Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim His name; make known among the 

nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted.” - Isaiah 12:4

Daily Devotion:

Taming the Tongue

"If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, 

this one's religion is useless" (Js 1:26) 

In the light of the New Testament, the word "perfection" is understood as growth and maturity. One of the important qualities that shows maturity in a man is his ability to control his tongue. This is what the Bible says: "We all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body" (Js 3:2).

The Epistle of James is among the most practical books in the New Testament. One of his main subjects is tongue. He tells a lot about it. He goes to the extent to say, "If anyone cannot control his tongue, his religion is useless."

The warning of Jesus that "for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Mt 12:36,37), shows us the seriousness of our unnecessary talks.

Jesus spoke truthful words (Mk 12:32), graceful words (Lk 4:22) and faultless words (Lk 20:26). When Peter pointed out the spotlessness of Jesus he said, "He committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth" (1 Pet 2:22).

Almost all the Epistles emphasise the necessity of speaking the right words and avoiding unedifying talk. It is stated, "No man can tame the tongue" (Js 3:8). It must be taken control of by the Holy Spirit. A confession of the sins of our tongue and a consecration of the tongue at the altar of God will bring down fire from Above for cleansing and commission (Isa 6:5-9). Of all the organs of their bodies the Holy Spirit primarily took hold of their tongue when He came upon the early disciples (Acts 2:4). We cannot ignore the significance!

Someone said that of all the parts of the body, nothing helps Satan as much as the tongue! During Samson's time, the jawbone of a donkey was used to kill. Even today it's the same. "Reckless words pierce like a sword" (Prov 12:18). Tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts a lot (Js 3:5). Words of gossip (Prov 18:8), mockery (Prov 19:29), strife (Prov 18:6), harshness (Prov 15:1) and lying (Prov 19:5) should be avoided. Let the 32 white soldiers stop the tongue coming out unnecessarily! Thiruvalluvar, an ancient Tamil poet has said, 

"Going for bad words when there are good ones is like choosing an unripe fruit when there's a ripe one!"

Prayer: 

Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for certain days and ceremonies to 

prepare to worship thee, while at every moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” Proverbs 14:34

Daily Devotion:

Ox weds Donkey!

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor 6:14)

Many a young Christian has ruined his life because of unholy alliance in marriage. Marriage is a yoke. The Bible forbids unequal yoke (2 Cor 6:14). "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey 
together" (Dt 22:10).

Both the Old and the New Testaments strongly condemn intermarriage with unbelievers. Intermingling the "holy seed" with the unconverted is called as "trespass, transgression, iniquity and guilt" (Ezra 9:1-6). Even a widow who is a believer is not permitted to marry an unbeliever. "She is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord" (1 Cor 7:39).

Even if your parents press you to marry an unbeliever, for whatever reason, you can firmly refuse. Obedience to parents also must be "in the Lord" (Eph 6:1). If you have fallen in love with an unbeliever, break the affair unless your fiance or fiancee gets genuinely converted. Beware of baptisms just for the sake of marriage!

True in some cases the unbelieving spouse gets converted after marriage. But no truth can be established from this. The Bible challenges, "How do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?" (1 Cor 7:16). Marriage is too serious a matter to take risk. If you have already made the mistake of marrying an unbeliever, you can now do nothing but pray and believe God for his or her salvation.

When young people from non-Christian background embrace the Gospel, they find it extremely difficult to find suitable believing partners. Casteism is prevalent even among Christians in India. Christian leaders and pastors must voluntarily take sincere efforts to settle marriages for the non-Christian converts. Believing young people from Christian families should come forward to marry non-Christian converts. Why not? Sometimes the families of these converts may throw them out of their community. The Church should support such with all sensitivity.

Thy way, not mine, O Lord, however dark it be;
Lead me by Thine own hand, choose Thou the path for me.
I dare not choose my lot; I would not if might;
Choose Thou for me, my God, so shall I walk aright!

Prayer:

My Creator, I praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of immortality. Help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for the divinest, that I may be worthy of life eternal. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36

Daily Devotion:

Salvation Army

"Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:3)

 

Soulwinning means fighting for souls. The devil has been keeping millions of people for millennia under his clutches. He has no right to do so after Christ has shed His blood for every man and every woman (1 Jn 2:2). It's the responsibility of every Christian to release the captives from the domain of darkness. That's why God has empowered us with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). We must pray sincerely and wait before God, with fasting if possible, and enter the enemy's territory with full armoury (Mt 17:21).

Before marching to war, we must plan well (Prov 20:18). We should keep in mind the rules and regulations of the Kingdom of God (2 Tim 2:5). We must do all that's possible and save souls somehow, but the Biblical principles must not be violated.

Courage is indispensable for soldiers. Following a victory of God's people in the Land of Promise, Deborah a songleader sang, "Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death; Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield" (Judg 5:18). Yes, God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power! (2 Tim 1:7). This is what made Paul stand boldly before the kings of nations and testify for the King of kings (Acts 26:19,27). He encouraged his trainee Timothy to maintain a royal spirit while sharing the Gospel message (2 Tim 4:1,2). The Word of God in our mouth is the Sword of the Spirit in our hand! (Eph 6:17).

