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.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Daily Devotion:

Rock & Sand

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9)

Christian life begins with obedience to the Gospel. From beginning to end Christian life is a life of obedience. That's why unbelievers are called the "children of disobedience" (Eph 5:6). No doubt obedience to God is difficult, but it is not a drudgery. This was made clear in one of the very early discourses of Jesus: "My yoke is easy... My burden is light" (Mt 11:28-30). To this the dear most disciple of Jesus, even John, said Amen when he testified at the end of his six decade of Christian life, "God's commandments are not burdensome" (1 Jn 5:3b).

Obedience becomes easy when we think of the future rewards God has promised to those who obey Him. "There remains a rest for the people of God... Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience" (Heb 4:9,11). Obedience may be a struggle now, but this struggle will be over in eternity. When we enter the heavenly rest, we would cease from our works — struggles and efforts—as God did from His! (v10). One day of rest in God's literal presence will be worth all the efforts we took for thousands of days on earth to walk in obedience before Him!

Jesus spoke about two buildings in His Sermon on the Mount. One was built by a wise man and that was on a rock, the other by someone foolish and that was on sand. The wise man was one who lived and worked in obedience to God's will revealed in His Word. His building withstood all storms and floods. But the building of the disobedient man was washed away (Mt 7:24,25). This illustration was the conclusion of Christ's longest recorded sermon. It was a warning against disobedience, more so a motivation for obedience! If I believe in life after death I must choose to obey God in life before death. There may be some immediate gains if we choose the way of the world; but the ultimate rewards are only to those who stick to the principles of the Word of God.

A promise from the Old Testament is a great motivator for obedience: Deuteronomy 28:13, "The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, and are careful to observe them!"

Firm as a rock, though surges dash around us!

Firm as a rock, though trials dark may fall!

Yet shall we cling to Him, the Rock of Ages,

Jesus, the Holy One, our All in All! (Fanny J. Crosby, 1823-1915)

Prayer: Psalm 139

Father and lover of life, you know the depths of my innermost self, and you understand me.

You protect me on every side, shielding me from all harm.

When you put me together in my mother’s womb, you knew all about me. I thank you for the wonder of myself, and I stand in awe at all that you have made.

As you know and love me, so may I come to know and love you. Guide me in your ways.

Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” Psalm 62:1

Daily Devotion:

Tongues Today!

"I wish that you all spoke with tongues" (1 Cor 14:5)

Speaking in tongues, that is speaking in languages unknown to the speaker, is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:10). Unfortunately it has become a controversial issue in Christendom. It is because of the extreme views people hold on this subject. For some, this gift is everything, whereas for others it is nothing. Both are wrong.

There is no direct teaching as a doctrine in the Scriptures that speaking in tongues is the only sign or evidence of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, there are ample examples of people speaking in tongues when they were baptised or filled with the Spirit.

All the 120 disciples who received the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost spoke with other tongues (Acts 2:4). When the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his family the Jewish believers who had come with Peter "heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:46). When Paul laid hands on the disciples in Ephesus, "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:6). Paul also wrote, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all" (1 Cor 14:18; Acts 9:17,18). When the Samaritan believers received the Spirit, there was something that people like Simon the sorcerer could "see" as a supernatural manifestation (Acts 8:17,18). On the basis of these examples, we may normally expect a person to speak in tongues while he receives the Spirit. However, in the absence of a direct "teaching" we cannot say that a person is not baptised with the Holy Spirit until and unless he speaks in tongues.

Every believer must be encouraged to seek God to enable him to speak in tongues through the Spirit because of its tremendous devotional value. Of all the nine gifts of the Spirit, tongues are the only one primarily addressed "to God" in prayer and praise (1 Cor 12:7-10; 14:13-17). The speaker is also edified (1 Cor 14:4). I speak in tongues daily in my private prayer since the time I received the Holy Spirit in 1963. It helps me build up myself and be refreshed (Jude 20; Isa 28:11,12). But it is also possible to speak in tongues without love for fellow-men (1 Cor 13:1-3). Therefore Tongues are not the stick to measure one's spirituality.

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,

The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace;

My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,

To spread thru all the earth abroad the honours of Thy Name! -(Charles Wesley, 1707-1788)

Prayer:

God our Father,you call each of us by name,and you treasure each of us individually as though no-one else exists.Inspire us to respect and value each person who comes into our lives this day.Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:20-21

Daily Devotion:

Hero Worship

"You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created everything" (Rev 4:11)

God uses human instruments of His choice in revival. We should not hero-worship them.The man at the Beautiful gate but in an awful state presented a great challenge to Peter and John who had just experienced revival fires. God used Peter and John to perform an instant miracle on this born lame. Folks were greatly amazed and they ran to Peter and John. When Peter saw it he said, "Why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" (Acts 3:12). Both the preachers and the people are responsible to see that no man is idolized.

Quite unusual to the military way of saluting, Cornelius fell down at Peter's feet and worshipped him. "But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up; I myself am also a man" (v 26). The vehicle which brings God's blessing should not be worshipped. Peter rightly said, I am also a man!

God used Paul to heal a born cripple at Lystra. The people were highly excited and they shouted, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" (Acts 14:11). They brought garlands for Paul and Barnabas and were even getting ready for sacrifices! The reaction of the apostles deserves our attention. They tore their clothes and cried out, "Men, Why are you doing these things?" (vv 14,15). God alone is worthy and we should never touch His glory. Let's protest all religious showmanship. God sends revival with a "concern for His holy Name!" He told the people of Israel, "I do not do this for your sake, but for My holy Name's sake" (Ezek 36:21,22). Christ must be the centre of all attraction.

