Thought - 7 (GOD'S LOVE UPON YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE)

GOD'S PROMISE TO YOU

“Don’t be afraid I will be with you, I will go before you and make the crooked paths straight. My support will never cease. You will be holy. Oh Jacob, there shall be no sin in you. I have listened to the requests you have made to me. You will never see the Egyptians you have seen today. I will break your yoke, and remove all your bondage. Do not fear, I will be with you and I will be your strength. Get up and do your thing. My hand of grace will be with you. I will give you all goodness. I have chosen you, who will hurt you? I have showered My love upon you. I will not forsake you.  I will make new things in your life. You will see miracles”. 

My dear young friend, you are God’s child. Be happy you will surely be blessed.

WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FOR? - WRITTEN BY A PASTOR I KNOW

Our life is a race. Hebrews 12:1 says “.....Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. This race can be compared to the race run by athletes for specific games like Olympics. In our life age and time is always running out. No one can stop this. Even if we sit idle in our life, age and time will always be running. God has a specific race for all of us. For any race the winner will be judged according to how he runs, where he runs and for what he runs. We may think that we are ordinary people and who will watch the race we are running. Even if no one is watching, God is always watching.

I would like to tell you about three victorious run that was carried out by certain people in their lives.

RUN FOR CHRIST:

I Samuel 17:48 “....David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him”. Here David is running against Goliath. The reason for David race being victorious is that he did not run for himself but ran for God. He came there accidently and was not a man of war. When he hears a man abusing God, he could stand it no longer. He ran as God’s representative in that place. Like how he risked his life when the lion and bear came against his flock and him, in the same way when Goliath abused God he risked his life to stand for God. Hence his race was victorious. The reason all the people were afraid of Goliath was because they compared their strength and Goliath strength. But the reason David was not afraid was because he compared God’s strength and Goliath strength. In the same way in our life race we must run for God and we need not bother about our strength and the strength of enemy because God fights for us.

RUN FOR WORD OF CHRIST:

Mark 6:33 “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them”

Here a group of people are running. The evening before Jesus

had met all these people and cured all their diseases having no time to eat and sleep. The next day Jesus went to a solitary place to take rest. The same people when they knew that Jesus has gone by boat to the other side, they ran as fast they could and went to the other side before Jesus could get there. Even though these people received healing in their body, their soul and heart seemed empty. Knowing the reason why they ran, Jesus preached the word of God and gave them food for their soul. After that he gave them food for physical body as well. Jesus performed such a big miracle by multiplying the five loaves and two fishes for the people who ran for the word of God.  Today most of us are expecting miracle for our body, but our soul is left hungry. Reading and meditating the word of God is the only way to nourish our soul. If you run for the word of God, he will give you other blessing as well.

RUN TO WIN SOULS FOR CHRIST:

Acts 8:30 “...Philip ran up to the chariot.....” Here Philip is running to prepare one soul for Christ. Philip was not a big preacher like Paul and Peter. But the Holy Spirit has told him to run and reach the chariot in which the minister was travelling. This was a difficult task for him to run ahead of the chariot pulled by the horses. He risked his life and ran to bring one soul to Christ. God rewarded him with two things for his race. First, he is the only man in Bible who baptized a minister. Second, after he had finished his major work, Holy Spirit Himself carried Philip. His race was victorious because he ran to win a soul for Christ.

Let us examine whether we are running for God, for word of God and to win souls for God. If not, let us run the race in a diligent way and be victorious for God. GOD LOVES YOU.

HEART TOUCHING VIDEO - GOD'S SACRIFICE

LYRICS THAT TOUCHED MY HEART - 1

             WRITTEN BY: AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE TOPLADY (1740-1778)

      

               Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

               Let me hide myself in thee;

               Let the water and the blood,

               From thy wounded side which flowed,

               Be of sin the double cure;

               Save from wrath and make me pure.

               Not the labours of my hands

               Can fulfil thy law's commands;

               Could my zeal no respite know,

               Could my tears forever flow,

               All for sin could not atone;

               Thou must save, and thou alone.

               Nothing in my hand I bring,

               Simply to the cross I cling;

               Naked, come to thee for dress;

               Helpless, look to thee for grace;

               Foul, I to the fountain fly;

               Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

               While I draw this fleeting breath,

               When mine eyes shall close in death,

               When I soar to worlds unknown,

               See thee on thy judgment throne,

               Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

               Let me hide myself in thee.

THOUGHT - 6 (GOD LOVES YOU AS YOU ARE)

EVEN AS YOU STAY FAR AWAY FROM HIM, JESUS REMEMBERS YOU

In a remote village there lived a widow woman with her only daughter. Being financially very poor, she struggled to raise her daughter and somehow enabled her to study well. When her daughter grew into a beautiful young woman, she told her mom, “Mom, I know that you have suffered for me and struggled to bring me up. It is enough. Now I will go to work in another city and will earn lots of money and will take care of you”. Having said this, she went to a foreign city leaving behind her mom.