A true soldier will be ready to suffer to any extent for the sake of his country. In our daring efforts to save people from the bondage of the archenemy of God, we may be wounded. No one can be a successful soulwinner without a mind to suffer (2 Tim 4:5). Missionary Paul knew what awaited him in the Christ-opposing religious capital of his day. But he proceeded there with this declaration: "I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but also to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). Lawrence Sanders of the 16th century opposed relentlessly anything unscriptural. He was burnt alive by Queen Mary. This is what he said while entering the flames: "Welcome the Cross of Christ and Eternal Life!"

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus! Ye soldiers of the Cross;

Lift high His royal banner; it must not suffer loss;

From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed!

-(George Duffield, 1818-1888) 

 

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee,And desire nothing save only Thee.Let me hate myself and love Thee.Let me do everything for the sake of Thee.Let me humble myself and exalt Thee.Let me think nothing except Thee.Let me die to myself and live in Thee.Let me accept whatever happens as from Thee.Let me banish self and follow Thee,and ever desire to follow Thee.

Let me fly from myself and take refuge in Thee,that I may deserve to be defended by Thee.Let me fear for myself, let me fear Thee,

and let me be among those who are chosen by Thee.Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.Let me be willing to obey for the sake of Thee.Let me cling to nothing save only to Thee,and let me be poor because of Thee.Look upon me, that I may love Thee.Call me that I may see Thee,And forever enjoy Thee. Amen!

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“[Praise to the LORD] LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1


Daily Devotion:

Submission your Mission!

"We (the apostles) are ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled" (2 Cor 10:6)

John the Baptist must have learnt obedience from his parents who were "walking in all the commandments of the Lord, blameless" (Lk 1:6). His ministry in turn was "to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just" (v17). He accepted to baptise Jesus only when the appeal was made on the basis of fulfilling God's righteous commandments.Jesus began His ministry only at thirty years of age. Until then He was practising a walk of obedience before the Father. Approving His spirit of submission and obedience, the Father testified at the commencement of His ministry, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:17).

Evangelism means calling people to "obedience to the faith" (Rom 16:25,26). Disobedient men and women are disqualified to proclaim the evangel. They will only bring dishonour to the Name of God among the non-Christians (Rom 2:22,23). Do we wonder why the Church in India still fails to impress the society? Loud speeches and loud-speakers do not move communities. When we ask people, especially those who can think, "Why don't you become Christians?" they repeat Gandhi's saying, "I will become a Christian when I meet one!" Let's get serious about this reproach on our rank and file.

The Holy Spirit operates freely through those who are obedient and yielded to Him (Acts 5:32). Because of His gentle dove-like nature He does not instantly react to our disobedience to the will of God. He may let us continue operating His gifts of prophesy, healing and miracles. If we take these manifestations for granted, we are in for the most unpleasant surprise of our lives. By the time we would hear the verdict, "I never knew you; depart from Me," it would be too late to reverse the situation (Mt 7:20-27). After serving this warning at the end of His great sermon, Jesus compared the obedient to the wise, and the disobedient to the foolish.

Mere zeal is not enough to serve God acceptably. After healing a leper, Jesus strictly warned him not to make his healing too public. But he went out and began to proclaim it freely. The result was that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city (Mk 1:40-45). See how disobedience hinders God's work.

Satan cannot disobey a man who cannot disobey God!

Prayer: Psalm 51 : 10-17

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18

Daily Devotion:

Why stop with Sky?

"I continue to press forward towards the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14)

 

The Biblical antidote for backsliding is that we must go on to perfection, leaving the elementary principles of Christ and not laying again the foundation (Heb 6:1,2).

This passage (Heb6:1-6) calls Repentance, Faith, Baptisms, Gifts of the Spirit, Resurrection and Judgement as the "elementary principles" or the "foundation." In the Primary School we studied 1+1=2; 1x1=1; 1-1=0; and so on. This is the foundation. This is important. One cannot afford to forget this as he passes into the higher classes. At the same time, isn't it unprofitable to study only these fundamentals again and again? As much as the elementary or foundational principles are important, moving from them onto higher and deeper truths is necessary. We should "go on to perfection." Just because the foundation is important for a building, should the foundation be laid again and again?! We must go on to the superstructure! How can we be protected from sun and rain unless the superstructure is built? We Christians are so backslidden that those who preach the above six principles are called as "full" Gospel preachers! Are we so blind to call the foundation the building?

Apostle Paul testifies of his life which is a challenge for our consistent and continuous progress in life: "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on... that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Phil 3:12). His interest was "the knowledge of Christ," "the power of His Resurrection" and "the fellowship of His sufferings." To put it briefly, Christ's purpose for Paul was Paul's purpose in Christ. We must be ambitious spiritually. Higher and higher. Deeper and deeper. Wider and wider. Nearer and nearer. This should be our aim. For a Christian the sky is not the limit. Because, he has the "Heavenward call of God in Christ Jesus!" (Phil 3:14).

