So she gleaned in the field until even

Evening, Aug 2

So she gleaned in the field until even.
— Ruth 2:17

Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: so must I be content to search for single truths, if there be no greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto salvation. The gleaner keeps her eyes open: if she stumbled among the stubble in a dream, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in religious exercises lest they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost much already—O that I may rightly estimate my opportunities, and glean with greater diligence. The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and so must I. High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and receive benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably hearing the gospel. The engrafted soul-saving word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad gleaner; down, master pride, thou art a vile robber, not to be endured for a moment. What the gleaner gathers she holds: if she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day’s work would be but scant; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I feel duly the importance of storing up the truth? A hungry belly makes the gleaner wise; if there be no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she labours under the sense of necessity, and hence her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm; I have even a greater necessity, Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields which yield so plenteous a reward to diligence.

Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will

Morning, Aug 2

Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
— Ephesians 1:11

Our belief in God’s wisdom supposes and necessitates that he has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without his design? Is there a fish in the sea, or a fowl in the air, which was left to chance for its formation? Nay, in every bone, joint, and muscle, sinew, gland, and blood-vessel, you mark the presence of a God working everything according to the design of infinite wisdom. And shall God be present in creation, ruling over all, and not in grace? Shall the new creation have the fickle genius of free will to preside over it when divine counsel rules the old creation? Look at Providence! Who knoweth not that not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your Father? Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. God weighs the mountains of our grief in scales, and the hills of our tribulation in balances. And shall there be a God in providence and not in grace? Shall the shell be ordained by wisdom and the kernel be left to blind chance? No; he knows the end from the beginning. He sees in its appointed place, not merely the corner-stone which he has laid in fair colours, in the blood of his dear Son, but he beholds in their ordained position each of the chosen stones taken out of the quarry of nature, and polished by his grace; he sees the whole from corner to cornice, from base to roof, from foundation to pinnacle. He hath in his mind a clear knowledge of every stone which shall be laid in its prepared space, and how vast the edifice shall be, and when the top-stone shall be brought forth with shoutings of “Grace! Grace! unto it.” At the last it shall be clearly seen that in every chosen vessel of mercy, Jehovah did as he willed with his own; and that in every part of the work of grace he accomplished his purpose, and glorified his own name.

Sufficient To Meet Yours Needs

I am with you, that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.
—2 Corinthians 12:9 (TLB)

 

A director of a camp whose purpose is to lead young hoodlums to Christ says, “Being a Christian is the toughest thing in the world. What’s tougher than loving your enemy?” One boy, who developed into a rugged disciple of Christ at this camp, said, “In this outfit we’re all brothers and we’re all men. It was too tough for me at first, but then I heard that through Christ everything is possible. Then the roughness went away. I say a man is not a man, not a full man, until he gets to know Jesus Christ.” Yes, the Christian life is tough and rough; but it’s challenging. It’s worth everything it costs to be a follower of Jesus Christ. You will soon find that the cross is not greater than His grace. When you pick up the cross of unpopularity, wherever you may be, you will find God’s grace is there, more than sufficient to meet your every need.

Prayer for the day

Lord Jesus, teach me the lesson that Your grace is abundantly sufficient to meet my every need.

Internal Strife

Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.
—Proverbs 16:18 (TLB)

 

David, king of ancient Israel, found himself in the midst of a confused national situation. His kingdom was torn by internal strife. Slave hated master; master hated slave. People blamed the government, and government blamed the people. David looked about him and saw that every man thought himself perfect. Each individual placed blame upon other individuals. David knew that if sinful pride continued to increase, his nation would collapse spiritually. He knew that economic depression, moral disintegration, or military defeat inevitably follow spiritual decline. So David turned to God, and it was revealed to him by the Spirit of God that the spiritual tide of his nation could rise no higher than the spiritual level of his own heart. So he fell on his knees in utter humility and prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

Prayer for the day

Lord, deliver me from the sin of pride, and fill me with continuing humility as I go about the tasks before me this day.

