LOOKING BACK (WITH THANKS) - 8 (SPEND WHATEVER YOU HAVE FOR GOD)

“We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.” – Psalms 55:14

Few days back I got an sms from an unknown number stating that a particular aunty has passed away. I saw her for the last time nearly 10 years before but yet that news broke my heart. Because she is one of those few people God used to bring change in my life. I began to look back the old days where she showed motherly love to me and to many young people.

Many years back when I was in my teen age my eldest brother used to attend a youth prayer meet regularly which will be held once in a month. On those days he is not a guy who used to attend such prayers but yet he liked this particular prayer meet a lot. He used to call me once in a while to that meet but I was hesitant to go with him as I was a shy person. 

But one day I had decided to go with him. When I reached the home where the prayer meet was held I saw that aunty for the first time. She had a particular disease and so she can’t see the persons and things at a longer distance. But she had joined with another aunty and they both opened their house to conduct that youth prayer once in every month. 

Nearly 25 young people used to attend that prayer and a team from another city leads the worship, prayer and preaching sessions. I was greatly blessed through those meetings. When I had faced temptations and trials, the counselling that I got from the preachers who came there really helped me. 

God moulded me through so many people who came there and particularly through the love of those aunties. Even if one month someone misses the meeting they will enquire with so much love and advise us to attend regularly. They took care of everyone who came there. They were a great comfort to those who came there with failures and sorrows. 

We used to stay there even for hours after the meet but they had never complained about it. They always loved us and sometimes provided food to us. More than they loved us personally what I understand was they loved our soul. They wanted us to grow in God at any cost. 

God used that fellowship to bring so many changes into my life. Whenever I ran away from responsibilities, those people in that fellowship encouraged me to take responsibilities and helped me to fulfil that for God. 

As we grew in God, those aunties grew old and so they decided to handover the leadership to one particular couple and slowly that fellowship ended. 

As I look back I thank God for that fellowship and those aunties. I feel guilty that I should have atleast spoke once to those aunties in these years. I knew they would have felt happy if they hear that I am still growing with God and I didn’t forgot the experience I had gained through them. Things changed and now one of those aunties has passed away. 

I had learnt that we should be ready to do anything for God so that people around us might get blessed. We can open our house for prayer fellowship or with few amount of money and time we had we can help people to know the love of God. Let’s take a resolution that we will give whatever we had, to God and for God. God will surely bless you.

PRAISE GOD AT ALL TIMES. YOU WILL BE A BLESSING

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” – Psalms 34:1

In Acts we read about a lame man. He was lame from birth and he will be carried to the gate of the temple and he was put to beg every day. One day Peter and John went to the temple and seeing them the lame man asked for money. Then Peter commanded him to walk in the name of Jesus Christ. Instantly that man’s feet and ankle became strong and he began to walk. 

He was lame from his birth and he might have longed for healing. He waited for over forty years and he might have thought that he will never walk but one day he got healed. He should have thanked Peter but yet Bible says that he went with them to the temple courts praising God. 

Once he received the blessing he didn’t ran away but he started to praise God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God they were amazed. As everyone was astonished they ran to Peter and John. Then Peter began to proclaim Jesus to the people who gathered there.

Acts 4:4 says, “But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”

Nearly five thousand people became believers on that day as they heard from Peter and all those were the ones who gathered around him once they saw that lame man who got healed praising God. 

It all started with praise. 

My dear young friends, when you receive God’s blessing you should not run away. You should praise God and run to the people sharing the mighty thing God has done in your life. Through you God will touch the lives of so many people. 

On that day that man who was over forty years of age ran into the temple court jumping with joy and praising God. On the same day five thousand started believing Jesus Christ. 

Through you God wants to bring a change in others life. Keep praising God and share what He has done in your life to others. You will be a blessing.

BELIEVE, THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE! - BLESSING MESSAGE BY BRO. MOHAN C LAZARUS (TAKEN FROM A MONTHLY SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE)

GOD IS THE HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS. HE WILL HELP YOU IN TIMES OF YOUR TROUBLE.

