GHG SHORT DEVOTIONALS - 3 (YOU WILL RECEIVE THE BLESSING THAT YOU ARE LONGING FOR)

Mark 5:25-34

A woman had a particular sickness for 12 long years. She had spent all that she had but she could not receive what she had wanted. One day she touched the garment of Jesus and she was healed immediately.

1.      You might be longing to receive a particular blessing for so many years. Today God promises you that you will receive that blessing within the end of this year.

On that day multitude were thronging and touching Jesus but only that women touched Jesus in a way that she received God’s power and healing.  

2.      Are you simply thronging Jesus or are you touching Jesus in a way you receive a miracle and blessing from Him?

What made her to get healed immediately? Jesus said that her faith made her well. She had a doubt whether she could touch the garment of Jesus but she strongly believed that if she touches His garment, she will be healed immediately.  She doubted her ability but not the power of Jesus.

3.      Put your faith upon Jesus and trust Him completely. Then you will feel God’s power and blessing flowing in and through your life.

JUDGE NOT - AN INSPIRATIONAL POEM (AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
by the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp--
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics, the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

And why's everyone so quiet,
so somber? Give me a clue."
"Hush, child," said He. "They're all in shock.
No one thought they'd see you."

Judge NOT...

GHG SHORT DEVOTIONALS - 2 (GOD CARES FOR YOUR WELL BEING)

Mark 8:2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”

Multitudes of people were with Jesus but they have nothing to eat and Jesus had compassion on them.

1.      You trust Jesus and you are with Him. But yet there’s something that lack in your life. Today Holy Spirit wants you to know that Jesus Christ knows your situation and He has compassion upon you.

8:3 And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

2.      God will not allow you to be tested or tempted beyond what you are able and God will never let you down at any moment. You will be satisfied with God’s goodness at His time.

8:4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

Even today your situation might make you feel like that you are in wilderness and you might wonder like how your life will ever be filled with blessing. Even others might feel the same about your life. On that day Jesus Christ fed four thousand people in the wilderness.

3.      For God nothing is impossible. He will do the same in your life. You might not see rain or wind but your life will be filled with God’s blessings for His thoughts and ways are greater than yours. 

GHG SHORT DEVOTIONALS - 1 (FIX YOUR EYES UPON JESUS)

We read about Stephen in Acts 6 &7. Many brought false witness against him. His enemies were gnashing at him with their teeth. But his eyes were fixed on Jesus who is standing at the right hand of God.

1. You might be surrounded by people who hurt you through their words, deeds or accusations. You are broken cos you look at them. Today God wants you to look at Him who is standing with you and for you.

2. You might be doing God's work diligently and so, many accuse you falsely. God says that they are fighting against Him and not you. He will do justice for you.

What made Stephen to look at God and pray when multitudes were throwing stone at him?

Acts 6:5&7:55 says that he was full of faith and Holy Spirit

3. Only when you have faith upon God you can overcome the troubles that you face and only when you are filled with God's Holy Spirit you can stand for God and walk through persecutions and accusations with joy by fixing your eyes upon Jesus. Do ask for God's anointing today and be blessed

COMING SOON - #GHG SHORT DEVOTIONALS

GOD WILL DO GREATER THINGS IN YOUR LIFE

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read about a widow who lives in Zarephath. There was no rain in the nation and she was struggling to provide for her own family. But God has a different plan about her life.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” - 1 Kings 17:8,9

Though she has no provision to feed herself and her son, God has a plan that she will provide for Elijah. God had a greater plan about her life.

1.      Even today you might be struggling in life but God says that He has greater plans about your future.

2.      You will be blessed and through you others will also be blessed.

I Kings 17:16 says  ^“The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.”

The widow was blessed exactly according to what the Lord has spoken to her.

3.      Whatever God has promised you, He will fulfil it in your life.

There were no rain and no blessing in the nation. Even rivers had turned into dry land. But blessings were overflowing in her life.

4.      God says He will do the same in your life. He will work beyond your life situation and you will have overflowing blessings.

Do not get discouraged about your life’s present situations. You have a miracle working God in your life and He will definitely do miracle in your life. He will do greater things in your life because His plans and thoughts about your life is far more higher than yours. God bless you.

SWEET MARRIAGE - 15 (LOVE YOUR SPOUSE EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T DESERVE TO BE LOVED)

“Love bears all things…endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:7

Recently I was reading an article written in facebook. Actually a guy wrote that article about his wife which really touched my heart.

He was engaged to a very beautiful girl and after his engagement, he dreamt a lot about his future with that girl. Unfortunately days before his marriage, the girl went away with another guy whom she loved. He could not bear that sorrow. As his parents insisted him to marry a relative girl on the same day, he married her without any interest upon her.

As she was physically fat compared to the other girl, he could not love her at all. He hated her to the core from the first day of their marriage. He won’t speak to her for a minute. She used to wake up early, cook, wash his clothes and does all the household stuff. Then in the afternoon she will go to her office for work. When she returns back late night he will be slept.

Though she could not get the love of her husband, she loved him with so much patience. One day his mother spoke very rudely to her as she was barren. She knew the reason for that but yet she never spoke a word against anyone but left their house politely.

He was also happy as his wife left their home. But one day when he was reading certain poetry that she had written for him and kept on the cupboard, his heart melt. He could able to understand the love of his wife and he felt that he too missed her badly.