Establishing Peace

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
—Romans 5:1

 

Before the Big Four Conference in Geneva I watched President Eisenhower kneel in a chapel and ask God for divine guidance in the deliberations to follow. I felt sure that God would answer his earnest prayer. I believe that He did, for President Eisenhower during those days displayed the spirit of a true peacemaker on the international level. The only corrective measure in establishing peace is for men as individuals to know the peace of God. Though I am not wholly averse to movements which strive in one way or another for world peace, I have a strong conviction that such peace will never come unless there is a spiritual dynamic at the core. I pray for wars to cease, just as I pray for crime to stop; but I know that the basic cause of both crime and war is the inherent sinfulness of human nature. The world cannot be reborn until men are born again and are at peace with God.

Prayer for the day

Heavenly Father, I pray for the peace of the world through individuals surrendering to Your Son, Jesus Christ. Bless all today who are spreading the Gospel here and abroad.

Molding You

When we suffer and die for Christ it only means that we will begin living with him in heaven.
—2 Timothy 2:11 (TLB)

 

I have a friend who during the Depression lost his job, a fortune, a wife, and a home. But he tenaciously held to his faith—the only thing he had left. One day he stopped to watch some men doing stonework on a huge church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of stone. “What are you going to do with that?” asked my friend. The workman said, “See that little opening away up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this down here, so it will fit in up there.” Tears filled the eyes of my friend as he walked away, for it seemed that God had spoken through the workman to explain his ordeal through which he was passing, “I’m shaping you down here, so you’ll fit in up there.”

Prayer for the day

Thank You, Lord, for all the “shaping” in my life, which brings me closer to You.

A Covenant With Eyes

Keep thyself pure.
—1 Timothy 5:22

 

Someone has said, “You cannot help the first look, but the second is sin.” Jesus indicated that you can engage in immorality by a look. The Bible places the “lust of the eye” right along with other major sins. Listen: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Peter spoke of having “eyes full of adultery.” No wonder Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Your eyes see only what your soul allows them to see.

Prayer for the day

May my eyes be on You, Lord Jesus, for I need Your purity and love to fill my heart and mind.

Make an effort for peace!

Welcome!

Today: Make an effort for peace!

Passage: Eph 4

³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4, NIV 84)-emphasis added

Peace can be maintained only through an effort

When we make no effort, peace does not happen

Many people don’t want to take the responsibility to create peace; we need peace with God, peace within ourselves, peace within the family, Church, work, etc

In all these cases, there must be a conscious effort from within

When anything comes between us and God, we must be willing to get rid of that. When we see things within us that steal our peace, we must “isolate” those things and deal with it. They will lie “mixed” with everything else

For example, if we are concerned about our children and that issue steals our peace, just bring that issue up – to God and deal with it

If there are habits in us that kills the peace within the family, find out specifically what those trends are, and deal with it

Same way, we can deal with the peace-killing culprits everywhere

Jesus shed his blood, to create peace between us and God, us and others

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph 2, NIV)

Jesus made a conscious effort to create and maintain peace

He preached peace; He lived (for) peace

Today, “peace” is the one thing that is in most demand in the world- more than Gold! God’s peace is different from the one the world talks about

We know where to get it; so why not be peace-creators and peace keepers?

I remember  talking to a brother who is in a top position in a company

He shared with me how he was able to create peace between two of his bosses, which avoided a big trouble in that place

God has put you and me in specific places with such responsibilities

But first, we need to have peace within, with God and with others

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b]rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Rom 5, NIV)

God’s peace to you!

BG

Spiritual formation

Welcome!

