GRINDING WITH LOVE!!

Grinding with Love!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Exodus 30:36 – Grind some of (the spices) to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.

God wants to make His children great fragrance in His holy presence all the time. He wants to enjoy the aroma that we produce in life. But for us to produce the aroma, we need to go through the process of grinding which is very painful. Through grinding, our Christ-likeness will come out with its fragrance. Grinding will change our original shape, color and strength. We become smooth and soft when we are put in the mill to grind. We are easily manageable when our rough structure is removed through grinding. But if only we submit ourselves for grinding by God will we produce the fragrance. It is unthinkable that we dwell in His presence and do not produce a sweet savor. If we remain unchanged in our natural man, the aroma will not be feasible. This is why we go through the hands of our Lord who is the Great Perfumer. When we suffer in this life, we are going through the process of being made perfumes for the Lord. Our souls will have to be crushed in all its natural instincts as we are crucified with Christ. Sandalwood is a tree of fragrance, but unless it is cut and peeled, the aroma cannot be enjoyed. Of course, only a sandalwood tree which is willing to be cut and experience pain will have the privilege of spreading its aroma. But when the Great Perfumer of Heaven uses His axe of love, we will be compassionately cut into new shapes for Him and will produce great aroma for His glory. So no matter how painful every grinding or cutting is, it leads to the glory of the Lord through the godliness that will be exhibited in our expressions of behavior and attitude. If we resist His hand on us, we will remain without aroma.

Dear reader, are you going through some uniquely painful experiences in life lately? Has your life become a grinding mill of the Great Perfumer? Are you being axed to transform your natural shape into aromatic structures? First of all, it is the privilege and right of the Great Perfumer because He owns you. Secondly, He cuts and grinds those lives which are surrendered solely to Him. In order for this to happen, you need to take your hands off your souls and must allow Him free hand. Remember, He is your owner as He created and recreated you. But He will not take your life to do what is pleasing to Him unless you allow Him absolute freedom. If He doesn’t reshape and remold you, it will not be possible for you to produce the aroma and fragrance that is expected of you. We must also remember that the fragrance which comes out of the lives of the suffering saints is not our natural aroma, but what the Great Perfumer has instilled in us through His Spirit. When He invests His aroma and glory in us, He also has the right to spread it around through us. We cannot deny Him what is rightfully His. If you are going through pain, agony, misery, intimidation, rejection, despising, depravity and similar challenges of great magnitude, you must realize that it is the loving hand of your Lord who is at work in you. When He grinds you, it is always an act of love, compassion and grace and not rough handling. He knows that your life on earth is fragile and so He will not put more pressure on you than what you can handle. So when you go through grinding, comfort yourself that the Lord is doing it lovingly and graciously. It then is your turn to thank Him for His pleasure in glorifying His name through the fragrance of patience and maturity in your life. Let your life be a sweet savoring sacrifice of praise today and aroma of a great testimony to His grace.

2 Corinthians 2:14 – But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

Thought for Today

Our response to the grinding exercise of the Great Perfumer ought to be, ‘Lord, find me, break me, remold me and enable me to be fragrance for Your glory’.

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FLOATING IRON!!

Floating Iron!!

Verse for Today: Monday, January 09, 2012

2 Kings 6:6 – Then the man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.

For the human mind, floating iron is unthinkable and impossible because it is against reason. So humans never expect iron to float. But the law of sinking iron is established by God and it is not a human invention. But God has also established the law of the impossible according to which iron can float. Only true faith expects it because true faith trusts in the God of the impossible. True faith confesses the immeasurable capacity of the God of the impossible. True faith laughs at impossibilities and asserts that iron will float, if and when necessary. True faith doesn’t write off any thing as impossible. True faith believes that if it meets a need which cannot be met otherwise, God will perform the impossible. When there is no other source of food, true faith enjoys meals from ravens or poor widows. True faith cures leprosy simply through seven dips in a muddy river Jordan. True faith multiplies five loaves of barley bread and two small fish for over fifteen thousand people and will leave twelve basketful of leftovers. True faith raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, opens jail doors, makes the crippled walk and leap, stops storms, rain and sun and opens seas and rivers. When the natural fails to find answers to human needs, the supernatural opens the floodgates of heaven and unshackles the impossible. Today we all go through such events of floating iron, but we do not always see or understand it. It is through such impossible events that God moves His children forward day after day. It is God who makes the iron sink and also float according to His wisdom and power. We are sustained through these benevolent acts of our Father who shows His mercy to us by interfering into the natural laws.