So he went to her mother-in-law’s house thinking his wife would have went there after his mother spoke badly about her. He prepared to defend himself if someone in his mother-in-law’s house asks anything about the fight. But when he went there he understood that his wife never went there. Then when he searched for her, he found that she was staying as a paying guest in a women’s hostel for two weeks without informing anything to her parents about the afflictions that she was facing in her husband’s house.

He brought her home and fell down at her feet begging for her forgiveness. She immediately forgave him and hugged him. He ends that long article concluding that they were so happy now and she is carrying their twin babies.

Many who have commented on that article appreciated his wife for being so patient and endured all afflictions with love.

I was wondering how a girl could love her husband like that when he hated her to the core! She loved her husband so much that she patiently endured all afflictions. She loved him so truly even when he was not worthy to deserve her love.

Because she endured the afflictions, today her family is built and they were living happily.

Love bears all things and endures all things. Love your spouse without any expectations. They might not deserve your love. But love them anyway. Do not run away from your marriage relationship. One day God will answer your tears and you will definitely have a happy blessed life. 

GOD'S PROMISE FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2017

SPIRITUAL HOUSEKEEPING - AUTHOR UNKNOWN (TAKEN FROM THE WEB)

I do not know about you but I don’t like cockroaches.  We had them in a house that we bought in Long Island.  I did not know anything about hiring exterminators so I decided to get rid of them myself.  I bought a sprayer and bought some chemicals to kill them.  To measure the chemicals I took a measuring spoon and wired it to the outside of the sprayer.  I did this to make sure that I didn’t make a mistake and use the measuring spoon again in the house.  How could I ever clean it well enough to use it again safely for cooking?

Imagine going in your china closet, getting one of your best crystal glasses, and then using it to measure chemicals to kill the bugs around your house.  Then let’s imagine that you take it in the house and wash it.  Would you dare to use it again?  Of course not!  It would be contaminated with a toxic film invisible to your eye that might poison anyone who used this glass.

Now imagine that your soul and mine are like this glass.  It has been so easy for me to fall victim to the attractive but false temptations of our contemporary world.  For example, power, money, liquor, sex, and possessing more and more material possessions are alluring.  These are played up so seductively on television and in the media.  These can become our golden calves, our false idols!  Who has time for God or Church?  Perhaps unwittingly or even deliberately I have filled up my glass with these toxins that may kill my soul and potentially others whom I know and love.  We call these toxins sin. This mix more importantly is toxic to God and poisons our relationship with Him. The worst of these is so strong that it totally poisons our relationship with God. 

Imagine that we determine to do better and try to rid ourselves of these toxins.  Can you or I wash the glass of our soul clean enough by ourselves?  It would be like trying to wash the lethal chemicals out of our glass with household soap.

Let’s assume, however, that we turn to Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and ask Him with a contrite heart to wash our glass.  Is there a sin that He cannot forgive?  His Mercy is boundless.  He died to redeem us of our sins and is prepared always to forgive us.

How can we avoid refilling the glass to the brim with another toxic brew?  This also is very difficult to do by ourselves.  No matter how I have tried to do this the devil always seems to find a way to slip a temptation in my life when I am weak.  My glass, you see, is terribly weak and fragile.  The toxins once again begin to fill my glass.

Imagine that Christ not only cleans our glass but also puts a protective substance in the glass that makes it difficult for the devil to introduce any more toxins.  Is this possible?  The answer is yes.  We call this protection grace.  The Sacraments are the greatest source of this protection.  The more grace that we have in our glass, the stronger that this protection is.  The greatest of the Sacraments is the Communion.  We have the blessing and privilege to be able to receive Our Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in Communion.  The grace that He brings surpasses all human understanding. Communion is the food of Eternal Life.  Jesus Himself, who suffered and died for us on the Cross, gives Himself willingly, joyfully, lovingly, mercifully, to us.  This protection increases the more frequently that we receive Communion.  The devil, compared to Christ, is a grain of sand.  When Christ fills our soul there is no room for the toxins that the devil seeks to tempt us with.  May we get in the habit of receiving Jesus in the Communion as often as we can to take full advantage of this protection!

When Christ has cleaned and filled the glass of our soul whom do you imagine others see when they look at us?  My we pray that they no longer see us - - but only see Jesus Christ Himself!

DO NOT FEAR BUT TRUST IN GOD AT ALL TIMES

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”- Psalms 56:3

As I wrote in the previous article when a bus came and hit our car while we were waiting to cross a railway track, we were shocked. It all happened in a second and it took minutes for us to realize what happened.

My mind was full of questions thinking how it has happened and why it has happened. Then as we were on the way my wife told me that she feared a lot when the accident happened.

I was about to reply something and at that very moment my little daughter who was standing on the back seat told, “Children of Jesus should not fear.” Her reply filled my heart with joy.

Sometimes in our life we get unwanted problems. We face certain tough moments in our life. Because of something we might get hurt. The pain that we carry might be unbearable because of those incidents that occurred in our life. Many questions might come in our mind.

But how we react to those situations? Are we filled with fear or do we trust God at all moments?

Psalmist says to God, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” He says that he was not afraid. Actually he was filled with fear. But he was not dwelling in the fear. He knew the way to come out of the fear. He knew he has a God upon whom he can put his trust. And so he says to God that he will trust in Him whenever he is afraid.

My dear young friends, you might be filled with fear because of your life situation. But do not dwell in the fear. You have a God who promised you that He will be with you at all times. He is with you now in your present situation. He will take control and He will handle those situations. Put your trust in God. Jesus Christ will never forsake you. He will give you victory and His peace will overflow in your life. Do not fear but trust God at all times.