CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU!

                             CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU!

This is the promise of the Lord. In our lives we all face trials, tests and temptations. How do you react to such situations in life? Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”. How many times have you called on Him?

Sometimes we do not take up the knots of our life to Jesus our Lord. We try to undo it by ourselves. We fail to recognize that only our Savior can sort out the mess that so easily entangles us. We try to Limit God and don’t call on Him to help us during the dire straits of our life. We need to remind ourselves this day that Jesus is the remedy for all circumstances at all times.

In Acts chapter 16, we read that Paul and Silas after they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison in the inner cell and their feet were fastened in the stocks. In this situation they were praying and singing to God. The Lord answered them in a miraculous way.

In your darkest hour do you call on God? I urge you to do so and experience the great and mighty things which the Lord has promised to you. Don’t ever doubt or limit God to the strange, weird, difficult and terrible things you are facing now. Be it physical or spiritual, just call the name of Jesus, You will see the deliverance in your life.

Remember you are His beloved; He will bring Light in your darkness. Call on Jesus this day and enjoy the fullness of blessings in your life.

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I will give you rest!

                                            …… I will give you rest!

All of us are moving in the hustle and bustle of life. We are busy all the time with work and priorities which never satisfies our soul. At the end of a long day we still carry burden which tires our mind, body and soul.

Jesus says in Mathew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor, and are heavy laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest.” He promises to relieve, refresh and ease your souls!! All you need to do is to approach Him. In the presence of the Lord there is rest to every weary soul. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm91:1). When we abide in Him we automatically find the rest which our soul longs for.

‘Rest’ is absolute need for everyone. I like to remind you of the incident in Genesis chapter 8. Noah sent a dove to see if the water had receded. But the dove could find no place to set its feet to rest and hence came back to the ark. Very true indeed however long a bird could fly it still needs to find rest.

Are you asking the Lord how long …He promises you today that “...you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land and he will give you rest….and you will live in safety.” (Deuteronomy 12:10).

Dear friend, if you want to find rest to your weary soul, you need to seek His presence, Exodus 33:14 the Lord says: “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest”.

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WHY ARE YOUR FACES SO SAD?

                                       WHY ARE YOUR FACES SO SAD?

The chief cupbearer and the chief baker offended the Pharaoh for which they were put into the prison, where Joseph was confined. One morning when Joseph looked at them, he saw that they were sad and depressed. So he asked them: “Why are your faces so sad today?”(Gen 40:7)He came to understand that they were troubled because of their dreams. With the help of God, he did interpret the dreams.

During the time of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was his cupbearer. When Nehemiah served wine, the king asked Nehemiah “Why does your face look so sad….? This can be nothing but sadness of heart. (Nehemiah2:2) Nehemiah was troubled and depressed when he heard that people in Jerusalem were in disgrace and the wall was broken down.

There are people with us or those working under us who go through dejection and sadness of heart. Do we recognize such sad faces? You might be going through tough times but like Joseph we should be able to care for the sad and weary ones though he himself was in prison. You have an anchor in Christ Jesus, which others do not have. You got to bring the hope into others by your care and concern. Your words of care will bring a smile of hope in their sad faces.

I remember a Kids song which goes like this:

“I saw a man the other day, He looked so sad and down. He had a frown upon his face, like everything was bad; I walked up to the man and said How do you do? He looked at me with a great big smile when I said God loves you.”

Reach out to the sad and lonely with the love of Jesus. Show a little bit love and kindness, never go along with hatred and blindness and take a little time to reach out to the ones who are weary and dreary. Try it; I’m sure you can do it.  

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HOW DO YOU KNOW ME?

                                   HOW DO YOU KNOW ME?

Philip answered the call of Jesus and followed him as his disciple. He was from the town of Bethsaida, like Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel and told him about Jesus. When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching him, He said: “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

Hearing this Nathaniel asked Jesus: “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”(John1:48).