Today: Spiritual formation

Passage: Eph 4

¹ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another inlove. (Eph 4, NIV 84)-emphasis added

God was so pleased to call us unto Himself

The Character of the Christian is shaped by Christ, from within

When there is true repentance, there is true transformation

Spiritual formation is a very important process every Christian should go through

If our relationship with Christ does not change our Character, something is wrong with that relationship

¹⁹ My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, (Gal 4, NIV)

When we say “yes” to Christ, we must allow Christ to be “formed” in us

As we allow the Spiritual formation of our life, the formation of our ministry will follow. If we do not let Christ do the character change (formation) in us, and we do the ministry, we will hear lot of noise

⁷ In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. (1 Kings 6, NIV)

When we allow all the sharp corners in our life be a”dressed” by God and His word, there will be much less noise in the church, home and elsewhere we go

In the verses from Ephesians 4 mentioned above, we see two pairs: “humble and gentle”, “patient and bearing with one another”

“Humbleness” is a matter of the heart, which helps us to be gentle with others. If you are not humble, you cannot be truly gentle

Without patience, you cannot truly bear with others

There is fake gentleness that people act, even when not humble; there is also fake “bearing with one another” where they keep the grudge in the heart and put a “smile” on the face. That is not what the Apostle is talking about

True gentleness comes from a heart of true patience and forgiveness

You don’t become a “gentleman” just because someone calls you so

Our family and friends must say so

We are called to live the life of Christ, before we start witnessing Him to others

How good are we, in living the life worthy of our great calling?

How much patience, humbleness and gentleness we have?

When we loose our temper, how worse we (can) become?

Let us allow Christ to do the complete (trans)formation in us

We will go deeper on this, in the days to come

God bless

BG

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I admit that I made you stop that process of character change in me. Please continue the spiritual formation in me, because I still need to change a lot, before I could influence others for good. Thank you; Amen

When it is just you!

Passage: John 11

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  (John 11, NIV)-emphasis added

People tend to take sides with the majority. If “ten people” say the same thing and you are the eleventh one there with a different view, you may be tempted to say the same thing as others

Jesus shows us a different model. After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus had a huge crowd after Him. But He knew that this was not a group that was committed to Him, and that they were only committed to their own personal agendas and stuff. Some wanted Jesus to be their king so that they won’t lack bread; some others wanted Him to be their prophet/leader so that they can have miracles every day; and a third group wanted Him to be their preacher/priest who will always speak the way they want. When Jesus spoke the truth of the word plainly, they all left Him!

Same is what we see even today; many leaders in the spiritual and political world want to please the majority. They want the support of the people. So they go to the extent of saying what the people appreciate, than speaking the truth

Jesus never ceased to be Jesus, even for a moment

He spoke the truth and stood for it; He did the right thing always. He was never the kind of person who wanted to be “politically correct” and “personally corrupt”!

Jesus was on a heavenly assignment. He followed the rules of His kingdom

When God puts a person in charge of a family/church/organization/nation, they need to remember that it was God who put them there. Their decisions and actions, their words and deeds matter to many. God is watching/ monitoring them!

The blessings of our tomorrow depend a lot on what we say and do today

People who take a strong stand on their principles will face some tough time in the beginning, but will benefit from it later. On the other hand, those who are too liberal may “benefit” in the beginning, but loose in the end

Jesus was never “bought” by the huge crowd who sang “Hosanna” to Him. He knew,

they were the ones who will say “crucify Him”, in the next few hours!

Those who give you a “crown” today, may give you a “cross” tomorrow, and vice-versa. So, watch!

Have a blessed day. It is time to pray!

BG

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being unique and for being who you are, all the time. You are unchanging and so I can trust you. You are able and available. You are God, and you are good, all the time. I worship and adore you. Amen

If you definitely trust Jesus, He  will bless you indefinitely!

 

Compassion For Others

Let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. . . . And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
—1 John 4:7,21

 

If you would know the measure of your love for God, just observe your love for your fellowman. Our compassion for others is an accurate gauge of our devotion to God.

Some time ago, with some friends, I went through a museum in San Francisco. Among other things, we saw a collection of instruments of torture which were employed by religious people to force other people to believe as they did. History is largely the record of man’s inhumanity to man.

Prayer for the day

Lord God, fill my heart that I may love with the compassion of Jesus.

You see what you believe

Passage: John 11

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  (John 11, NIV)-emphasis added

When a person chooses to believe in God for something, they will see God’s glory

Those who believe will be a minority and those who disbelieve will be the majority!