John was closer to Jesus than all the other disciples. Yet he found it so difficult to learn the truth that God alone is to be exalted and worshipped. Being excited over the prophetic revelations he received through the angel, he fell down and worshipped him. Poor thing, the angel had to teach John the kindergarten lesson, "Don't worship me, worship God!" (Rev 19:10). He repeated this blunder in the last chapter of the Bible also (22:8,9). Fortunately there is no 23rd chapter lest John worships the angel again! During times of revival when the Holy Spirit is outpoured there may be several prophetic revelations. Beware of worshipping a prophet!

Crown the Saviour! Angels, crown Him! Rich the trophies Jesus brings:

In the seat of power enthrone Him, while the vault of Heaven rings! (Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854)

Prayer:

O God, may the fire of the Holy Spirit burn up the dross in our hearts, warm them with love, and set them on fire with zeal for your service. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14

Daily Devotion:

Dead to Dread!

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power...so be ready to suffer for the proclamation of the Good News" (2 Tim 1:7,8)

When a great multitude of people with swords and clubs, led by the betrayer, came to take Jesus, "all the disciples forsook Him and fled." One young man even left his clothes and fled away naked! (Mt 26:56; Mk 14:50-52). But Jesus stood like a lion and declared thrice, "I am He!" (Jn 18:4-8). Peter denied, swore against and cursed Jesus. What was the secret of Christ's fearlessness? He had prepared Himself well in prayer. He had strengthened His willing spirit to overcome the weak flesh (Mt 26:41). This is where the disciples failed. Instead of praying, they were sleeping and snoring. The knee-failure is the underlying cause of our weakness in witnessing. The early Church did not buckle under threats because they did not neglect "the hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1). Even a daring apostle like Paul repeatedly requested the prayer of God's people for "boldness" (Eph 6:19).

Another secret of Jesus' boldness was the anointing of the Spirit that was on Him. Missionary work and evangelistic outreach are direct confrontations with the power of Satan. It's neither by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts that we can bang and break open the "gates of hades" to release the captives (Lk 4:17-21). It's foolish to fight a spiritual battle with our intellectual brilliance, oratorical skill, technological expertise, social status, financial power or institutional strength.

While encouraging young Timothy to fight for the faith relentlessly and proclaim the Gospel dauntlessly, apostle Paul reminded him of "Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate" (1 Tim 6:12,13). Jesus was ready to die and therefore He had nothing to fear. He set the standard for His followers: "He who loses his life for My sake will find it!" (Mt 10:32-39).

Bible Translator William Tyndale (1494-1536) had removed the word "fear" from his vocabulary. That's why he stood firm in his conviction even though he was to be burnt alive!

Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone!

Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!

Hold the Gospel banner high! On to vict'ry grand!

Satan and his host defy, and shout for Daniel's Band! (Philip P. Bliss, 1838-1876)

Prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,and enkindle in them the fire of your love.Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Daily Devotion:

Favourable Fear

"Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl 12:13)

Fear is a powerful force that motivates us to obey. Noah feared God and obeyed Him to build an ark. If he had not obeyed, he would have got destroyed with others in the flood (Heb 11:7). Fear has two components, one negative and the other positive. Fear of punishment is negative. Fear for the person is positive. The negative thing is the worry of consequence.

The other one is reverence for the person. For God-pleasing obedience both the dimensions are important.

a) Negative fear

The first lessons of obedience are usually learnt in the school of negative fear. When God gave Adam a commandment about the tree of knowledge, He warned him, "In the day when you eat of it you shall surely die!" (Gen 2:17). Parents show the cane or threaten their children, "I'll kick you if you do it!" Teachers warn students they would fail if they don't work hard. While counselling youngsters, King Solomon wrote, "Fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Prov 3:7b). Why does a nation become corrupt? Why do communities collapse in morals? Why does the world embrace evil? Why is sin tolerated in the Church? Loss of fear of God is the underlying reason (Gen 20:10,11).

Fear of God comes from the knowledge that nothing can be hidden from Him (Heb 4:13). It was this knowledge that made Joseph flee from temptation (Gen 39:11,12).

b) Positive fear

Understanding "who" commands us makes obedience easy. Reverential fear for God stops arguments and rebellion in our minds. See the introduction to the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex 20:2). Then follow the commandments. "Therefore, You shall... You shall not..." and so on! Not only for the Ten Commandments, but also whenever God gave His people important laws and regulations, He prefaced them with the statement, "I am the Lord!" (Lev 19:10,14,16,18). Peter knew how risky it was to attempt to walk on water. But he ventured because he knew who called him (Mt 14:24-29). Even when we don't know who calls us, we run to the telephone the moment it rings! Many times it will be a wrong number call!

Christian, walk carefully: danger is near!

On in thy journey with trembling and fear;

Snares from without, and temptations within,

Seek to entice thee once more into sin!

Prayer:

Blessed be the Love which chose us before the foundation of the world.

Blessed be the Grace that saved us before the world began.

Blessed be the Glory prepared for us from all eternity.

Blessed be God for ever and blessed be his glorious Name! Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

Daily Devotion:

Healing or no Healing!

