret for your special need. You are advised that if you want the Lord to hear your prayers and see your spirit of denying yourself of food and drink, then it is important that the Lord alone need to take note of your deep anguish and burden about your special need. If you pray in secret and demonstrate your special need, there is a special reward awaiting you from the Lord. He is moved when one of His children deny himself of basic necessities in life and wait for Him in prayer. You will receive His reassurance that He will meet your need, lift up your burden and keep on increasing your faith to trust Him. Certain burdens are lifted up through prayer, whereas certain other burdens are lifted up by persistent prayer. But certain huge burdens are lifted up by praying with self denial as such prayer demonstrate our sincere concern, priority and the urgency. He will reward us by answering our prayers in secret as we submit our needs with importunity before the Lord. Some times, a group of believers might feel the need to pray with self denial, like the brethren at Antioch with spiritual concern which opened the doors to world missions. We see that Nehemiah fasted and prayed for equipping himself for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the Lord rewarded Him with the privilege of undertaking that task. We see the Psalmist David fasting and praying for others. Jesus Himself taught that certain serious ailments and satanic attack may not pass away without prayer in fasting. In all of these, we find the reward received by His people who denied themselves of basic necessities. Let us today unburden ourselves before the Lord in prayer and self denial and kneel before Him with our burdens. Our Lord is out there waiting to reward us by lifting our burdens and meeting our needs.

Matthew 17:21 - But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Thought for Today
Secret unburdening in prayer and fasting before the Lord is rewarded with secret blessings like personal peace, sleep, joy, comfort, patience and strengthening of our faith to get victory over burdens and difficulties.

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ORDER AND PEACE!

ORDER AND PEACE

Verse for Today: Friday, March 04, 2011
I Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

God leads His people through peace and order rather than through disorder and confusion. When one is in confusion about something, it is easy to discern that it doesn't come from our God. At such times, it is best to keep waiting till the confusion is removed. God would never confuse His people, but He wants His people to do everything by faith under His direction. He confused the enemies of God who were proud and obstinate to gather against His plan and programs in this world, and at that time God confused them to stop disrupting God's plan. But for His children who walk after His commandments and will, He will always send peace. So even when the enemy of our souls create confusion to make us drift from His will for our lives, He sends His peace to guide and lead us in His path. His peace takes away doubts and removes lack of clarity. His peace is often beyond human reasoning and understanding. His peace might not look intelligent or smart for the world. His peace gives His children confidence to stop from going on wrong ways, or go forward in the ways shown by the Lord. His peace makes us tarry with Him in meditation, prayer and in enquiring further on the mind of the Lord. But the world wants to push us into abrupt decisions which are often immature and a result of impatience. On the other hand, God's peace makes us wait and relax until the green signal comes from the Lord. But confusion drags us into rash and immature decisions. Confusion and disorder push us into inventing our own methods to solving our problems rather than leaving it to the Lord. Peace comes from our Lord who is the God of order which He has demonstrated through all His creation. He speaks to us today through all creation that He wants to instill the same order and peace in our lives if we trust Him to take full charge of our lives.

Dear friend, are you experiencing confusion and chaos in your affairs today? Are you at a loss as to how to move forward and which direction to take in life? Is your life one of moving from alternatives to newer alternatives with no clarity and order of thinking? Are you finding it difficult to make decisions in life to keep moving forward in the will of God? Do you have confusions about the will of God in your life? Remember, the God of peace and order is with you all the time. He rules in your heart as the sole authority of your life because He owns you once by creation, and then by recreation through Calvary. But He will use His authority over your life only to the extent to which you permit Him to make decisions for you. If you want to resent Him and go your way, He will not force His decisions on you. If you do not want His decisions, you will have the freedom to go your way and pick up all the consequences. But His Spirit will continue to speak to you about the way that He wants you to follow. His Word and Spirit live in you to guide you, and He uses your sanctified conscience and imagination to also work in and for you. He speaks to you through the teachings and counsel from His servants. He gives you determination as you sit in prayer and meditation in His holy presence. His Spirit will prevail over the confusions and disorders that the enemy will create through manipulation of your circumstances, situations and affairs and through people. You might be given wrong signals through superstitions of various kinds by the enemy. But when the Lord speaks to you, His directions will be clear and unambiguous with spiritual order and expediency. May He guide you today in all that you do so that you will move forward for Him in His ways and according to His direction in peace and order to glorify Him through your life!

Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thought for Today
God's peace and order will prevail over the confusions temporarily created by the enemy through the manipulation of circumstances and people.

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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING!

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING!