After some days, she got a job. She began to send money every month to her mom without fail. But as days went by she got involved in all kinds of unwanted activities and she began to go behind worldly pleasures and soon she forgot her mother. She started to enjoy a luxurious life. As fate would have it, after few years, she lost all her beauty, wealth and friends. She became lonely without anyone to help her. When all her wealth and beauty disappeared, so did everyone around her. She went into so much depression. At that stage, she felt terribly bad about herself and she began to remember the love of her mother. She remembered the days in which her mother took care of her in spite of all the pain. She felt very guilty about the way she forgot the love of her mother and decided to return to her. She hoped that her mom’s love would have never changed she will forgive her for all her mistakes.

But when she returned home, she was shocked to find that her house was covered with dry leaves and garbage and there was darkness all around the house. She suddenly had a doubt whether her mom was alive or not. When she was about to open the door, she heard her mom calling her by name. She then saw her lying in the corner of room surrounded by darkness. She ran towards her mom with tears and her mom hugged her with great love and acceptance. She wondered how her mom called her by name in that deep darkness. When she asked her mom about that, she replied: “My dearest daughter, from your childhood I know your footsteps. Even though you went far away from me, my heart did not forget you nor your footsteps. That’s why as you walked on the dry leaves I heard your footsteps and identified that it was you, my beloved daughter.

Our God’s love is much greater than the love of this worldly mother. If a mother could remember the footsteps of her daughter even after many days and years, won’t God remember you, my dear child? God’s love is so big and great that He gave His life for you. Jesus says in John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”.

You can never find a love similar to that of God’s love anywhere. God will not forget you, forsake you nor will He hate you. My dear Child, come to Jesus Christ who gave His life for you. Return back to Him. Jesus Christ who gave His life for you on the cross still loves you so much and He waits for you.....

ARE YOU LISTENING OR ARE YOU WAITING TO BE CALLED? - Taken From Internet

Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. 

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.

They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified. Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled." 

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!" The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his." 

We are so busy living in a world that is full of noise and clatter, like that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small voice of God as He speaks in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the life and work of Jesus Christ. So I ask you, as I ask myself, "Are you listening, or are you waiting to be called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you?

-- Author Unknown

JESUS CHRIST WILL COME INTO YOUR LIFE AGAIN

My dear young friend, you might be in a confused state right now thinking about your backslidden Spiritual life and you might have a doubt whether Jesus will come into your life again and will bless you. Let me encourage you my dear friend. Jesus Christ will surely come into your life again and He will bless you with His blessings. Do not be discouraged thinking about your past. You have Jesus Christ who loves you more.

Let’s take the life of Peter as an example and divide his life into four phases as follows:

Phase 1: PETER WITHOUT JESUS

Luke 5:5 “And Simon answering said to Him, Master we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing....”

You can clearly see in this phase that Peter was without Jesus. Since he doesn’t have Jesus in his life, he didn’t have blessings too. But what happens when Jesus enters into Peter’s life.

Phase 2: JESUS ENTERS INTO PETER’S LIFE

Luke 5:6,7 “And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they began to sank.”

Peter’s life was once void without any blessings. Then as Jesus entered into his life and as he began to do things according to the counsel of Jesus, he gets an overflowing blessing. As Peter received Jesus into his life, he received blessings too. Did Peter stand firmly in the relationship with Jesus?

Phase 3: PETER’S BACKSLIDING

John 21:3 “Simon Peter said to them, I go a fishing. They said to him, we also go with you. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately; and that  night they caught nothing.”

Jesus Christ entered into Peter’s life and transformed his life from catching fishes to catching people. But Peter decides to go back to his previous life and in that process, he left Jesus. That night Peter would have felt guilty that his life has got no blessing because he went back to his old life. He might have doubted whether Jesus will accept him again. Did Jesus accept Peter?

Phase 4: JESUS ENTERS INTO PETER’S LIFE AGAIN

John 21:4,6 “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. And He said to them, cast the net on the right side of the ship and you shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”

My dear young friend, this is the wonderful loving character of Jesus Christ. Even though as Peter went away from Him, Jesus comes into Peter’s life again and He restores back the broken relationship. Not only that, Jesus fills the life of Peter again with overflowing blessings. Jesus Christ is a loving God who will not cast anyone who comes to Him.

Even today my dear young friend, you might have left Jesus as Peter did. You might have lost your entire Spiritual and worldly blessings. You might have lost the peace of your life. Don’t worry. Jesus Christ loves you and His hands are stretched forth towards you. He is waiting for you. If you surrender your life to Jesus Christ again, He will restore the broken relationship and fill you with His overflowing blessings.

PROMISE FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL

FEAR NOT, I WILL HELP YOU