When Moses sent the twelve to spy the promised land, ten of them told, “we can’t get it”. Those ten could not get it, whereas the two others did get it

When we believe God for a miracle, we should not look at the majority. We need to hear from God and believe. What God thinks/says is more important that what anybody else thinks or says

When Jesus did the miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life, there was at least one person who believed, it was going to happen: Jesus

That is what God needs; at least one person

The time we are living in is a very critical one. Every day, we see and hear more “hopeless” news than hopeful ones; more accidents and unbelievable crimes..even from kids in high school

I remember reading about two separate incidents-one when a high school boy killed his teacher in the class room and another, where a boy killed his class mate

These particular incidents I read did  not happen in the US, but they happened in the East, and these are kids who leave in their homes, with both parents.  Media (movie, TV, Internet…) plays a big part in most crimes like this

As much as possible, we better watch what our children see/involve

Parents also need to be careful for themselves. If we watch things on the Internet that which we don’t want our children to watch, there is a certain  “spirit” associated with the bad stuffon the Internet. When a person watches the bad stuff, they bring that “spirit” and its effects into the individual and the home. Many don’t know that. We cannot just blame the kids

The remedy is to keep ourselves clean and then “watch” and pray

Pray with faith, even when it is “stinking”. Jesus can raise it up from “death”

If we reported a matter  to Jesus, He must be working on that

Have another blessed day!

BG

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking to me. In a time like this, I need to be much careful and prayerful, and need to keep myself clean,  and then work the same thing for my family, forsaking some “pleasures”. So help me God. Amen

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (prov 29:10, KJV)

 

God Made You

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength . . . ”
—Isaiah 40:31

 

It is an exhilarating experience to live the new life, with Christ inside me enabling me to live it. As a man was riding along in his Ford, suddenly something went wrong. He got out and looked at the engine, but he could find nothing wrong. As he stood there, another car came in sight, and he waved it down to ask for help. Out of a brand new Lincoln stepped a tall, friendly man who asked, “Well, what’s the trouble?” “I cannot get this Ford to move,” was the reply. The stranger made a few adjustments under the hood and then said, “Now start the car.” When the motor started, its grateful owner introduced himself and then asked, “What is your name, sir?” “My name,” answered the stranger, “is Henry Ford.”

The one who made the Ford knew how to make it run. God made you and me, and He alone knows how to run your life and mine. We could make a complete wreck of our lives without Christ. When He is at the controls, all goes well. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Prayer for the day

Lord, so often I forget to give You complete control and I fail. Teach me to rely completely on You for my strength and needs.

Shifting our focus right

Passage: John 11

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  (John 11, NIV)-emphasis added

Jesus had already done his “homework” on this project – raising Lazarus up

That’s why Jesus said: “Father, I thankyou that you have heard me”. He didn’t say, “Father, I think that you have heard me”

Before going to a home or to a person to pray for them, it is important that we do this “homework” (If we are going there just as a formality, then it is a different thing)

Jesus knew, what the people around him were thinking. He had a crowd of non-believers around. Usually, in cases like that, Jesus would take just a few with Him and ask the rest of them to stay away (as in the case of Jairus’ daughter)

Here, He had to do it even as all these people were watching (in disbelief)!

When a person gets into a sickness or a “situation”, there will be more dis-believing and doubting people around, than those who dare to believe. That is true for almost anyone

When we have needs/issues of our own, we better work on it, on our knees. Many a time we expect automatic miracles, which may not happen always. As someone said, life itself is a battle; it is a constant fight

Those who do nothing, will be the losers in the end

We better tell Jesus at least, so that He can start working on it

After the tomb was opened, Jesus looked straight up and prayed

It is not always easy to look up, when we have a big problem right infront of our eyes. Some problems may come and go, but some last for weeks/months/years

If we don’t learn to take our eyes off the problem and look to God, life can become just a bundle of problems

But as we learn to transfer them over to God, we have a way to go so that we can keep moving forward

Have a blessed day, as we start transferring our “issues” to God and continue to work on the rest

BG

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your help. You are ready, willing and able to solve all my problems. Thank you, because I don’t need to look for someoene else since there is no one else who can do a better job than you. Thank  you. Amen

When we do not “own” our problem anymore, God can claim it and work on it

 