“...The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” – Psalm 10:14

You might be going through a situation where you could not find anyone to help you. As you are struggling you might feel helpless. You might have lost your loved ones and you might feel dejected as you have no one in this world. Do not get discouraged. Commit your life into God’s hands. Jesus Christ will be a Father to you and He will help you.

In John 5:1-15, we read about a man who was lying near to the Bethesda pool. He had an infirmity for thirty eight years. He wanted someone to carry him to the pool when an angel stirs up the water so that he may be healed and some other time he tried himself to go into the pool but yet he could not do that at all. 

For thirty eight years he waited for the healing. No one came forward to help him and even he could not help himself. His life was miserable and at that time Jesus entered into his life and he saw him and he healed him immediately for he knew that he was lying there for so many years.

Jesus Christ will do that in your life. He knew what you are going through. He will help you and bless you.

A young girl who had lost her father many years back joined a software firm as a fresher. God has promised her that He will be her father and she was so happy. She had great desires and imagination about her life. As she was in the training period, a trainer was allotted to her batch by the company to train them. But unfortunately the trainer began to disturb her so much by asking her to spend a day with him. He always insisted her to take him around the town for a day.

His intention was wrong and so that girl began to avoid him. But yet he was so adamant and disturbed her daily. One day he told her that if she didn’t accompany him, he will reduce her mark so that she will face tough situations. The girl stood in her decision firmly and she asked her loved ones to pray for her.

One person whom she knew for years prayed for that matter and as that person knelt down God gave him a great burden to pray for her and Holy Spirit led him to pray saying, “God, if she had a world father, by this time he would have come and finished that guy for torturing his daughter whom he loves a lot. But you promised her that you will be her Father. If a world father would do that how much more you have to do for her.”

God heard that prayer and within ten days He made that trainer guy to leave that place and even today that young girl is attending her training session with joy and peace. She stood for God. She had no one to help her but yet Jesus Christ helped her. 

Bible says in Deuteronomy 10:18, “He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow...”

My dear young friends, you have Jesus Christ in your life. He will help you. As you pour out your sorrow to Him, you will see Him fighting for you. He will never leave you orphan. Don’t say anymore that you are helpless. Because you have Jesus Christ who will is the helper to the helpless. He will do miracle in your life.

THE WALL - 31

SWEET MARRIAGE - 10 (SHARE THE BURDEN OF YOUR SPOUSE)

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

Yesterday I was speaking with one of my senior colleague during the lunch hour. As we were eating he started to speak about his wife. He told that she always feels tired as she had undergone an operation recently but yet she prepares his lunch daily. Both of them were actually married for more than 20 years. Yet he said that he has to appreciate her more and share her burdens. 

As he was speaking I thought about my wife who wakes up at early hours and then prays and then start cooking my meals. My wife is also working and once she returns from work she takes care of our daughter and does the other household works also. During midnight our little daughter feels hungry and so my wife will wake up and give her the needed food and then will make her sleep. This process itself will take nearly 45 minutes of her time at midnight. 

But then she wakes up at early morning without fail and takes so much care in preparing my lunch. Sometimes I wonder how she does that. She never complains much about her heavy work. And it actually surprised me a lot. 

I try my best to share her workload by assisting her in most of the thing except cooking. But I was really surprised when my senior colleague is doing that even after 20 years of their marriage life. As he was talking to me he said we have to share our partner’s burden or else they will worn out mentally and physically. 

What he said was absolutely true! I can’t say to my wife that I am returning back from my work so tired and so I won’t do any work. If I say that she feels all alone in her life and soon she will get worn out. That will affect her peace and in turn it will affect our marriage life.

You might say that what your wife does is her responsibility to do and so you won’t share her work. In family life we can’t say like that. We have to share one another’s burdens. If your wife needs you to help her in taking care of your child, you have to do that willingly. 

Sometimes your husband might feel tired after returning back from his work. He might be regularly helping you in doing something once he returns back. But when he comes back tired you should not insist him to do that. He will feel better if on that day you share his work and finish it for him. 

If God asks you to bear some other person’s burden how much more we have to share the burden of our own life partner. We have to do more.

My dear young friends, do not despise the feeling of your spouse. Share their burden and make them feel better. Then their love upon you will increase and your marriage life will be filled with God’s joy and peace.