MARAH TURNS SWEET!!

Marah turns sweet!

Verse for Today: Thursday, February 14, 2013

Exodus 15:23 – When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place was called Marah.)

Our anticipation and great expectations sometimes sour in our mouths when we get bitter experiences in life. Such disappointments make us sometimes wonder why we are led to bitter spots in life. The Israeli sojourners were taken by surprise many times by their wilderness experiences. When they found the Egyptian army following them to annihilate them and at the fierce Red Sea which made them stuck on the way, they were frustrated.  Their thirst which culminated at a bitter water source made them exasperated. Each of these situations made God’s people to grumble rather than handle it by faith. Of course the past trials ended in miraculous victory secured for them by God which ought to have made them turn to God in prayer at Marah. Instead they grumbled against God and the journey they undertook. They forgot the past victories and the miraculous deliverance from the tyranny of Egypt. God expected them to grow spiritually and exercise faith as they progressed in their journey, but they were still at the lowest ebb of their spiritual ladder. They didn’t have the faith to trust the God of the Passover and the Red Sea to believe that He would find a way out at Marah into sweet. God went a step further to make water sweet which is far beyond what one would expect from normal drinking water. Today we must understand that Marah is a test to see how we would respond to bitter experiences in life. If we trust God, He would make our Marah experiences better. Our God makes our bitter experiences better to quench our thirst to refresh and revive us.

Dear friend, are you at the crossroads of bitter experiences in life lately? Are you finding it difficult to see why things are stark opposite to what you expect or desire? Are you frustrated that wherever you go, you find bitter and painful experiences in life and wonder why you are made to go through it all on a regular basis? Your tough experiences are the testing times God sends your way to strengthen your faith. God is interested in how your faith grows day after day and whether you respond to events and incidents by faith or not. He wants to know if you learn from past experiences to keep trusting God to lead you forward. He has delivered you from bitter enemies and formidable seas in life. So when the new enemy of thirst confronts you, God is trying to see whether you would pray and ask Him to make the water better rather than grumble about the bitterness. When the creator of waters is with us as the captain of our entourage, we should trust Him for water to drink rather than allow ourselves to lose hope and get agitated. He has already prepared a way to transform our bitter experiences to better and sweeter blessings. He will not allow us to break down with thirst and hunger. By faith we can expect something better from our Lord. Let us not fall into the temptation of grumbling which comes from our unbelief and faithlessness. We murmur out of our sheer forgetfulness about all that our Lord has done for us in the past. He will not let us be destitute in the wilderness of life. Our Lord knows all about our bitter experiences. He will give us the faith to trust Him to make the bitter waters of life better and sweeter to quench, nourish and revive us to keep marching forward.

Exodus 15:27 – Then (Israelites) came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Thought for Today

Our God transforms our Marah experiences into sweetness and leads us further to Elim experiences of springs of water with palm trees.

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NEED-BASED BLESSINGS!!

Need-based blessings!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Genesis 2:18 – The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

God who knows our situation and circumstances with all our needs comes to meet the needs according to His wisdom at His time. He knew the needs of Adam, the first man, and provided a helper suitable for him at the right time. The helper God created for man was most suitable for his physical and emotional needs. God recognizes those who are lonely and without companionship and fellowship, and provides help to meet those needs. God’s help comes in our physical, emotional, social, financial and spiritual realms. God has the right provisions to meet specific needs in each of our situations. When God gives, it is according to His status and dignity. He gives abundantly to satisfy our every need according to His measure. God’s gifts provide contentment so that we would not need to go world’s sources. God is abundant in resources and all these resources are available to His children. He would not want His children to be destitute. He wants to fill their lives with hope and expectation and lead them to enjoy all that He has given them in full measure. God will not give us what is not good for us. His giving always ends up in glorifying His name as we receive and enjoy His goodness. But God expects us to recognize Him as our sole giver of all that we have. Thus we will be challenged to use all that He gives us for His glory and honor and for the extension of His kingdom. As we know Him more, all our anxieties about our future would vanish into thin air because no good thing will He ever deny us.

