POWER OF GOD'S PEACE!!

Power of God’s peace!

Verse for Today: Monday, November 07, 2011

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Several parting gifts were given to the disciples when Jesus left them and went to the Father’s House. He gave them His Spirit, His Word, His presence and protection along with innumerable promises. But one of the greatest parting gifts He gave was His peace in all circumstances. He knew that when He is gone, His beloved disciples would be lonely and would miss Him much. He also knew that circumstances would try to haunt and hunt them down and situations would intimidate them. He was with them physically all these years and now that He is gone, He wanted to give them the reassurance that nothing untoward will overpower them. He wanted to dispel all their fears. He wanted their minds to be tranquil and at rest. He didn’t want their minds to be baffled at the unexpected situations which would come up every moment of their lives. So the Lord gave them one of the greatest gifts that they could ever receive from Him which was His peace. This is the peace that is part of the character of God. No matter what happens, it would not shake the peace that God has in Him. He has no fear of danger, enemies, changing circumstances, threats and volatility. When Jesus gave His disciples His peace, this is what was given to them. It is this peace that made them bold to face the Roman Empire, Jewish religion and persecutions. They could not be shaken by solitary confinements, capital punishments, natural calamities, wild animals in the arenas, fiery furnaces, starvation, mutilation of their bodies and social rejection. They withstood all pressures because they had the peace of Jesus in their hearts. The same peace is with us today to face any circumstance. It is deposited as an investment by Jesus in our hearts and He wants us to grow in that peace so that we will be able to face any eventualities in life. The boldness and peace in times of adversities is unthinkable to the people of the world. So they resort to shortcuts to escape the pressures they encounter. But we can trust in the Lord and in His peace which rules our hearts.

Dear reader, is your present circumstance blow heavily against you? Is your situation intimidating with unanswerable questions about your future? Are you experiencing the loss of strength in your heart? Are you loosing all the hope you had placed in a person, your assets, job, health or other relationships? Is the wind of circumstance trying to uproot you? Remember the words of Lord Jesus that He has already given you His peace to govern your heart, thoughts and situations. Because His peace in planted in your heart, none of the external forces can have dominion over you. His peace is as powerful as the Lord Himself and will work as a buffer against any eventualities in life. His peace can dispel all fears, discouragements, pressures and anguishes. His peace is beyond the capacity of any earthly forces to overpower you. His peace will guard your heart and mind against all intimidating thoughts. His peace will work as a wall around you and a strong tower that your difficult situation will not take away your confidence and courage. If you are going through rough and tough patches in life, you need not loose hope because Jesus is with you in all your circumstances as your partner. His peace is your weapon to fight against and win over the most debilitating thoughts and fears which knock at the door of your heart. Your unanswered questions can find proper answers in the Lord because He knows your future which He has planned for you. He will not forsake His children in any circumstance. He will guide you and keep you going. His hands will be upon you in all your tomorrows. Let the peace of God govern your hearts and thoughts and give you strength today to face all the challenges and trying situations you face and come out stronger in your faith.

Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thought for Today
Peace of God is the most effective counterforce against the most devastating situations that we go through.

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EAGERNESS AND EXPECTANCY!!

Eagerness and expectancy!

Verse for Today: Sunday, November 06, 2011

Philippians 3:20 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s children have a permanent place of dwelling which is heaven, the abode of God Almighty. They are merely passersby in this world for a short period of time. We are permitted by our Eternal King to stay here for a time to look after His affairs as ambassadors. We are expected to deal in any earthly matter with a short term perspective and with short term goals. We have a permanent home in heaven where we will dwell with our Lord forever. We stay here on earth only as long as our Lord King allows us to stay. He has not permitted us to deal in any matters here as if we will be here forever. Our appointment here is to speak for our King and His Kingdome. All our business here ought to be to sustain us, under the grace of God and with His rule. Our mission is to speak about our King and His grace. Our heart ought to throb for Him and His kingdom only. Our focus ought to be His imminent appearing in the clouds because we know that He is eager to come to take us to be with Him in His home forever. The Father alone knows the time of His appearing and so let us wait expectantly for the return of the Lord. In the meanwhile let us occupy ourselves with His business. When He appears, we shall be like Him and we shall see Him face to face. At that time all our tears will be wiped away. All our burdens will be lifted forever. All our problems will be solved in an instance. He is eagerly waiting for His return to meet us face to face. So let us renew our minds and desire to see Him. Let us express our eagerness to meet Him through what we do for Him here on earth.