"My grace is sufficient for you;for My power is made perfect in your weakness" (2 Cor 12:9a)

God is a Healer. He revealed Himself as Jehovah-Rapha, meaning "The Lord who heals" (Ex 15:26). He has never changed. His power is still the same. What is impossible for man or medicine is possible with God!

God's power to heal was manifested to the highest degree through Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus healed all kinds of diseases, and all who touched Him were made whole. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8). On the Cross He carried away our sins and our sicknesses (Isa 53:4,5; Mt 8:16,17). We are cleansed by His blood and healed by His wounds.

The Holy Spirit has bestowed on the Church the gifts of healing (1 Cor 12:9,28). They are in operation. But our bodies are mortal. We are still subject to death (1 Cor 15:26). The total redemption of our bodies is still in the future (Rom 8:23). Until the day comes when there will be no more pain and sorrow, we may be subject to physical ailments common to man (Rev 21:4).

When a Christian believer becomes sick, he must resort to prayer. He must seek the help of the elders in the Church to offer the prayer of faith for him. And he must search himself to find if he had sinned. Whatever medical help is available may be accepted. Under normal circumstances he will be healed (Js 5:14-16).

But there are times when God does not choose to heal. The Bible tells of several saints who walked uprightly before Him but were still sick. Paul had to carry on with the thorn in his "flesh." God promised him sufficient grace (2 Cor 12:7-10). Timothy had his weak stomach (1 Tim 5:23). Epaphroditus was sick unto death (Phil 2:25-27). Prophet Elisha, who worked so many miracles, died of a disease (2 Ki 13:14). History abounds with examples of godly folks who were not healed. Fanny Crosby (1823-1915), an American poetess, became blind when she was six weeks old and remained so till death, but she gave us over 8000 hymns, one of which is Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

All good gifts come from God. He is not the author of sickness. But He uses it as a rod of chastisement or for some mysterious purpose we cannot explain. He is Sovereign. Ultimately all things, seemingly good or bad, work together for the good of His children (Rom 8:28).

Healing or no healing, God is God! His grace is sufficient in our grief!

Prayer:

May the God of peace,make you holy through and through,and keep you sound in spirit, soul and body,free of any fault when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.He who calls you keeps faith; he will do it.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:

Grant Us Your Salvation Show us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.

Clothe your ministers with righteousness; Let your people sing with joy. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

Daily Devotion:

Silence or Shout?

"The voice of rejoicing is in the tents of the righteous" (Psa 118:15)

"The Lord was not in the wind... the Lord was not in the earthquake ... the Lord was not in the fire... and after the fire a still small voice" (1 Ki 19:11-13). This is the passage usually quoted against shouting in worship. But then how do we explain the decent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost with a rushing mighty wind and tongues of fire? (Acts 2:2,3). And later on the shaking of the place where the disciples were praying? (4:31).

Psalm 46 says, "Be silent and know that I am God" (v10). But Psalm 47 says, "Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" (v1). Yes, there's a time to be silent and a time to shout!

The organised religion will not be comfortable with shouting in worship. On the Palm Sunday when the multitude began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, some Pharisees urged Jesus to rebuke His disciples. What an answer Jesus gave! "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out!" (Lk 19:37-40). Note the word "immediately." Had He not come from Heaven where silence is rare (Rev 8:1)?

The Book of Psalms was the songbook of the people of Israel. It repeatedly calls people to sing aloud and make a joyful shout (66:1; 81:1). When Solomon was crowned, the earth almost split with the joyful sound of people (1 Ki 1:39,40). Are we not crowning in worship the One greater than Solomon? The inauguration of the new dispensation was marked by joyful sound. What a noisy day Pentecost was (Acts 2:1-6)!

Both silence and shouting are expressions of our emotions. Each has its place. Those who are naturally expressive find it easy to lift up their voices in praise. People of the other type will hesitate a lot. But many of the second type have testified of the release when they got filled with the Holy Spirit. One should not condemn but encourage the other. Pentecostals should worship with non-Pentecostals wherever possible and vice versa. This will keep the feet of Pentecostals on level ground and help the non-Pentecostals soar high with wings! Learning to worship God both ways is maturity. Also we will be saved from empty shout and dead silence!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer!

Heavenly portals, loud with hosannas ring!

Jesus, Saviour, reigneth for ever and ever;

Crown Him, Crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!

(Fanny J. Crosby, 1823-1915)

Prayer:

Prayer for Healing and Comfort

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your servants, and give your power of healings, that we may be strengthened in our weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.” - 1 Timothy 2:5-6

Daily Devotion:

Hurry up!

"Give a serving to seven and also to eight,for you do not know what evil will be on the earth" (Eccl 11:12)

One of the most important things to be learnt from Jesus for evangelism is the sense of urgency. He had no time to waste. So much had to be accomplished in so short a time. He had just a little over three years for His public ministry. There was no panicking at His death. On the other hand He triumphantly declared, "It is finished!" What a model!

We need rest but we can't relax. Over 1,20,000 persons die each day. Floods, earthquakes and other calamities claim thousands and thousands of lives. Some countries are closing doors, but many others are opening them to evangelism. This is a day of opportunities. This is a day of Good News (2 Ki 7:9). The Lord of the Harvest is perhaps giving the Church the last chance to gather in the grains. This is the eleventh hour (Mt 20:6). If we delay, the harvest will waste. Let's hurry up!

