Heed the LORD

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. —Psalm 5:3

Maintenance is important in our spiritual lives. Taking time each day to read the Bible, pray, and listen to God is a key element in avoiding a breakdown. In Psalm 5:3, David wrote, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You”. In the following verses, he poured out his heart in praise, thanksgiving, and requests to God.

Many people find it essential to begin every day with the Lord. Before they do anything, they find some quiet moments alone to read a portion of God’s Word, praise Him for His greatness, thank Him for His love, and seek His guidance. Others spend time reading and praying at different times of the day.

We need to ask the Lord each day to fill our hearts with His presence on the road of life. 

The roots of stability come from being grounded in God’s Word and prayer.

Powerful Witness

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

 —Acts 1:8

The Lord Jesus Christ challenged His disciples to tell others about the love of God.

They would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon Him.

And they would be witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”.

Through the Holy Spirit, our words and witness can have the power to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. 

Fragrance of Christ

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. —2 Corinthians 2:15

Some scents are unforgettable. They bring an emotional response and pleasant memory of people we loved. 

Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell.

So, what if our lives were a fragrance that attracted people to God? 

2 Corinthians 2:15 says that “we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” 

Our fragrance is pleasing to God, but it also attracts others to Him or repels them. 

We who understand the sacrifice of Jesus have the opportunity to be the fragrance of Christ.

We can be a reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ to others.

The sweet scent of the likeness of Christ can be an irresistible pull toward the Savior.

When we walk with God, we leave behind a sweet fragrance that can inspire others to follow.

Certainly, the gospel has a sweet spiritual aroma for those who believe.

The Word of Truth

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17)

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself spoke of Jonah and the giant fish, and Noah and the flood, as actual events: "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be".

"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37-39). His return will happen when we are not expecting it.

The Lord Jesus Christ compared Jonah’s 3 days inside the big fish to the 3 days He would experience in the grave before His resurrection (Matt. 12:40).

And apostle Peter talked about Noah and the flood when he equated it to a future day when Jesus comes back (2 Peter 2:4-9).

God gave us His Word; it is a book that is filled with truth, and not fairy tales.

And one day, we will live happily ever after with Him when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again and receives His children to Himself.

God Alone is our Helper

"Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands." (Psalm 115:4)

Many things vie for our affection and time and attention.

We need to always evaluate where we are focusing our lives.

Joshua told the people of Israel that they were to give their affection and worship to God alone (Joshua 24:14).

This was significant in contrast to the idols worshipped by the nations around them.

These idols were made of metal and were only the work of men's hands.

They were totally powerless compared to the Lord.

God's people were exhorted to find their security in Him and not in other gods.

The Lord Jesus Christ reiterated this in His discussion of the commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37).

The Lord alone is our help and shield. Let us reserve our worship for Him. Never place someone or something above God!

God, Help us Persevere

"But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

This is God's promise to us.

God promises supernatural staying power and stamina.

Believers who depend on the Lord can persevere long.

Not by Might

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)

The Galatians Christians had been led astray. 

They had disobeyed the truth of the Gospel.

Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among them as crucified.

But they had foolishly refused Him.

They had forgotten how they were saved.

It was by the grace of God through faith that they received the Spirit of God.

It was not by the works of the law.

The Galatians Christians had begun well.

They  had fully submissiion to the works of the Spirit of God.

But thing had changed.

They wanted to do otherwise.

They wanted to return to the works of the law.

They had suffered so much under the works of the law.

Yet they still chose to go back.

The apostle reasoned with them.

God had given them His Spirit.

God had worked miracles among them.

Did God do it because they obeyed the works of the law?

Or did God do it because they had faith in Him?

Tha apostle Paul brought out Abraham, their ancestor.

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Therefore only those who believed in God are children of Abraham.

God knows everything.

God knew that Abraham was to become the father of all nations.

God knew that the Gentile believers would be blessed too!

Nothing escapes the attention of God.

He knows everything.

And He bless everyone who believes in Him just as Abraham did.

Salvation is indeed by grace through faith.

No amount of human efforts can save us.

It is the work of the gracious God Who sent His Son to die for us more than 2000 years ago.

All of Grace

But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11-12)

Paul was an apostle. He preached the gospel of God to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel.

Paul preached the Word of God. He did not received it from men. It was not passed down to him by and through any human means. It came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul received and learnt it from God.