Dear friend, are you feeling deprived of things in life which seem to make your life empty? Is your life a procession of complaints and dissatisfaction? But it is a fact that your God knows you with your circumstances very well. He knows what you need and why. He gives you only what will be spiritually expedient for your life to be built up in faith and trust in His magnificence. He will not deny you that which is essential and good for your life. He knows you intimately to understand your most intimate needs. He gives according to His measure. He will only give what is best for you which you may not understand well enough to discern and ask. So in His infinite wisdom, God may not give you all that you ask for, but only that which will be a blessing to you. You probably will wonder why God allowed painful experiences in the life of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David and Paul. God gave them what was best for their lives to be built up for Him. In many instances, God delayed meeting even basic needs like safety, security, food, sleep and relationships to His choice servants. God’s timing helped build up these lives up for Him to use them for accomplishing His purposes which were all fully evident in the later years of their lives. Today God wants us to give Him topmost priority in our lives. In God’s economy, our needs will be defined on the basis of our priorities for Him. When God sees gaps in our lives, He will come to perform miraculous and magnificent ministries to fill it for us. Of course, we need to trust Him to be able to sleep in His will and leave the choices to Him. He will then open our eyes to see what He has prepared for us which will cause us to praise Him.  

Psalms 34:9 – Fear the Lord, you Hi servants, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

Thought for Today

When we are willing to sleep in God’s perfect will, He will show us His choices for us.

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DAYBREAK IS COMING!!

Daybreak is coming!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Psalms 30:5b – Weeping may last for the night, but a shout for joy comes in the morning.

Night brings in darkness, loneliness and isolation. Usually we endure more pain, apprehension and fear during the night. It increases the grief of the sorrowful as there is no one around to comfort and encourage. As we go through rough experiences in life, night seems to be long and never ending and we long for the day to break. Sure enough, day breaks and brightness floods into our perspectives. As each night sets in, God comes to tell His suffering, grieved and lonely children that the night will not last forever. God reminds us that our experiences of darkness, pain, misery, persecution and isolation will not last forever. God has already shed the glory of His Son into our affairs to brighten our hearts and faces. His warmth will take away our cold, damp and lonely lives. When the Son shines in our lives, all the darkness will disappear. Jacob had that assurance through a vision at Bethel that his night will soon be over and that a bright day of fellowship, family, livelihood and meaningfulness will set in to make him a prince with God. Joseph had the assurance through his dreams that his life in the pit or the prison will not last for long and will give way to elevating him to the heights of God’s will for him and for the entire humanity. When God shut the door of the ark, Noah knew by faith that one day soon the hands which shut the door will also open it to a new world with a new horizon of a beautiful rainbow. Peter believed that the prison gates will open before him for greater ministries. God had already planned for John Mark to be discipled by Peter and for the Gospel according to Mark to come out apart from the two Epistles by Peter himself. Paul knew that the storms and the winds will end and that he would safely land in Rome. Today our God comes to reassure us that the night that we go through will soon give way to a brighter day full of rejoicing and praise to our God.

Dear friend, are you experiencing a time of dark night with loneliness, apprehensions and isolation lately? Is insomnia a serious problem for you because of the anguishes that fill your heart? Today God comes to reassure you that your night experiences will soon be over and that a new and busy day of activities, ministries, fellowship, rejoicing and praise will dawn. You will be able to see fresh rainbows of promises of God to keep reminding you that God will be faithful in it. The prophet heard the voice of the night watchers and found the reassurance that the night is about to be over and that the day will soon break. Sometimes God allows the experience of night for us to rest and relax and to prepare for the busy days that are ahead of us. At other times, He permits nights in our lives so that we can see His glory. Nights are also opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries. But there is a clear and definite reassurance that the night will not last forever and that the bright morning of Sonshine will be upon us to revitalize us for vital missions. As we wait, God gives us songs of faith and trust to sing along during the darkest and loneliest moments of the night. Thus our nights can turn into sweet time of praise to our God who is out there with us in the midst of the stark and dark experiences. He tells us today to hang in there by faith and wait for His daybreak.   