Dear reader, are you at any crossroads and facing some seemingly impossible situations in your life today? Are you stuck and unable to go forward? Are there immovable and mountainous roadblocks in front of you? Remember, there is no snag that cannot be removed from your pathway by the Lord. He knows that you are facing some roadblocks and desires to remove it. He doesn’t want you to try and become a failure because it is impossible for you to remove it in your own strength. He wants you to entrust it with Him and take your hands off. It is His desire that you take the matter to Him and leave it at His feet. Once the matter is left to the Lord, He will do the needful at the right time to turn the impossible into great realities. But when the impossibility of the iron floats in front of your eyes, will you show the courage to go and pick it up and submit it again for the Lord’s service? When the Lord makes your iron float, it is not for you to repossess it for your benefit, but to put it back into the Lord’s service. Perhaps the iron the Lord entrusted with you is your spiritual gift. When you are cutting down the trees to build the House of the Lord, you have to be careful not to loose the axe-head. But if you have lost it, tell the Lord about it and He will help you to regain the lost instrument for you to continue to use it for His service. First of all, let us believe in the power of the Lord to handle the impossible for us. Secondly let us swiftly tell the Lord about it. Thirdly let us wait for the Lord to exercise His power over the situation and put the lost instrument back to circulation and service. Fourthly let us thank the Lord for His benevolence in helping us to regain the axe-head because it is twice His and no more ours. Today let us wait for the Lord to perform the impossible for us for His glory and our joy.

Matthew 10:27 – Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.

Thought for Today

God’s grace turns human impossibilities into divine possibilities for His glory and our joy.

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FOOTPRINTS ON BILLOWS!!

Footprints on billows!

Verse for Today: Sunday, January 08, 2012

Matthew 14:25 – During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

During His earthly ministries, Lord Jesus demonstrated His authority and power over the elements. At Cana, He turned water into wine. He showed His disciples that no matter where they were and whatever their circumstances, He was with them. Distance or time was not a problem for Him as He reached the disciples in the middle of the sea at the middle of the night to exercise His authority over its volatility. Even though the boat was buffeted by the wind, it could not deter the Lord from walking over it as if He was walking over level ground. Even though the Lord went up on a mountainside to pray, His holy presence was with His beloved disciples in their difficult situation. When they faced danger, the Lord reached there to rescue them. They couldn’t expect Him to be there with them because a few hours back they saw Him walking away to a mountainside to pray. Not only that, they saw the buffeting waves became obedient and submissive to the Creator Lord as He walked on it. They were superstitious, but He was real. He came at the most unexpected, but needy time. He was there at the nick of time. He quieted their fears and strengthened them to see how He was in full control of their situation. He proved to them that what was impossible for man was possible for Him. He showed them that He was with them in His presence wherever they went and whatever situation they were in. He reassured them that He would not let them be destroyed by the elements. His walking on the water was another opportunity to strengthen their faith in His power and authority over situations. This same Jesus is with us today and is in control of all our situations. What is impossible for us is possible for Him and He leads us through the impossible to the possible for the praise of His name.

Dear friend, are you buffeted by certain difficult situation today? Are the billows trying to overpower and subdue you? Have you reached a situation where the waves of events, circumstances and people might swallow you up? But you are reminded today by the Lord that He will not allow you to be annihilated by your situations. He will not stand inactive when His beloved children are buffeted by the billows of life. Even though He seems far away, He is with us and in our situations. The waves look ferocious for us, but for Him they are only aberrations of the elements which He created. But the Lord is asking us not to look at the waves and be fearful, but to look for Him in our situations. Our inner eyes are opened by Him not for us to look at our volatile circumstances and be discouraged, but to look for our Lord in His glory in our situations and be encouraged. We can see Him in all our difficult situations through our spiritual eyes which He has opened. Our Lord is with us in all our situations. He will not let us go alone to face difficulties. He will come at the right time to deliver His people. He delivered Joseph, Daniel and the Hebrew youth at the right time. He delivered David from the mouth of the lions and the bears at the right time. He delivered Israeli army from the ferocious Goliath. He delivered Jeremiah from the broken cistern. He opened the gates and the doors of prison cells where Paul, Silas and Peter were shackled. He filled the heart of John with His glory in his isolation in Patmos. This same Jesus is walking on the billows of your circumstances and coming to encourage and strengthen you to keep going. Your boat will reach the shore without sinking because your Lord is holding you in the palm of His hands. It doesn’t matter if you are still in the boat and buffeted or walking on the billows like Peter, because He holds you by His hands. Today it is our blessed privilege to enjoy His presence, protection and providence in our situations.