Let's not postpone to tomorrow what we can do today. Tomorrow is not ours. We do not know what will happen tomorrow (Prov 27:1). "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Cor 6:2) — To preach the gospel! To plant churches everywhere! To prepare a people ready for the Lord!

In Capernaum the Lord had a wonderful reception. But in Nazareth the people rejected Him (Mt 13:53-58). But nothing discouraged Him. He kept on going. He kept on preaching. He kept on spreading the message of the Kingdom. Let us have the same zeal of the old saints of God and decide to introduce the Saviour atleast to one person a day.

Every Christian must be a missionary. Every non-Christian is a mission field. Let's give ourselves to nonstop evangelism until the last person is reached. We should not end our work until we witness to the ends of the earth or our life is ended, whichever comes first!

Jesus "sat down" only after He finished His work (Mk 16:19). Let's not sit until the job is done! Always and everywhere we are under orders to evangelize. That is the only reason for our being on earth!

O Zion, haste thy mission high fulfilled,

To tell all the world that God is light;

That He who made all the nations is not willing,

Any soul should perish, lost in shades of night! - (Mary A. Thomson)

Prayer:

O Lord my God, I bless thy holy name for this mercy, which I have now received from thy bounty and goodness. Feed now my soul with thy grace, that I may make it my meat and drink to do thy gracious will, through Jesus Christ my Saviour. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” - Ephesians 6:10-11

Daily Devotion:

Salvation Syntax

"Assuredly, I say to you,Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Lk 23:43)

Jesus spoke these words of certainty and assurance to one of the thieves, to the one on the right or the left we don't know. The thief was there under punishment but in a moment he had his entry to Paradise assured — "Assuredly!" "Will be!"There are skeptics who say we cannot know for sure today that we are saved. And several folks are puzzled with the question, "Can I be sure of my salvation?"

Yes, thousand times, yes, because the Bible says so. "The Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). Here's the definition of the Church: No unsaved member inside and no saved outside!

One of the reasons why people dispute over the possibility of present assurance of salvation is that they fail to understand salvation in three tenses. Salvation past is deliverance from the "penalty" of sin; salvation present is deliverance from the "power" of sin; and salvation future is deliverance from the very "presence" of sin. Respectively they are called Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. The first one is a crisis experience, the next one is a process, and the last one is a crisis again, which will take place at a moment. We are already saved from the penalty of sin. We are being saved, moment by moment, from the power of sin. But removal of the presence of sin is still in the future.

Our assurance may be shaken up as we walk through trials, tribulations and temptations. During the turbulence of this present time, the "Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God" and He assures us that "the sufferings of the present are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom 8:16,18).

Our sins which were red like crimson have been made whiter than snow by Jesus. He bore them all on the Cross of Calvary. As far as the East is from the West, so far He has removed our sins from us. He has cast them behind His back. He has thrown them into the depths of the sea. They disappeared like the clouds of the sky. Oh, the breadth, the length, the depth and the height of God's forgiving love! We need not doubt our salvation a bit!

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song;

Praising my Saviour all the day long! - (Fanny Crosby , 1823-1915)

Prayer:

You are holy, Lord, the only God,and Your deeds are wonderful.You are strong.You are great.You are the Most High.You are Almighty.You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.You are Good, all Good, supreme Good,Lord God, living and true.You are love. You are wisdom.You are humility. You are endurance.You are rest. You are peace.You are joy and gladness.You are justice and moderation.You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.

You are beauty.You are gentleness.You are our protector.You are our guardian and defender.You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.You are our faith, our great consolation.You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord,God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” - 2 Timothy 1:9

Daily Devotion:

Messengers without Message

"We are not, as so many, adulterate the Word of God, but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God" (2 Cor 2:17)


"The Word of the Lord was rare in those days!" (1 Sam 3:1). This was one of the darkest periods in the history of the people of Israel. I am afraid those days are upon us again. We have more preachers and hear more sermons now than any time in the history of the Church. But where is the "message" of the Lord?

The rarety of the message of the Lord in our modern pulpits can be first attributed to money. The message of God in general is clearer and more definite from the mouths of preachers who are materially poorer than those who are affluent. Three snares which have fatally trapped many servants of God are gold, girls and glory. Riches top the list of these three. Manipulating people to milk money from them has become commonplace. A young boy swallowed a coin. A little girl standing nearby shouted, "Send him to that preacher. He can get money out of anybody!" Matthew Henry (1662-1714) that great Bible Commentator warned, "Preachers must not be afraid of the rich!"

Excessive desire for miracles is another reason which hinders the message of God. For many centuries the traditional Christian ministry literally excluded miracles of healing. The renewed interest in the gifts of healing has taken us to the other extreme. This overemphasis of the healing ministry has corrupted the content of the pure gospel. The loss is dual. We neither have miracles (as expected) nor the message. Both in His own ministry and while commissioning His disciples the Lord Jesus stressed healing the sick. But we shall do well to notice that it was FIRST preaching the gospel and only then healing the sick. A leper saved but not healed can go to heaven; but a sinner healed but not saved cannot!

Billy Graham (1918- ) does not pray for the sick in his Crusades. But there's little doubt that more people have made decisions for Christ in his meetings than collectively from scores of healing crusades. The secret? He has a message. Of the greatest prophet who had the spirit and power of Elijah it was said that, "John performed no SIGN—and many believed him there" (Jn 10:41,42). He had a message! Thomas Walker who laboured in Tirunelveli, Amy armichael in Dohnavur, Thomas Ragland in Sivakasi and Mother Teresa in Calcutta were not outstandingly miracle workers. But their message stays resounding to generations.