Sometimes, we need to……

Passage: Psalm 4

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”  (John 11, NIV)

Sometimes, we need to shift our focus from our problem so that God can work on it

The gospel of John mainly focusses on the deity/divinity of Jesus

Yet in recording this incident of Lazarus, John didn’t forget to highlight the human side of Jesus. It is mentioned that Jesus wept and that he was very much “moved” by what happened to a personal friend-Lazarus

Jesus knew that that Lazarus was going to come to life. Yet it was the compassion of Jesus that was required. Jesus put himself in the shoes of Mary and Martha before going ahead and asking the Father to do it for the family

When we go and pray for people with sickness/issues, the effectiveness of our prayer is much linked to our attitude. If we don’t mean what we say/pray, we are accountable for hipocracy. We pay for it somewhere

Jesus worked everything as per directions from His H.Q in heaven

Do we ask God before we do some spiritual act? Better ask

Mary and Martha were taught by Jesus. They were focussed on Lazarus day and night, 24/7.  With those who are taught by Jesus, things work differently.

I believe, God wanted them to shift their focus away from their problem

Until burial, they had some hope that Jesus would come. Once buried, they lost their hope. May be they had some hope until the third day

Day 4: Getting back to their normal life; no more waiting on Jesus!

And that was when Jesus showed up! They were like: “why did you come now?”

Many times in our own life, we can see that God showed up when we forgot about it

God gave Isaac to Abraham when both Abraham and Sarah lost their biological ability to have a child. God waited till that point. He waits till the last drop of wine is out, so that we can say that it was 100% God and 0% of me!

Are we too much focussed on any particular issue/problem in life?

When we give our car to the w/shop or when a patiet is in ICU, they may not let us in. They need to work on it, freely

If we are worried about a hundred things, we can accomplish nothing. We need to  to work on one thing at a time. Check it off and move to the next item in the list

GOD IS AT WORK. Display that sign visibly somewhere

Have a great day!

BG

Pray: Lord Jesus, you are awesome. Yopu are our rolemodel. Sometimes, I have been too much concerned about things, without handing it over to you. From now on, help me trust you completely for all that I have handed over to you. Amen

When we let God work on one thing, we can focus on another

Human Nature

Who so trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
—Proverbs 16:20

 

There is much in our nature that perplexes us. Many people are disturbed as they confront the troubling riddle of their own existence. They are bewildered by their proneness to sin and evil. They quake and tremble at the thought of their inability to cope with their own lives.

Christ can give you satisfying answers to such questions as “Who am I?” “Why was I born?” “What am I doing here?” “Where am I going?” All of the great questions of life can be measured when you come by faith to Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Lord. Let Him be your Pilot. He can take away the worry from your life.

Prayer for the day

I trust You, Lord, to control my life. Knowing You will guide me in the right path gives me joy.

A New Birth

We started out bad, being born with evil natures. . . . But God is so rich in mercy . . . he gave us back our lives again
when he raised Christ from the dead . . .
—Ephesians 2:3,4 (TLB)

 

I am reminded of a period when all the agonies that afflict modern minds were felt by another generation, the young people who lived during the first century after Christ. They too sought change, but they directed their efforts at individuals, not at the Roman Empire, not at City Hall. And eventually the whole social and political structure felt their impact. In short, those renewed men and women became filled with a unique dynamic force.

Today this same force is available to all people. Over the centuries it has worked in the lives of millions. I personally have seen thousands of people changed. Jesus called it “a new birth.” The Scripture tells us that you need not continue as you are. You can become a new person. Whatever your hang-up—guilt, anxiety, fear, hatred—God can handle it.

Prayer for the day

I delight in knowing, Lord Jesus, that there is nothing in my life that is incapable of being changed through Your redemptive power.

Having the right Spirit?