Dear friend, are you weary and tired of this world and its ways? Do you feel lonely here on earth as your beloved ones have departed to other places on earth or gone to be with the Lord? Is your heart grieved profoundly because of the sense of loss of a departed loved one? Is your burden so heavy that you can no longer carry it by yourself? Remember, your Lord’s appearing to take you to His home is imminent. He is coming in the clouds to take you home with Him. When He appears, He will transform you to His likeness. All your difficulties are going to be over. All your burdens are going to be lifted forever. All your tears will be wiped away forever, for there will be no more tears in His kingdom. The Lord will receive you unto Himself and you will be with Him forever without any separation. In His eternal kingdom we will have special privileges because that is where our citizenship is. It is our Father’s home and we will be there as His children and as co-heirs with Jesus Christ. You will see the King in all His glories and will be lost forever in the wonder and awe of Him and will continue to worship Him along with all the saints who have departed before. When we reach heaven, we will be with all our loved ones who have gone before us and with all great men and women of God forever without separation. We will meet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Nehemiah, Gideon, Ruth, Boaz, all the prophets, priests, all the apostles, all the unknown saints from all over the globe and all our departed dear ones who knew the Lord as their Savior. Together we will praise our Lord and see His beauty and glory which we will share. Let us today prepare ourselves to meet our Lord and be with Him as His bride. Today let us comfort ourselves because our Lord is at the door and will soon appear to take us home with Him.

Revelation 22:20 – He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Thought for Today
Our priorities and engagements in life is a barometer of our eagerness and preparation to meet the Lord.

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AMAZING HOPE!!

Amazing hope!

Verse for Today: Saturday, November 05, 2011

Acts 7:56 – “Look,” he (Stephen) said, “I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

It is an undeniable fact that a warm and glorious welcome awaits God’s children when they arrive at their eternal home. The story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16) tells us in the words of the Lord Jesus that when God’s children go to their eternal resting place, they are carried into their home by the angels. When we say that someone we love is gone, they are not gone away, but gone to a place of eternal bliss and glittering glory and are ushered in by angels who carry them in their hands. Stephen was received by the Lord Jesus standing up, even though He is seated at the right hand of the Father. The honor and dignity that awaits us when we reach our eternal home is unparallel to any thing that human mind has envisaged. When we loose one of our dear ones, we feel the sense of loss, but Heaven rejoices as they arrive. It is precious in the sight of God when one of His precious children comes home to be there with the Father and the Son forever, along with all the angels and the saints who have gone before them. When we lament that our dear one is gone, heaven declares with rejoicing that God’s precious child has arrived. We send our dear ones to their eternal home with profound grief and sense of loss, but heaven receives them with joy and fulfillment. When our ministries here on earth are completed, we all have to go home as Prophet Zechariah did when his service here was completed. Our Lord knows when we complete our course and then it would be time to go home, rest and wait to receive the crowns which are set apart for us. So when our dear ones are gone, we are enabled by the Lord to send them off with the great confidence that we would go back to complete our mission in this world for our beloved Lord and then go home to meet our Lord whom our souls long to see face to face, along with our dear ones who are gone before us.