Romans 13:12a – The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.

Thought for Today

As we go through the dark, cloudy and cold nights of life, let us by faith look forward to see an exciting daybreak soon.

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TENDER TOUCH OF MERCY!!

Today In The WORD

Tender touch of mercy!

Verse for Today: Monday, February 11, 2013

Luke 1:78 – Because of the tender mercy of our God by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.

Little children are dealt with tenderly by their parents. They are handled compassionately and not roughly or on the basis of rules and regulations. Little children are weak, ignorant and totally dependent on their parents for survival, growth, cleanliness, comfort and safety. Our Heavenly Father deals with His children also tenderly and compassionately. He cuddles us in His loving hands and handles us with utmost care, compassion and tenderness. When we cry, He comes to console us. When we are hungry, He comes to feed us. When we are lonely, He gives us His marvelous fellowship and companionship. He holds us in His tender hands so that we would enjoy utmost safety and security. His soft, tender touch soothes us of all our emotional ailments. He knows our weaknesses and inadequacies and deals with us accordingly in His abundant mercy. He pours His grace upon us. Our Lord’s hands are tender with which He held children, touched the sick and broke bread for the hungry. He is the Shepherd who held the lost sheep in His loving hands and took them home with Him. His hands held the sinking Peter and lifted him up. By His mercy, He has bestowed upon us all the blessings from heaven to enrich our lives. When His children suffer, our Lord’s merciful heart melts for us and His compassionate and considerate blessings will be showered upon us. When we go through dark and cloudy days and experiences, He makes the sun of righteousness shine upon us.  Let us today look up to see the Son of Righteousness and experience His brightness in our souls to live joyfully in all our situations.

Dear friend, are you passing through dark patches of life lately? Are you unable to see the pathway because of the dark clouds which are on your horizon? Is there uncertainty and instability in your situations? But in spite of it all, God holds his canopy of mercy and tenderness over you to protect you. The brightness of His glory will dismantle all the dark clouds that block your pathways. He will hold you by His tender hands and lead you mercifully a step at a time. Your difficult situation will be handled by the tender hands of your Lord to straighten it out. There were dark clouds on the pathway of Abraham which our Lord cleared and brought him to the divine superhighway of faith. Jacob had dark clouds over his pathways, but the Lord led him and his children onwards to accomplish God’s eternal plan for the redemption of mankind. David, Nehemiah and Gideon encountered darkness on their ways which were created by the enemy. But the mercy of the Lord was showered upon them to brighten their paths. Paul encountered deterrents on his ways, but the Lord spoke to him in visions and reassured him that His mercy will follow him all the days of his life. Today your Lord comes to you with compassion and mercy to touch your life softly and tenderly. He comes to you as the Son of Righteousness to brighten your sojourn. When He holds your hands and leads you, you can boldly take steps of faith forward with full trust in Him. His tender touch will make you whole and strong to handle your situation with confidence and courage. As He holds you, it is so sweet to hold Him by faith and keep trusting Him for all your tomorrows which He has already prepared for you.

James 5:11 – You can see how the Lord was kind to (Job) at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. (NLT)

Thought for Today

The tender touch of our Lord brings the sunshine of His mercy into all our life situations.

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COURAGE AMIDST TURBULENCE!!

Courage amidst turbulence!

Verse for Today: Sunday, February 10, 2013

Acts 27:25 – “So, keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.”