Passage: John 4, 13

 ⁵ Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.. (Psalm 4, NLT) – emphasis added

²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4, NIV)

We can learn a lot from Jesus. Look how Jesus handled a sinner outside and  then those who were His own, when they did wrong

In our everyday life, we also come across these two categories of people: sinners outside, and those who are already in church, yet sin

First, when the samaritan woman (John 4),  highlighted the fact of where she

worships, Jesus spoke about who to worship, why to worship and how to worship

God expects His creation to worship God. Worship keeps us connected to God

We don’t know whether this woman went back to her old place of worship after that day. They never told her the truth.

In  John 13, we see this case of Jesus dealing with ‘His own”. He was washing the feet of His disciples, including thagt of Peter who was going to disown Him and Judas Isacriot, who was going to betray Him

Jesus told Peter, “You are clean”, knowing Peter was going to disown Jesus

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” (John 13, NIV)

Today, living at a time when people fight and separate for silly reasons, we find a role model in Jesus. Jesus tells the truth straight, but then He forgives and loves. He once called Peter “satan” when Peter made a statement Jesus did not want him to make (Mat 16). We often do the opposite. We are afraid to tell the truth, if we see someone doing the wrong. So we “pile up” all of that in our heart and talk to them as if everything is O.K. When we “look good” infront of others, and “save” our face, God expects us to be true to God and others by telling them the truth, in love, and forgiving them

Judas dealt with the consequences of his action, allowing “guilt” to take over, instaed of repenting; Peter repented and came back

May God change us so we can deal with others in the way Jesus would

Have a blessed day

BG

Prayer Request: Please pray for a brother Abraham, who went on a missions trip abroad and had a medical emergency situation

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to treat others the way you would treat them. I admit that I have acted “holier than thou” to many people and I repent. Thank you for your love and mercy. Amen

When God treats us right, we have no reason to treat others wrong

In Spirit and in Truth!

Passage: Psalm 4, John 4

 ⁵ Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.. (Psalm 4, NLT) – emphasis added

²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4, NIV)

In John 4, we see Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman about worship

This woman was trying to use her tradition/ church/temple as a “cover-up” for her sins. (In fact, that is what many people (laity and leaders) do even today!)

When the Samaritan woman emphasized on a place of worship, Jesus emphasized on the person of worship. Jesus was telling her that God is beyond the temple

God is looking for worship from a heart of brokenness and repentance

What goes before worship is a “wash-up” of our minds, contaminated with sins

We cannot cover up our sins and then walk into a great-looking church and just worship God, in truth. (Some do a physical wash-up before worship. It is good, but that alone will not just qualify us before God. He is looking for a “heart” wash-up)

Some people say that worship in spirit and truth is about worshiping like Pentecostals. That is not just true. We can worship in all the tongues, but God won’t understand a thing, unless we are worshiping in truth and repentance!

Our body is God’s temple. Our very life-style should bring glory/worship to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.^[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Rom 12, NLT)-emphasis added

On a given Sunday, we may say “It was great worship”. But if God does not say the same, our “satisfaction” don’t mean anything. We were deceiving ourself!

Have a great day. Worship God in truth; worship God where you are!

BG

Prayer: Father God, thank you for qualifying me to worship you. I won’t qualify unless you qualify me, because it is you, I worship. Let my thoughts, words and deeds bring glory to you. It makes sense to worship you-in Jesus’ name; Amen

Worship becomes worship when God calls it so, not when we call it so

The Love Of God

Keep yourselves in the love of God . . .
—Jude 21

 

The Bible is a revelation of the fact that God is love. Many people misunderstand the attribute of God’s nature which is love. “God is love” does not mean that everything is sweet, beautiful, and happy, and that God’s love could not possibly allow punishment for sin.

When we preach justice, it is justice tempered with love. When we preach righteousness, it is righteousness founded on love. When we preach atonement, it is atonement planned by love, provided by love, given by love, finished by love, necessitated because of love. When we preach the resurrection of Christ, we are preaching the miracle of love. When we preach the return of Christ, we are preaching the fulfillment of love.

No matter what sin you have committed, or how terrible, dirty, or shameful it may be, God loves you. This love of God is immeasurable, unmistakable, and unending!

Prayer for the day

My heartfelt gratitude to You, Father, for Your forgiveness and love. I must be acutely aware that in all my dealing with others the only yardstick I have is Your immeasurable love.