Paul was once called Saul. He was a Judaizer. He advanced in Judaism. He persecuted the church of God beyond measure and he tried to destroy it. He was a champion of Judaism, very zealous, outshone many of his contemporaries. 

But God had chosen him from the beginning of time. He had called him by His grace. He has chosen to save him and use him. God revealed His Son to him.

Paul's mission was to preach God among the Gentiles. He was to make Him known among us who were not a people and strangers to the Law of God. Thank God for His mercy and grace.

As apostle to the Gentiles, Paul did not confer immediately with his counterparts in Jerusalem. The apostle Paul did not immediately consult the 12 apostles in Jerusalem. Instead, he went to Arabia, and then returned again in Damascus. It was 3 years later that he met up with them in Jerusalem.

Unlike the apostle Paul, we don't receive direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. We learnt it from the Word of God through the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit in us. God had given us other offices. Some of us are preachers, teachers, missionaries, evangelists etc. 

Like the apostle Paul, we are chosen from the beginning of time. God loved us and saved us from the present evil age. God gave us talents. He enabled and empowered us for certain missions. We are special.

We thank God always. We spend more time with Him in humility and submissiveness. God must increase and we must decrease. He must have the supremacy. He must be our Lord at all time.

We do consult our brethren, and ask for their advice and guidance. But our Master and Teacher is God. God will guide us into all truths, and oversee everything we do.

As Christ's disciples, we do not lose hope, knowing that God is with us all the time. 

May God glorify His Name through us with each passing days. Amen.

Meekness and Gentleness of Christ

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:1)

As Christians, we are told to be meek and gentle like Christ.

Paul desired to be meek and gentle.

To be meek and gentle is to keep our strength under control.

As Christians, we are told to keep our spiritual strength under control in humility and gentleness.

The world uses and abuses power for ungodly purposes. But we are to keep power under control for godly purposes.

We don't exercise our spiritual authority like the world does.

Our meekness and gentleness can and do win souls for Christ.

The path to spiritual power is through our weakness!

Often, those who are small have great spiritual power!

We use divine power to pull down earthly strongholds.

Nothing can exalt itself against the knowledge of God.

Nothing can escape the Judgment seat of Christ.

When the time comes, all disobedience will be punished.

Christians may be weak and insignificant to men. But they are not weak and insignificant to Christ.

God's power is at work in their weakness.

Never underestimate the meekness and gentleness of Christ in His People.

Heaven Rejoices when we Repent

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. —Luke 15:10

Christian parents rejoiced when their children have given their lives to Christ.

They were so excited that they called for celebration immediately.

They wanted to tell the exciting news to others.

They rejoiced through tears...

The woman in Luke 15 had found her lost coin.

She called her friends and neighbors together to rejoice with her.

Jesus told this story.

He also told about a lost sheep and a lost son.

He wanted to show how He came to earth to pursue lost sinners. 

When we accept God’s gift of salvation, there is rejoicing on earth and in heaven. 

Heaven rejoices when we respond! 

Angels rejoice when we repent!

God loves us without measure

And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

—John 19:17-18

In John 19, we read that Jesus allowed people to put a crown of thorns on His head, mock Him, strike Him, strip Him, and crucify Him (John 19:1-6). 

He had the power to stop them, but He said very little (John 19:11). 

He did it all for love’s sake to pay for our sins and to rescue us from punishment.

How much does God love us? 

Jesus spread out His arms and was nailed to the cross. 

He died for us, then rose again. 

That’s a precious fact for followers of Christ. 

The truest measure of God’s love is that He loves us without measure! 

Open my eyes that I may see

Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight.” —Exodus 3:3

In the midst of our busyness and stresses, we often miss the patches of beauty all around us. 

We are preoccupied with our things, and forget the glimpses of God's goodness we caught here and there along the way. 

As a result, we lost the opportunity to worship God, to praise Him and thank Him.

The universe displays tha glory of God.

If only we will take the time to stop and reflect upon God's love for us.

Moses took notice of the burning bush that was not consumed.

If Moses had taken only a fleeting glance, if he had ignored it and hurried on to other things, he would have missed a life-changing encounter with the living God.

Our lives should be less hurrying and more noticing. 

Our lives should be less self-occupying and self-pleasing. 

We should learn to take note of the things around us and see God's hand in them. 