The voice of comfort and hope from God is heard in the midst of turbulence and turmoil to strengthen His children to keep going. A shipwreck of the magnitude which Paul endured caused a lot of concern for all and they were all plunged into hopelessness. But God had a special purpose for permitting the turbulence on Paul’s way. Through the extremely dangerous situation, God showed the captain and his officers along with all the prisoners that He was in control of their ship, the sea and their lives. What their equipment, technology and experience could not achieve was accomplished by God. He took special care of the people in the ship because His choice servant was on that boat. God also planned for Paul to witness to the people on the boat about the faithfulness of God to His servant and his mission. Paul was going according to the plan of God to preach gospel in Rome and to write part of the Scriptures. There were other missions to be accomplished in Malta and Puteoli. Miracles were to be performed to show the islanders that Jesus was alive and that He had power over natural elements like sickness, snake, storms, wind and ship. Paul’s shipwreck is another lesson for us today that no matter how volatile and hopeless our present situation might be, our God is in control and nothing will hamper or hinder our sailing through the sea of life. God’s concern in our sail is not how fast we travel and keep the schedule, but how many lives we touch for Him. These turbulence are also occasions when God would speak to His children to reassure them to trust Him to keep going. He speaks to us through and in the midst of wind, storms, waves and darkness. It is God’s opportunity to take the praises from the mouths of His children as He ministers to them with messages of hope, trust and courage.

Dear friend, are you going through unprecedented turbulence and turmoil in life today? Have you reached a stage of utter hopelessness and bewilderment due to the extreme danger that you are faced with? Is your volatile situation taking away your courage and sinking you deep in fear and anxiety? But even in the midst of the severe storms and the wind, your Lord would want to reassure and strengthen you. He wants to remind you that He is in control of your dangerous situation. When He is in control, there is no reason for you to be alarmed and in anguish. There is a guarantee that in spite of the intensity of the turbulence, winds and storms, you will reach the next phase of your ministry for Him. Perhaps the forces of the enemy are trying to make you fearful and push you to lose your confidence and hope. You are admonished by God not to trust in your technology, experience and expertise to find your own way out of the present predicament.  Through it all, the Lord wants to speak to you to reassure, strengthen and encourage you to keep trusting Him to take you through various phases of your life as a witness to His grace. If there are delays, it is not to slow you down, but to give you opportunities to touch the lives of strangers in unexpected places. God’s schedule for you will never be deterred by the storms and the winds. Even in the midst of shipwrecks, God will keep your life from being destroyed. Your life will continue to witness to the faithfulness of God and the fulfillment of the promises of God. So be bold and courageous in the Lord and strong in your faith in Him to accomplish His purpose in you even through the turbulence in the sea of life.

Matthew 28:20 – “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Thought for Today

God imparts courage and strength to His children in the midst of turbulence to sustain them to accomplish His purpose.

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VIOLENT WINDS!!

Violent winds!

Verse for Today: Saturday, February 09, 2013

Acts 27:4 – From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.

Wind is God’s creation to serve the interests and needs of human beings. It comes at different pace and from different directions to meet global, regional, local and individual needs at different times. When wind is on our direction, it will aid us to travel fast and slow us down when it is contrary. Sometimes we have to change route to meet the challenges of wind. Wind also poses the need to examine if God has a message for us in it. Favorable wind doesn’t always mean that God wants us to keep going in the same direction. Sometimes wind is used by the enemy of our souls to confuse and lure us away from God’s will. Abraham found the logical wind of support when he went down to Egypt with brutal consequences. David found the wind in his favor when he plotted, murdered and committed immorality for which he had to pay at least 5 times with severe futuristic implications. Jonah found the wind in his favor to disobey God to go to Tarshish but faced sad consequences. Achan and Gehazi found favorable wind to become rich, but ended in tragedy. But wind is also used by God to speak to His children and to keep them in His perfect will. The brutal winds of the wrath of Joseph’s brothers and the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife were used by God to prepare the way for Joseph to be elevated to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. God used the wind of opposition for Paul to move from Pisidian Antioch, Iconium and other places to different fields. On his way to Rome, his ship had to shift its course because of violent wind and turbulent weather. These winds were about to shatter Paul’s travel, but he had the assurance from the Lord that he would reach Rome to fulfill the ministries planned for him. But the difficulties related to the violent wind gave Paul opportunity to witness to the co-travelers, new ministries in Malta and to continue on to Rome. Today our God will accomplish His purposes in and through us in spite of the winds. No matter how violent it might be, no wind will be able to prevent us from accomplishing His purpose in us because God is in control of our situation.