Dear friend, are you feeling a great sense of loss at the sudden departure of your loved one? Perhaps you have no idea why it happened at this time when there are so many more things to be accomplished for others and for God. But our God knows better when we complete our race and ministries which are entrusted with us. So our primary focus on earth has to be to complete the missions that the Lord has given us. At the same time, when we say goodbye to a beloved one, we should not have a sense of eternal loss, because the temporary loss we encounter is only a short term separation. One of these days we will all go home to be with our beloved Lord and all the saints who have gone before us. But it is likely that before that ever happens, the Lord might appear in the clouds to receive us from here and take us home to be with Him forever. We will all be there with the angels and all the saints about whom we have read in the Bible and in the history of the Church. In a sense, they are all waiting for us to be also there for that great permanent camp meeting. Our Lord wants us there physically and He will give us glorified bodies to be there. Our glorified bodies will not decay or corrupt. We will be always praising God in our eternal home and see the face of Jesus. Dear reader, if you are going through a painful bereavement, it is time you take courage in the Lord who is now having a face to face encounter with your departed beloved one. May the Lord guard your heart so that you would not loose this glorious hope! May your painful heart find peace and rest in the Lord and the awaiting glory which we will all share soon!

Luke 1:23 – And it came to pass that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, (Zechariah) departed to his own house.
Thought for Today
His children are so precious to the Father who gives them the warmest welcome when they reach their eternal home.

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COMFORTING WORDS!!

Comforting WORDS!

Verse for Today: Friday, November 04, 2011

1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Therefore comfort one another with these words.

There are times when human beings cannot go forward in life without comfort and consolation. We all need encouragement and strength from others because we drain ourselves of courage and strength to keep going when the going gets tough. But often human words are empty and lack the power to impart peace, strength and comfort to us. On the other hand, God’s words are full of His power to touch our lives with strength, comfort, healing and peace. When we read the words of God as recorded in the Bible, they touch us in special ways at the sore spots of our lives and make us whole again. The words of God are full of encouragement and comfort to drive us forward even through the difficulties and problems we face. They carry eternal value to reassure us to keep going forward. We are given these words to comfort each other because no human words can sufficiently console us in the midst of our tears and heartaches. When we use God’s words, a floodgate of peace enters our hearts and gives us the peace that passes all understanding in the midst of great trials. When we are lonely, weak, sick, bereaved, rejected or despised, the words that come from the Word of God are our only means of comfort and strength. We can comfort each other with God’s words. The verses in the Word through which God has spoken to us can be used as a testimony when we use the same verses to console others who are confronted with tensions of various kinds and are cornered by the enemy. The words spoken by God thus help us to build up our faith in the God of the Word. His words penetrate our hearts and minds with divine power and work in us to trust Him and His promises.

Dear friend, are you craving for the touch of the words of our Lord to heal the wounds inflicted in your soul by painful events today? Are you gasping for a breath of comfort and hope? There is hope in the words of our Lord which you can use to comfort yourself and those who are dear and near to you. Jesus said that He has given us His Spirit to dwell with us forever. His Spirit is the Spirit of comfort, encouragement and strength. His words are powerful enough to transform your wounded heart to a powerhouse of strength. His promises are potent and will work in the lives and situations of those who trust Him and take His words to their hearts. You have the privilege to cling on to His words and own them as special blessing to your soul today. His words are like the balm of Gilead with the capacity to heal the broken and wounded hearts. His words can take away your burdens. His words can wipe your tears. His words which encouraged Abraham, Jacob, Elijah, Gideon, Moses, Joshua, John, Paul, Peter and others will encourage you also today. His words are like a string to hold on to those who are struggling to survive through difficult circumstances. His words are what are given to you today as the Word of God which is full of promises. You are instructed in the Word not to fear, not to be anxious and desperate and not wallow in hopelessness. Whatever that is happening to you today is with His knowledge. Perhaps He has permitted painful events to come your way. But what He sends is to your blessing and not desperation which is often understood only when you reach eternity. He will strengthen and encourage you even through difficult situations and guide you to go forward.

2 Corinthians 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort.

Thought for Today

God’s Word is stronger than any earthly means to pour peace into your wounded heart.

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ABUNDANT GRACE, PEACE AND MERCY!!

Abundant grace, peace and mercy!