Prayer:

Show us your mercy, O Lord; And grant us your salvation. Clothe your ministers with righteousness; Let your people sing with joy. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care; And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us by your Holy Spirit. Amen!

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Daily Devotion:

Are you the kind kind?

"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious" (Eccl 10:12)

According to Apostle Paul, the first manifestation of love is patience. He says, "Love is patient" (1 Cor 13:4). The very next thing he says is, "Love is kind!" (1 Cor 13:4). Also in the list of the marks of God's servants, he mentions "kindness" immediately after "patience" (2 Cor 6:6). So also in the list of the fruits of the Spirit, kindness follows patience (Gal 5:22). Kindness is a language that the dumb can speak and the deaf can hear and understand.

Kindness is such an important virtue that John the Baptist equated the "fruits of repentance" to acts of kindness. He told the people, "Be kind to the have-nots!" To the tax-collectors he said, "Don't overload the tax-payers!" He admonished the soldiers, "Don't chargesheet anyone falsely!" (Lk 3:8-14). The greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to His children! Jesus has taught us, "You must be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate" (Lk 6:36). We must be kind to the unkind people; they need it the most. This is where patience is challenged.

The story of the unkind debtor Jesus narrated shames us and warns us sternly. When the debtor pleaded with the King, "Be patient with me," his debt of crores of Rupees was instantly forgiven out of kindness. But he grabbed the throat of his fellow-servant who had owed him just a few thousand Rupees, even though he also pleaded, "Be patient with me!" The story ends with the moral, "Should we not be merciful to others as God is to us?" (Mt 18:21-35). Isn't Joseph who showed mercy to his merciless brothers a good example? (Gen 50:21).

Speaking kindly is an art to be learnt. Everyone in this world is hurting. Kind words are like medicine. If someone were to pay Rs. 10/- for every kind word you ever spoke and collect Rs. 5/- for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor? Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes.

Kindness begets kindness, but be patient if your kindness is not positively reciprocated. Pray for a short memory as to all unkindness. Someone said, "Two things stand like stone: Kindness in another's troubles; courage in one's own." Kindness is like snow; it makes every- thing it covers beautiful.

Kindness and graciousness are more natural to women than men. We applaud and greet womenfolk on this International Women's Day!

Prayer:

Prayer for Renewal - Psalms 51:9-12

Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” - Psalm 139:23-24

Daily Devotion:

Nurture leaders for future!

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us...Then I said, Here am I; Send me!" (Isa 6:8)

Leaders must be prepared ahead in order to preserve the precious and abundant fruits of revival. Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we immediately read about the Apostles' defence (Acts 2:14), the Apostles' doctrine (2:42), the Apostles' demonstration (3:1,6,7), the Apostles' direction (6:1-4), and so on. They had been already mentally trained to organize the thousands of folks who flocked in and the huge amounts of funds which flowed in, without corruption (2:41; 4:4,34,35). How many times we have observed today the loss of moral and ethical values following the increase of flocks and funds in ministries! Charisma alone is not sufficient for leaders, they need character.

During His earthly ministry Jesus was consciously training the twelve for the worldwide ministry ahead. He gave them the finishing touch before His ascension. John's Gospel records His dealing with Peter, the leader of the twelve. He asked him thrice the searching question, "Do you love Me?" (Jn 21:15-17). Love is both the foundation and the capstone for a Christian minister. When Jesus first called him it was to become a fisher of men (Mt 4:19). Now He commissions him to be a shepherd of men (Jn 21:15-17). We need love both for soulwinning and shepherding. One is love for the lost and the other for the found. Several thousands were to be born into the Kingdom in the next few days. The leader was prepared. Earlier Jesus gave him the keys (Mt 16:19), and now He gives him the "rod and staff" (Psa 23:4). Souls must be brought in and brought up! Jesus also prepared Peter for the cross he should bear (Jn 21:18,19). Jesus is the Master Trainer of leaders.

Thank God for the several discipleship and leadership programmes conducted by genuine Missions, which emphasise sincerity over success, and purity over popularity. I urge young people to read and reread the Book of Nehemiah and Paul's Epistles to Timothy and Titus. Read also Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders (1902-1992), the Consultative Director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship for many years. You will never be the same again.

Anoint our leaders with the Spirit of wisdom, goodness and truth,
Endue them with the Holy Spirit,
Enrich them, Lord, with Thy heavenly grace,
Prosper them in all their labours! - (Methodist Hymnal)

Prayer:

Prayer of Thanks

Throughout all generations we will render thanks unto Thee And declare Thy praise, Evening, morning, and noon, For our lives which are in Thy care, For our souls which are in Thy keeping For thy miracles which we witness daily, And for Thy wondrous deeds and blessings toward us at all times.Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:11-13

Daily Devotion:

Failure not Final!

"The righteous may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again" (Prov 24:16)

In His encounter with Jacob, God told him, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel" (Gen 32:28). But the Bible continued to call him Jacob (e.g. Gen 33:1). Our "old nature" is not eradicated from us. We have to live with our "old man" all our life. No one but Paul was frank and honest enough to acknowledge this fact: "I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't... If I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it" (Rom 7:18-20). He found out that victory over sin is only by "considering" constantly that we are dead to sin, and giving preference to the new man in us to make choices (Rom 6:11). In this lifelong warfare, there need not be but there might be occasions when the new man would lose to the old man. We must not retreat in discouragement. It is concerning the "righteous" it is said, "They may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again" (Prov 24:16).