Dear friend, are you caught up in the winds and the whirlwinds of situations in your life lately? Does your turbulent situation seem to upset your course? Are you tempted to say like Jacob that all these things are against you? But you need to understand that in spite of the storms and the wind, you will reach your destination as promised by God. He will protect you from getting hurt when the wild winds blow. The winds will all end one of these days and we will continue our journey. Perhaps the winds are God’s way to divert your course to take you through some unanticipated routes to accomplish special ministries. Even as you are battered by the wind, God will give you opportunities to witness for Him. You will touch the lives of needy people at new places. Winds may come and go, but His graceful protection and provision will continue. See how the Lord was with Paul to take him to all the places which were part of God’s plan for him in spite of wild winds and painful situations. See how these winds did not deter him from writing the epistles. Look at the excellent discipleship program he undertook which produced great men of God like Timothy, Titus and Silas. Today do not look at the wild winds and get discouraged, but gaze at the Lord Jesus who is encompassing around you and be encouraged.

Psalms 107:30 – They were glad when (the storms and the waves) grew calm, and He guided them to the desired haven.    

Thought for Today

God accomplishes His great purpose for His children in spite of the violent winds of obstruction.

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BUSY FOR WHOM?

Busy for whom?

Verse for Today: Friday, February 08, 2013

Mark 1:16 – As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

In the wake of the busyness that goes on around the sea of life, a search has been going on for God to find His precious children who should be committing themselves to Him. God seeks after those who alienate themselves from Him as in the case of Adam and Eve in the Garden. We see a searching Jesus who walks around to draw closer to find Peter and Andrew who were busy for themselves. He walked around in search of them, not because He didn’t know where they were. His walking around was for them to meet Him and hear His voice. His message comes to us today through His Word and His Spirit in the midst of our busyness. His search is for us and our lives which He wants so that He can build it up for Him. Without His purpose in our lives, we are wasted and spent on the trivial things of this world. Today Jesus comes to confront us with His claims on us because we are purchased with the Greatest Price ever paid in any transaction in this world. His search is our opportunity to respond to His loving call. He calls us today to re-visit our priorities and make the most incomparable choice in life for Him. When Jesus wants us to follow Him, He wants us to make Him our priority in life. Peter and Andrew had a livelihood in and a passion for fish. They had the vast source of the Sea of Galilee right before them at no cost. Their smartness helped them to get huge catch. They knew how to handle the risks of the sea billows. But their challenge was to replace all of these favorable circumstances with a Person who didn’t even offer a pillow and a mat for them to seep. But what He offered was eternal and imperishable. He challenged them to take the risk of following Him by faith and put all their trust in Him for current needs and eternal inheritance.

Dear friend, are your priorities in life right? Is the cause of Jesus more important to you than any other opportunities and avenues for progress in this world? Are you chasing the wind of material prosperity which is temporal or are you busy investing in eternal opportunities? Jesus knows where your heart is and where you are anchored. He knows where your treasures are and He will see your heart there. He is disappointed that even after knowing Him personally, you have not made Him your priority in life. Today Jesus walks into your territory to give you an opportunity to re-evaluate your priorities in life. He is coming your way to confront you with His claims on your life because He has purchased you for Himself. He expects you to be busier with His affairs. He wants you to evaluate your temporal priorities with the permanent and the eternal that He offers. He doesn’t guarantee temporal benefits like comfort, material riches, luxuries, positions, prestige and prominence. What He offers is an opportunity to walk the Calvary Road carrying the old rugged cross which is the embodiment of humiliation, mockery, rejection, despising, misunderstanding, false accusations and persecution on His behalf. He wants you to consider Him as the sole source to meet your basic needs so that you can serve Him in His power. The world’s busyness gives temporal returns, but Jesus offers eternal and permanent blessings which the wealth of the world cannot purchase. Today Jesus wants to remind you of the higher calling He has for you. He wants you to respond to Him if you love Him more than anything or anyone else in this life.

John 21:15 - ……. Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

Thought for Today

When Jesus comes to you, He should see you busy for Him and not for the world.

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