Matthew 14:31 – Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught (Peter). “You of little faith”, He said, “why did you doubt?”

Thought for Today

See the footprints on the billows of the Sea of Galilee and walk in it by faith.

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FADING GIANTS AND GLOWING PATHWAYS!!

Fading giants and glowing pathways!

Verse for Today: Saturday, January 07, 2012

Numbers 14:24 – But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Entering, appropriating and enjoying the promises of God are acts of faith and trust in the promise of God in spite of possible threats. It comes from our boldness to face the challenges of life by faith. It is taking God at His Word and moving forward boldly. Such faith disregards unknown obstructions in the future. If we believe in the promises of God, what happens on the way is not a problem, but an opportunity to be handled by faith. The reason for many in not entering into the spiritual rest and peace that the Lord has promised is because they do not wholeheartedly believe the Promise Giver and His power to remove the obstacles. He expects us to go forward in His name and remove the obstacles in His power and on His authority. But if we fear these roadblocks, they will subdue us and so we will have to satisfy ourselves with lesser spiritual blessings. The Israelites had to travel around in the desert for forty years because of their unbelief, but with total faith in the Lord’ promises, they could have covered the distance within a few days. Most of them could not enter the fullness of the blessed Promised Land because of their unbelief and doubt. The majority looked at the obstacles and fearfully pulled themselves back. They reasoned out the consequences of attempting to enter by faith and found enough arguments not to go forward. Facing the Anakites was totally dangerous and destructive for the majority because they didn’t see their Lord who was with them. But Caleb and Joshua believed that God was with them to defeat the Anakites and to help them enter the land which their Lord promised. The holy boldness of Caleb and Joshua ought to challenge us in our attempts to move forward and appropriate the blessed experiences waiting for us in front of our eyes.

Dear reader, are you facing formidable challenges in front of your eyes and are they causing you to retreat out of fear and anxiety? Do these obstacles control your thoughts and make you imagine out the dire and dangerous consequences of going forward? Is ‘reason’ walking before ‘faith’ in your sojourn? But you are commanded to walk not by sight but by faith and trust in the Almighty who walks with you. If you look to the future through the Lord who is with you, it would be possible to see the bright future instead of failure. The negative possibilities might be reasonable according to the world’s yardsticks, but if you step out in faith, these obstructions will give way. When the roadblocks see the Lord coming forward with you, do you think it would stand straight and face the Lord? No, it would not show the tenacity to stick to its position, but will flee away. It took only one small stone to smite one Goliath. One step was sufficient to make the Read Sea to retreat. One word was adequate to stop the wind, waves and the storm in the sea. One word or a touch was all that it took to raise the dead, give sight to the blind and make the lame walk. When the Lord Jesus came near the demon-possessed people, the demons fled away. When we walk forward with the Lord, mountains and seas will withdraw from our pathways, walls will crumble, Satan will flee, germs will depart, storms will stop, boats will travel several times its normal speed, deserts will flood with drinking water, powerful empires and rulers will disappear and prison gates will open wide. When our Lord travels with us, we can face any obstacles and move forward to enjoy greater spiritual blessings that are promised. Let us today put all our faith in Him and enjoy His greater blessings in spite of all hindrances.

Numbers 14:9 – Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.

Thought for Today

If we look into the future through Jesus, even if there are giants, we will only see victory.

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QUIET HOPE!!

Quiet Hope!