Verse for Today: Thursday, November 03, 2011

Hebrews 4:16 – Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The throne of grace where our Lord dwells is always open and approachable to all His children at all times. They have free access to go there and touch Him by faith. He wants His children to draw closer to Him with all their heartaches, burdens and troubles. The Lord knows that in their human strength they cannot handle their problems and situations which are beyond their capacity to solve. But our Lord is the Almighty who will help them to handle all their situations well. When they lack peace, He will fill their hearts with the peace that passes all understanding. When their burdens are so heavy that they cannot sleep, He will fill their hearts with the peace that passes all understanding and give them the gift of sleep. When they are filled with grief, He takes it away and gives them inner joy and peace to praise Him in every situation. He gives fellowship to those who are lonely and isolated. When the future is bleak, the Lord becomes their light into the future. When others’ relationships with them have grown sour, He warms their hearts with His love and comforts them. In times of need, He is a friend so close who will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows the needs before we ask Him to meet it, and has provisions to meet it all. But it is imperative that we go to Him as we are and tell Him all about it. His hands of mercy will be upon us to strengthen us to face situations we have never faced before. This Lord is our God to lead us forward even today when we are stuck in rough and touch situations.

Dear friend, perhaps you are going through bitter experiences of life today. Perhaps your heart is grieved with the loss of a loved one and you feel that the loss is irreplaceable and colossal. When you have such a deep vacuum in your life, your Lord will fill that gap in your life with Himself. If you are in the grip of a difficult sickness, loss of job and subsequent financial difficulties and face a bleak future, there is plenty of mercy and grace with the Lord to draw upon. You can go to His throne with full confidence because it is the place full of grace and mercy for His children only. They can go there and dip themselves in His grace because He is able to give you in the measure in which you need it. There is enough grace for the morning when the sun shines and plenty more when you hit your bed lonely and desperate without peace. He will carry your burdens for you and hold you as His precious child in His hands. You will find rest and peace on His broad shoulders. His warmth will take away the emotional paralysis of your heart. He will make your situation work together for your good and for His glory. Today it is your privilege to go to your Lord and receive His mercy in your situation no matte how difficult it is to go through it and how large the need is. The One who was at the tomb of Lazarus with tears in His eyes is the same Lord who is now seated on the Throne of Grace. Today there is a fountain of grace and mercy opened for you to draw from. If you draw close to Him, He will draw closest to you to meet your need and fill your heart with His praise.

James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Thought for Today
There is a place of quiet rest for the weary soul today at the Throne Room of the King of grace and mercy.

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NAME - PSEUDO OR REAL?

Name – pseudo or real?

Verse for Today: Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Acts 11:26 – The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

‘Christian’ is a name given by the outsiders to a group of people who lived according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was not a title developed by Christians. It was never meant to be a title for a religious group. It evolved because first the people of Antioch found the elements of the character of Christ in the people of the church at Antioch. The world found in them the qualities of the disciples of Jesus in these ordinary believers. When the believers at Antioch lived and behaved like the disciples of Jesus, the name ‘Christian’ fell on them spontaneously. They were first disciples and known as Christians because of it. Their values in life portrayed the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their priorities in life were that of the disciples of Jesus. For the disciples, Jesus came first and foremost in everything they did. They lived for Christ more than any thing else. They expressed their love to each other in the church as if they were members of the same body. They had great faith in Jesus as their partner in everything they did. Their lives exemplified the character of Jesus and His disciples. Their desires for Jesus were genuine. They followed Jesus not to make themselves members of a distinct group, but because they genuinely loved Jesus. When the people of Antioch saw in them a life like that of Jesus Christ and His disciples, they were called Christians as an expression of the true life that was found in them. This fact challenges us today to see if we qualify to be called Christians without showing evidences about His life in us.