Spend as much time on knees and with an open Bible. It's not enough if you study How to Pray, How to Worship, How to Minister, and so on. You must also search from the Scriptures How not to Pray, How not to Worship, and How not to Minister. Do not stop climbing. If you stop you are sure to slide down. Forwarding prevents backsliding!

More about Jesus would I know, more of His grace to others show;

More of His saving fullness see, more of His love who died for me! (E.E. Hewitt, 1851-1920)

Prayer: 

Blessed be the Lord our God forever and ever. Watch, dear Lord, with those who cannot sleep

and those who weep this night.Tend the sick,give rest to the weary and bless the dying.

Relieve those who are suffering,have pity on those in great distress,and shield those who are happy.Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

““Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Daily Devotion:

Old but not Cold!

"Since my youth, O God, You have taught me;I will declare Your marvellous deeds in all the days to come" (Psa 71:17)

 

Mr. Caleb at 85, referring to an incident that happened fortyfive years before, testified, "I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in" (Josh 14:11). This confession he made exactly on his 85th birthday (v10c). For his birthday he desired not a sponge cake but a steep mountain (v12)! All this was because he refused to join the pessimistic majority (Num 13:30-33). Overcautiousness is typical of old age whereas young people are known for venturing and taking risks. Risking is a companion of faith.

It is said, "We spend the first half of our lives trying to understand the older generation, and the second half trying to understand the younger generation!" In the early 1970s, during the formative years of the Blessing Youth Mission in India, we used to send teams of college students during Summer Vacation to hills and jungles to see pioneering missionary work firsthand. One such team visited Kolli Hills in Tamilnadu where Mother Brand (1879-1975), the godly mother of the famous leprologist Dr. Paul Brand (1914-2003), was labouring for the Gospel after the death of her husband. The time our youngsters spent with this dear lady, who was too old to even walk normally, revolutionized them thoroughly and some of them took up fulltime missionary career.

Years ago an old professor took me aside after I preached in an evening service and told me, "Stanley, I'm glad God has taken you in His hand. Let simple living and high thinking be your aim." Perhaps but for this timely counsel, I would have been siphoned into the materialminded ministerial stream that runs full these days. The conversation with George Verwer, the Founder of Operation Mobilisation, one evening gave me an unforgettable warning to discern between leadership that is self-assumed and God-appointed. The few hours I spent with the saintly prophet Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) in his humble home intensified my burden for revival more than all his revival classics that I have read. I can go on listing the indelible impressions that God's seasoned men have left on my heart.

Sir, Madam, Uncle, Aunty,

salutes to you on behalf of youngsters!

Prayer: 

Take, Lord, all my liberty.Receive my memory, my understanding, and my whole will.Whatever I have and possess,  you have given to me; to you I will restore it wholly, and to your will I utterly surrender it for my direction. Give me the love of you only, with your grace, and I shall be rich enough; nor do I ask anything besides,Amen.

Word Of God:

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Daily Devotion:

Affliction becomes Adoration!

"Rejoice, in as much as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings" (1 Pet 4:13)

Sufferings in life normally develop grumbling in the lips and bitterness in the heart. Sometimes they seal the grieving sufferer's mouth in dead silence. But facing those sufferings courageously and embracing them cheerfully would transform suffering into worship (Acts 5:41).

Accepting injustice and ill-treatment patiently and pleasantly is worship. Hear Peter in 1 Peter 4:14-16, "If any one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter." If those who crucified Jesus would brag that they had murdered Him, Jesus would say that He had offered Himself "as a pleasant aromatic sacrifice to God." Yes, Jesus offered Himself at His own free will. It was a voluntary sacrifice!

Every stone pelted at us can become a bowl of incense offered to God provided we do not retaliate or murmur (Acts 6:12,15). When Stephen died as a martyr, he endured suffering in the spirit of worship. His angelic face; open heavens; vision of the glory of God; Jesus standing up to pay tribute to the first martyr of the Church; a sweet martyrdom entwined with forgiveness to his killers!

Now let us peep into Heaven to see the multitude of white-robed worshippers. Who are these beautiful people? "They are the ones who came out of great tribulations! .... They are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple" (Rev 7:9-15).

Going through the list of the heroes of faith we find on one side those who had done exemplary valorous deeds (Heb 11:33-37); on the other side we meet those who, expecting a glorious resurrection, embraced torturous deaths. Blessed are those who accept brickbats thrown at them as bouquet showered on God! Watchman Nee (1903-1972) in China was arrested and persecuted for his faith in the Gospel. Even when death was at the threshold, he refused to renounce his faith. All these men and women built sanctuaries with the stones pelted at them!

Praise Him for the trials sent as cords of love,

Binding us more closely to the things above;

For the faith that conquers, hope, that naught can dim,

For the land where loved ones gather unto Him! - (E.E. Hewitt, 1851-1920)

Prayer:

Father, fill our hearts with deep compassion for those who suffer, and may the day come quickly of your kingdom of justice and truth. Amen.