Verse for Today: Friday, January 06, 2012

Lamentations 3:26 – It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

The assurance we get from God each day is to keep hoping in Him and for Him. Once we put our absolute hope in God, our part in what we hope for is over and all that remains is for us to wait for His time. Our hope is about the future which is yet to arrive. Hope cannot be on the basis of sight because hope rests on faith in the unseen which is surely on its way. We hope by faith that what the Lord has promised will be fulfilled at His time. We do not have any choice in its time frame, place, shape, size or other particulars. All that we are told is that it is good for us to put our hope in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Waiting is always for what the future holds which is unknown to us at present. It also involves trust in the person who has promised that He will accomplish what He has promised. We are reminded to wait quietly and don’t get agitated when the waiting gets going without clarity about how long we should continue to wait. But if we put all our trust in the Lord who has promised to look after our affairs and has asked us to wait, then we would quietly leave it at His feet and simply thank Him for what He is going to do in our lives at His time. Waiting requires us to develop patience and endurance. Waiting means that we would not be anxious or afraid about the future but believe that our future is absolutely secure in the mighty hands which control the future. Waiting also presupposes that we are not concerned as to when, how and where His promises will come true. Waiting means that the matter is with the Lord to handle according to His will and pleasure which will be always for our good. No good thing will He withhold from His children. This knowledge will strengthen the muscles of our faith. Thus we develop blind faith and hope in our Lord and simply believe in the future without seeing it. His time in fulfilling His promises is perfectly set in Heaven and will never be late or early. So it is best for us to wait patiently and leave our times and hope with the Lord.

Dear reader, have you been waiting for long for God to accomplish certain important things in your life? There is no need for you to think that time is running out because the Lord would not delay unduly to do what He has promised. But He wants to help develop and strengthen your faith to keep waiting for His time. As you wait, you are hoping in the Lord for His time to come. It is He who gives you the capacity to wait. He treats your capacity to wait as a sign of your maturity in the life of faith. Waiting for the Lord’s time helps you to develop the great virtue of patience. You need not be agitated about waiting for long and take your hands off the matter, leaving it completely to the Lord. Your waiting is the declaration of your willingness to remain inactive till the Lord makes His move first. It is the pronouncement that you put all your trust in the Lord and are taking your hands off your situations. It is full and absolute surrender to the will of the Lord. Quietly waiting is your willing submission to the Lord’s time for resolving your concerns. Thus you can enjoy His peace while waiting. He who has promised will come to you with answers to your situations at His perfect time. Sometimes your waiting will be over quickly as in the case of Joseph in the pit, Daniel in the lion’s den or the Hebrew youth in the furnace. At other times you wait for long like Abraham waited for Isaac, Joseph waiting for release from the dungeon or Hannah waiting for Samuel. But God’s time frame equips and enriches your life to enjoy His best at His best time. Today it is your privilege to wait for the Lord quietly by putting all your hope in Him where there will be no disappointments.

Psalms 27:14 – Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Thought for Today

Our waiting concretizes our faith and hope in the Lord to weather away storms, waves and flood.

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HANDLE HINDRANCE BY FAITH!!

Handle hindrance by faith!

Verse for Today: Thursday, January 05, 2012

Psalms 114:3 – The Sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back.

When God marches on with His people, no force in the universe can stand on the way and become a hindrance. The inanimate physical world will respond quickly when the power of the Almighty is confronting its devastating strength. The physical environment has to give way for God to accomplish His purpose through His children. He accomplishes the humanly impossible in front of our eyes. Not only the inanimate physical world, but the evil powers of this universe under the jurisdiction of Satan will also run away from the pathway on which God marches with His beloved children. So when we find hindrances like a sea which roars or a river which flows, the command from our Lord is for us to march forward disregarding the roadblocks. But then why do we sometimes run away from hindrances or succumb to the pressures of fierce opposition? It may be because we forget that the God of the Impossibilities is with us. It is likely that we look at the fierceness of the hindrance and get fearful about its saber rattling. It is also likely that we are not marching with the Lord in His perfect will. Sometimes we are so faithless and keep our eyes closed that we cannot see the vast army of God’s chariots of fire around to protect us. It is possible that we do not know the height of the power of our Lord because we do not meditate on Him from His Word. In His great love and mercy, our Lord travels with us and demonstrates the awesomeness of His powerful presence for us to move forward if we are willing to trust Him fully when confronted by roadblocks. The Israelites were able to travel from Egypt to Canaan because of their total dependence on the greatness of His power. When God’s people under the leadership of their God marched forward, waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River moved away to create a dry track for them. Today His presence and power are with us as we walk with Him by faith in our sojourn to remove all hindrances.