We should learn to see God's glory, His loving care, His knowledge and wisdom, His longsuffering etc. 

O Lord, open our eyes that we may see.

Be a Good Helper

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
 —John 14:26
 

 

The apostle Paul had many helpers in his work of ministry.
He listed them in Romans 16.
He made special reference to Phoebe, who “has been a helper of many and of myself also” (2).
Priscilla and Aquila risked their own lives for Paul (3-4).
And Mary, Paul said, “labored much for us” (6).

According to 1 Corinthians 12:28, Helping is a spiritual gift.
Paul listed it among the gifts from the Holy Spirit that are given to believers in Christ’s body, the church.
The gift of “helps” is just as needed as the others that are listed.

In John 14:26, even God the Holy Spirit is called a “Helper.”
Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you”.

In whatever ways the Holy Spirit, the Helper, has gifted you, let Him use you for His honor.

Remember: Be a good helper. Your church needs you.

Inconvenience

Life is filled with inconveniences.

Very often we are interrupted. 

Rarely does a day go by as planned.

And the list of inconvenience is endless...

Sickness... 

Conflict... 

Traffic jams... 

Forgetfulness... 

Appliance malfunctions... 

Rudeness... 

Laziness... 

Impatience... 

Incompetence...

Inconvenience often discourage us... 

Make life more difficult... 

And thwart our plans... 

But inconvenience could be God’s way of teaching us...

though we may not know God's reason now...

But we can be assured of God's motives - 

It i's always for our own good... 

God always works in us and through us according to His purpose. 

Therefore we must learn to thank God for our inconvenience...

Giving thanks always for all things. — Ephesians 5:20

Walks With Integrity

He who walks with integrity walks securely. —Proverbs 10:9

A person who has integrity has the security of a quiet life.

Let our word be true.

Let our actions be honest.

Let us walk with confidence in God.

Whatever happens, let us wait for God's intervention.

New Year's Resolution

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

(1) Our relationship with God: love, joy, and peace
(2) Our relationship with men: long suffering, kindness, and goodness
(3) our hallmark: faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

In short, we are to love the Lord our God with 'all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind', and 'our neighbor as ourself.' (Luke 10:27)

Wait on the Lord

Sometimes we feel that God has let us download because He doesn't provide an immediate answer to our prayer.

But waiting for the Lord can transform us into a people of growing faith.

King David spent years waiting to be crowded king and fleeing from Saul's wrath.

He grew into "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22).

When we become frustrated with God's apparent delay in answering our prayer, let us remember that God is interested in developing faith and perseverance in our character.—James 1:2-4

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Wait on the Lord! 

Death is not the End!

Everything in this world eventually comes to an end.

All things, good and bad, do come to the end;

And life ultimately comes to the end, sometimes sooner than we expect!

It can be quiet disheartening when things come to an end.

We all know the painful emptiness of our heart when we lost our loved one(s)!

How we wish it was not over yet!

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus interjects hope for us.

Death is no longer the end!

Death is the door to eternity with God!

So let our heart not be troubled!

God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

This life may be full of joys or disappointments.

But we keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the victory of the Cross!

Thank, Lord Jesus, for Your death and resurrection that guarantee our eternal future!

Shifting Shadows

Life changes like shifting shadows.

Nothing stays the same forever.

Some things change fast; 

Others take their sweet time.

To everything there is a season. (Ecclesiastes 3)

There is a time for every purpose under heaven. 

A time for birth and a time for death; 

A time for planting and a time for uprooting;

A time for gain and a time for loss;

A time for tears and a time for laughter;

A time for mourning and a time for dancing.

Sometimes we welcome changes; 

Often not.

But God does not change. (Malachi 3:6)

We can always rely on Him through the shifting seasons of life. 

Talking about apostle Paul

Apostle Paul’s conversion and his early Christian witness were greeted with skepticism and fear.

When he began preaching that Jesus is the Son of God, people said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose?” (Acts 9:21)

Later when Paul went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples, they were afraid of him.

In years to come, Paul never ignored his past, but spoke of it as evidence of the mercy of God.

Like Paul, we don’t need to parade our failures or to pretend they didn’t happen.

Instead, we can thank the Lord that through His grace and power, our past is forgiven, our present is changed, and our future is bright with hope.

Our life is changed forever, and only Jesus can transform our life.