Dear friend, are you primarily a disciple of Jesus or merely taking a title of a religious group? Are your priorities in life showing others around you that Jesus Christ is first and foremost in your life? Are you living and behaving as if Jesus Christ is a living reality in you? The disciples of Jesus saw the Lord Jesus and spent about 42 months with Him and slowly changed into His likeness. The believers in the church at Antioch exemplified such a life and lived as if they saw the Lord Jesus face to face. Their lives and life styles were changed and were filled with a perspective that Jesus was alive in them. They proved with their lives that they were dead and buried and that they lived in and through Jesus. So when people saw them and communicated with them, it was obvious that their lives were like that of the disciples of Jesus. They were primarily disciples of Jesus Christ in every sense of the term. Today we are given the opportunity to live to exemplify the life of Jesus in character, behavior and attitude so that our lives will be like that of the disciples of Jesus. Our vision of the Lord Jesus has to be seen in us so that we would also qualify to progress in the path of the disciples of Jesus and thus become Christians in the true sense of the term. The Christians of Antioch were first disciples and so were qualified to receive the title of being a ‘Christian’. Will we qualify to be ‘Christians’ today? If not, it is time to come to Jesus, get to know Him more intimately and allow Him to change us to become His disciples so that we will be known as followers of Jesus Christ. Today we have the opportunity to start walking after Jesus, imitate Him in all aspects of our lives and slowly emerge into His likeness and be transformed into His likeness. If we do not start today, we loose one more day to follow Him. Would you loose the opportunity to be His disciple or loose everything else to be His disciple?

1 John 4:17 - …. As He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.

Thought for Today
To know and follow Jesus Christ and be known as His true disciple in practical life is the greatest honor and opportunity.

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COME AND FOLLOW!!

Come and follow!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus gave two great invitations to His listeners. His first invitation was to the general public to go to Him if they were thirsty in their souls and heavy in their hearts. Many responded to His general invitation and went to Him and found the living water to quench their thirst and to lay all their burdens and heartaches at His feet. To those who responded to the general invitation, Jesus gave another invitation to come to Him out of their love and indebtedness. As they come to Him, He gave a very serious commandment to follow Him so that He could make them fishers of men. He wanted to specially equip them to do what only Jesus could do and so He desired that they become like Him. But in order to be made like Him, they had to leave behind the things or philosophies they followed so far and choose deliberately to follow only Jesus. He expected total and unreserved obedience to His command to follow Him. It involved full surrender to His will with utmost commitment and loyalty to Him. They had to give Jesus willing consent to make them what He wanted them to be. But this command meant that if they followed Him, they would be made different people with different abilities, mission, goals and objectives in life. They had to be willing to be made different by Him just as a potter shapes the clay in His hands according to His will. The process of making them fishers was a painful experience for which they ought to be willing. But He will make them the way He wants according to His plan for them. They were to leave their fishing profession to make money so that He could make them catch men and women for Jesus who have eternal value. In order to catch people for Jesus, they had to be first proper examples in their practical lives and at the same time they should be able to communicate about Jesus through the spoken word. Jesus promises to train, equip and empower them as His disciples so that they would be spiritual fishers of people for God.

Hello dear reader, have you recognized both these calls by Jesus? The call to follow Him comes to you if only you respond to the invitation to go to Him and get spiritual drink to quench your inner thirst for God. If your soul is thus enriched by His Word, He doesn’t want you to follow after the philosophies and goals you have had before. You are to live in the newness of life by following Jesus who met your inner spiritual needs. He expects you to go to the world and tell people about the change Jesus has brought to your life. He lovingly invites you to follow Him as His disciple and consider all that you had before to be trash and value Him greater than any thing else or any one else in this life. He guarantees that as you practice fishing for Jesus, He will meet your needs and look after you well. Today you need to recognize His call to follow Him and be willing to submit to His hands so that He can make you what He wants you to be. If you obey His command and go after Him, He will make you like Him here on earth to live for Him and His cause. Then His business becomes your business and your business will become His. Your willingness to obey His command and to pay the price to leave behind all that you have is the indicator of your love to Him and that will show whether you are on the path to become like Him or not. Today you have the opportunity to begin to walk after Jesus and become His disciple so that He can start the process of making you a fisher of men like Him.

John 14:15 – “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”

Thought for Today
Commandment to follow Jesus is the most highly honorable opportunity made available to God’s children.

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