Verse for Today: Thursday, March 03, 2011
Isaiah 55:6 - Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

The opportunities provided for us in this life have limitations of time and space. It is true in the physical as well as the spiritual realms. Our souls can be saved if we go through the door of salvation while it is still open. If we want help from the Lord, we should find Him while He may be found and available. When He is near us, and asking us to seek Him, it is our opportunity to seek His help. Today He is near us and with us, and challenging us to ask Him to meet our needs. He never imposes Himself upon us. He gives food to the ravens which cry unto Him. As they cry, they open their mouths wide, and He fills those mouths. Only those who cry unto Him get answers to their problems. He satisfies the desires of those who have the right desires for Him and His blessings. If we seek after the provisions that this world offers, we go and seek after the world which is a never ending road. Sadly, we will only get that which will never quench us, but make is wanting more and never to satisfy us. But what the Lord gives us will grant us eternal satisfaction. We need to take some efforts to seek after the Lord. We need to recognize His soft and compassionate voice in this noisy world and go to Him to get what we want. His desire is to give to His children the best that He has for them to satisfy their inner cravings for Him and His blessings. He has it all in abundance. But He would not impose it upon any one. Today He is there to listen to our prayers and cries. His hands are open to give to us. These are the hands which touched the sick and the needy. These are the hands which broke the five loaves and two small fish for over five thousand hungry people. These are the hands which washed the feet of His disciples. These are the hands which gave fish and bread to Peter when He had the wrong cravings for the fish that the world gives. These are the hands which were open for the Roman nails to pierce for us.

Dear friend, are you a needy person today? Do you realize that your needs cannot be met by the world and its systems? Do you recognize that your intelligence and experience along with your bank account will not quench your thirst for eternal peace and satisfaction of your innermost cravings? There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God. There is a Person nearest to you in whom you can confide and relax. There is a Person who is near you and asking you to ask Him. He has abundance of resources and is willing to give you to the brink if you are willing to admit that you are needy. Today the doors are open and you can go in. He is there at the door to welcome you to His blessings. He is the door and the door keeper, and He is the owner of the Treasure house. His resources of peace, love, joy, comfort and rest are just for you to meet your innermost needs today to live for Him. Today is your golden opportunity to seek Him and call on Him. He has guaranteed that if you seek Him, you will surely find Him with open arms to welcome you and to give you what is needed in abundance. He will give you far more than you would ever ask for or imagine. Today is your splendid opportunity to call on Him because His ears are open to your cries, sobs and even groaning. The next move is yours and He is waiting for you to take the first step to approach Him. He is asking you to seek Him and call on Him. It is a loving admonition and a compassionate commandment. If you decline His offer, you will have to unnecessarily suffer pain and misery. Do not delay because today is the day of His visitation to your premises with abundant resources to meet all your needs. So seek Him and call on Him and find yourself at rest with His provisions for you.

Psalms 9:10 - And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Thought for Today
When God's help is available nearby, it is unwise to search for alternatives everywhere else.

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COMPASSION UNSHAKABLE!!

COMPASSION UNSHAKABLE!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Isaiah 54:10 - Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

God has established mountains and hills for the present age and they are not expected to be removed from their positions. They contribute to the environmental balance so as to facilitate life here on earth. They stand tall and demonstrate strength and stability. Through these mountains and hills, God speaks to His children and compare it with His mercy and lovingkindness to His children. For God says that even if the mighty mountains and hills are removed from their position, which is impossible for man to think or imagine, God's mercy and compassion will not depart from His children. God has placed such might and stability for His promise of mercy for His children. He is the loving and compassionate Father and the most merciful Shepherd of His people. His love and compassion flow to His children, not because they are perfect and always do things which are pleasing to Him, but because He understands our frailties and shortcomings. His mercy cannot be hindered by any of our failures and weaknesses. In fact, when our weaknesses and failures increase, His mercy abounds for us to come out of our weaknesses. He deals with us on the basis of His love and mercy rather than on the basis of His laws. Surely, He will discipline us when we go astray and disobey Him. Even then, He deals with us as a loving father disciplines his children. His disciplines are for our good and not for us to be destroyed. If we do something wrong, we will have to pick up its consequences. If we choose our own way, we might end up paying heavily through our lives. But in His mercy, our God forgives us and helps us out of our difficulties and restores us. He has pronounced that His mercy will not depart from us and that it will never move a millimeter. What He has promised will definitely be fulfilled, not because we are perfectly faithful to Him, but because He is faithful in His covenant to us.