Many Christians are living under "condemnation" because of repeated failures in their lives. The Bible asserts, "There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). The Holy Spirit never "condemns" God's people. He just "convicts" them. Judas Iscariot accepted "condemnation" and that led to awful destruction. On the other hand, Simon Peter came under "conviction" which led to awesome restoration. Judas betrayed Christ only once whereas Peter denied Him thrice! Peter learnt the all-important lesson that only by patiently trying again and again one can grow in godliness. This he wrote in his second Epistle (2 Pet 1:6).

Because God is patient towards us, especially in our failures, we must persevere in our efforts to live holy. It is the goodness of God, even His tolerance and patience, that motivates us to keep on repenting (Rom 2:4). We fear God because He abundantly forgives (Psa 130:4). Christ is tirelessly interceding for us from the right hand of His Father and that's why we must resist temptation to sin (1 Jn 2:1). God is the Potter and we are the clay. We are still in the making. He has not finished with us yet. When God Himself is so patient with us in shaping our character, how can we become impatient with ourselves and quit trying? For a child of God, no failure is final!

Faint, yet pursuing, we press our way
Up to the glorious gates of day! (Mrs. W.R. Griswold)

Prayer:

Seeking Healing From God

O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.” - Proverbs 14:22

Daily Devotion:

Worldliness x Heavenliness

"The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the Father" (1 Jn 2:16)

If we indulge in the works of the flesh, we are sure to miss the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sensuality and spirituality are opposed to each other and the battle goes on constantly in our hearts (Rom 8:12-14). We may read the Bible, say our prayers and go through all the disciplines of Christian life. But if we don't learn to say no to sinful desires, we cannot say yes to the Spirit's directions in our life. Our sinful nature cannot be eradicated from us but we can be emancipated from it by the Spirit of Life (Rom 8:2). We must constantly reckon our old man as dead. This is more than an occasional meditation. Rather it's a conscious moment-by-moment assertion. This inner victory is fundamental to fight other battles outside of us.

The "good and acceptable and perfect will of God" is made known only to those who refuse to be conformed to the fashions and pattern of the world (Rom 12:2). Those who choose the line of least resistance and swim along the tide will be going against the will of God whether they realise it or not. The trend of the world never aligns itself with the ways of the Lord, because "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 Jn 5:19). So wrote an apostle in the first century! Imagine the depth of corruption, the height of iniquity and the breadth of wickedness into which the world has rolled itself during the centuries that have followed. It's hard to imagine further deterioration.

The love of the world and the craving for the things of the world is spiritual adultery. This sets us opposed to the love of God and makes us actually His enemies (Js 4:3,4; 1 Jn 2:15). This does not mean we cannot possess any material goods or enjoy them. The question is whether we possess them or they possess us. It is the attachment to things and overindulgence in pleasures which are condemned (1 Cor 7:29-31). God is not against our legitimate enjoyment of life on earth. But the true test is how we feel when we are called to forsake the earthly blessings or they are culled from us. The stronger the grip the more difficult it is to give up and follow God's guidance.

When your basic needs are more than met where you are in the will of God, beware of "praying about" offers for more salary and comfort! What the world calls as opportunities may actually be traps! "If I earn more I can give more to God's work"—Many justify their materialistic ambitions this way. But the poor God gets the same old 10%!

Prayer:

Prayer for Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one creator; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39

Daily Devotion:

Talk of the Town

"Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together" (Mt 24:28)

Jesus used this proverb in connection with His return and the gathering of His saints from all over the world. Unfortunately the Church is ignored today by the society. We Christians also suffer from a minority complex.

As I write this meditation on 19 March 2003, the global attention is on the World Cup cricket match in South Africa and the possible Gulf War. Think of a day when Jesus Christ and His Church will be the talk of the world! That will be the headlines of newspapers and TV!

Talking about Cricket and War, we don't know who would win. But in our case, victory is preassured. Jesus will win! His saints will receive the Kingdom! Here comes Daniel with the sure word of prophecy: "The sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them" (Dan 7:27).

John the forerunner of Christ for His first coming could not have access to the pulpit of the organized religion. He did not feel bad about it. He was a man from God, and he had a message from God. That was good enough for him. He went to the banks of Jordan and started to preach. People cared the less for the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas and went to listen to John (Lk 3:2,3). After sometime the Pharisees and Sadducees also went to hear him (Mt 3:7). Where the carcass is, there the eagles will fly!

The entire Church is called to be a prophetic community. We talk about the priesthood of all believers, atleast in theory. Do we believe in the prophethood of all believers? The death of Christ has made us priests before God; the descent of the Spirit has made us prophets to people (Rev 1:5,6; Acts 2:17). Prophets in the New Testament are primarily "forthtellers" rather than "foretellers." We are called to forthrightly proclaim God's message of repentance, righteousness and judgment. That's why we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7-11). This way we can fill cities and towns with God's Word (Acts 5:28).

The world of religion, economics and politics is in utter confusion. The need of the hour is men from God with a message from God. Anything else is secondary. Only such men can take the world back to God! Will you accept this challenge?