Dear reader, are you boggled with any powerful hindrance on your pathway of faith? Are you experiencing any human, financial or physical hindrance in your ministries, testimony, church life, job situation, relationships, family situation or circumstances? Remember, the Lord is marching with you on your way and He has promised to take you to the other side of the hindrance for the praise of His name. The hindrance is kept on your way by the enemy of your soul to block you from accomplishing God’s purpose in your life. The hindrance is aimed at making you fearful or discouraged and tempts you to retreat from the course the Lord has prepared for you. The Lord has already made great plans for you which are on the other side of the hindrance and so you must cross over with confidence and courage by faith in His power to take you forward. As you step forward, the enemy will flee. As you take the step of faith, the hindrance will fled like the billows of the Red Sea and the River Jordan. The way forward is through the seeming hindrance which you see with your physical eyes. But if you open your eyes of faith, the hindrance will not be there because it cannot withstand the pressure of the power of the Lord who is marching with you. So take courage and step forward trusting the Lord to find dry land for you to take further steps. You will certainly reach the other side of the hindrance by faith. Remember, Red Sea is not the only hindrance you will see before you, but water shortage, food shortage, serpents, heat, lack of direction in the night and day and the River Jordan will be in front of you. As you go into Canaan, there will be powerful sons of Anak to hinder your life of faith further, but the Lord will give you strength to subdue them. Let nothing deter you from your walk of faith forward with the Lord who will remove all your hindrances and help you to make progress in life.

Psalms 118:20 – This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.

Thought for Today

When we march with our Lord, beholding His glory, any hindrances will only be challenges that we will overcome by faith in His power.

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MEET YOUR COUNSELOR!!

Meet your Counselor!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, December 04, 2012

Isaiah 9:6 – “And He will be called Wonderful Counselor…………”

God has presented the Savior to people in His various attributes and ministries. He comes to them as the Bread of Heaven to resolve man’s spiritual hunger. He is the Water of Life for the thirsty souls. He is the Great Physician who heals them of all their ailments and makes them whole. Prophet Isaiah presented Him as the Man of Sorrows who came to take away all their soul’s sorrows. The attributes of the Savior portray the various needs of the people and how He is able to meet these needs. When Isaiah spoke the prophetic word about the birth of the Savior, He was presented as the Wonderful Counselor. The Savior came with the most wonderful messages to the people who had ears to listen to Him. The Savior’s words were utterances about how to find salvation for the souls. So the Savior was presented as the Wonderful Counsellor to speak the most wonderful message to the people. The people were thirsty, and this Counsellor invited the people to go to His cool waters to drink to their brim. He told them that the Heavenly Bread was available for them to meet their spiritual hunger. He came to speak to the people about the wicket gate that was open for them to go in. He gave admonition about how they should keep away from the broad way and walk the narrow way. He counseled the people about the way of the cross for them as they follow their Lord. Our Lord’s words were soft and soothing like oil on their wounded hearts. He spoke with patience and love. He counseled the religious people and the ordinary people. He addressed the wealthy and the poor. He talked with the Jews, Samaritans and the gentiles. He spent time with men and women of all ages including children. He had no hesitation to speak to the notorious as well as the secret sinners. He found time to speak to the sick, the bereaved, the businessmen, soldiers and the ruling class. He ministered at banquets and funerals. His words are used today to minister to the needs of people of all walks of life.

Dear reader, are you listening to the words of the Lord Jesus to meet your inner needs? His words are full of wonderful admonitions to you in all your situations. He has the right counsel for all the challenges you face. He has something to speak to people of all walks of life and on all subjects one can think of. He speaks to you on the basis of His public life which was perfect and above all reproach. He suggests, persuades and beseeches you to follow Him on His pathways. He has something to say about your emotional, physical and spiritual realms of life. His Word is full of admonitions about all problems and challenges that people face today. He has perfect answers to all our problems all the time and comes to us to help us in our challenges, distresses and predicaments. Today Jesus comes to you as a counselor, but if you do not listen, you will ruin your life and opportunities to straighten out things. Ultimately you will be answerable to Him because His next visit to this world will be as the Righteous Judge about the opportunities He gave us and how we wasted it all to our ruin. Today you and I have the privilege to heed to His wise and wonderful counsel and give Him first place in our lives. There will be no disappointments in following His wise counsel which will enrich our lives.

Psalms 73:24 – You guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards You will take me into glory.

Thought for Today

The Wonderful Counselor who comes to us today to help us settle matters in life will come soon as the Righteous Judge to examine the wasted opportunities that He has given us.

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