Dear friends, our Lord knows us and watches us even before we draw near to him. The Lord says “..I have even called thee by name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.” (Isaiah 45:4).

David says in Psalms 139:2 to 4 “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar……. before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” The Lord knows everything! Job replies amidst all his sufferings: “But He knows the way I take…” (Job 23:10). Very true the Lord knows who we are and what we need. The word of God says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5). He has written the diary of your days even before they made a start.

Lord Jesus knew and saw Nathaniel even before they met, He is still with us. He knows you and keeps a close watch over you. He promises in Psalms 121:7, “He will watch over your life”. 

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HOW CAN I?

                                                       HOW CAN I?

Joseph was next in command to the pharaoh when there was a great famine in the land; His brothers had come to Egypt to purchase the grains not knowing that the one whom they had sold as a slave was in charge of supplying the food.  Joseph supplied the grains to his brothers, and as they were going back to their father’s house in Canaan, he cornered them to leave behind their youngest brother in Egypt. On hearing this they were very much troubled and Judah replied to Joseph saying “How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?” (Genesis 44:34) Judah had taken the responsibility of bringing back Benjamin; the youngest of them all safely back to his father.

At this juncture, I want to remind you of the responsibilities that we carry. The Lord has bestowed us with friends and family. We need to make sure that none will be left behind on the last day. May be there is a lost sheep in your family. Did you ever think of how you could meet the heavenly Father without him or her? As a child of God you have the responsibility for your fellow brothers. There are people dying in their sins, death eternal they receive. Who will answer for them going there?

Don’t settle for ninety nine, Our God is concerned about that last and the lost one. It might be your brother or sister or son or a friend. Remember the words of Esther to King Xerxes, She said: For how can I bear to see the disaster of my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family? (Esther 8:6)

Let us take up this challenge, for how can we meet the Lord without the ones whom He has given to us as our kin?  

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                                           GOD MEANT IT UNTO GOOD.

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Yes we are assured that for those who love the Lord, ‘all things’ work together and are fitting into a plan which is for good.

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, who was sold as a slave by his own brothers to the Midianite’s merchants, who in turn sold him to Potiphar one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was put behind bars, for no fault of his. He went through a lot of agony and pain,”… until the word of the Lord tried and tested him” (Psalm 105:19). Later he was set free by the pharaoh and made him in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Genesis 41:40). 

It happened in the days that Joseph’s cruel brothers came to Egypt to get food during famine. When Joseph revealed himself to them, they were terrified, but he reassured them saying “..do not be distressed..for selling me here…it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you”(Gen 45:5). Here, we see in Gods hand, the intended evil becomes eventual good. In Genesis 50:20 we read, Joseph said “You intended to harm me, but God meant it for good…”

Very true my friend, whether it is disappointments or failures, remember that God will indeed turn it for your good. “Not a shaft can hit till the God of love sees fit.” Though it seems like evil it will work for good. 

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How long……….?

                                                           How long……….?

Psalmist David says, How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm 13:1, 2. These questions may arise in your minds too.

Sometimes the road seems long and energy is spent. There is no more strength    to combat the thoughts and doubts within. There are lots of times you wonder what will be the end? You kneel down to pray but you just don’t know what to say. You are struggling with negative thoughts, which hamper your faith and trust. These words ‘How long’ may be haunting you night and day.

The Lord says “For surely there is an end (a future and a reward), and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:18). You might have already waited long for the promise or a vision to come to pass. “Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3).

Daniel saw two others in a vision, where one said to the other man who was clothed in linen “How long will it be before…. things are fulfilled?” (Dan 1:6).  In Revelation 6:10 we read, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and the testimony , cried with a loud voice saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

The Lord says “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me…” (Rev 22:12). You will be richly rewarded for all your waiting. The ‘How long…..?’ questions of your heart will be answered. “There will be no more delay” (Rev 10:6).

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