Prayer:

Giving Thanks to HaShem :Psalms 118: 19-29

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto HaShem. This is the gate of HaShem; the righteous shall enter into it.I will give thanks unto Thee, for Thou hast answered me, and art become my salvation.The stone which the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone.This is HaShem'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.This is the day which HaShem hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

We beseech Thee, O HaShem, save now! We beseech Thee, O HaShem, make us now to prosper!Blessed be he that cometh in the name of HaShem; we bless you out of the house of HaShem.HaShem is God, and hath given us light; order the festival procession with boughs, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto Thee; Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee.O give thanks unto HaShem, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Daily Devotion:

Ensnaring Eyes!

"The eye is the lamp of the body.If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light" (Mt 6:22)

The lust of the eyes is a problem for many people who have accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. They are not able to maintain holiness in their thoughts. They become obsessed with guilt. They may repeatedly get convicted of their sin in revival meetings and make decisions to stay pure, but only to be defeated in a few days. Is there a solution? Many young people struggle with this problem.

There is definitely a way to be victorious over this temptation. Don't be discouraged. Jesus Himself passed through the youth stage. He Himself was tempted and so He is able to help us with perfect understanding (Heb 2:18). "Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Heb 4:16). We who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour must also accept Him as our Helper. This is the first step for victory.

Next, shun all practices, places and persons which lead you to temptation. When the Scripture talks about other sins, it commands us to "resist," but while talking about the sin of fleshly lust, we are commanded to "run away" (2 Tim 2:22; 2 Cor 6:18). Why? Because no one can fight against lust and come out victorious. It is like fire. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? This does not mean that we walk down the road with our eyes closed. You cannot avoid the first look. That is not sin, but you can avoid the second! Surrender your eyes to the Lord and decide not to see the forbidden with lust. Only such a decision saved Job! (Job 31:1). We cannot avoid eagles flying over our head, but we certainly can prevent them building their nests on our head!

Never be lazy. The idle mind is the workshop of the devil. When the mind is empty, demons rush to occupy it (Mt 12:43-45). Read the Bible and fill your heart with the Scripture (Psa 119:11). As much as you sleep during the night, you must work during the day. Get actively involved in gardening, jogging, games, etc.

I'm glad my blessed Saviour was once a child like me,
To show how pure and holy His little ones might be;
And if I try to follow His footsteps here below,
He never will forget me, because He loves me so! - (Emily H. Miller)


Prayer:

Prayer to Overcome Sin

O everlasting God, let the light of Thine eternity now fall upon my passing days.
O holy God, let the light of thy perfect righteousness fall upon my sinful ways.
O most merciful God, let the light of Thy love pierce to the most secret corners of my heart and overcome the darkness of sin within me.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” - James 4:10

Daily Devotion:

Throne & Chairs!

"Pray for kings and all in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity" (1 Tim 2:2)

Praying for those in authority is a solemn obligation of each Christian. It is God on the Throne who has seated leaders on chairs (Rom 13:1). Prayer moves the arm that moves the world! What should we pray when we seek God's face for leaders? We must pray—

a) That they may lead a clean life and their hands be free from corruption. The mother of King Lemuel taught him, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes, intoxicating drink" (Prov 31:3,4). How can we point our finger at the unrighteousness of a leader before lifting our hands to God for him?

b) That they may depend on God who is the Source of all authority, rather than on popularity from men. King David emphasizes this truth in Psalm 21. "The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!... For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved" (vv 1,7). King Nebuchadnezzar learnt this lesson the hard way (Dan 4:28-37).

c) That they may be given good counselors and that they may have a listening ear. The wisest king ever lived rightly said, "Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more"(Eccl 4:13). The kingdom was irrepairably divided when king Rehoboam "rejected the counsel which the elders gave him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him who stood before him" (1 Ki 12:8,16).

d) That they may judge with righteousness. First the poor. "The king who judges the poor with truth, his throne will be established forever" (Prov 29:14). Then the wicked. "A wise king sifts out the wicked, and brings the threshing wheel over them" (Prov 20:26). In these days when might is right, we need to be blessed with kind leaders who will uphold the cause of the poor and bold leaders who will not spare the wicked.

e) That they may be protected. Satan has flooded the nations with a spirit of murder. We must rebuke these blood-thirsty spirits in the Name of Jesus and release angelic spirits of protection over our leaders. Tight security arrangements and personal body-guards are useless "unless the Lord guards the city" (Psa 127:1).

Prayer:

Love Is...

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12

Daily Devotion:

Methods or Men?

"You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking" (Eph 4:17)

The writings of prayer warrior E. M. Bounds (1835-1913) on prayer are unequalled. No author who writes about this holy exercise fails to borrow from Bounds. He penned, "The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men!" It is necessary that we change our methods in ministry according to culture and context. But this we must do within the boundaries of Biblical principles. Otherwise we will lose the message. John Blanchard (1729-1785) warns, "Never put yourself in the position where you have to evacuate the message in order to accommodate the method."

Skills can be sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Ex 31:1-5). But He is grieved if we depend on them. Zerubbabel was a remarkably skillful worker. Yet the word of the Lord to him was, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zech 4:6). Uncommonly talented preachers must be extra-cautious, otherwise they will no more be God's spokesmen but simply great speakers. A conscious acknowledgement of our total dependence on the Lord to speak through us must be made before stepping on the pulpit. Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) wrote, "The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display our talents; the closet speaks death to display."