Dear friend, have you been so burdened about your situation lately and been waiting for God to rescue you from your present situation? Do you feel frustrated in the long wait and still not find any answers from Heaven? Remember, the Lord is dealing with you in His abundant mercy and love. In His mercy, He forgives you and prepares you to receive His provision to meet the challenges in your situation. His promises are absolutely powerful because they are as powerful as the Lord Himself. What He says will certainly be fulfilled. We know this because all that He has promised in the past has so far been fulfilled to its minutest details. His past care and provision are a surety that His promises for the future will also be fulfilled. His promises are stronger and more stable than the tallest and strongest mountains and hills of this earth. His love is greater than any thing that the modern technology has invented and is more explosive than the most powerful nuclear weapon. When all around is unstable and keep changing day after day, the Lord never changes and His love and compassion are as stable as the Lord Himself. Blessed are we if we trust in Him and His Word. His mercy is like a never ceasing water fall and it keeps falling upon us. This fountain of God's compassion will continue to fall on us throughout eternity and we will rest under the tree of His compassion. No force on earth or under the earth can keep His mercy away from us even for a moment. His mercy never diminishes in its quality, quantity, depth, height or width. It is unconditionally available to all His children. We can draw upon this great reservoir of mercy and compassion and face any situations and circumstances in life. Dipping deep into His mercy will take away all the frustrations we encounter in this uncertain world and help us to keep going forward. Let us today be encouraged in our walk with the Lord because we are walking with the compassionate and loving Lord who is the lover of our souls.

Isaiah 54:14 - In righteousness you will be established; Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.

Thought for Today
Trusting in the fountain of God's unfailing mercy will enable us to live without the fear of the unknown future.

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GUARANTEE FOR SURVIVAL!

GUARANTEE FOR SURVIVAL

Verse for Today: Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Isaiah 43:2 - When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

God is the creator of water, rivers, fire and all elements in this Universe and so has absolute control over it all. He has established limits to their power and they work according to His control. These elements are created by God to aid in life on earth and are service agents of God for effective living and environment. But the enemy of God has been using it all to destroy God's creation and cause pain and loss to human beings. Even though God has established flood, waves, tide, fire, wind, storm, snow, ice and rain to keep the environmental balance to make sure that man lives in and through seasons to glorify God. But the enemy uses it all negatively to cause damage to God's creation so that the life of man becomes miserable. It is seen that God's people have to face flood, overflowing rivers, deep waters, forest fires, snow storms and ice. Many of these are hindrance to smooth living. But some of these eruptions can be seen as tests God allows His people to go through. Some of these changes are used by the enemy to trap God's people and cause destruction to property and life. When they go through such experiences, the Lord is out there to take them through it unhurt. This has been His promise to His people Israel. We see that His people had gone through the waters and came out unhurt and unhindered, once at Red Sea and at River Jordan at another time. His servants have gone through the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. These elements are symbolic of the kind of seemingly insurmountable hindrances that God's children face in their sojourn. There have been many such experiences for His children in the past and many are going through such difficulties currently. But there is a promise that God will allow us to pass through it all and take glory.

Dear friend, are you currently going through difficulties of the type that is understood by the symbolism of water, flood, fire, rivers, rainstorm or snow storm? When these come from God, these are tests of faith for God's children and opportunity for them to go through it by faith and trust in the Lord and grow in their faith. When these experiences are part of the scheme of the enemy to hinder us in our walk with the Lord, we need to use the full armor of God to fight these battles and come out victorious. Our Lord will be with us to see to it that we pass through it unhurt. Sometimes when our faith is tested through such experiences, we might even reach the point of loss of life. That is the experience of martyrdom. But in all, the Lord is with us and He will give us the strength and courage to go through it all. We need not sit and wait for these experiences to come our way, but should not be surprised when such experiences are seen in front of us. We can be rest assured that nothing comes our way without the full knowledge and permission of our Lord. Even the enemy cannot create hindrance to us without the permission of our Lord. If He permits such experiences, it is an indication that He has special purpose behind it and it will always be for our good. Even if the enemy brings such hindrances on our way, the Lord can make it for our good. He makes all things work together for our good even when these might not be good in themselves. So we need not be apprehensive nor should we be tense and shocked when we face seemingly insurmountable difficulties on our way. Come what may, our beloved Lord is with us and He will help us to pass through it. He has sufficient grace for us to meet any challenge on our pathway with the Lord. It is available freely for the asking and will be our bridge over the troubled waters that we are called upon to cross over for His glory.

Isaiah 43:2 - When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (New Living Translation)

Thought for Today
There is divine guarantee of God's presence and protection for His children who go through difficulties.

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