I am ashamed to watch theatrical performances on the pulpit. I can understand singers holding microphones in their hands close to their mouths. But as a preacher if both my hands are not free, how can I turn the pages of the Bible to read out the references and expound the passages? We don't preach to excite people but to edify them. We must dress smartly but not showily. Addressing those who had listened to John the Baptist, Jesus asked, "What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A sheik in silk pyjamas? Not in the wilderness! What then? A prophet? That's right, a prophet!" (Mt 11:8,9 The Message). Photo and video consciousness also tampers with the message.

Computerisation of Bible study materials has opened before us a world of Biblical references. With just a touch of a button hundreds of sermon outlines can be browsed. Because of such facilities we become strangers to the painstaking study methods of our forefathers. When we spend more time sitting in front of a computer screen than kneeling before God, our sermon outlines will be nothing more than lifeless skeletons. "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:6b).

There was a "man" sent from God; his name was John!

Prayer:

Prayer of Thanks

For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food,For love and friends,For everything Thy goodness sends. Father in heaven, We thank thee. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

Daily Devotion:

In & Out!

"First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean" (Mt 23:26)

Hypocrisy means contradiction. That is, the difference between thoughts and words— keeping something in mind and saying something else. It is also a contradiction between words and deeds (Mt 23:2,3); a difference between life inside home and outside. There are some who behave themselves excellently outside, but their behaviour at home will be awful. They will be like angels on Sundays and the devil during weekdays.

How does hypocrisy arise? Many think that it is alright to be hypocritical. They find fault with others and justify themselves (Mt 7:4,5). One reason is that they simply `act' desiring public applause (Mt 23:27,28). Another reason is that they give undue emphasis to the external things rather than the inward life (Mt 23:25,26). Covetousness (Ezek 33:31) and emphasizing minor things rather than the fundamentals are also the other reasons (Mt 23:24). Jesus did not say, "Woe unto you, adulterers…thieves…murderers...," but He repeatedly pronounced, "Woe unto you, hypocrites." Hypocrisy is that grave a sin.

Hypocrisy is mostly seen in spiritual matters. Some praise and worship God with their mouths, but their hearts are not one with Him (Mt 15:7-9). They will be eager to listen to His Word but they do not do what it says (Ezek 33:31,32). Some will be preaching to others only (Rom 2:21-23; Psa 50:16). These people will be active in even religious exercises such as almsgiving, praying in a flowery language and fasting (Mt 6:2,5,16). These hypocrites will act as though they are nice to others but in their hearts they will set traps for them.

The Bible teaches that the hope and happiness of hypocrites will not last long but will perish soon (Job 8:13-15). If God says "Woe" to the hypocrites, we can guess their future. The first sin judged in the infant Church was hypocrisy (Acts 5:1-11).

Hypocrisy retards spiritual growth (1 Pet 2:1-3). God's children should never give place to hypocrisy. God knows every one of our thoughts, actions and whereabouts (Psa 139). The fear that we would have to stand in front of God's judgment seat should never leave us (2 Cor 5:10-12).

All light is no light;
for noblemen the light of truth is the true light!
- (Thiruvalluvar, an ancient Tamil poet)

Prayer:

Prayer for Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one creator; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Grow in God's Love Each Morning!

Word Of God:

“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” - Isaiah 1:16-17

Daily Devotion:

His Dictate my Delight!

"He who has called you is faithful; He will also do it" (1 Thess 5:24)

Making excuses is basic to human nature. We have inherited it from our first parents. When God confronted them after their fall, they invented excuses to cover up their failure. We looked at two of the commonest excuses yesterday. We shall look at another two today—

Holiness is optional!

Holiness is not optional but a basic obligation expected from us by our Creator. Micah the prophet cried to the backslidden people of Israel, "God has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord REQUIRE of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8)? Because the Church has canonized only a select few with sainthood—like St.Paul and St.Augustine—the average Christian has developed an unconscious conviction that only a special category of people is empowered or expected to live holy. But the Bible explicitly teaches that "no one" will see the Lord without holiness (Heb 12:14).

God desires that "all" of His children grow "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:13). Holiness is a command from God and not a nice suggestion. Each of us is special to God — "chosen... precious... royal"—and there are no deluxe editions among His people (1 Pet 2:4,5,9). Let holiness be our watchword.

Holiness is all by God!

Calvinistic theology and Armenian theology are the two main streams in the world of Christian thinking. The former stresses the sovereignty of God and the latter the responsibility of man. To me the Bible seems to hold both these views in proper tension. Without God, we cannot; and without us, God will not! Both the Testaments teach this truth. We are to "sow" for ourselves righteousness, and the Lord will "shower" righteousness on us (Hos 10:12). As "we" awake from sleep and arise from the dead, "Christ" will give us light (Eph 5:14). When we forget our responsibility we become careless. If we forget what God is doing in us we become joyless.

More holiness give me, more strivings within;
More patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin;
More purity give me, more strength to o'ercome;
More freedom from earth-stains, more longings for Home!(Philip P. Bliss, 1838-1876)

Prayer:

Prayer of Hope

O Lord, in Whom is our hope, remove far from us, we pray Thee, empty hopes and presumptuous confidence. Make our hearts so right with Thy most holy and loving heart, that hoping in Thee we may do good; until that day when faith and hope shall be abolished by sight and possession, and love shall be all in all.Amen.